■$&'
EWARD
rih' Catcn ay City of Interior Alaska Since 1903.
Srzvurd's All-lVeather Port is Alaska's Greatest Asset.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VIII, No. 59
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, l‘)52
Price 10 Cents
250 Eskimo National Guardsmen
In Training At Fort Richardson
Fori Richardson. Alaska—Es
kimo National Guardsmen 250
strong, picked representatives of
two crack northern scout battal
ions. enthusiastically entered the
fourth day of their two \v ek
training encampment at Fort
Kichar Ison today.
By ski sled and snowshoe they
tr.sldcd out of the north, rendez
vousing at bush country airstrips
to be ferried by bush pilots and
military aircraft to the encamp
ment at Fort Richardson.
For many of the Guardsm n.
natives of the Territory’s thinly
populated northland, the en
campment provides their first
glimpse of any community larger
than Bethel.
With their first encampment
established at this sprawling
Army post Sunday the scouts,
under the provisional command
of Captain Frank R. Clayton of
Bethel, plunged into a tightly
scheduled training program of
weapons instruction, drilling,
and routine military subjects.
Iraditional army procedure
reigned early in the week as the
scouts were issued uniforms and
equipment and post medical au
thorities administered routine
innoeulations and medical ex
aminations.
Most popular activity on the
training schedule is rifle firing
and the Eskimo Guardsmen are
blistering the ranges with new
record scores. According to reg
ular Army observers on the
scene. Alaska's citizen soldiers
are tackling the oldest military
with tuim zeal. delivering
devastating volleys of fire de
spite bitter cold and howling
winds on Fort Richardson's
snow covered ranges.
In other fields, too. Alaska's
northern Guardsmen are she":
ing th.msclves to be too notch
soldiers. Mess Oiiic; r E. s>. lais
by, a second lieutenant from
Kwolhiuk. Alaska, says they arc
the answer to a mess sergeant's
prayer. “They'll eat anything,”
says Lusby. “and lots of it. We
don't waste anything here. They
scorn to me? everything, but. they
like sweets, jelly and coffee es
pecially."
Though 250 strong at their
Fort Richardson encampment,
t'lie Guardsmen are only part of
two larger battalions with head
quarters at Nome and Bethel.
Ricked volunteers wer selected
for the intensified two week
training period and they will
pass on tht' knowledge gained
here in later training sessions in
their own villages.
The scouts d . . ribr themselves
as a spirited oi gan nation with a
zeal and enthe' ::vai they chal
lenge other National Guardsmen
to match.
Slated for this weekend is a
Saturday afternoon award ccre
m.,i,y ai the Fort Rienaruao.i
Service Club where th scouts
u iil got awards for their mams
mnnship and m.iitary profici
ency. Governor. Brnest Gruening
and top military officials of the
Alaska Command, United States
Army Alaska, and Fort Richard
son arc expected to be present.
Training Program for
Girl Scout Council
Challenging—this is th.' only
descriptive word which tells the
story of the spring training pro
gram tor the leaders, all troop
committee tru moors, all pros
pective leaders and all adult as
sociation members, no a being
formulated by the Seward Girl
Scout Council. Volunteer 1 ad
ers and ass .slants, committee
members and acting leadi rs will
start ti.e new year out with this
training session beginning .Mon
day, Jan. 21, at 7:.s0 p.m . lor
three days in the IQOF Hall on
Adams at 5th Avenue.
Mrs. Francis J. Phillips, chair
man of the local council, an
nounces that the council is ior
iunate to have Mrs. Maurice
Curry, former Girl Scout execu
live of the West Coast, to take
charge of the training program.
She is to be assisted by a train
ing committee consisting of Mrs.
J. B. Deisher. Mrs. Kenneth
Shearer, Miss Martine Burdick,
and Helen Preibe.
Tin- Girl Scouts need more
leaders, wrhy not volunteer now.
and take advantage of this train
ing course?
Last Wednesday at regular
meetings, Brownies and Scouts
got under way with a poster con
test. to publicize this training
course. Posters are to b. judged
by three troop committee mem
bers and prizes awarded troops
and Scouts submitting the best
posters. A grand prize of SI will
be awarded to the troop submit
ting the winning poster and three
other prizes awarded Scouts for
next best posters.
High Winds Cause
Damage, Injuries
In Sev/ard
Th? unusually high winds oi
the past two weeks, besides
doubling everybody's fuel bill,
also caused some damage to
reals, aerials, power and tele
phone lines.
Garbage cans wer lost and
lumber piles scattered from the
lagoon to the beach.
A panel of metal roofing was
ripped off the hospital roof, but
was repaired immediately upon
report to the ci*y. A com n!
block chimney on one of tit-, hos
pita 1 living quarters blew down
but it is now repaired.
Personal injury was suffered
by several people in tails on the
glare ie;\ among them Jay Stau
ter, a broken arm. Harry South
ard sustained broken ribs in a
fall on the ice earlier this month.
Two longshoremen were hurt by
flying timbers.
Sewardites ars used to windy
weather but this last storm, said
to have reached an intensity of
76 miles per hour with gusts
greater than that, has ber n the
chief topic of conversation every
where, as the worst in many
years.
JACKSONS HONORED
BY LEGION
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Jackson
were honored by th. American
Legion and Auxiliary in a fare
well party this week, held at the
Legion Chib.
The Jacksons are leaving Sew
ard for a warmer climate.
Sea Hawks Meet
Paliner Team
Palmer High School's thrice
victorious Moose arrived in town
locIa\ to play two gam s against
the SenhawPs for second place
in the railbelt i tt rscholastic
league.
Palmer now holds second
place with three wins and one
loss. Seward stands two and two.
