Balley Jrontiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
U PAGES
TODAY
VOL 1 NUMBER 46
PAX MOV ALASKA FRIDAY. JULY 27. ItSI
PRICE. 10c
Fair Queen Contest Starts Today
John Gorsuch Gives
Council Advice on
Telephone System
Ai the invitation of the City
Council, John Gorsuch appeared
at the regular meeting last night
to give Council members his pro
fessional opinion on Palmer’s
telephone needs. His advice was
solicited so that the Council may
consider intelligently a recent
request for a telephone franchise.
As president of the Anchorage
School district, he congratulated
the Council on its achievement
in the sales tax election. He evin
ced great interest in the sales tax
ordinance because, he said, the
Anchorage School District hopes
to be able to draw one up in the
near future.
J^s representative of the Kellogg
Switchboard and Supply Co., Mr.
Gorsuch insisted, he was not in
terested in operating any tele
phone service in the Valley or
elsewhere. His company is merely
a supply company offering equip
ment and engineering services. He
assured the Council that his com
pany stood ready to help Palmer
(Continued on Page 11)
No New Developments
In Barnes Slaying
There were no new develop
ments in the Minnie Barnes mur
der case this week, according to
Uj*S. Commissioner Dorothy Sax
ton.
Deputy Marshall Bill Bouwens
returned to Palmer Wednesday
after a duty trip “Outside” begun
immediately after the coroner’s
inquest held last Tuesday. In his
opinion, the note found last Wed
nesday in David Warner’s hand
writing was conclusive. In the
note, Warner admitted to “taking
the life of another”, and there was
a suggestion that he had planned
to take his own life.
“After seeing what happenea
to ** Minnie,” Bouwens opined,
“Warner probably didn’t have
the nerve to “go through” with
it.”
Further insights into the char
acter of the man charged with
first degree murder were reveal
ed by Acting Marshall Irwin Met
calf before he left Palmer last
week. From a carefully annotat
ed notebook, it was learned that
Warner had been studying detect
ive work very seriously. Another
notebook was full of poetry writ
ten by Warner. Metcalf described
the poetry as “weird in the Edgar
Allan Poe style”. Other papers
shojyed that he had been honor
ably discharged from the army
in 1946.
Metcalf’s parting remark last
week were words of praise for U.
S. Commissioner Dorothy Saxton
on her efficiency, thoroughness,
intelligence ,and devotion to her
work, as revealed in her handling
of the murder case.
.<
Announce Fair Prizes
Ranging from Deep
Freeze to Steam Iron
Prizes to be awarded at the
Uth annual Matanuska Valley
Fair were the chief worry of Fair
Board members assembled around
a ping pong table in the Sports
men’s den Monday night.
Las year’s fair goers had given
wholehearted approval of the sev
eral smaller prizes offered instead
of a single prize automobile. Fair
Board members pondered long
and deeply over useful and lux
urious items which would glad
en the hearts of winners, male
and female.
They settled on a family size
deep freeze for the first prize.
Then, aiming at male interest,
thought an aluminum boat
would be nice for second prize.
Choice of a mangle and an elec
tric sewing machine for third and
fourth prizes definitely was aim
ed at homemaker appeal. A
handsome pair of field glasses, a
vacuum cleaner, an electric blan
ket, and an electric steam iron
were chosen after much deliber
ation for prizes, five throcg’n
eight. Several $25 credit prizes
good for merchandise in local
stores will swell the prize list and
spread the fun of winning to even
greater numbers.
Tickets sales will begin next
week as the annual Fair Queen
Contest gets under way. They
will be available at local stores
and from queen contestants and
their managers.
Members of the Fair Board ex
pressed appreciation of the sup
port given by local organizations
last year in refraining from mon
ey raising raffles during the per
iod of the Fair. They hope that
the same cooperation this year
wiU make the 11th annual Mata
nuska Valley Fair a succes.
More Interest Shown
In 2nd Reading of
Sales Tax Ordinance
The second reading of the sales
tax ordinance at last night’s regu
lar meeting of the City Council
was followed by a few minor
changes for clarification and a
few suggestions offered by inter
ested Palmer citizens.
After a change in Section 3 (k)
sales of materials, supplies, and
equipment made to contractors
are not to be considered as sales
to consumers and are therefore
not taxable. Their finished pro
duct will be taxable upon sale to
a consumer.
Another change in Section 4
(j) will include the Palmer School
District in the political units ex
empted from the tax.
Protests Gas Tax
Lee Hartley protested against
the sales taxing of gasoline sold
at retail. He said it would be a
(Continued on Page 4)
LAKE GEORGE DOES IT AGAIN!
Lake George kicked aside its
icy traces Tuesday afternoon 10
begin its annual self-dumping
feat with spectacular enthusiasm
The July 24 date was the earliest
break-up recorded in the last 10
years.
The lake was still full of water
yesterday afternoon when Les
Green flew over. It rushed
through the narrow gorge con
necting the lake to Knik river,
with turbulent abandon. Knik
river was still rising this morn
ing and had reached a level of
19.38 feet.
