Seward
The Gateway City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
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Record
Seward’s All-ITeather Port is Alaska’s Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. IX, No. 38
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1953
Price 10 Cents
"Bigger and Better"
In a few years I hope some
thing like this will happen to
me. I’ll be in the club car of a
train heading for Florida. A
long, tall, bowlegged fellow will
come in and sit down by me.
“Pardner,” he’ll say, “Where
you from?”
“Kentucky,” I’ll say.
“Well, I’m from Texas,” he'll
say. “Greatest state in the union.
You can put Kentucky and all
of New England in just a little
old corner of Texas, you know it.
Land area of 263,644 sq. miles.
Greatest state in the union.”
Then a man sitting on the
other side of me will pipe up.
"Pardon me, pardner,” he'll say
to the Texan. “I’m from little
old Alaska. Youngest state in
the union, 583,400 sq. miles.
One fifth the size of the whole
United States, twice the size of
Texas. Greatest state in the
union.”
The Texan will blink at him
and turn back to me. “As I was
saying,” he’ll say, “you can't
mention a thing that Texas ain't
got. We got 400 miles of sea
coast, you know it, and . .
“Pardon me, pardner,” Alaska
will say, “we got 4,750 miles of
coast line. Our shores are wash
ed by two oceans, one sea, straits,
gulfs, and God knows how many
bays. We got . .
“Now you take our moun
tains,” Tex will say. “There’s
Capitan in the Guadelunes 9020
feet high. That makes her about
5,000 higher than anything you
got in Kentucky and . . .”
“Why, son,” Alaska will say,
“that's just a little old hill. If
you want a he-mountain, why
don’t you take old McKinley,
20,300 feet high. That makes her
about 11,280 feet higher than
anything you got in — what's
the name of that state again? '
Ana, lexas win say, mere s
the old Rio Grande. What a
river!”
“And,” Alaska will say, “there
is the old Yukon, 2,000 miles
long, and you’ll never see the
day you can jump across it like
you can some rivers I can men
tion but won’t . .
By this time Texas will be
foaming at the mouth and he’ll
turn his back on Alaska and
say, “And we got oil and gas
and gold and silver and mer
cury and lead and . .
“And,” Alaska will say, “we
.got oil, gold, silver, copper,
lead, tin, platinum, antimony,
tungsten, coal, marble, sulphur,
pitchblende, and fish, and . .
"And,” Texas will say, “there
ain’t anything we can’t grow.
You ever see a Texas water
melon? Biggest thing you ever
saw.”
“Yeah,” Alaska will say, “Bout
half the size of a Matanuska
Valley cabbage. Richest land in
the world, that Matanuska Val
ley land. It’s . .
“But what we’re really noted
for,” Texas will say, “is our
men. Takes real men to live in
Texas. You ever heard of them
‘blue northers’ that whip thru
the Panhandle?”
“Yeah,” Alaska will butt in
again. “They’re just baby willi
waws we send down for season
ing. When they get where they
can break 100 miles an hour
they come back to Alaska to
work on some real men.”
After that, Alaska will leave.
Then Texas will turn to me and
say, “Them Alaskans! If they
ain’t the biggest mouthed, loud
est bunch of braggarts I ever
heard. Why we ever let ’em in
the union I jlon’t know!”
—From the Louisville Courier
Dr. Russell Wagner drove to
Anchorage on a business trip
last Sunday. He came home
sometime during the week.
"EAGLE" HETURNS WITH
LOAD OF SEALS AND GOAT
Hank Abrahamson returned
this week aboard the cannery
boat “Eagle” with a load of hair
seal and one live goat. The goat
was turned over to Carlos Car
son, F&WS agent, and will prob
ably be sent to the colony on
Kodiak Island.
Seal liver, considered a deli
cacy by many people, was all
taken by a local market. Hides
were sold to an Anchorage fur
rier.
Controls Removed
From Alaska Prices
Juneau—All price controls in
Alaska are at an end effective
immediately, Fred G. Hanford,
Territorial Director OPS, said
this week. Hanford said he re
ceived word of the decontrol of
all goods and services in a wire
Tuesday from Edward J. Fried
lander, Regional Director OPS
in Washington, D.C. The de
control order is the last step
pursuant to The President's di
rection to terminate price con
trols. Hanford said. Ic ends all
controls in both the continental
United States and the Territories
and Possessions.
Hanford added, however, that
the termination docs not att’ect
the requirements regarding the
preservation of records as to
past transactions.
The official, who has directed
OPS activities in Alaska since
the agency started in January,
19al, said his Juneau office has
been busy for tiie last several
weeks getting things in order,
lie said the Juneau office as
well as branch OPS offices in
Fairbanks, Anchorage and Ket
chikan would be closed within
a few weeks. Hanford took the
occasion to thank Alaska busi
ness men for their cooperation
during the last two years, observ
ing that a law such as the OPS
"is not easy to administer since
most people have a natural op
position to controls of all kinds.”
