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Librarjr & Museum
Juneau, Ala ska , .,**> * *
VOL. 17 NO. 41
Y KODIAK, ALASKA, OCTOBER 12, 1957
PRICE 10 CENTO
No Paving This Year For
Brooklyn Ave. C of C Told
Due to the breakdown of the
screening plant on the Base, Brook
lyn Avenue will not be resurfaced
this year with Navy equipment,
Chamber of Commerce members
learned at the Thursday lunch
meeting.
In the absence of Pres. John Gib
bons, Dr. Bob Johnson presided
over the meeting. He welcomed
Mayor Merrill Coon and City Man
ager Bill Poland as guests of the
Chamber of Commerce. Although
there were only eighteen members
present, many subjects came up
1m discussion.
One of importance was that of
letters of complaint being sent to
the Naval Station officials. Those
persons feeling they have a griev
ance are requested to channel
their letters through the Chamber
of Commerce Base-Town Commit
tee. They can be certain that their
letters will receive every consider
ation and, if necessary, action will
be t&ken.
The Kodiak Telephone Company
has received many calls asking the
reason for the difficulty in reaeh
the base by phone.
The local office reported to
Chamber that they have seven
trosks ready for operation as soon
Dispute Over City
Magistrate Post
Despite some doubt whether the
holding of two municipal offices by
the some person is allowed under
Territorial law, Nick Frost, City
Clerk and fleeted City Magistrate,
Was sworn jin to his second office
; at council meeting Monday.
The doubt was cast by Karl
j Armstrong in two letters read to
; council members. One letter was
' addressed to Mayor Coon and one
to Frost. Armstrong was defeated
1 candidate for the magistrate’s
| office.
With a letter addressed to Mayor
Coon, in which he stated that a
Dumber of attorneys who had re
searched the matter for him were
of the opinion that the Territory’s
Statute forbids any official to hold
two positions in a muncipal corp
oration, Armstrong included a wire
from the Attorney General.
Signed “J. Gerald,, Williams,
Attorney General”, the wire stated
• an opinion differing from those of
: Armstrong: “I advise unofficially
i that Alaska Statutory law does not
• preclude holding of 2 municipal
offices by same person but that
common law suggests that offices
are incompatible and that accep
tance of magistrate’s office will
vacate office as city clerk,” it
said.
In his letter Armstrong suggest
ed that the city council contact the
Attorney General and the City
Attorney for a definite legal de
termination. Council took no
action on this suggestion.
CHANGE OF DATE
According to a wire received late
yesterday by Betty Springhill,
f chairman of the Music Trail con
.!: certs, Reginald Kell will appear on
: October 10 a* originally planned.
as Naval facilities are available to
tie-in, and they hope the service
will soon be improved.
Charles Edris, reporting for the
roads committee, stated the Bu
reau of Public Roads has gor.e as
far as possible with work on the
new Loop road. Further action
must wait until arrangements can
be made through the Territorial
Highway Commission.
The Commission asserts there is
insufficient economic and tech
nical proof that the road is a neces
sity. Some members of the com
mission are expected to come to
Kodiak soon to make a study of the
need for the road.
According to Mayor Coon, M-K
equipment and material is expect
ed to arrive in Kodiak between
October 15 arid 20, and work
should begin shortly thereafter.
-The ddlay . is' ' due to adverse
(Continued to Page 9)
What They Said ...
Soriie of the comments made by
the new members of council when
they took their seats for a brief
time after being sworn in to office
Monday night were these:
Carl Huer, elected for a two
year term: “I would like to efee
some sort of long term planning
system evolved by the City. There
are several projects whieh can do
well with a long range plan and a
look at the overall (picture.”
Bill Worth, elected for a two
year term: "My faith is still in
Kodiak. I still think we’ll be the
finest city in Alaska. As a pro
gressive man I want to see the
city progress.”
Blackie Patterson, elected for a
three year term: "As We have the
City Manager system, I want to see
the city run by him—with the
council backing his decisions solid
ly.”
Merrill Coon, new mayor: *T
compare a city with a company.
