Seward
The Gateway City uj Interior Alaska Since 1903.
e o P o r
Record
Sen-aid’s All-IPeather Port is Alaska's Create, t Assel.
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. IX, No. 34
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1953
Price 10 Cents
Railroad Man Dead
From Monoxide Gas
At Grandview
John Whitehead, section fore
man at Grandview on The Alas
ka Railroad, was pronounced
dead by Dr, J. B. Deisher of
Seward at about 3 p.m., Friday,
February 20.
The Seward Police Depart
ment was alerted at about 1:00
o'clock with a request for the
ambulance, a doctor and the re
suscitator. The only ambulance
available was the ARR vehicle,
which was sent with the doctor
and equipment. It broke down a
short distance from town and
the doctor returned for his own
car. Bad road conditions and the
breakdown delayed arrival of
the doctor at Moose Pass. White
head had been taken from
Grandview to Moose Pass by
railroad speeder. He was given
artificial respiration, but Dr.
Deisher pronounced the man
dead upon his arrival there.
Word received here was that
Mr. Whitehead had fallen into a
hole next to the power house and
was overcome by monoxide gas
from the engine. His body was
brought to Seward, and his wife
arrived here Friday night from
their home at Grandview.
Port Committee P!an
Explained To C. ot C.
At the Chamber of Commerce
meeting Tuesday, Tommy Bie,
president, explained most em
phatically that the Port Commit
tee he had appointed at a previ
ous meeting was an exploratory
group only. Their function is to
aid prospective business in ob
taining port information and to
study the possioilities of a regu
larly appointed dock commis
sion. No authority of any sort is
invested in the committee, Bie
said.
A board of directors was elect
ed at this meeting to complete
details of incorporation of the
Chamber of Commerce. W. C.
Erwin was elected chairman of
the board which consists of the
four regularly elected officers of
the Chamber of Commerce and
five members who are business
men in Seward.
fLe* Water to Rusl?
New Ssv/er Line
Hurry Southard, city engineer,
has requested all householders
living south of Madison Street,
whose houses are connected with
the new sewer line, to leave
some water running all the time.
This is to scavenge the* line, in
other words, to help prevent
any stoppage in the sewer line.
At present only a few houses
are connected with the new line,
and there is not enough water
going through for safe drainage.
Request No Parking
On Airstrip
The Bureau of Public Roads
and pilots at the Seward Air
port have requested "NO PARK
ING ' signs for the airport. One
day last week, an airlines pilot
reported, the morning plane
cruised over the field for 20
minutes unable to land because
of a ear parked on the runway.
"The driver of the car,” Mr.
Roberts stated, representing the
Cordova Air Lines here, ‘‘sat
in his car watching, and wonder
ing what it was all about, bliss
fully unconscious of the fact that
it was he who was holding up
the landing.”
The Mayor instructed the new
airport manager to request signs
from the Department of Avia
tion.
Sewardites Win Art
Prizes At Rendezvous
Four Seward young people
and one adult won first and sec
ond prizes in the Anchorage Fur
Rendezvous art contest this
week.
A first prize in the amateur
class was awarded Mrs. Mabel
Kendall of Seward Sanatorium.
In the student class. Fran
(Pete) DuBeau's entry on animal
life won a second prize. Another
high school student, Betty Cook,
was awarded a second prize on
her entry of a landscape.
Fifth grader Glenn Caley won
a first prize, as did also Paul
(Scrappy) Southard of the Third
grade.
Tlie talent shown by these
school children is the more re
markable as there is no art
course given in Seward schools.
Prize winners have not been
notified what form the awards
will take.
Car License Deadline
Is February 2Q
The deadline for running a
car without a 1053 license plate
and the new Territorial driver’s
license is February 28.
Quite a number of old plates
are still to be seen around town.
After the. 23th there will be no
extension of the time limit, and
cars will not be allowed to run
on the old plates.
A check with the Commts
sioi'.ers office Friday revealed
that approximately 500 licenses
have been sold in Seward for
passenger cars and 300 truck
tags lo date. It is estimated that
after February 28. the number
of licensed cars in this nrya will
exceed 100C.
Bartlett Says School
Replaces Hospital
In Priority
Delegate Bub Bartlett inform
ed Mayor Russell Painter and
the City Council this week by
letter that transference of the
school to the hospital priority
on APW appropriations lists iias
been accomplished.
This was in reply to a letter
from the City requesting assist
ance in making the change after
defeat of tire hospital bond elec
tion in January.
Tlie Delegate to Congress con
tinued with an explanation, that
all appropriations are being de
layed far Alaska Public Works,
awaiting President Eisenhower’s
new budget Which is expected to
be presented to Congress within
a few weeks.
LAWaON' LEAVING TO TAKE
MANAGEMENT OF
JUNEAU RADIO STATION
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Lawson arc
leaving soon for Juneau, Alaska.
Jim, a popular manager of radia
station KIBH. has received pro
motion to the larger station
KINY at Juneau. Both stations
arc in the chain owned by Wm.
J. Wagner of Seattle.
Lawson has Liken an active
part in civic affairs in Seward
during his stay here, becoming
well knov. n and well liked. His
familiar voice will be missed on
the air.
SMALL FIRE AT oPIC & SPAN
Volunteer Firemen answered
an alarm at the Spic & Span
Cleaners on Fourth Avenue
early last Saturday evening. De
fective wiring had begun to
smoke. No damage was reported.
City In Full Support of
Ambulance Corps
That the City is in full sup
port of the Volunteer Ambulance
Corps was evidenced Monday
when the Council agreed to give
the newly formed organization
use of a building and lot to house
the vehicle.
