VOL. Iff O. 3
* t'W' of
*America s Last Frontier;
KODIAK, ALASKA, JANUARY 21, 1956
PRICE 10 C LNTS
Pilot is F treed Down
Plane Br* to Safety
A pilot and his four passengers
wer e rescued after the harrowing
experience of being marooned in
an isolated spot along the Aleutian
chain, when the failure of an en
gine forced him to land before
reaching his destination. Itay Al
brecht of the Kodiak Airways
brought the crippled widgeon
down upon the water and taxied to
safety of the beach on Chignik Bay.
Aboard the Kodiak Airways am
phibian which left Kodiak on a
charter flight to Chignik, Monday
the 16th, besides the pilot, was
Dean Henker, teacher at Chignik
Lagoon and his wife Patricia, Mrs.
William Gilbert, Sr., from Squaw
Harbor and Charles Barnes, a ran
cher on his way to Sand Point.
The pilot had completed his ra
dio report to Kodiak Airways at
11: \t 11:05 he radioed that the
left engine had failed and he
thought he might be able to con
tinue to Chignik on one engine. At
11:08 he radioed again, stating that
he was 4000 ft. and was going to
make a landing. He gave his posi
tion as the northwest beach of
Chignik Bay, and asked that assis
tance be dispatched as soon as pos
sible.
Bob Hall of Kodiak Airways im
mediately contacted the Coast
Guard who dispatched a plane to
the area, but search had to b.'
temporarily abandoned due to bad
weather.
Tom Salin, watchman at Alaska
Packers Cannery at Chignik was
contacted. He in turn, sought the
assistance of Rudy Carlsen, skip
per of the fishing boat, the Re
liance. Search by water, however,
was not effected until the follow
ing day. On its fi*sfc. attempt, theti
Reliance was forced to return to
Chignik due to bad weather and
engine trouble. ' 1
Coast Guard and Navy planes
also searched on Tuesday the 17th,
fjftut were again forced to.tempor
jarily abandon search due to poor'
fjying conditions. Skipper Rudy
^arisen and his crew aboard the
Reliance radioed on Wednesday
18th about 9:30 a. m., that they
had sighted the lost plane.Shortly
hereafter Carlsen radioed that they
had found all five persons in good
condition.
Radio conversation with pilot
Albrecht determined that he had
affected a water landing, and taxi
ed approximately three miles to a
beach where they remained in the
plane for warmth and shelter, run
ning the one engine to maintain
cabin heat. Later the winds blew
so strongly they felt it safer to
take to safety and shelter on the
beach. During the night winds
blew the plane onto the rocks
where it was subsequently dam
aged by the wind and tides to the
extent that Pilot Albrecht declared
it a total loss.
Dorothy Albrecht, wife of the pi
lot, was overjoyed with the good
news of the rescue. She said, “I
am so happy he kept his safety re
cord as a pilot clear, as Ray had
received a Citation. fropji Admiral ,
D. Harris of the U. 5, j$ayy for an .
wWmmai.mto**. r<#orrf, imFie
• anxious to maintain his re
rru." In addition to his experi
nce as a Navy Pilot in the States,
Aiurecht had flown over the Aleu
;an area on numerous ocassions
when he was stationed at Kodiak
is Operations Officer for Fasron
114 for eighteen months.
Mr. George Hurley, father of
Mrs. Henker, was also overjoyed
upon receiving the news of the res
cue. He is a civilian employee at
the Naval Station. His family re
side at Vancover, Washington.
Bob Hall, owner of Kodiak Air
ways, stated that this is another
illustration of the remarkable co
operation between civilian and
military residents of Alaska, the
CAA stations, cannery watchmen
and ham radio operators, who kept
a 24 hour vigilance during the
search. “Without this cooperation,”
he said, “rescue could not have
been hade so effectively.”
Speaker Outlines,
Kodiak Prospects
Kodiak business men attending
the Rotary luncheon Tuesday were
given the views on Kodiak of a
Naval officer who has returned to
Kodiak for the third time in a duty
status. Capt. N. A. Lidstone, com
manding officer of the MSTS here,
spoke to the group on the subject,
“Why I have chosen Kodiak and
Alaska as my place of residence
when I retire.”
