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"News of oAmencas Last Frontier\
VOL 12 NO 47
KODIAK. ALASKA FEBRUARY 7, 1953
PRICE 10 CENTS
Captain John Brcdtkcrh
Dies At Home Sunday
uaptain jonn lvi. KroatKoro, ;
legendary Kodiak figure and •
owner of Cap’n John’s Liquor'
Store near the Donnelley and '
Acheson dock, died Sunday at!
his home. Death came to the
much traveled mariner in his {
T3rd year. j
Cap’n John, as he was
known locally was held in high
esteem and affection by his
many friends, lived a full and
adventurous life. He sailed on
every ocean on the globe; held
unlimited master’s licenses as
master and navigator for any
ocean for sail and steam; was
superintendent of a salmon
cannery; an accomplished
pianist; commissioned and
served in Worid War I aboard
Navy Transports; was second
mate on a sailing vessel at the
age of 24 and later manager of
a fox farm in the Aleutians.
Late yesterday funeral ar
rangements were still incom
plete. An early will has been
recorded with the U.S. Com
missioner but a later one is be
ing sought among his papers.
John Maria Brodtkorb was
born in Perth, Scotland, in
1880, the son of a Norweigan
father and Scottish mother.
His father was an engineer.
In his >16th year John M.
Urodtkoft) left home and sig
ned aboard a sailing vessel
bound^for New York.
He sailed around the Horn
and arrived in New York in
1896. For the next nine years
he served aboard various ves
sels, visiting many foreign.
ports and new lands. 1
In 1905 he was second mate
aboard a sailing vessel and
while on a voyage first arrived i
in San Francisco, California in
the late part of 1905. He
signed aboard another ship
and made his first Alaskan
port in 1906, stopping at
Ketchikan.
For the next ID years ne
served as first mate and skip
per of several vessels. Cap
tain John made Seattle his
“home” port. At the start of
World War I, he returned to
the east coast and was com
missioned in the Navy. He re
ceived his commission in Phila
delphia and served the war
aboard Navy transports.
Upon the termination of
World War I he returned to
the Pacific coast and sailed for
Alaska. He held many posi
tions. At one time he was
superintendent of an Alaska
Packers cannery at Chignik
In April of 1925 he married
Nastasia Zharoff in Kodiak.
Capn’ John later ran a fox
farm on Talki Island near
void tsay. in tne late i.u<su s
he came to Kodiak and started
a store. He was a good friend
of the late W.J. Erskine and
knew all the early residents of
Kodiak Island.
He ia survived by his wife
Nastasia and step children.
He is believed to have
nephews and neices in Nor
way. Funeral arrangements
are pending.
March Of Dimes
Over $1000 Mark
The Kodiak March of Dimes
campaign surpassed its goal
of $1000 by about $150, Mrs.
H.L. Rochelle, chairman, an
nounced yesterday.
‘Tm very happy with the
way the drive went. I’ve never
seen such beautiful coopera
tion on any drive,” she said.
The Emblem Club sponsored
the campaign to raise funds to
fight polio.
From donations and cans,
the campaign netted around
$720 A tie auction at the Ro
tary Club brought in $187 and
the Emblem Club baked sale
and bazaar $219.
The March of Dimes dance
last Saturday netted close to
$260. At Woody Island, a simi
lar dance sponsored by the
Recreation Club brought in
$72, and the Woody Island
PTA oontributed $10.
Harry Jackson Leaves
For Outside
Harry Jackson, navy station j
and Ft. Greely employee for j
the past eight years, resigned
his position at the base this
week because of illness, and
left for the states. Mrs. Jack
son accompanied him.
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson for
merly lived in town. He has |
been active in the Masons and j
Eastern Star here.
Accident Caused
By Icy Streets
A Pontiac coupe driven by
Dr. A. Holmes Johnson and a
Plymouth two door driven by
a Kodiak Naval Station sailor
collided at the corner near
Bert’s Drug Store and Kodiak
Motors Tuesday morning.
Damage to both vehicles
was estimated around $150.
John Boucher, son-in-law of
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Tolbert, has!
been discharged from the
Marine Corps and has re
turned to Kodiak to join his
wife and two children. Bou
cher, before his discharge, was
stationed at Camp Lejeune. j
Hedloff Asks
For Relief
Robert A. Hedloff, city
clerk-treasurer, will submit a
letter to the city council Mon
day night asking that he be
relieved of the “additional”
duties of city magistarte.
He will point out in his let
ter that “the duties of citv
magistrate, entailing case pre
paration, trials and mainten
ance of detailed records etc.
have demanded on the average
of two hours per day.” This
loss of time results in a dis
service to the other important
functions of city government,
Hedloff.says in asking for re
lief from the job.
The city magistrate position
pays $100 per month in addi
tion to the clerk-treasurer
salary.
Hedloff recommends that
the council in naming anewj
magistrate give recognition to
the “importance of effecting
justice within the scope of
necessary budgetary limita
tions as applied to support of
prisoners.”