Hanford said Alaska business
men as a whole understood the
necessity for controls at the
time and thedr cooperation made
the work of the OPS staff easier.
Ambulance Corps
Dance at Elks Club
The first chance townspeople
have had to make contributions
to the new Volunteer Ambulance
Corps will be Saturday night at
the Elks Club.
The Corps is well underway
with first aid classes in prepara
tion for the coming season,
which is expected to be a busy
one.
Members of the volunteer
corps are working over the old
vehicle to be used until such
time as a new one can be pur
chased.
Now is the time to help this
little group which is volunteer-'
ing much of its time and work
to an ambulance service, and to
have a good time for yourself,
too. Refreshments will be served
—good music, dancing and a
long evening of entertainment.
Saturday, March 21.
"SPRING HAS SPRUNG"
Friday, March 20, is the
first official day of Spring. Some
■one says “We haven't had any
winter yet.”
How wonderful it will be to
have Spring without Winter! Or
is it that “If Spring comes, Win
ter can’t be far ahead”?
The almanac says spring be
gins on March 21, but the weath
erman said it began at noon on
the 20th.
Somebody seems to be all
mixed up.
Reporter's Notebook
The birthday of Henry Dana
was the occasion for a steak
dinner at Gabe’s Sunday. Guests
were his brothers Bill, Herman
and Ozzie and Mr. and Mrs.
Woody Mahurin and children
Marshall and Lane.
M. II. Sidener left Tuesday
by train for Anchorage, where
he was to catch a plane for the
States. Si, owner of Seward
Drug Co., had not seen his
mother for 12 years, and took
this time for the visit, as she is
ill. She lives in Central City,
Iowa. Si expects to be back
about the first of April.
Rev. Orland Cary, pastor First
Baptist Church, Fairbanks, and
Rev. Ritchie, pastor of the Pal
mer Baptist Church, visited in
Seward last week with Rev.
B. O. Carpenter, pastor of the
local c.iurch. They made plans
for attending the convention to
be held in Houston, Texas, in
May.
Mr. Carpenter is leaving Sun
day for Prince Rupert, Canada.
He will be away from Seward
until April 12. All services in
the Union Hall will be discon
tinued during his absence.
The Glen Tressltirs got back
last week from a long tour of
the U.S. They went through the
Capitol in Washington, D.C.,
stopped off in Tennessee,' over
to California, and also visited
with Lon Gray and family and
tiie A1 Noyes’ in Seattle.
Trcsslcrs came back sporting
a new suburban.
•‘Flicker Red” spent St. Pat
rick's Day in Anchorage. Red
was dressed in tiie saint's honor
in a bright green suit and green
derby hat.
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REPUBLICANS TO MEET
SATURDAY
Notice has been posted of a
Seward Precinct Republican
meeting to be held at 7 p.m.
Saturday night, March 21, in
the basement of the Methodist
Church.
The meeting was requested by
a group of registered Republi
cans, and called by Marvin
Viale, Committeeman, and Mrs.
Patricia Williams, Committee
woman.
Seward Nurse On
Alaska Board
Mrs. LaPreal Bie of Seward
has been appointed secretary
treasurer of the Alaska Nurses'
Examining Board. Mrs. Bie is
president of the Seward Nurses’
Association and former Public
Health Nurse in this district.
Other members of the Board
of three are Helen Johnson,
president, of Juneau and Frances
Donahue, vice president, of
Fairbanks. A bill before the
present Legislature would in
crease the Board to five, but
the bill has not been passed at
this date.
ST. PATRICK S PARTY
DRAWS HUGE CROWD
This year's St. Patrick’s Day
party was one of the biggest
and most successful that have
been put on by members of
Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Entertainment by local danc
ers and singers was of superior
quality. They were directed by
Kay Johnson. Free refreshments
of donuts and coffee, and pop
for the kid^ drew a big crowd,
most of whom stayed to play
games.
The largest award was made
to Mrs. Carrie Kielcheski, who"
went home with the daveno and
matching chairs which have been
on display in Werner’s Furniture
store window.
♦
FIRE DAMAGES A.R.R.
PILE DRIVER
An early morning fire Friday
called firemen to the City Dock
where the pile driver readying
for work there was afire.
Considerable damage was sus
tained to the cab and wiring of
the machine.
Notice Posted For
Boyview Election
Notices were posted this week
announcing the election for an
nexation of t'he Bayview School,
April 21.
There seems to be some con
fusion in the minds of voters,
about the school building and
the previous withdrawal of the
city limits.
