EXTRA
¥OL. 4. NO. 2
Malley Mrontiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. SATURDAY SEPT. 23. 1950
EXTRA
PRICE 10c
Incorporation Decision Delayed
Local Garage Is
Partly Destroyed
In Thursday Fire
The first major fire in Palmer
in over two years gutted the in
terior of Palmer Automotive
Service, a local garage, at mid
morning yesterday. Although
smoke - blackened and water
soaked, serious damage was con
fined to the roof of the concrete
structure, which is owned by A1
and Ethel King.
*■ Cause of the fire had not been
determined by press-time today.
Neither Mr. or Mrs. King were at
the garage when flames broke out.
The alarm was sounded when a
garage attendant noticed tongues
of fire breaking through the ceil
ing behind the office section of
the garage. Mr. King said he be
lieved the fire started there, al
though there was no evidence of
defective wiring.
Members of the Valley Volun
teer Fire Association, who finally
quenched the blaze, believe, how
ever that the fire started near the
vulcanizing department of the
garage and then raced along the
frame partition of the office to
the ceiling.
Mr. King at first placed his loss
at nearly $20,000. He said he
carried “some” insurance. Later
estimates of damage do not run
that high, however. Most serious
damage was to the roof, which
must be replaced. There was no
loss of stock, automobiles or
stored articles. Mr. King said he
would take immediate stens to re
pair the damage and would con
tinue to operate his business.
Firemen were hampered in
their work by the large crowds of
spectators who gathered to watch
the flames, heralded by a spec
tacular column of greasy black
smoke. Automobiles which car
ried spectators to the scene were
ringed so closely around the
(Continued on Back Page)
CHARLES B. WILSON
SUCCUMBS YESTERDAY
A?TER BRIEF ILLNESS
Charles B. Wilson, Valley farm
er for the past 20 years, died yes
terday. Mr. Wilson, about 74 years
of age, is reported to have driven
to town to see a doctor. He was
admitted to Valley Hospital about
seven o’clock and died shortly
afterward.
The deceased was a charter
member of Northland Pioneer
Grange and an elder in the Unit
ed Protestant Church. He had no
tamily. Funeral services will be
held at two o’clock next Tuesday
afternoon from the United Prot
estant Church. The body is at
Arnold Funeral Chapel in An
chorage.
Mr. Wilson has been a familiar
figure in Palmer for many years
now, for he has driven the same
1928’ Ford pickup for almost the
entire duration of his residence
in the Valley. _
Two Hospitalized
In Highway Wreck
A Palmer Highway collision
between an automobile driven by
Sgt. James A. Rodgers of An
i chorage and a Palmer Transfer
! truck driven by Bob Meier sent
\ a young girl to Valley Hospital
; last Wednesday evening with a
I serious concussion and deep lac
! erations behind her right ear. The
j victim. Miss Dorothy Nicholas,
i 18, of Mountain View, was re
I ported in critical condition when
admitted, but Dr. C. C. Bailey
said today that she is out of
danger. '
The accident occurred just at
; dusk Wednesday on the straight
' stretch of highway between the
| Knik and Matanuska bridges.
! Both vehicles were driving to
j ward Palmer, when the Palmer
1 Transfer truck’s lights failed as
I the result of “a direct short,” ac
1 cording to Highway Patrolman
Stanley Laird.
Mr. Meier pulled his vehicle, a
truck and semi, to the side of the
highway and was working to cor
rect the difficulty when the
Rodgers automobile crashed into
the rear of the truck with ter
rific impact.
There were five passengers in
the automobile, among them Mrs.
James Kucherry of Palmer. She
suffered lacerations on the top
of her head.
Also injured were:
Henry Nicholas, 12, brother of
Dorothy Nicholas. He sustained
1 head injuries with lacerations.
Sophie Kalamakoff, ward of
| Mrs. Kucherry, who suffered se
; vere bruises and a mild concus
sion.
A second child was riding in
the automobile, but was unin
jured.
A COLUMN of dense, damp smoke belches from the drive-in en
trance to the Palmer Automotive Service when fire of undetermined
origin gutted the interior of the building about 10 a.m. Thursday.
Damage is estimated at approximately $20,000, according to Mr. and
Mrs. A1 King, proprietors of the garage. The establishment was
only partially insured.—Photo by Palmer Photo Art.
!
Bid Award for Eklutna Offices
To Be Announced in Juneau Monday
I A bid award on office quarters
; for the Bureau of Reclamation
! staff working on the Eklutna
project, to be headquartered in
Palmer, will be announced in Ju
neau on Monday, Joseph M. Mor
| gan, chief of Reclamation’s in
| vestigations staff, announced last
1 weekend. Mr. Morgan discussed
i three local offers last Sunday and
Monday. A1 Hagen, Harry Ryan
and the Matanuska Valley post
of the American Legion all had
made tentative offers of quarters.
The Reclamation requirements
include seven rooms of 300 square
feet each, two rooms of 1,000
square feet each, and one room of
400 square feet. Half of the
(Continued on Back Page)
Moose Meet For Moosemeat Dinner
As First Day Of Convention Concludes
Alaska Moose Association dele- :
gates dined on moosemeat last
night, as they ended the first j
day’s work of the convention of :
the Territorial Moose Association.