To date no candidates for
the position of city magistrate
have been mentioned round
the city hall. Hedloff has not
quit the position, but only
asked that he be relieved of
the duties.
Stamp Club
Reorganizes
The Kodiak Stamp Club was
re-organized at a meeting last
Saturday evening, with Lee
F. Bettinger as president.
Thirteen persons attended
the meeting and decided to
meet on the second and fourth
Saturday evenings of the
month, at 7:30 pm.
The next meeting will be
held or. Feb. 14 at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Criss. Mrs.
Criss has been named secre
tary-treasury of the club.
A part of each meeting will
be devoted to the exchange or
sale of stamps, Bettinger said.
411 interested persons are in
vited to attend.
i
Winter is about over!
At least that’s the theory if
you believe in Groundhog Day.
If the little woodchuck sees
his shadow on Feb. 2 he goes
back into his hole for another
six weeks. But the sun didn’t
shine on Kodiak Tuesday.
P. S. There aren’t any
groundhogs in Kodiak anyway
Walter French of French's
Seafoods returned to Kodiak
Tuesday after a trip outside.
Vernon Holland was a pas
senger for Achorage Tuesday
i on PNA.
March Election Decides
PUD For Kodiak
HEA Prepares
1953 Slate
The nominating committee
of the Kodiak Eletric Associa
tion has submitted a slate of
18 names, nine of which will
be chosen as directors for the
coming year.
The annual KEA meeting
and election will be held this
year at the Elks Club on
Brooklyn Avenue at eight pm
March 2.
The nominating committee
consisted of 13 members this
year.
Those nominated to fill the
nine seats on the board are
Wilton White, H.E. Spencer,
P.J. Kerrigan, Morris Burn
ham, Basil Clark, E.L. Light
foot, James Garoutte, R.6.
Wilson, William Smith, Alf
Madsen, Robert Hall, Max La
Lande, Bud Metzgar, Jorgen
Fredrickson, Martin Lam.
precht, Lee Jordan, W.J.
O’Brien and John Gibbons.
Ike’s Message _ j
Ignores Alaska
Washington (A3)—President
Eisenhower said Monday in
his State of the Union message
to Congress that statehood to
Hawaii should be “granted
promptly” but he made ho
reference to Alaska.
Sen. Hugh Butler, chairman
of the interior committee, who
previously opposed statehood
for both Hawaii and Alaska,
has predicted that statehood
for Hawaii will be approved
by this Congress but turned
down for Alaska.
Delegate Bartlett, a Demo
crat, views the failure of
President Eisenhower to en
dorse Alaska statehood as a
partisan political move. (The
Hawaiian delegate is a Repub
lican.)
“Naturally I am greviously
disappointed. That disappoint,
ment will be shared by all
Alaskans, Republicans and j
Democrats alike, who are for
statehood.” Bartlett said.
“For the first time in all the
years Hawaii and Alaska have
worked together, it has been
made a partisan issue.”
Juneau (JP) — John C.
Huehes, former Kodiak at.
torney now with the firm of
Renfrew, Davis and Hughes
in Anchorage, has been named
to the territorial banking
' board by Governor Ernest
I Gruening.
lwuimig a
Pnblic Utility District in the
area beyond the city limits
will be put to a vote on March
10, according to a Court order
directing such an election,
District Court Judge An
thony J. Dimond signed the
order on Jan. 23, at Anchor
age.
A petition signed by more
than 60 persons residing in the
area in question was presented
to the court. More than 200
persons reside in the area
which is seeking to be incor
porated into a PUD,
The area in question is "a
tract of land lying between
the coast line of Monashka,
Mill Bay, Spruce Cape, the
Channel and the northeasterly
city limits of the City of Ko
diak”. It embraces eight
square miles.
Originators of the PUD idea
are A. L. Fenner, Elvin Foster
and A.J. Sirigga. Fenner, Fos
ter and Frank Kozak have
been named as commissioners
of the election by the court.
Legal work on the election
and forming of the district in
being handled bs Panl C. Robi
son and Moody.
At the same time as the
election on the forming of the
public utility district, five
members of a board of direc
tors for the district will be
elected.
o_i_-___
uv/ t vi ui jr^aiD ugV|
Df much of the area in ques
tion voted down a proposal to
become a part of the City of
Kodiak.
If favored, the district
would be Kodiak Public Utility
District No. 1. Purpose of the
PUD would be to bring
cheaper utilities to the area.
Notices of the election have
seen posted at Foster’s Store,
.he Beachcombers and the
Montmartre.
The second meeting of the
Board of Trustees for the
Fishermen’s Fund has been
called for this week. It will
end today.
The Fishermen’s Fund
pi'ovides for the care of sick
and disabled fishermen under
the provisions of a law enact
ed at the 1951 session of the
legislature.
Orin Kimball, former Alaska
Steamship Co. agent here who
has been outside for a few
weeks, returned by PNA
Wednesday.
Bruce Parker, insurance ad
juster from Seattle, was in
town this week regarding the
recent City Market fire.