Bayview was never in the city
limits. The building and approxi
mately six acres on which it
stands are, and have always
been, property of the Territory.
According to law, a Territorial
school building cannot be used
in a community system, or for
children residing within the in
corporated limits of a commun
ity.
There is no longer need for a
Territorial school in this vicinity
as all children in the vicinity,
except the lower grades of the
Jesse Lee Home, are sent in to
tiie Seward school on tuition
paid by the Territory.
The Seward school system
cannot house, the increased en
rollment without using two
church basements and the Odd
Fellow’s building. With the an
nexation ol the Bayview build
ing and lot, it will become a
part of the city, hence the five
rooms in that building will be
available for city use. The Bay
view School is no part of the
Jesse Lee Home, although it is
in the same area.
Train Passengers
Get Bus Ride
Homeward bound train pas
sengers ended their trip by car
and bus Tuesday night. The
train was held at Divide, 12
miles north of Seward, because
of the derailment of a north
bound freight at Mile 7. Cause
of the derailment was given as
a split switch near Woodrow.
After waiting for approximate
ly 30 minutes without knowing
what was causing the hold-up,
a local taxi driver boarded the
train with an offer to carry
anyone in a hurry back in to
town. His cab was soon loaded
to capacity with anxious par
ents of children who were tired
and sleepy.
Two buses from town were
sent out before midnight to
bring in all other passengers who
were stranded by the tieup. The
pasenger train got into town
sometime after 3 a.m.
Gafce’s So!d To G>sbc
Some concern was felt in town
over the announcement that the
land on which Gabe's stood was
to be sold at auction by the Land
Office. Gate has occupied the
land for many years, but owing
to Land Office practices, was
never able to get possession of
it.
Sewarditcs were determined
no one else should have it, and
attended the sale to insure that
there would be little chance of
it being sold away from the
town’s favorite.
The three-quarter acre tri
angular piece of land was sold
to Gabe without opposition.
Frank Meek, Land Office rep
resentative, conducted the sale.
Everybody is happy!
Editorial
By MEK
Is it possible? Will Seward
ever be bombed? Who knows
what our power-mad neighbors
might do now? We Alaskans
have been sitting behind our
military defenses smugly secure
in the belief that no enemy
would ever attack our powerful
Airforce.
You have read the papers, you
heard the word on the radio,
many of you heard the personal
interview with the pilot and
gunner of the weather recon
naisance plane which was fired
upon in the Bering Sea this
week. What do you think? Could
they? Would they? So what?
“IF they should attack Alaska,
it would happen in Anchorage,
not Seward,” many have said.
That seems entirely likely. But,
after the fuel supply of Anchor
age is afire, would there be any
point in also bombing the only
other remaining source of gaso
line—at Seward? The entire
military setup depends upon gas
oline for operation.
Just suppose a plane should
fly over town and drop a bomb
or two. Would you know how
to protect yourself and your fam
ily? In discussing civil defense,
men have been heard to say,
“What is the use of planning
block warden service, ambu
lance, police, fire fighters, etc.?
If anything should happen, I
am not going to stand down
town directing other people. The
first place I will go is home to
get my wife and kids,”
ihat is an absolutely human
reaction. Of course a family
man is gomg to think of his
children iirst. But after he gets
home—then what? Will he know
of the two or three fairly safe
buildings in town where he
could take his family? Will he
pile them into a car and start out
the road, along with several
hundred others, jam the highway
so that troops and guns could,
not get through, or to become
a sitting duck for further straf
ing attacks?
Maybe he plans to get into the
canyon away from the fire. Fine
—IF the enemy waits until sum
mer time. Suppose it should
happen this week, or next? Are
you prepared with proper cloth
ing and supplies? Could you get
your children through snow up
to their necks?
Do you have a good fire ex
tinguisher in your house? Do
you know how to treat bad
burns? How are atomic burns
treated? If the fire siren should
blow at midnight with an un
usual signal, would you seek
shelter, or run out to see where
the fire was, and possibly jump
in the car to go look at the ex
citement before you realized
that we had been bomibed?
“All bosh," you say. “It’s
foolish to try to do anything
with Civil Defense here.” Maybe
so, at least Col. Johnson, CD
director, has found it so. No
body is interested.
I have kept up insurance for
a good many years—and never
had a fire. I have paid hospitali
zation insurance for 12 years—
and never used it. But I’m not
dropping it. Training given in
first aid, home nursing and Civil
Defense is the best kind of in
surance against what may never
happen.
Last week I refused to teach a
first aid class, for which I am
fully qualified—too busy, too
tired, not interested. Like every
body else in town, I don’t be
lieve we will be bombed. But—
after thinking it over since Sun
day, I have changed my mind.
If a first aid class can be or
ganized, and there is no other
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