SEWARD'S
All-1 Weatker
cSHAPORT
In Alaska s
Greet Ust Asset
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VII, No. 77
SEWARD, ALASKA. TUESDAY. MARCH 2
7, 1951
Price 10 cents
Aviation Safety
Discussions
D. M. Grclzer
for
The Office of Aviation Safety
TELEPHONE LINES
Alaskan telephone lines suf
fer heavy casualties from wind,
ice, animals and airplanes. Art
Johnson lias authorized us to dig
out his accident file and tell
about his encounter with a tele
phone line. He came out second
best in the argument.
Eager Beaver
Art has been flying out of
Unalakleet and the Seward
Peninsula area for several years.
He says, “I sure learned a lot
from that experience. By being
too eager, I ruined an airplane,
lost my job, and on top of all
that, I had to pay a hundred dol
lar fine.”
Thanks Art, for your willing
ness to pass on to others an em
barrassing experience of your
own. It takes courage lu admit
errors.
Start
On August Ifi. 1948, Art was
flying an L-5 from White Moun
tain to Nome. Near Safety La
goon. he ran into moderate fog;
went down low and hugged the
coastline.
The lagoon connects with the
ocean through a narrow bottle
neck about a thousand feet
across. A telephone line is sup
ported across the channel by two
towers about a hundred feet
high.
Sag
In bad weather, Art had pre
viously used the towers as mark
ers, and flown between them
over the sag in the wire, at the
same height as the tower tips.
Now the sag was gone.
Slop
The L-5 hit the wire at an
angle, slid along it. and finally
plopped into the water about
fifty feet from shore. The pilot,
while not hurt, was deeply
chagrinned.
Those * ? - Sc ! Keiicoplers
It later developed that in the
previous week, the same wire
had been cut by a careless heli
copter. It was repaired by splic
ing, which shortened it, and took
out most of the sag.
Typhoid immunization
Continues This Week
Second shots in the series of
typhoid immunization will be
given to school children at the
school Friday. The routine was
interrupted by the closing of
school last week.
Immunization for adults on
Tuesday was also postponed last
week. Many people who had re
ceived the first shot got up oul
of bed to go for their second
one, Mrs. Bie said, with the be
lief that it must be given in
exact intervals, but they were
sent home to recuperate from
flu. The process will be resumed
this week as folks recover
enough to take the shots.
Alaska Salmon Institute bormed
I C!rpatinn of thr> Alnclrn
I Introduces Bill On
Suspension of
Assessment Work
A bill was introduced by Dele
gate Bartlett last week to re-1
place one dropped in the hopper
i in February relating to suspen-j
sion of assessment work on i*n- ]
patented mining claims in the j
United States, including Alaska. I
"Since introducing the bill in
February,” Delegate Bartlett.
I stated, “it has become increas-!
I ingly apparent that waiver of
| assessment work lor all types of
• unpatented mining claims would
| not meet with approval. There
I is not only a division within the,
industry itself on v. nether there
I should be a moratorium but in
) formal and unofficial expres
■ sions of opinion from the Atomic 1
Energy Commission and other
executive departments indicate
the suspension of assessment
work on all mining claims would
1 not be looked upon favorably as
i it is felt this would place a de
terrent in the way of develop
ment of strategic minerals.”
The new bill confines suspen
sion of assessment work in the
1 United States and Alaska for the :
period of the national emer
1 genev to mining claims located
: and held primarily for gold. It is
! believed there would be an in
* creased chance to obtain ap
pro Yin ui me i uni ■miky it is
well recognized tnat the gold
miner above all others has been
especially hard-hit. with in
creased shortages of manpower
and equipment anticipated.
Delegate Bartlett's new bill,
in addition to providing for
waiver of the requirement for
annual assessment work on un
patented mining claims local d
or held primarily for gold, in
cludes a number of provisions
which, among other things,
would:
1. Allow any assessment work
done on one claim in one assess
ment year in excess of the work
required to be performed to be
, credited against the assessment
work required for any one or
more of the five succeeding
assessment years.
2. Permit assessment work ex
penditure to be made on any one
claim where not more than 10
contiguous claims in any group
of mining claims are held in
common ownership.
3. Establish a procedure re
quiring holders of all unpatented
mining claims to record inform
ation on their claims with the
Bureau of Land Management,
thereby providing for the first
time a central location for de
posit of this information. All
time required for filing of state
ments in Alaska under the bill
is doubled over tVle time requir
ed in the continental United
States.
