I OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
63rd Year No. 1
_
NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1962
Per Copy 15^
Gov. Egan Appoints
Mrs. Arthur Johnson
To Fill Vacant House Seat
ifeir
f,
JUNEAU — Gov. Wm. Egan
yesterday appointed Mrs. Arthur
D. Johnson of Nome to fill the
seat left vacant in the State House
of Representatives by the death
of her husband Dec. 8.
Mrs. Johnson, a Republican, is
the mother of four children.
Johnson died when his light
plane crashed on a mercy flight
between 'White Mountain and
Nome. His woman passenger, being
take to the Nome Hospital, was
also killed.
The appointment, for the bal
ance of Johnson’s term, ending
on the day the 1963 Legislature
convenes, is subject to confirma
tion by the Republican members
of the House of Representatives.
Egan said he had conferred with
Rep. Bruce Kendall, (R-Anchor
age), GOP Minority Leader in
the House, and was advised by
Kendall that “members of his
party in the House were solidly
behind the appointment of Mrs.
Johnson."
The Governor said he had also
received “numerous letters from
House Republicans urging her ap
pointment.”
Mrs. Johnson, a life-long resi
dent of Alaska, was recommended
for the appointment by the North
west District Republican Com
mittee.
She told Egan in a telephone
conversation after the recom
mendation was made that she was
“ready and willing to serve” in
the House of Representatives, the
Governor said.
Mrs. Johnson will become the
second woman member of the
lower chamber. The only other
woman member of the House is
Rep. Dora M. Sweeney, CR-Ju
neau).
C21 Opening 109 Days Away
SEATTLE U?> -- With opening
day only >109 days away, Seattle
World’s Fair construction has
gone on a crash basis.
Officials said today several
building contractors are adding
extra shifts and others will go
into overtime work as need arises.
“We have our soft spots,” Fred
Christensen, assistant director of
the Site and Development Dept.,
said “but generally we are doing
pretty well.”
U of Alaska to Hold
Summer Institute In
Science and Mathematics
COLLEGE — The University of
Alaska is one of 274 colleges and
universities to receive grants this
year from the National Science
Foundation for a 1962 Summer
Institute in Science and Mathe
matics for secondary school teach
ers.
President Wm. Wood announced
that the institute will be from
June 18 to Aug. 10 under the
970,000 grant. Prof. Wm. Cashon,
who directed the 1960 and 1961
institutes, will direct the 1962
institute.
The University of Alaska grant
will allow SO junior and senior
high school teachers of science
and mathematics to receive sti
600 each plus some
travel allowances for some de
pendents, Prof. Cashon reported.
Teachers desiring more infor
mation about applications can
contact Prof. Cashon by writing
to him at Dept, of Mathematics,
University of Alaska, College,
Alaska, or by telephoning him at
OReenwood 9-2211, extension 232.
jUJS. to Postpone
Manned Orbit Shot
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. UP> —
An attempt to rocket the first
American astronaut, John H.
Glenn Jr., into around-the-world
orbit has been delayed at least
a week, until Jan. 23 at the
earliest, it was learned today.
The shot had been scheduled for
Jan. 16. Reliable sources reported
the postponement is the result of
trouble with the Atlas booster
rocket, exact nature of which was
not disclosed.
The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration had no com
ment when asked about the de
lay. The agency has never an
nounced a definite date for the
shot, saying only that it would be
attempted early in 1962.
Rut it was generally known
here that Jan. 16 was the se
lected launching date.
NASA earlier had hoped to
achieve manned orbit flight in
December. Rut officials decided
to take pressure off the launch
ing crew and put it off until after
New Year’s Day.
President’s Father
Recovering from Stroke
WEST PALM REACH, Fla. UR—
The President’s father, Joseph P.
Kennedy, has recovered suffi
ciently from his stroke to begir
reading newspapers.
His physicians and family saic
the 73-year-old head of the Ken
nedy clan was making fine pro
gress.
Officials at St. Mary’s Hospital
reported he also has been cheered
by visits from several of his
grandchildren.
The President’s year-old son,
John Jr., made his first call at
| his grandfather’s hospital room
| yesterday, accompanied by his
mother and sister Caroline.
New Year’s Holiday
Traffic Deaths
Climb to 335
By The Associated Press
A sharp spurt of accidents in
the final hours of the New Year’s
holiday pushed the final toll of
traffic deaths (beyond the Na
tional Safety Council’s pre-holiday
estimate.