In a voice filled with vibrancy
and an enthusiasm that was catch
ing, the speaker touched on his
reasons for returning to Kodiak for
duty. He prefaced his remarks
jvithi a^brjef analysis of the ques
tion'of town and Naval Station re
lationship. “Regard the Naval Sta
tion ks just another industrial de
velopment,” he said, “and, as such,
another source of revenue to bol
ster the economy of the commun
ity.” There is a vast difference be
tween the people of Kodiak and
the service personnel, he said, in
that the latter must regard them
selves on a transient status—until
they reach the latter monhts of
their tour of duty, when they be
come what is known as “short
timers.”
“You, in Kodiak,” he said, “on
the other hand, have, or should
have the long range outlook. Tings
is your home. Your future tifcd
up in Kodiak.”
Lidstone then went into a dis
cussion of his thohsjitfs on the fu
ture of t^odfSk. He revealed a fair
ly thorough knowledge of the con
ditions in Kodiak. He stressed
planning for the future. He said
Kodiak’s development is inevit
able. He deplored the attitude of
looking back, or keeping things as
they are. “You can go a great ways
if,you plan that future,” the speak
er said. The planning, Lidstone
felt, shoiiftf noW be instituted to
ward improving the physical as
pects of the community. This would
include rebuilding the city’s utili
ties—water supply and sewer dfs
pei&!!i'‘
' ^Continued to page 12) ^
fnir iiitT i|jjnfr
Fish Trap Issue
To Be Discussed
The Alaska Department of Fish
eries will hold a meeting Monday,
January 23, at 8 p. m. in the Fish
ermen’s Hall to get concerted ac
tion on the trap bill now in Con
gress.
This bill, known as H. R. 242,
was submitted by Delegate from
Alaska, E. L. Bartlett and provides
for the gradual elimination of sal
mon traps in the waters of Alaska.
Secretary of the Interior McKay
has gone on record as favoring the
bill, but has since sought to ex
tend the period for their limitation
to one of ten years instead of the
proposed five. The argument is
that it would allow present trap
owners a chance for liquidation
and amortization of their invest
ments. McKay’s contention is that
it woul<J allow the people engaged
in the industry to adjust them
selves to other employment. “If
the salmon run during a five-year
period should happen to be good,
the period might be such as would
allow the trap owners to largely
amortize their investment in
traps,” McKay said. ‘ On the other
hand, if the run should be below
normal, such amortization would be
very difficult. The question there
fore is, what is a reasonable re
adjustment and amortization per
iod to be allowed.”
Alaskan voters in a 1948 refer
endum voted for the elimination
of this type of fishing over a per
iod of ten years. The vote was
19,712 to 2,624. The Interior De
partments proposals would in ef
fect close the established trap
sites of commercial operators at
the rate of 10 per cent per annum.
The Secretary seeks to protect the
operator against fractional clo
sures above that number. Further,
the small operator, with only one
trap, would not have to close until
after the ten year period. Bart
lett’s bill calls for 20 per cent an
nual closures.
The Alaska Department of Fish
eries has favored the abolition of
fish traps. So has the Territorial
Lqgislatuie. It is to bring the mat
ter before interested people that
the meeting is called. All fisher
men and other interested persons
are urged to aftgira this important
meeting.
KfcJfkJ&DGE SEEKS
Y0t?YH LEADERS
’ A Youth Leadership contest is
again being sponsored by the Elks
Lodge this year. The local lodge
is seeking Base and town partici
pation among school children.
All boys and girls up to the age
of 19 are eligible to enter. Prizes
of Defense Bonds in the amounts
of $100, $50 and $25 are given to
each boy and girl who are winners
in the Kodiak area. They will in
turn be entered in a territorial
contest. Winners of the territorial
contest will compete in the nation
al contest, where prizes of $1000
bonds are awarded by the B. P. O.
E. of the United States.
The local judges in the contest
are Major D. Ross of ACS, Mayor
Ole Johnson and .Adm. Craig of
the Naval Station.
»'»V£v *.,*w U.'.*
Noyes Seeks City Aid
In Building NG Armory
CAB Allows Airways
To Serve Wider Area
Washington, D. C. (AP)—Ko
diak Airways was granted authori
ty to broaden operations in the Ko
diak Island area, it was announc
ed by the Civil Aeronautics Board.