The people are the stockholders;
council is the board of directors
and you can liken the mayor to the
chairman of that board. And the
City Manager carries out the
work.” •
Fire Destroys
Warehouse
A fire Saturday completely des
troyed a warehouse and contents
belonging to S.S. Mullens Contrac
tors. The building was located out
at Bell Flats near Sorina Creek.
Naval Station Fire Department
rigs were called to the fire but
were unable to get it under con
trol. The only water available was
from a few small ponds, which
were pumped dry very quickly.
The construction company has
been working on the Naval Station
Coriimunications buildings out at
Holiday Beach. This was the
fourth fire in two years that has
destroyed the company’s equip
ment, according to Fire Chief T.W.
McArthur.
The cause of the fire is not
known. -•- .. ■ - -
New City Council
Sworn in Monday
Past council members relin
quished their seats to the incoming
council at the end of Monday’s
special council meeting, when
impressive swearing in ceremonies
were completed.
After three years of office,
Mayor Leon Johnson handed over
the gavel to incoming Mayor
Merrill Coon. • •
Before swearing in ceremonies
took place, Mayor Johnson made a
short impromptu speech. "I would
like to thank not only the present
council but all those who have
been here for the past thjee years
for *' giving of their time and
talent,” he stated.
has not always been easy .,
but .1, do think you are to hoi (Com
mended. There are not too .many
times when -you are thanked—it is
all too often the. opposite-r^-but .1
would like to thank .you publicly
now.”
To incoming Mayor Merrill
Coon, Johnson .said “It is very
appropriate that you, have been
elected mayor at a time .when a
project on which you have, spent
so much energy, the Boat Harbor,
is underway.” ..
Mayor Johnson stressed the im
portance of good relations between
the City and the Naval Base when
so many residents earn their live
lihood on the Base. “It is my be
lief that good city government
makes for good relations” ,he com
mented.
In closing he advised incoming
eouncilmen “When you take over
on council, use ydtir office and do
not abuse it.”
3,600 Men Here
For Exercises
An estimated 3600 men are
scheduled to arrive in Kodiak to
day. In the group are 1600 Marines
of the Seventh Marine Regiment’s
Second Battalion, the balance Navy
personnel. They will engage in
“Operation Cool Dip”, the Navy’s
first cold weather amphibious ex
ercises in Alaska this year. The
exercises will be conducted on
Kodiak Island, for a period of
approximately two weeks.
“Operation Cool Dip” is designed
to familiarize Navy and Marine
personnel with combat conditions
in cold, wet weather.
While in the Kodiak area, the
task force will conduct two land
ings. The first assault landing will
be a rehearsal and the second will
constitute the actual full-scale
assault.
The mission of the amphibious
assault troops will be the simulat
ed destruction raids against var
ious “aggressor” installations a
shore.
Ships comprising “Operation
Cool Dip” amphibious task force
are the attack transports USS
Montrose and USS Magoffin; the
attack cargo ship USS Skagit; the
high-speed attack transport USS
Weiss; and the landing ships tank
USS Sumner County, USS Rice*
County and4 the USS Lawrence
County. '*4
Fisheries
Hearing
Tonight
The annual Fisheries hearing,
sponsored by Fish and Wildlife
Service, at which local fishermen
can air views and grievences on
fishing regulations, will be held to
night, Saturday, at the Fishermens
Union Hall. The hearing will start
at 7:30 p.m.
Presiding at the hearing will be
John Gharhart, regional director
f6r the Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries* Fish and Wildlife Ser-,
vice. With him will be Dr. William
Kbyce, Director of Research for
Alaska FWS; Dr. Howard Tait;
Fred Thorstinson; Roy Lindsloy,
head of the westward area Fish
eries Management and Bob MaHaf
fle, District Fisheries Management
supervisor. •;
Among topics to be discussed are
routine changes on closures at Ali
tak and Karluk. The Fish and
Wild Life Service hope .to sound
out local fishermen’s feelings on
these closures.
All interested p-ersons are urged
to attend this hearing.
