THi?
rrNews of oAmenca’s Last Frontier’
VOL 12 NO 47
KODIAK, ALASKA
JANUARY 31 . 1953
rKlCE 10 CENTS
Reeve Endorsed For Governor Of Alaska
City Market Gutted In Night Slaze
ine Oity Market was heavily
damaged Sunday morning by
a fire that swept through the
building. George Magnusen,
fire chief, discovered the fire
around 3 am as he made the
rounds checking for fires.
The fire was confined to the
City Market building which is
closely joined on both sides by
Bert3 Drug Store and the Polar
Bear Cafe.
The fire is believed to have
started from a stove near the
market’s freezer. When Mag
nusen arrived with the fire
truck flames were shootipg out
the double doors, near Berts
and out the chimney.
The controlling of the fire
and ultimate extinguishing of
the blaze was highly praised
byT.W. McArthur, fire mar
shal at Kodiak Naval Station.
A truck from KN3, with
McArthur, came to town to
stand by whiie the two city,
trucks fought the fire. Damage
and loss is expected to exceed
$15,000.
tserts Drug More suttered
damage from smoke and resi
dents of the apartments above
Berts and in the apartments
over Joe Gale’s accounting
office suffered damage to cloth
ing and other equipment from
the smoke.
Early arrivals at the fire
scene and others witnessing it
from the hill thought that one
lialf the town would be de
stroyed before the firemen
could control the f lames.
High winds whipped the
flames and made it difficult
for the firemen. Low temper
atures also added to the bur
den of the fire fighters. The
water suDply did not fail and
proved adequate for the job.
For the first time in many
months there was no city pol
ice patrolman on duty during
the early hours of the morn
ing. Magnusen was up be
cause, as he explained, “ I
just cant sleep when the wind
is high and there is greater
danger of fires.”
Many businessmen express
ed their appreciation to Mag
nusen for getting up to volun
tarily patrol the town.
The city market js owned
by Mr. and Mrs. Glen Banks.
They purchased the market
from Loren Whittington in
1947. After purchasing the
business from Whittngt n they
bought additional space and
enlarged the market. j
Labels on cans were burnt
and the cash register and other
continued on page 12
R. D. Russell
Dies At Seattle
R.D. Russell died late Fri
day night in a hospital in
Seattle. The well known Ko
diak business man was in the
states to attend a buyers meet
ing. It was the first time he
had been “outside in 11 years.
Earlier in the week a wire
was received here from Leon
ard Hopkins, Anchorage sport
ing goods dealer, telling of
Russell’s illness. Russell left
for the states on January lfi.
He died on January 23.
The cause of death was a
cerebral hemmorage. He was
stricken on Tuesday, January
20, and a second attack follow
ed on the 23rd. Between Tues
day and Friday he recovered
enough to summon an attorney
and dictate a will naming
Marshall Crutcher and Leon
ard Hopkins executors of his
estate.
Russell’s Men’s Store was
started during the war years
fn 1942, Russell began the
business with a partner and
later bought him out.
Russell’s is being managed
by Mrs. Betty Kraxberger and
Ray Shannon. Mrs. Kraxber
ger has been employed at the
store for several weeks and
was left in charge when Rus
sell went outside.
When Russell became ili
his sister in California was i
notified. Mrs. Sarah M. Swee
ley of Los Angeles communic- <
ated with Hopkins in Seattle.
He has three other sisters, j
Mrs. Ida McGuire of Kansas
City, Mo, and Mrs. Laverne
McClain and Mrs. Rose Smith. I
During his years in Kodiak
Russell was active in civic and
social affairs. He was a mem
ber of the Chamber of Com
merce; a charter member of
Katmai Post 7056, VFW; the
American Legion and B.P.O.
E. 1772.
rrior to coming to Kodiak |
Russell toured the territory as
a salesman. He spent con
siderable time in the northern
part of Alaska.
Funeral services were con
ducted Thursday in Seattle by
Bonney-Watson Company. It
is believed his ashes will be
taken back to the mid-west.
Renwick Deloss Russell was |
born in North Dakota.
V. F. W. records or those
other organizations did not
show the date ot his birth. |
Sportsmen Ask
Later Elk Hunt
It was suggested to the U.
3. FWS that the Elk season
an Afognak Island open later
in the fall. The past season
was open from October 1 to 15
and elk hunting was permitted
only by special permit.
The suggestions for the
later season was made last
week during the annual game
hearing at the United Fisher
men’s Hall.
Other suggestions regarding
game rules and regulations
were made and will be for
warded to .Juneau where they
will be studied during the A
laska Game Commission meet
ing.
FWS representatives attend
ing the meeting were Roy
Lindsley, Russell Hoffman
and John Lutz. Twenty seven
persons attended the hearing.