(Turn to Page 4)
From Gov. Ernest Gruening,
Juneau. Alaska
To Chairman Red Cross
Chapter, Seward, Alaska
The TerrRcry of Alaska has
always responded to the de
mands made upon it during
greai national emergencies.
Ever increasing numbers of
our young men and women are
now entering the nation's
armed forces and Alaska is
well represented on the battle
fields of Korea. We on tne
home front can't let them
down. Through our support of
the American Red Cross we
shall assure the funds neces
sary to carry on the many Red
Cross services ihai are so es
sential to them and tneir
families. The 1951 Red Cross
campaign workers m your
chapter are carrying on a pa
triotic service of vital import
ance to the citizens of this Ter
ritory. This mission must be
accomplished.
Lunscliecn Meeting of
Sefery Service Group
Ralph Cwolsman. Red Cross
and Civil Defense regional di
rector. giving instructor training
in Seward, will be the guest
of the Safety Services Commit
tee at a luneheo.i meeting at
Kenai Cafe Wednesday.
Safety Services in Red Cross
and Civil Defense covers first
aid. home nursing, accident pre
vention, water safety, etc. The
Seward Committee, under the
chaii manship of Mrs. Charles
Lechner, has ten im mbers.
Dr. J. II. Shelton represents
the medical profession: Win.
O’Brien, industry; Irwin Met
calf, federal government: Mrs.
Helen Jordan, youth activities;
Carl R. Carlson, public schools:
Tom Howell. Lions Club: Mrs.
Frances O'Brien, business; Jay
Stauter, public relations; Mil
dred Kirkpatrick, City Council:
and Mrs. Lechner. chairman.
This committee will promote
and encourage first aid instruc
tion and home nursing instruc
tion for all communities under
Seward Chapter jurisdiction in
direct accord with civil defense
requirements.
DUFFYS LEAVE FOR STATES
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Duffy
got off today after all for a
long planned visit Stateside. Ev
erything was ready for the trip
when Mrs. Duffy came down
with flu, and it looked for a
while as though the trip was off.
She felt better by Monday after
noon, and decided to take off as
planned. They left town by train
this morning.
The Duffys will visit relatives
in Seattle, Portland, Butte, Mon
tana, and Mrs. Duffy's parents
in eastern Montana.
Old "Vic" tc P/ow
Alaskan Waters
In 81st Year
She is a grand old lady, 81 in
fact, but the old “Vic” will plow
her sturdy nose through Alaskan i
waters again next week on her
earliest sailing in five years.
The famed 81-year-old Alaska
Steamship Company steamer
Victoria was commissioned Mon- i
day. March 26 for a March 30 i
trip to Seward, H. N. Peterson, !
company general traffic manag
er. said last Thursday.
“The ‘Vic’ is being taken out
of layup to handle special cargo '
development to the Alaska Rail
belt, beyond the capacity of reg
ularly scheduled vessels,” Peter
son pointed out. “Of the several
ships in our reserve fleet ready i
! to meet unusual traffic demands, j
the 'Vic' is particularly well
suited for the type of packaged
cargo that has developed this
week.”
Captain Ben Aspen, who just
returned with Mrs. Aspen from
an Alaskan vacation cruise on
the steamer Baranof, will com
mand the Victoria this voyage,
which will mark the beginning
of another season in the color
ful history of this vessel.
Built for the Cunard Line in
187U and launched as the Par
thia, the Victoria helped make
Alaska gold rush history and
was a familiar sight to sour
doughs of that era. It was not
uncommon then ior her to han
dle as much as S2 million in gold
per trip from the Seward Penin
For years the “Vie'* was the
first to much Nome alter the. ice
break-up in the Bering Sea and
the last to leave before naviga
tion closed in the fall.
Proclaims Holidays • •
For The Year
A petition signed by twenty
businessmen was presented to
the city council requesting that
Mayor Eugene Lanier proclaim
certain stated holidays for the
year. In this way, all business
houses and the public will know
in advance when stores are to
be closed.
The following dates are pro
claimed holidays:
Jan. 1—New Year's Day
Feb. 22—Washington's Birth
day
i Mar. 30—Seward's Day
May 20—Armed Forces Day
May 30—Memorial' Day
Jun. 14—Flag Day
Jul. 4—Independence Day
Sep. 3—Labor Day
Oct. 12—Columbus Day
Oct. 18—Alaska Day
Nov. 11—Armistice Day
Nov. 22—Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 25—Christmas.
mon Institute was announced
March 26.