Three Killed, Two Missing
In Navy Aircrash Thursday
Three members of the.crew were
killed and two reported missing
when a Navy patrol bomber, P2V
“Neptune" crashed into the sea
while attempting to land at U.S.
Naval Station, Adak, Thursday.
Five crew members were pulled
from the extremely cold water by
rescue patrols to survive with
minor injuries.
The aircraft was returning from
a patrol and attempted to land dur
ing darkness. The bomber appar
ently struck down too hard, damag
ing the nose landing gear and
striking the nose of the craft again
st the runway.
The pilot applied full throttle
and the plane became airborne
near the end of the runway, but
settled into the water about 1000
yards off shore.
Dead from drowning is co-pilot
LtJG. Delbert L. Brown, 24, USN,
son of Mr. and'Mrs. Maurice J.
Brown, Louisville, Kentucky.
- Dead from exposure are LtJG.
Jack C. Zenor, 24, USNR, navigator
of the craft, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Jackson C. Zenor of Madrid, Icwa
and husband of Mrs. Phyllis Zenor
Mission Road Pipe
To Be Laid Monday
Work on laying the temporary
water piipe line along Mission
Road will start Monday. City Man
ager Bill Poland estimated that the
pipe, which will solve winter water
shortage problems ift that area,
"Will be completely laid b^ ThUrs
Along The
Waterfront
While local fishermen are get
ting ready for the King crab opera
tion this year, that huge crusta
cean of the deep is. to be studied,
and his private life disturbed—altf
in the interest of -knowledge.
Dr. Richard Van Clove, scientist,
is directing a study to be made of
the crab in the Kodiak area. Sayecf
El Rayed will have charge of the
study under hisdirection. This ,
crab fisheries study is being con- ‘
ducted under sponsorship of the?
University of Washington School
of Fisheries for the Bureau of *
Commercial Fisheries of the Fish
and Wildlife Service.- Funds for •
the research grq provided by the
Saltonstall-Kfennedy Foundation.
This fund is sot aside for fisheries; j
research programs- ? > j j .
The big event this week for fish- j
crmen in this area is. the annual (
fisheries hearing to be conducted. I
by the Fish and Wildlife Service j
tonight. The meeting will be held j
at the Fishermen’s Uriion hall and j
will begin at 7:30, according to Boh j
MaHaffie. FWS Agent here.
The Alaska Steamship Galena
discharged cargo .this week. Other
than that there was’.very little acti
vity along the waterfront.
of Alameda, California; and Neil
W- Bowning, AT3, USN, 22, son of
Mir. and Mrs. Evart O. Bowning of
Rantoul, Illinois.
Missing crew members are
Barth R. AvenaB, AT2, 20, USN.
son of Mrs. S. Christine Avenall of
Grand Rapids, Michigan and John
E. Hardy, 22, airman, USN, soh oi
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hardy*
Birmingham, Alabama.
Surviving are Cmdr. Charles E
Snyder, 39, USN, the plane com
mander of Alameda, California^
Billy J. Rodgers, 33, AD2, USN, of
Irvington, California; Edward1 L
Gidney, 20, AT3, USN, of Sacra
mento, California; Melvin C. Peter
sma, 20, USN, Pella, Iowa and
Richard D. Fairbanks, 21, USNR ot
Iselin, New Jersey.
The search for the two missing
men continued throughout Thurs
day night but divers could not
enter the partiaRy submerged fuse
lafe until daybreak.
May Run Belmont
A request has been made by
Jess and Frieda Blinn and Stair
Nelson to the. Territorial Liquor
Lciensing Bureau for the transferr
ing of the license held by the late*
Jt/.rgen Frederickson for operating
the Eelmont Bar.
The Bureau asked council in m
letter read at Monday’s meeting
for their opinion on whether i the
transferance of the license would1
be in the best inter ests of the*
community.
By unanimous decision codnei?
agreed to inform the Bureau jthaf ;
the applicants arc re^octedif cit
izens and the transfer Would bare? i
^couyfl..
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