Movies of wildlife were
shown by Hoffman and Alf
Madsen showed some bear
pictures.
Hospital Meeting
In Anchorage
An Alaskan Hospital As
sociation was formed Monday
and Tuesday in Anchoraere
which was attended by 19 rep
resentatives from 10 hospitals
n the territory.
A construction and by-laws
for the organization were
Irawn and officers elected.
Sister St. Dorothy, Superior
Griffin Memorial Hospital
and Sister St. Hilary attended
;he meeting.
New Reservoir
Put In Operation
Water from the newly con-i
structed reservoir began to
low into the city equalization
:ank Thursday:
The pumping system is
automatic and whenever the
evel of the water in the
;ank reaches a certain
joint the pump cuts in and
ills it again. >
The new reservoir and sys
tem was built by Pacific
\laska Contractors and
Shupp, Chase and Tolbert.
Rev. Lincoln B. Wadsworth,'
secretary of the American
Baptist Home Mission Society,
Slew York City, arrived in Ko
liak on Monday to confer
vith the pastor and members
)f the Community Baptist
Bhurch.
By Jim Hutcheson,
21st Legislature
Ends First Week
Juneau—This Capital city
was a three ring political arena
as the first week of the 21
Territorial Legislature neared
an end.
Ring number one was the
legislative chamber where the
lawmaking processes were
slowly getting underway and
where Governor Ernest Gruen.
ing said in his annual message
that “no general taxation in
crease should be necessary
but that the legislature might
deem it advisable to increase
motor fuels tax by two cents
per gallon to finance roads and
bridges”.
Ring two was the meeting
of the Republican Central
Committee where the law
makers were attempting to
agree on recommendation for
governor. (See story adjoining
column.)
In the third ring was the A
laska Statehood Committee
which was in session Wednes
day and Thursday. Delegate
E. L. Bartlett told the com
mittee and legislators at an j
open session that he might in
clude in the new statehood bill
appropriation for a new state.
He said, however, that a
previous statehood bill had
ample provisions to assure a
prosperous state and the issue
over the prospective state not
being given enough federal
land was being grossly
exagerated.
After a slow start the legis
lators began introducing bills
at a stepped up pace. The me
morials were the first mea
sures to gain approval. Both
with clearing the way for the
Taiya Alnmnium plant project.
The four Democrats in the
House were active in bill in
troductions and tossed issues
at the Republican majority
with obvious relish.
Their bills Thursday includ
ed proposals for a thousand
dollar yearly increase in teac
hers salaries and an increase
in the old age pensions tu a
hundred dollars monthly from
the present eighty maximum
Robert Doyle Nelms, Kodiak
Naval Station sailor, was
found in Whittier on Jan. 30
He was reported missing at
KNS as. of 0800, January 28.
Nelms is reported ta have
been a stowaway on the Pali"
sana, Alaska Steamship C >m
pany freighter, which was in
at the Naval Station early this
week.
AP Correspondent
Reeve Named
After Long
Night Session
Juneau—Bob Reeve got the
Alaska Republican Committer
nod yesterday for Governor oi
Alaska.
The central committee
chairman Elton Engstrom and
National Committeema*
Robert McKenna announced
the decision after a meeting
which ran from seven pma
until after midnight.
They announced that Reeve
got nine of 14 votes and that
the endorsement of the com
mittee would be forwarded to
Secretary of Interior McKay.
Other committee members
reported unofficially that
Frank Heintzleman had four
votes and Elmer Rasmusson
one on the deciding ballot.
Reeve was the Republicans
unsuccessi ,1 candidate for the
Congressional delegate in the
1952 election. Republican
leaders say McKay has assured
them he would make an ap
pointment through party chan
nels if the committee could
reach an agreement.
I1UWCVCI, lli 10 well iVlIUWIl
that many Republicans are
dissatisfied with Reeves cam
paign for Congress and it re
mains to be seen whether they
might protest to McKay.
It was a warm issue with
Republican legislators who
stayed up late to hear the re
port eariy yesterday. Enga
trom said no decision will be
made on the secretary ot
Alaska post until after the
governor was actually ap
pointed. The committee is to
meet Friday to make judicial
recommendations.
Unofficial reports indicate
John Manders of Anchorage
will have the endorsement for
the Third Division judgeship.
Peterson Trial\
Heard By Jury
The 12 man jury trial of
John F. Peterson continued
late yesterday before U.S.
Commissioner A. M. Vokacek.
Peterson is charged with disr
orderly conduct and is repre
sented by Talmage L. Smith,,
attorney.
Numerous witnesses were
summoned for the case. The
verdict and details of the case
will appear in next week’s
MIRROR
The Apron bazaar and bake
>ale at the Elks Club last Sat
irday clears 1 $214.70 for the
March of Dimes campaign