The action was taken after the
airline said there will be “an ex
tensive construction project” in
the Kodiak Island Arehepeiago in
the near future, with resultant in
creased demand for cargo and pas
senger service. Kodiak Airways
currently has authority to operate
no further than 100 miles from Ko
diak and is restricted to takeoff
weight of 8,000 maximum.
CAB granted the new maximum
takeoff weight of 26,000 pounds
and said the airline may operate
between Kodiak and “all points
within the rectangular area be
tween 56 degrees north and 59 de
grees 30 minutes north, and be
tween longitude 150 degrees west
and 158 degrees 30 minutes west.
The area covered by this new
service will thus extend to this
side of Komer, thence to Dilling
ham, East of Port Heiden and Ko
diak. In an interview with Bob
Hall, owner of the Kodiak Air
ways, he stated: “This means we
can now add a plane the size of a
PBY. Future developments in the
area will determine when that will
be done.”
NS Construction
Bids Called For
District Public Works at the Ko
diak Naval Station announced the
invitation to bid on a construction
program 'costing an estimated .$a
to nulnon. WorK win be start
ed tins year on a radio receiving
building, together. witn otner iar
Climes,1 shortly alter the contracts
are awarded, Bids will be opened
March 1.
The work on which the bids are
sought include a radio receiving
building to be constructed at Holi
day Beach. Other necessary facili
ties in conjunction with it includes
a barracks and mess liall building,
garage and riggers shop, emergen
cy water and Heating plant, and a
terminal equipment ouilding, ail
of reinforced concrete construc
tion; the construction of a water
supply system, power distribution
system, and sewage system; the
construction of receiving antennas,
a CCL relay system, and a com
munications system. The construc
tion and improvement of access
roads and parking areas are also
included
Sealed bids will be received
until 2 p. m. PST, 1 March at the
resident officer in charge at 908
Seventh Avenue, Seattle, Washing
ton. Bids will be opened at 2:30 of
the same day at 215 West Harri
son, Seattle.
Friday evening the USO will
sponsor a birthday dance, to be
held in the Cluh rooms.
All servicemen whose birthdays
fall in January will compete foy
P™***-;;"’. :? $
■ rrjrre
Brigadier General John R. Noyes,
the Adjutant General of theAlaska
National Guard, accompanied by
Major John Wesmiller, Battalion
Advisor, arrived via PNA Wednes
day morning to meet with the City
Council for the purpose of offer
ing a plan for the construction of
a National Guard Armory and to
inspect the local National Guard
Unit.
At the City Council meeting
held Wednesday evening, Genera]
Noyes suggested a plan whereby
the city would assume the sponsor
ship of the construction and opera
tion of the building which would
house the National Guard activi
ties. The General pointed out that
the Federal and Territorial Gov
ernments would furnish 75% of
the necessary funds for construc
tion and the sponsor, in this case,
the City of Kodiak, would furnish
the land, 25% of cost and would
assume cost of operations and
maintenance.
Noyes further pointed out that
it would result in an increased in
come from outside money to the
City of Kodiak, as it would furnish
an excellent site for conventions,
that at present cannot be held at
Kodiak for lack of adequate facili
ties; it would tend to increase
membership in the National Guard
with resulting increase of payroll.
This building is not limited in size
except that a specified minimum
is given, and therefore the build
ing could be constructed so as to
furnish adequate housing for the
many city government functions.
Ownership of this Armory'would
be, after 25 years exclusively the
city’s with the provision of continu
ed use by the National Guard of
the building as aivJArmory.
The City Council's reaction to
the plan, seemed to the General, to
be generally highly favorable, and
he stated that a committee was
formed by the council to iron out
the many problems that must be
solved before this Armory could
become a reality. He plans to re
turn to Kodiak as soon as some- •
thing concrete is accomplished and
the City ready to offer their sug
gestions.
The Alaska National Guard will
encamp at Fort Lewis in April of
this year. The General received
confirmation from Department of
the Army while here and made
the fact known to the personnel of
the local unit immediately. He
stated that the local unit is one of
the best units in his command, and
that he “did not have to worry
about them V
A meeting with the school board
was also on the General's agenda,
and it was agreed that no student
would be permitted to attend the
encampment at Fort Lewis unless
approved by the superintendent of
Schools, who will base his decision
upon the students’ scholastic stand
ing, and his ability to make up
work.
All personnel departing for the
encampment will return with the
group, according to word given at
the National Guard Drill held
wbilejlj* Gepeqjl
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