cS I: WARD’S
A! I-‘Weather
SRAPORT
Is Alaska s
(>rt <it( st Asst't
Seward Seaport Record
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER IN THE WORLD THAT GIVES A HOOT ABOUT SEWARD. ALASKA
Vol. VII, No. G6
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEB. 16, 1951
Price 10 cents
Services For
• C. 8. Thatcher
Sunday P.M.
Funeral services for Clarence
O. Thatcher, who died at 12:50
p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, will be
held in St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2:00
p.m., Father Russell Clapp offi
ciating.
Death struck suddenly just
after lunchtime Tuesday while
Mr. Thatcher was assisting in
the repair of a furnace in the
home of Mr. Wade Veillon,
whose wife is Mrs. Thatcher’s
sister. The two men were work
ing together when Mr. Thatcher
slumped against his brother-in
law: his heart action stopped.
Mr. Thatcher was born in
Kaskaskia, Michigan, in Janu
ary, 1900. According to mem
bers of his family, he came to
Alaska with ins brother Earl
at the age of 15. The brothers
began work for the Alaska Rad
road in Anchorage at the time
of the first construction there.
Clarence Thatcher became a
locomotive engineer on the road
and has continued iiis associa
tion for nearly 34 years. He
would have become senior en
gineer on March 4 of this year.
During most of that time he
has lived in Seward, with his
wife, the former Miss Marjorie
Neville of Seattle. They had no
children.
Mr. Thatcher is survived by
his wife, a sister. Mrs. A. Propp
of Manor Washington, and bro
ther, Earl Thatcher of Kaskas
kia, Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Neville,
Mrs. Thatcher’s parents, arrived
from Seattle Friday for the
funeral services. Interment will
be in Seattle, where the Thatch
ers have a home prepared for
retirement, which was due in
1955.
Alaska Railroad officials are
expected by special train Sun
day to attend the service.
Friends are requested to send
no flowers. Those wishing to ex
press their esteem are asked to
make contributions to the Polio
fund or other charities as a
memorial.
ANOTHER BOY FOR
THE KNAPPS
Bill and Monica Knapp have
added another member to their
growing basketball team. The
fourth boy is Joseph Anton,
born in Lincoln, California, on
January 24. Joe weighed in at
6 pounds, 4 ounces.
Bill will be remembered as
teacher and basketball coach at
Seward High School for several
years. They left last June for a
trip east. Returning to Califor
nia. Bill settled down in Lincoln
to teach at the high school
there.
In a letter to Mrs. E. Craw
— ford, he announced the new
baby and also commented on
the weather, which seems to
have made a not too favorable
impression upon him.
Antril Suydam. Mr. Knapp
states, is doing as well in basket
ball there as he did here, where
he was a star player.
“Antril is high point man for
the league and is the best play
er. lie was recently elected pres
ident of the student body in the
Lincoln high school. We are
very proud of him,” Bill writes.
Jack Jordan, superintendent
of Seward Electric System, left
town Tuesday morning on a
brief business trip to Seattle.
He is expected back by the 20th.
Elks Estimate Fire
Damage at $73,000;
Rebuilding Underway
McRae Concrete Products Co.
of Seward has received the con
tract for immediate rebuilding
of the Elks Club, partially de
stroyed by fire early in the
morning of January 31.
Estimated loss of buildings
and equipment was set at
SI3,000, which was covered by
insurance. The Elks met in the
Odd Fellows Ha’l this week
and planned the immediate re
building program.
Basketball Games
Saturday Night
A double header basketball
game is featured for Saturday
night at the Civic Center. The
8th grade and freshmen have
the first game; Bear Lake Lum
berjacks and the Nobby Club
will play the second.
These games were announced
by Coach Don Dalberg Tuesday
before he took the Sea liawks
to Anchorage, as a means of
defraying hall rent for the past
six railbelt games. The games
will still be played under the
sponsorship of Seward Volun
teer Fire Department, with the
proceeds to be used to pay ex
penses of Seward’s candidate
to the Anchorage Fur Rendez
vous.
All four teams have shown
good sportsmanship and played
superb basketball in prelimin
aries for the past three weeks,
r.-ns will get more than their
money’s worth Saturday.
FIFTH IN A SERIES ON—
Federal Civil Defense
Act of 1950
(Continuation of summary oi
the Federal Civil Defense Act of
1950, taken from American
Municipal Association Washing
ton News Letter.)
Conference Committee Agree
ments—Differences between the
House and Senate versions of
the bill were quickly settled.
The agreements in the final
version:
1. Require the deputy admin
istrator as well as the admin
istrator to be civilians.
2. Provide for the Civil De
fense Advisory Committee.