At midnight Monday, when the
three-day holiday period ended,
the count of traffic fatalities
stood at 335. In addition, there j
were 83 deaths resulting from
fires, a record for a New Yearj
period since World War II, andj
59 deaths attributed to miscel
laneous accidents. The over-all
toll from traffic, fires and mis
cellaneous causes was 447.
The National Safety Council,
which had estimated that 330 per
sons might be killed in traffic
accidents during the extended
weekend, earlier had hopes that
the toll might be a record low for
the three-day New Year period.
The record of 209 highway
fatalities was set in the 1949
1950 New Year period. The record
traffic toll for a * three-day Ns
Year period is 374, set in
1960.
In the three-day 1960-61 New
Year celebration, there were 338
traffic deaths, 96 perished in fires
and 76 were killed in miscel
accidents, a total of 482.
335
Traffic Deaths Take
A Drop in Alaska for ’61
JUNEAU UP) — Traffic deaths
in Alaska took a drop last year,
compared with 1960, but fire fa
talities increased sharply, the
State Department of Public
Safety reported today.
During 1961, traffic accidents
on Alaska streets and highways
claimed 26 lives, compared with
a death toll of 42 in 1960 and 32
in 1959, Sgt. Robert Holifield,
State Police Statistician said.
On the other hand, State Fire
Marshal Robert Crouse said fires
claimed the lives of 51 persons
within the state during 1961, ex
actly three times the number
killed by fire during 1960.
Alaska’s Oil and Gas
Industry Boost Value
Of Mineral Production
JUNEAU UD — Alaska’s grow
ing oil and gas industry was the
major factor in boosting the value
of mineral production in the state
during 1961 toy 56 per cent over
I960, the U.S. Bureau of Mines
said today.
The total value of petroleum
and natural gas -produced in the
state during 1961 was $16,288,000,
some 13 times the value of those
mineral -products during the pre
ceding year, the Bureau said in
a preliminary estimate on 1961
mineral production in Alaska.
Petroleum was valued at $16,
1 170,000. The report listed the
. value of sand and gravel taken ir
Alaska at $5,200,000 and the valut
trf all gold produced at $3,973,000
The total value of Alaskan
mineral products was estimated
at $$4,174,000.
The Bureau said the United
States Smelting, Refining and
Mining Co.’s Fairbanks explora
tion unit will probably be reduced
to two boats after 1963 and “prob
ably means the end of gold min
ing as a significant part of Alas
ka's economy.
“Nothing presently in sight of
fers gold miners relief from the
squeeze caused by increasing
costs and a fixed product price,”
the Bureau of Mines said.
Cubans Display
Latin-America’s
Fastest Air Force
HAVANA <11 — Backed by
modem Soviet-bloc weapons and
Latin America’s fastest air force,
Fidel Castro says his armed forces
await any new invasion “with a
smile on our lips.”
The Cuban Prime (Minister
showed off his new military equip
ment yesterday at a parade mark
ing the third anniversary of his
victory over the Batista dicta
torship. He said “Yankee Im
perialism” was the 1 sole reason
for Cuba’s rearmament.
Highlights of the parade were
three Communist-made Mig-19
jets which swept overhead with a
flight of 18 Mig-15s or improved
Mi**27s.
The three swept-wing Mig-19s
are the fastest planes known to
be operating in any Litin-Ameri
can air force. A ripple r»i pride
and excitement swelled through
the crowd as the jets roared over.
The Migs are believed to have
been piloted by Cubans who re
cently completed flight training
in Czechoslovakia.
Castro said his forces have been
much improved since they de
feated the Bay of Pigs invasion
of Cuba last April.
Airlines Will Not
Increase Fares to
Alaska at Present
SEATTLE MB — Airlines oper
ating between Seattle and Alaska
will not take advantage of the
Civil Aeronautics Board authori
zation to increase fares at this
time, spokesmen said today.
The CAB announced last week
that the 11 domestic trunk car
riers would raise fares 3 per cent
Feb. 1.
Spokesmen for Alaska Airlines,
Pacific Northern Airlines and
Pan American World Airways
said the Seattle-Alaska fares will
not ibe raised at this time. Pa
cific Northern announced a tariff
reduction, instead, through adop
tion of family plan round trip
fares to southeastern Alaska.
Charles Willis Jr., president of
Alaska Airlines, opposed fare in
creases.
“The answer to the industry’s
problems of shrinking profits since
introduction of jet service,” Wil
lis said, “is to convince more
people of the low cost of vaca
tions by air, rather than to in
crease fares.”
United Air Lines announced
that most of its fares will go up
3 per cent Feb. 1 and industry
opinion here was that most of the
other airlines serving areas out
side Alaska will accept the CAE
offer.