Registration consumed most of
yesterday’s morning hours, and
the convention was not launched
officially until the first business
session opened at 1:30 yesterday
afternoon.
At that business meeting, secre
tary-treasurer Joseph Durgin of
Ketchikan presented the progress
report of the year. Mr. Durgin’s
report was followed by an ad
dress by Henry A. Benson of Ju
neau, territorial commissioner of
: labor, and a member of Juneau
Lodge No. 700 of the Loyal Order
of Moose.
The following committee ap
pointments were announced by
| Association president Ralph
Moore of Palmer:
Rules and order — Harry
Campbell, Sr., of Palmer.
By-laws—Vern McGraw of
Sitka.
Press—Winfred E. Hinkle of
Ketchikan.
Finance — Carl Aspland of
Fairbanks.
Resolutions—Leonard Evans
of Juneau.
Nominations—Carl Stetiler of
Cordova.
There were 47 delegates reeis
tered by noon yesterday. Lat€
delegations from Petersburg am
Anchorage were registered aftei
that deadline. Lodges representec
at the convention, and their dele
gates, include:
Juneau Lodge No. 700—Waltei
R. Hermansen, Arnold Francis
George Bryson, Fay Mish, Lorar
Card, Robert Light, Hermoid
Waldemar, Leonard Evans. Theo
dore Erickson, Harry DeLand,
Henry Benson, Paul Urick, Grant 1
Baldwin, E. N. Herbstreth, Roy
Eaton, M. C. Moser, A1 G. Over- 1
holtzer, Harold Swanson, G. E.
Almquist, John Maurstad, Wil
liam C. Auld. Gordon Peterson
and Mingo Avoin.
Ketchikan Jodge No. 224—R. E.'
Sapp, Reed Burt, Neils Drews, ■
George Selig, R. C. Collins, Al- J
| fred Schlais, Dr. Dwight Cramer, ii
: Joseph O. Durgin, Winfred E.
I Hinkle and James Pinkerton.
■ I Sitka Lodge No. 1350—Wallace
■ Volz. Earl Miller, Ralph Johnson.
. I Ward Adams, Vern McGraw and
| Tom Cameron.
Palmer Lodge No. 793—Jack
■ | Maze, D. T. McMahon, William
, Lentz, Merle Anderson, Don In
l 1 galls, Ralph Moore and Harry
lill-Ur A5K5 AKtA
EAST OF TRACKS
BE EXCLUDED
The “tracks” which bisect Pah
mer today were threatening t
cut the size of the proposed in
corporated city to one-third 01
the intended area, as Judge An
thony Dimond of Third District
Court reserved his decision in
yesterday’s hearing. Judge Di
mond was expected to announce
that decision within the next day
or two—possibly even today.
Coming as a surprise at the
nearing yesterday, was a petition
filed by the Matanuska Valley
Farmers’ Co-Operating Associa
tion, requesting that the area
south of Palmer Highway and
west of the Railroad tracks, com
monly described as “Co-Op area,”
oe excluded from the . city. The
Z!o-Op attorney, Ed Davis, stated
that his clients were not opposed
:o incorporation, but merely to
the inclusion of the specified area
•vithin the corporate limits.
Roland Snodgrass and Jack
Newcomb were included on the
Co-Op petition in their i-equest
:hat all Snodgrass holdings east
nf the tracks, except for the small
Dusiness area centered around
North Palmer Store, be excluded.
Attorney Herman Ross, repre
senting the opposing element to
incorporation was han'bcaDned
oy lack of witnesses to back his
case. Only one witness appeared
io testify* against incorporation.
Re was John Gore of Tost’s Serv
ce. Mr. Ross attempted, in his
opening presentation, to have the
hearing dismissed, contending
that signatures on the incorpora
tion petition were insufficient,
were not, in every case, the sig
natures of bona fide residents,
and that the signatures -were not
verified. The attorney offefred
those arguments as reason for
lack of witnesses, saying his
clients were certain that no hear
ing would be held.
Mr. Ross founded his entire
case on an attempt to invalidate
names of signers. Eight Palmer
'esidents signed both petitior
md the attornev argued the
those names must be eliminated
:rom both petitions, but Judge
Dimond denied that argument.
Much was made of the position
af A1 Hagen, Valley Theatre own
?r. Mr. Hagen signed an early
netition against incorporation last
spring. Later he apparently
changed his mind and asked to
sign the petition in favor of in
corporation. He was presented a
petition for signature, at his re
iuest, and at his request kept that
copy in order to secure more
names. Witnesses testified yestor
;iav that Hagen had signed the
petition for incorporation, but
Ross attacked the statement and
nsserted that in truth the riieatie
awner was opposed to incorpora
tion. as his first signature proved.
Questioned this morning about
his stand, and about his signa
fure on the petition for- inrornora
tinn Mr. Hagen said that he for
got” to add his name to the list
(Continued on Back Page)
Welcome! Moose Association Delegates