The request was made on be
half of the Corps by Jack Kelly
and Jim Kirkpatrick. They also
asked that the present insurance
coverage of the vehicle, now in
cluded in the fleet insurance
coverage of the City, be contin
ued until the policy runs out.
After that the Ambulance Corps
expects to be able to finance
itself, but it was suggested that
the service be maintained as a
city department, similar to the
volunteer fire department agree
ment.
Council members agreed to all
suggestions put by Kirkpatrick,
thus showing their deep interest
in the project.
Bar Owner's Request
Tabled By Council
George Giardina, part owner
of the Flamingo, new night club,
made a formal request of the
City Council Monday night' for
pel mission to extend operating
hours to bars and clubs pre
senting paid entertainers. Giar
dina stated that such owners
would be willing to pay an extra
tax of $500 a year for the privi
lege. He did not say whether
he was speaking for all bar
owners who present paid enter
tainers or just for himself.
The request was tabled for
further study, and awaiting a
zoning ordinance now being pre
pared by the Bar Association.
GREAT GUARDSMAN
&2SM3Z mm
^ jib
sEp?
| vital contribution
! )N| THE PRESENT
| EMERGENCY THE
I NATIONAL GUARD
i HAS CONTRIBUTED
OVER $193,000,000
IN ARMY EQUIPMENT
(IN ADDITION TO THAT
TAKEN INTO ACTIVE
SERVICE BY UNITS)
AND MORE THAN
$500.000,000
WORTH OF AIR
EQUIPMENT AND
FACILITIES.
&
*•
WHEREVER FLOOD. FIRE
TORNADO OR BLIZZARD
STRIKES, YOU'LL FIND THE
NATIONAL GUARD SETTING
UP COMMUNICATIONS,
EVACUATING VICTIMS,
PROVIDING BLANKETS,
COTS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES,
SHELTER.TRANSPORTATION
SAFEGUARDING LIVES
AND PROPERTY.
a£*r
A COLONEL IN THE
FLiST VIRGINIA
R'SI/MENT (NOW THE ,t
17STH INFANTRY VjSM
VIRGINIA NATIONAL UV />
GUARD) THIS GRLAT
PATRIOT BECAME ^
COMMANDER-IN- <
CHIEF OF THE VIRGINIA ^
FORCES. ' ***» ' *
THE GUARD TRAINS LEADERS,
OVER 60,000 GUARDSMEN- ^ ^
ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE -
BECAME COMMISSIONED
OFFICERS DURING THE
PERIOD 1940-44
For further information, contact Lt. Ralph Fuska, Box 566. Seward.
'Good OSd Days' Of
Isolation Seem To
Have Returned
Seward is experiencing a re
turn to "the good old days" this
weekend. To the good old days
when the town was completely
isolated from the world. On
Friday, the only communication
was by radio.
A snow slide reported as 600
feet long and 15 to 20 feet deep
just north of Girdwood slopped
all traffic on both railroad and
highway. Another 'slide at Mile
39 js reported to be almost the
entire length of Jerome Lake.
Road crews were working at top
speed on both obstructions at
presstime, but had not succeed
ed in releasing traffic.
A howling southeaster in Sew
ard knocked out telephone lines
by the dozen, and prevetned the
landing of any planes. Cars
stuck fender-deep in slush, and
finally word of another shipping
strike on the Pacific Coast com- .
pleted a picture of frustration
for this port city.
"Oh, well, it can't last for
ever,” was the byword, however,
and business proceeded as usual,
waiting for the good old days
to pass.
School Kids Enjoying
Holdup In Anchorage
The basketball team and pep
squad, altogether 25 or 30 Sew
ard High School youngsters, ac
..a by • > Ek’lb'-rg,
Mrs. Grace Cahnpen and Mis.
Helen Jordan, are held up in An
chorage because of snow slides
on the highway.
The group left town Thursday
by train, intending to return by
bus and private car. According
to Highway lfairol reports, snow
slides at Girdvvood and at Mile
39 will not be cleared much be
fore Sunday night or later. In
the meantime, the kids are stuck
in Anchorage unless they are
able to land a plane Saturday
We can t Imagine them worry
ing much as long as their sa*n'^_
ing money holds out. TnC adults,
however, may not be so happy
about the situation.
Besides those stuck in Anchor
age. about half the folks in town
are anx.ous to get to Anchorage,
but ar- prevented by the same
thing. It's a funny circumstance.
INQUEST HELD HERE IN
DEATH OF COAST
GUARDSMAN
The body of Daniel Kajfasz,
27, Engineman 1-c, U S. Coast
Guard, was brought in to Sew
ard February 17 by the Coast
Guard cutter Sedge for inquest.
According to witnesses, Kaj
fasz and two companions had
gone lor a hike Feb. 8 around
the rocky shore of Kayak Island,
near Cape St. Elias, where they’
were stationed as lighthouse
crew.
At one point, they faund it
impossible to get around the
cliff until the tide went out. The
two comnanions turned back to
wait for the tide, but Kajfasz at
tempted to cross. He was unable
to make the cross and clung to
the cliff while the others went
back for helo. He was seen about
midnight February 8.
Several days later' the cutter
Sedce recovered the badly bat
tered body. Identification was
made by’ tattoo marks on one
arm and fingerprints taken by
local police here.
Kajfasz's home was in Toledo,
Ohio, where he is survived by
his wife and two small children.
He had been assigned to the
Alaska post just three weeks be
fore his death. The body was
sent to Toledo for burial.