The Institute is an advisory
group of Alaska Salmon packers,
organized to present the story
of their industry to residents of
the Territory. In its advance an
nouncement, the Institute pledg
ed “to do everything in its pow
er to promote both the industry
and the welfare of AlasKa.”
A spokesman for the Institute
continued:
•‘This group was organized be
cause we feel that the Aiaska
salmon industry has a good story
to tell—a story of a typical
American enterprise—and be
cause it well realizes that
through the dissemination of
truthful information there can
come about better understand
ing.”
Beginning this week, the In
stitute periodically will adver
tise in ali daily and weekly
newspapers in the Territory.
"Through these advertise
ments." said the group’s spokes
man. ' the Institute wilt tell you,
frankly and honestly, about the
salmon industry and how it af
fects the people' of Alaska.”
The organization also will
sponsor a weekly news analy
sis p r e p a r e d especially for
Alaska listeners and broadcast
by Sam Hayes, widely known
commentator. Hayes will be
heard over all Alaska radio sta
lions every Sunday beginning
April 8. Members of the Insti
tute pointed out that Hayes will
prepare his own program with
no direction or censorship on
the part of the group.
Another phase of the Insti
tute's program calls for the pub
lication of an informative, col
orful 12-page booklet entitled
“W e 1 c o m e to Alaska," This
booklet primarily was prepared
for the benefit oi newcomers,
but is expected to be valuable to
old-timers also.
“Welcome to Alaska" will be
distributed on planes, steam
ships. trains, hotels, etc. Alas
kans will be able to order the
book sent to friends or relatives
outside, also.
SID t Ft IE OPENS FLOP AL
SLOP Id FAI33AKKS
Sid Urie, a local boy who op
erated a florist shop here for
three years, has gone back into
the business in Fairbanks. Sid
[ lias ti ied several other lines of
I business but always returns to
| his first love—the growing or
handling of flowers.
The new shop is a combina
I tion pet and floral shop, which
with Ken Sly, Urie will operate
I at the Clark Pet and Floral
Shop, replacing the Clark Pet
Sliop.
Sid now attends the Univer
! sity of Alaska in caddition to his
| new business venture. Ke is the
I son of Mr. and Mrs. Sol Urie of
Seward.
Governor Explains Stand On Senate Bill No* 92
In signing Senate Bill number
92, an act amending the previ
ously existing provisions con
cerning the qualifications of the
Commissioner of Education,
Governor Gruening yesterday
gave out the following state
ment:
“A considerable number of
letters and telegrams in opposi
tion have been received from
teachers, school administrators,
parents and civic groups, based
on press dispatches, the burden
of which is that this act lowers '
the standards Required of a pros
pective commissioner of educa
tion and that this is objection
able. If the act did this I would
consider these protests fully
warranted.
“A reading of the act itself,
however, leads me to an entirely
contrary view and in order to
let the public know that I am
aware of the protests, have given
them full consideration and feel
that the fears they reveal should
be allayed, I am making this
statement.
“Section 37-2-21 ACL A con
tains the provision that the
Commissioner of Education shall
in addition to being a citizen of
the United States, ‘be chosen
upon merit, and because of his
special fitness to propose and
execute beneficial educational
policies for the general super
vision, government and control
of the public school of the Ter
ritory,’ and shall have ‘the qual
ifications required of a teacher
in high schools of the Territory
of Alaska.’ These last qualifica
tions consist of a Bachelor's De
gree with a major and minor in
subjects commonly taught in
high schools and 16 semester
hours of education courses.
“Senate Bill No. 92 merely
removes that one narrowing re
quirement, that the candidate
shall have taken a few specific
undergraduate courses, and sub
stitutes a broader requirement,
that the commissioner shall be
chosen ‘according to qualifica
tions prescribed by the Board of
Education.’ That does not con
stitute a lowering of standards.
On the contrary, it makes pos
sible raising of standards as it
permits the board to establish
specifications, compliance with
which should assure that the
person so selected will be truly
‘chosen upon merit, and because
of this special fitness to propose
and execute beneficial educa
tional policies for the general
supervision, government and
control of the public schools of
the Territory.’
(Turn to Page 4)