3. Limit the number of civil
defense colleges and technical
schools to one and three.
4. Give Congress an oppor
tunity to reject interstate civil
defense compacts.
5. Limit to one year CDA’s
authority to acquire property
without Congressional approval.
6. Require CDA to consult
with the Secretary of Defense
before designating critical tar
get areas which may share in
federal grants for shelters.
7. Prohibit self - liquidating
projects with the exception not
ed aboVe.
8. Provide a $1,000 fine or
one year's imprisonment for un
authorized use of manufacture
of arm bands or other civil de
fense insignia.
9. Limit the administrator’s
condemnation power and certain
other powers to the period fol
lowing a declaration of civil de
fense emergency, either nation
ally or in a local area, by Presi
dential proclamation or Congres
sional resolution.
10. Provide tl>at funds from
sales of materials by CDA may
be used for civil defense pur
poses rather than revert to the
Treasury.
11. Exempt the federal gov
ernment from liability for dam
age (but the act does not at
tempt to provide immunity for
(Turn to Page 4)
WHEREAS, the Alaska Crip
pled Children’s Association has
carried on a most praiseworthy
work in rehabilitating unfortun
ately stricken persons; and
WHEREAS, children as well
as adults suffering from paral
ysis and other crippling dis
eases have been given hospitali
zation and needed treatment
through the efforts of the Al
aska Crippled Children’s Asso
ciation; and
WHEREAS, this year, with
the scourge of infantile paralysis
striking in almost e p i d e m i c
form in our Territory, and
bringing home to Alaskans as
never before the dread nature
of this disease, the Alaska Crip
pled Children's Association has
been most helpful in assisting
in combating it; and
WHEREAS, during the period
from February 25 to March 25,
the Association will conduct its
annual Easter Seal sale, funds
thus derived going toward the
further work of helping the
crippled;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Er
nest Gruening, Governor of Al
aska. urge tin. people of Alaska
to purchase Easter Seals in sup
port of t;i is worthy cause, so
that its humanitarian work nun.
be continued.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I
have hereunto set my hand and
sauced the Seal of the Terri
tory of Alaska to be affixed.
Done at Juneau, the Capital,
this 8th day of February in the
year of our Lord, nineteen
hundred and fifty-one.
ERNEST GRUENING.
(Seal) Governor of Alaska
Lew M. Williams,
Secretary of Alaska.
THREE LIGHT QUAKES
DISTURB SLUMBER
Slumber of Sewardites was
disturbed Thursday morning by
two light earth shocks. The first
at 3:10 was much lighter than
the following one at 3:40, which
was preceeded by a loud rum
bling sound.
A third shock was reported at
| 6:50 Friday morning, but said
j to be so light that very few
I would notice it if sleeping at
| the time.
1 JUNIOR WOMENS CLUB
1 CARD PARTY SATURDAY
! Final plans for the public
I card party Saturday night were
completed at the regular Feb
ruary business meeting held by
! the Junior Womens Club of
Seward. The group met at the
‘ home oi Mrs. Georgia Gordon.
Bridge, pinochle and ever
popular canasta will be fea-nred
pt the Saturday night party in
the Episcopal Church parish
hall. Beginning at 8 sharp, play
will continue throughout the
evening, to be followed by re
freshments. All card players are
welcome.
LUTHERAN LADIES TO GIVE
MARCH OF DIMES TEA
Seward Lutheran Ladies Aid
announce a tea for Sunday af
ternoon, Feb. 18, in the church
basement from 2 to 4 pan.
Expenses of the tea will be
met by the Ladies Aid so all
proceeds can be turned in to
the March of Dimes. Everyone j
is invited to come and spend!
an hour visiting with friends |
over a cup of tea or coffee and i
cookies.
P-TA BAKE SALE FEB. 24
Members of Seward Parent i
Teachers’ Association will hold
a bake sale at Werner’s Market
Saturday, Feb. 24.
Mrs. A. H. Mattson is chair
man of the sale committee.
Something New Hcs 1
Bee*,2 Added at
Dr. Sellers' Office
Tho latest model x-ray equip-,
ment is being installed in his!
office by Dr. R. O. Sellers, to be ,
ready for use very shortly.
He has felt for some time, Dr.
Sellers states, that more x-ray
equipment should be available
to physicians in the detection
and prevention of tuberculosis,
and at a rate that would fit any
family budget.
Miss Frances Clark, x-ray and
laboratory technician, for sev- j
oral years at Seward General
Hospital, will operate the new!
equipment.
Report cg "C uring of i
£?sfres*y Produces"
The Fish and Wildlife Service I
has just released a report on
the “Curing of Fishery Prod
ucts." This 271 page publication
is a comprehensive reference
handbook on fish and shellfish
curing and contains chapters on
drying, salting, smoking, and,
pickling as it is practiced all j
over the world. Numerous pho j
tographs and other illustrations
are included.