Harold Olsen, FNA president
1 explained that even Alaskai
! fares, from or to points othe:
than Seattle, will toe affected. H<
said inter-line tickets, on which
passengers would travel between
Seattle and some other point in
the continental United States,
must go up the 3 per cent because
it affects the amount PNA will
receive for its portion of the trip.
Grandmother Charged
With Strangling Daughter
BROCKTON, Mass. M — Au
thorities are planning early grand
jury action and possible mental
tests for a grandmother police
said strangled her daughter.
Mrs. Walter Howard, 54, stood
mute yesterday when charged
with the slaying of her daughter,
Gloria Eldridge, 32. The dis
traught mother was held without
bail.
Mrs. Howard returned home
Monday night, ending an eight
day search. Police said she spent
most of her time, after she dis
appeared Christmas Day, in her
own neighborhood, hiding in cars,
undor porches and vacant garages.
The woman disappeared a few
hours before her husband found
their daughter’s nearly nude body
hidden under the eaves at the
Howard home.
She had left a note saying, “I
have gone out to look for Gloria.”
Police quoted Mrs. Howard as
saying she strangled her daugh
ter “because I loved her, because
I couldn’t stand to see her going
on the way she was.”
Police said the woman fre
quently quarreled with her daugh
ter over the latter’s marrraige
to a Roman Catholic.
FIRE PROTECTION . . .
LEEDS, England UR — Circus
fire-eater Priscilla Birt, 34, has
announced her engagement to the
circus fireman, George Maddocks.
"George has never been called
to me profesisonally,” Priscilla
said. “He always watches my act,
but he doesn’t have to. He just
likes to see me perform.”
Airline Fatality Rate In
1961 Only .29 For 100
Million Passenger Miles
WASHINGTON {gft—The sched
uled airlines achieved in I960 a
flight safety record bettered only
twice since flying became a major
industry.
The Civil Aeronautics Board’s
Bureau of Safety reporting this
yesterday said preliminary 1961
figures indicated a fatality rate,
on the U.S. international and
domestic airlines of 0.29 deaths
for each 100 million passenger
miles.
This was the tenth consecutive
year of a fatality rate of less than
1 per 100 million passenger miles.
It compared with the 1960 fa
tality rate of 0.75.
Passenger deaths on the sched
uled airlines totaled 150, includ
ing one person on the ground
struck by a propeller.
The safest year for the airlines
in recent times was 1954 with a
fatality rate of 0.07. Next best
was 1957 with 0.21.
Charles Fagerstrom,
[Aged 56, Passes
Charles Fagerstrom, aged 56,
passed away in Anchorage, where
he was rushed by plane yester
day accompanied by his daugh
ter Bunny Huffer and Dr. John
Barrow.
Fagerstrom has been a resident
of this community for many years
» and dredgemaster for the U.S.
1 Smelting Co. for several years.
Last year he was in charge of the
' Safety ferry.
He served in both Territorial
and State Legislatures; past pre
sident of ANB and on the Nome
School Board.
He is survived by his wife
Helen; two sons, Charles and
Robbie; five daughters, Juanita
Huffer, Lucie Ann Richardson,
Geri Casey, Susanne Fagerstrom
of Nome and Ruth Reale, now in
'France; sister, Margaret Cox in
San Diego, Calif.; brother, John
in Nome.
Funeral services will be held
from the Community Methodist
Church, but date has not been set.
Nome School Allocated
$241,452.22 in State Funds
vor 1961-62 School Year
JUNEAU rn — The State De
partment of Education said today
it has budgeted $9,886,810 lor dis
tribution to the state’s 29 school
districts for the 1961-1962 school
year.
In addition, $11,000 will be held
in a fund for emergency finan
cial assistance.
Anchorage will receive $4,044,
696.19, the largest single alloca
tion, under the total prorated
budget announced by the Educa
tion Department. Fairbanks would
receive $1,656,111.21.
Among other districts’ share of
the total prorated budget:
Nome, $241,452.22 which com
pares with approximately $260,
000 which was the figure adopted
in the. School Board’s preliminary
budget.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
Mostly fair and colder. Low to
night -25, high tomorrow -10. In
the last 24 hours: High of -2, low
of -22. Max. wind 27 mph from
ti»e east. Sunrise at 9:57 am.,
sunset at 2916 pm. Temps, a year
ago today: High of 12, low of 5.
Extremes on this date since 1907:
High of 34 in 1942, low of -34 in
1949.