A:i horny has first place with
four wnis. no losses. Fairbanks
has lour losses.
Cl us Klein and Charles Millis
both last year lottcrmen, wiii
spark Palmer's t am. Jack Me
fv. hnie, John Brown. Monte*
Laii.i, Wesley Eckert, Vernon
Fra.-diey. Don Ingalls, and Jim
Colberg will complete the Moose
lineup.
Preliminary games between
th Jesse Lee Home team and the
Seward seventh and eighth grade
team will begin at 7 pan., with
the high school games following.
Legion Auxiliary
Elects Officers
Three women were eh cted
Wednesday night by the I ogion
Auxiliary to rap-lace IP .or Jack
son. who is k . , town, und
Mary Sloecklo. who resigned her
post as historian.
Arratta Blidberg was elected
2nd vice president to replace
Mrs. Jackson; Inez Thompson
was chosen historian, and Helen
Stevens takes the chairmanship
of the Americanism committee,
a post also formerly held by
Mrs. Jackson.
Mayor Tells Chamber
Of Commerce About
Wester System Plans
Mayor Eugene N. Lanier was
guest speaker at the Chamber of
Commerce luncheon Tuesday.
He explained the city coun
cil's decision to finance rehabili
tation of th water system
through a private bond issue
rather than waiting for the pos
sibility of federal participation
in the program.
“There is no doubt," the
Mayor said, “that water rates
will increase, at least double,
but a private bond issue would
permit rehabilitation this year.
Nineteen fifty-two appropria
tions have already been made for
public works, and there is no
possibility of obtaining Alaska
Public Works funds on a par
ticipating basis before 1953 or
even 1955.
“Seward is eligible for only
o"" more Public Works project,
and with the pushing rmed for
hospital ami sciiool facilities, the
council was faced with the ques
tion of deciding which would
come first. It is generally con
ceded that the city needs an ade
quate water supply, and we need
it now." the Mayor stated. “The
only way to get it immediately
it to Like on tin- entire burden of
financing it ourselves, through
another bond issu e"
It is not known yet whether
the bond issue will have to be
in the nature of a general obli
gation or revenue bonds. This is
still to he determined., according
t ) Mr Lanier.
Mernbcis of the Chamber of
Comm rec questioned Mr. La
nier. who was well informed on
! .( whole i lie.‘ion of reh • biIi
tation and casts.
t'anlrun Pit . president, a>’
poiri'ei Clarence Keating as
Chamber of Comm rce r -pie
s- nhativc to attend council meet
inr s in F bruray.
EXTENSION DOTJ1JT -'T'L ON
EXPT OEIVE3 MOVING
ARRANGEMENT
Alaska D velopment Board
has been advised by the Office
of Territories in Washington that
it is extremely doubtful any ex
tension will be allowed on the
special arrangement under which
explosives have been moving
into Alaska the past three
months.
Last October Delegate Bartlett
was able to obtain from a com
mittee of Congress special action
which authorized the Coast
Guard to permit powder to be
moved through ports in Alaska
so long as not more than 50
tons per vess 1 would be han
dled. This special arrangement
is to expire 1 ebruary 15, 1952.
Owing to the outlook in Wash
ington, it is recommended that
powder users anticipate their fu
ture ne ds and move to the Ter
ritory within the next month a
sufficient supply to take care of
their operations.
Seward's much needed and
long hoped for airport became
a certainty this week with an
nouncement by Tony Sehwamm,
director of aviation for the Ter
ritory of Alaska, that advertise -
merit for bids will appear next
week if the notices can be made
ready by that time.
Mr. Sehwamm was in Seward
this week to meet with the own
ers of property need, d for the
proposed airport, and with the
acquisition of several small par
cels of land, totalling approxi
mately 11a acres, he said the. last
obstacle has been ove rcome and
immediate steps will be taken to
get the project under way.
Sehwamm was particularly
gratified by the cooperation and
fairness of the property owners
concerned in the land acquisi
lion, Herman Leirer, Mrs. Jean
Petrovich, Peter Huglin, and
Henry Dufresne, whose property
was also purchased.
Plans lor the construction of
a 3800 foot long airfield were
approved by the Civil Aero
nautics Administration several
months ago.
It is hoped that bids can be let
immediately, Sehwamm said, in
order that heavy clearing may be
accomplished while the frost is
still in the ground. The new Sew
ard airport is scheduled for com
pletion early in the summer of
ia52 and will be finished in the
first stage with a gravel surface.
'lhe 3300-foot runway will
enable planes of the DC-3 type
and larger to fly into this main
seaport connecting the railbell
of Alaska with the water freight
facilities.
Although the new runway is
not directly into the prevailing
southeast summer winds, tile di
rector declared, it will bo headed
into the severe winter winds
which com. from the north thru
Resurrection River canyon. The
winter winds arc so severe that
flying is impossible lor long
periods of time.
The now locaiicn of the run
way can be extended lo 4500
feet if necessary for future de
velopment. The new runway v/iil
have definite strategic value. If
(Turn to Page 4)
STORM BATTERED DENALI
LOSES MAN OVERBOARD
The Alaska Steamship Com
pany’s passenger ship Denali hit
heavy weather on her trip out
last weekend.
The AFL Sailors Union of the
Pacific reported that Norman
Smith, 4'J, of Seattle, was lost
overboard in the high wind and
heavy seas that dogged the
Denali, Hooding out the crew's
quarters.
Several cars, carried as a deck
load, were also reported dam
aged.
The ship carried as passengers
the Alaska representatives of the
company, including Mr. and
Mrs. Walt Sipprell, of Seward.
They were on their way Outside
to a conference.