The Fishery Products Labora
tory has copies available for
reference. Conies are not avail
able for free distribution. The
publication. Research Report 18,
Curing of Fishery Products, may j
be obtained from the Superin-;
tendent of Documents, United
States Government Printing Of
fice, Washington 25. D. C. for
6U cents. The printing office will
not accept stamps or personal
checks and payment must ac
company the order.
SIXTH IN A SERIES ON—
Aviation Safety
Discussions
D. M. Grelzer
for
The Office of Avialion Safely
BUSH PILOT SUGGESTIONS -
Jack Peck has been flying and
operating airplanes in Alaska
since at least as far back as
1936. He is now an operations
manager for Alaska Airlines.
The following safety suggestions
have been made by him, and are
backed by the authority of wide
experience.
i
"V" Bottom Passes
When flying through a nar-!
row pass, fly close to right hand j
side, so that a 130 degree turn '
can be made, or other required
maneuvering. The left hand will
also usually be in the direction
of best pilot visibility.
Crossing Hills
When crossing a hill or ridge i
against a wind, always cross at
an angle of 45 degrees or less, i
so that if a down-draft is en J
countered, it will be simple to :
drop the nose and turn away *
from the hill.
Flying Without Wings
The majority of private pilots j
do not seem to realize that the
strain imposed on a light air-,
plane in turbulent air can be re-;
duced to a large extent by re j
ducing air speed. Jack Peck i
adds: “I have personal know-'
ledge of this fact, as 1 lost a pair |
of wings one time in turbulent j
air. You can rest assured that I
always throttle back in rough j
air.”
Fly or Walk?
Jack recalls a friend of his
who walked fifty miles in forty j
below weather because of a,
frozen gas line from one tank, j
When one tank ran dry, and the 1
other was turned on, nothing
happened, hence the hike. Hik
ing is good exercise, but there
are times when we would rather
(Turn to Page 4)
Local Boctcr,
Feared Lost,
Returns Safely
Townspeople were stirred to
anxiety last night by reports
that Dr. J. H. Shelton and his
wife were 12 hours overdue
after a takeoff from Ifomer
yesterday morning.
He filed a flight plan, which,
when he failed to report as
completed, put machinery in
motion to fi.id him.
Heavy snow made it impossi
ble for the pimm to reach Sew
ard, so Dr. Fhellon dropped
down at Luke Elwell’s for
coffee. The weather failed to
clear and he could not get away.
There is no means of communi
cation out at Eleven's and nei
ther CAA nor friends could be
notified that the couple was
safe.
Arrangements were made in
Seward for air and ground res
cue missions and the 10th Air
Rescue Squadron was alerted.
Station K.1BH alerted local ex
perienced woodsmen for a possi
ble search on Friday, but re
turned to the air at 11:30 Fri
day morning to announce the
safe arrival of the Shcltons,
who were somewhat surprised
at the commotion they had
caused.
Kcjsilof Nows Stems
Mr. Ed Lovedahl and Wayne
Webb left this week for several
days fishing at Tustumena Lake.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jackin
sky and young daughter of
Ninilchik were here Thursday
visiting friends and taking pic
tures. •
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Flecken
stein took advantage of the
beautiful weather Saturday to
motor to Homer.
Many tourists are seen with
their cameras taking pictures
of the numerous moose in the
vicinity of Kasilof. The school
children counted 54 moose one
morning between the highway
and the school.
Thanks to the excellent work
of the Road Commission our
roads have been kept free of
snow and are now in splendid
condition.
While out sight seoting last
Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
Lovett and Mr. and Mrs. Clyde
Gordon of Seward were forced
to stop briefly in our commun
ity, due to a faulty radiator.
The trouble was soon remedied
and we were glad to have made
new friends.
The weather man played a
grim joke on our community
last Thursday night by allow
ing the thermometer to drop
to -37 at Mile 50. However, it
again resumed normal the fol
lowing day.
"LITTLE EIT OF SWEDEN"
AT SMORGASBORD DINNER
Exciting Scandinavian dishes
and gay peasant costumes will
enliven the Smorgasbord dinner
which will be given in the Sew
ard Memorial Church basement
Friday evening, March 2. from
6:30 to 3 by the Woman’s Soci
ety of Christian Service. An
array of hors d'oeuvres, entrees,
hot dishes, spicy breads- and
delectable pastries will be dis
played. The public is invited to
attend. Tickets can be purchased
after Monday.
A committee meeting will be
held at 8 Monday evening at
the home of Mrs. Gentry Shus
ter.