Lowell and Doris Simpson,
whose home nestles at the foot of
Pioneer Peak near Knik bridge,
were forced to leave their car
parked near the highway when
rising water flooded the private
road serving them and other
homesteaders located farther
away.
Gnat Greek I,ndee natrons
ibrium no matter what the level
of the water was.
“The weight of the barrel
would always remain the same”,
he added, “because the weight
which the barrel would ordinarily ,
lose through buoyancy is compen
sated by the volume remaining in
the barrel at any given level A J
the river”. (
The speed of the river might |
have tripped the barrel to an ,
angle which would jerk the cord
and stop the clock, but the ques
tion still remained: What hap
pened to the barrel?
DAUGHTER BORN TO
A. J. De JULIOS J
Mr. and Mrs. A. J. De Julio are
receiving congratulations on the i
birth of a daughter, Linda Leigh. I
Born at the Valley hospital July i
27, Linda weighed seven pounds. I
six ounces. The DeJulio’s have an- i
other daughter, Kathleen Lynn, !
Jueen Contest Open
ro Alt Valley Girls
Iged 15 Through 21
Paging all Valley maids aged
5 through 21! The annual Fair
3eauty Contest is officialy open.
Getting off to a later than usual
;tart, the Matanuska Valley Fair
3oard Monday night announced
jualifications, contest rules, and
arizes for the 1951 contest to de
cide who will reign over the Val
ey’s 11th annual fair.
The contest is open to all single
firls aged 15 through 21 who were
ivirig in the Valley as of July 1,
1951. Girls from Jonesville to
Cnik; girls from Pittman to Knik
3ridge—all are Valley residents.
Applications to enter the con
est will be taken at the Valley
frontiersman office beginning to
lay. A birth certificate or other
jfficial record will be needed to
:ertify age of each contestant.
As in years past, contestants
nust sell 200 prize tickets to qual
fy for the race. No sponsoring
)rganization is required this year,
jut girls may seek or accept such
issistance if they wish. Upon
lualification for the Fair Queen
Contest, each girl will receive $25
rom the Fair Board for publici
y expenses involved in pictures
ind posters. She will also receive
.0 percent of every ticket sold.
To the winner who will be
irowned queen at the Coronation
3all Saturday, September 1, goes
t cash prize of $200 or a wardrobe
)f the same value.
A special dinner will be given
>n Fair Sunday to honor the nev^
y crowned queen and the memb
;rs of her court. It will also be
heir pleasant duty to make sev
;ral of the larger awards given
luring the Fair.
walked the plank as the creek,
dammed by the river backed up
and surrounded the place.
Mystery of the Barrel
Meanwhile, speculations re
garding the fate of the McKinley
Foundation barrel attached to the
time mechanism at Knik bridge
were occupying many interested
Valley folk. The foundation had
received more than 10,000 guess
es in a contest to name the min
ute when the rising flood water
would trip the barrel and stop the
clock.
According to the foundation,
only the watchmen were present
when the clock was stopped. No
one in the know was giving out
the official time when it stopped.
Local skeptics were more inter
ested in how the clock was stop
ped. Dr. George Whetstone of Ge
ological Survey earned his degree
in chemistry and would admit no
more than an amateur’s under
standing of the physics involved
in the barrel-time clock proced
ure. It was his opinion, however,
that the barrel would’nt sink be
cause holes punched in the bot
tom allowed it to reach an equil
New Valley Fair Book Reveals
Increased Premiums on Dairy Cows
This year the premium list in
cludes 15 divisions and 100 sep
arate classes, with increased a
wards for several dairy cattle
items.
First prizes for Guernsey, Hol
stein, Crossbred, and other breed
cows are $20 this year. Heifers
two years old and under three al
so compete for $20 premiums for
each breed. Swine premiums have
been raised to $10 prizes eaoh for
the benst boar and the best sow,
with second and third prizes
bringing $8 and $6. First prize for
the best sow and litter of six or
more brings $15. The award for
the best cow in the Valley re
mains the same as last year-$25.
Several new items have been
added to the handwork and cul
inary divisions. Grand prizes of
$10 each go for the best assort
ment of baked goods with 10 or
more items and the best assort
ment of canned goods and jellies
with a minimum of 30 and a max
imum of 50 items.
Valley Homemakers’ Clubs will
compete for $50. and $20 prizes
for the best booth displays.
There are 25 separate classes
for 4-H entries with almost 700
prizes to be won. First prize for
a 4-H garden is $5, for the best
display of handicraft articles, $3.
4-H dairy heifer first prizes have
been raised to $10, with second
through fifth prizes worth $8 to
$2.
Many other prizes are open to
youths of the valley. Again there
are specials prizes for children
under 10. Under the education
division, school children in dif
ferant age groups compete in a
variety of contest items. Wild
flower exhibits, with each flow
er mounted and named, make
up a special class in which every
(Continued on Page 4)