Valdez News
VOL. 1. NO. 29
VALDEZ. ALASKA. FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 29. 1950
PRICE 10c
Father of Two Killed In Sunday Morning Brawl
Tunnel Slide Here
Boosts Anchorage
Dock Freight Volume
The slide-sealed tunnel at Mile
16 on the Richardson Highway
sent one Alaska Freight Lines
barge, loaded with heavy mili
tary freight, into Anchorage to
discharge its cargo last week. The
barge docked in Valdez last Fri
day to unload its perishables, and
then went on to Anchorage to
dock its heavy freight.
Although Alaska Freight Lines
trucks still are hauling out of
•Valdez, despite the blocked tun
nel, they find the former route
of the Richardson Highway, now'
in use, difficult going for trail
ers. The climb is steeper and the
road more winding than the high
way finished more recently.
This first routing into Anchor
age wras termed an “experiment”
by owner A1 Ghezzi. He said he
did not know if future barges
would be dispatched direct to An
chorage. Later plans await devel
opment of construction and clear
ing of the tunnel.
i'vleanw'hile, an Alaska Road
Commission spokesman said work
would begin soon on clearing the
debris from the tunnel. The cave
in occurred just as bids on en
larging and reinforcing the tun
nel were to be opened in Juneau.
Tfrie ARC delayed clearing opera
tions until a bid award could be
maue.
The contract for the work on
the tunnel, and for paving a 40
mile section of highway out of
Valdez next season, went to Mc
Laughlin Construction Co., of
Great Falls, Mont. The firm bid
$3^790,141 for the job. McLaugh
lin’s is the contractor which held
a contract this season for surfac
ing the Glenn Highway out of
Palmer.
As plans for construction and
surfacing the Valdez end of the
Richardson Highway are being
announced, the need for highway
improvement there becomes even
more apparent. Arnold Persinger
of the Valdez office of Alaska
Freight Lines announced today
that last week’s freight tonnage
discharged here gave his trucks
one of the biggest freight haul
\Veeks in the firm’s history. In
dications are that the trucking
hauls out of Valdez are due to
reach an even higher volume than
the tonnage carried this year.
Members Don't Come
So Council Can't Meet
There was no quorum present
at the regular city council meet
ing. scheduled for Monday, Sept.
19. so no city business was trans
acted. Council members present
that un-held meeting were
Mayor Guy Stith. George Gilson,
Stuart A. Starbuck and Miss
Helen Long.
Guests at the meeting that was
not held included Mrs. Dorothy
Jennings. Mrs. Earl Moore and
Miss Ruth Foy.
The council will not meet again
until after the Oct. 3 election.
INJURES BACK
IN HOME ACCIDENT
Dale McClintic suffered a back
injury at his home on Sunday,
Sept. 17. Mr. McClintic tore liga
mfnts in his back when lifting
sofc:e building materials.
ARC FOREMAN SUFFERS
DISLOCATED SHOULDER
IN HIGHWAY ACCIDENT
John H. Wieler, foreman of the
Alaska Road Commission camp
at 19 mile on the Richardson
Highway, was a victim of a high
way accident last Friday, Sept. 22.
Mi'. Wieler is now a patient at
j Valdez Community Hospital,
where he is receiving treatment
for cuts, bruises and a dislocated
1 shoulder. Dr. Kenneth Ham, at
: tending physician, reported the
| man’s condition was good at
press-time.
Mr. Wieler was driving a truck
: which plunged over a 400-foot
i embankment at Mile 15 on the
[ old Richardson Highway, disused
| for the past 10 years except when
the new highway is closed. The
new highway, opened in 1940,
has been closed for the past 10
days as the result of a rock slide
in the tunnel at Mile 16.
CHORAL GROUP MAY
ORGANIZE HERE
A choral group will organize
in Valdez this fall, if interest
i is great enough, Mrs. Jeanette
Huddleston announced this
week. On Oct. 5, all would-be
members of such a group are
invited to meet at Mrs. Hud
dleston’s home at 7:30 p.m.
All who enjoy singing are
welcome, Mrs. Huddleston said.
The group is to be made up of
both men’s and women’s voices.
Organization of the choristers
will be completed at the Thurs
day meeting, if those who at
tend the meeting favor the
; plan.
MRS. WHITLEY SOON
TO BE HOME AGAIN
Mrs. Minnie Whitley, hospital
ized several weeks ago at Valdez
Community Hospital for treat
ment of a broken hip, is soon to
be dismissed to her home, Dr.
Kenneth Ham said this week.
Baby Lawrence
Dies in Hospital
Thomas Jennings Lawrence, Jr.,
eight-months-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. T. C. Lawrence of Valdez,
died at Valdez Community Hos
pital on Sept. 18, following a brief
illness. The infant was born at
Renton, Wash., on Jan. 3, 1950.
Baby Lawrence is survived by
his parents, by his sister, Linda
Lou, and by his grandparents, Mr.
and Mrs. George Dalton.
Funeral services for the infant
were conducted at the Valdez
Gospel Chapel on Sept. 21. Rev.
Richard J. Teeter was in charge.
Steamer Alaska Brings
Freight, Takes
Passengers at Valdez
The steamer Alaska was mak- j
ing her next-to-last voyage to!
Valdez this season, when she
docked here last Saturday. Capt.
Henry Burns said the Alaska had
one more trip, that of Oct. 7, be- !
fore she retired for the winter.
During the winter season Val
dez will be served by the steamer j
Denali.
On last Saturday’s call, purser
A. H. Banwell reported there
were 73 passengers aboard, and
170 tons of cargo were stored in j
the Alaska’s holds. Four disem- j
barked at Valdez and 20 more
went aboard the ship here. Pas
sengers who left the Alaska in
Valdez included:
C. W. Jackson and Henry T.
Martin of Ketchikan and Mr. and
Mrs. Cash Cole of Juneau.
Passengers who boarded the j
Alaska at Valdez were:
E. Anderson (to Juneau), Mrs. i
Evelyn Crithfield and child, Gail, i
Albert Carroll and Sanford Peter- '
son (to Cordova); Mrs. Katie Cole:!
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Masters, Mr.
and Mrs. M. A. Caputi, Peter!
Kurowshi. Charles Barber and
Robert Carrin (to Seattle).
MEDICAL TECHNICIAN
ADDED TO STAFF
OF LOCAL HOSPITAL
Miss Doris Carlson, medical
technician and a graduate of the
University of Minnesota, joins the
staff of Valdez Community Hos
pital on Oct. 2, Dr. Kenneth Ham
announced this week. Miss Carl
son is driving north over the
Alaska Highwey.
The new hospital technician
was working in China at the time
of the Communist invasion there.
Miss Carlson holds a bachelor
of science degree in medical tech
nology. She had laboratory ex
perience at the University of Min
nesota Farm School, following
her graduation.
Larry Erdman Found
After 2-Day Search
A iwo-day search for Larry
Erdman, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Virgil Erdman of Valdez, end
ed last Thursday, when the
little second grader was found i
by Mrs. Wilfred McGill. Larry
was alive and unhurt, although
suffering from cold and very
hungry.
The child apparently had
been hiding, during the two
day search, in an automobile
owned by the McGills. The car
is very infrequently used, and
hence Larry's hiding place had i
not been discovered.
Mrs. McGill fed and warmed
the child and then gave him
into the custody of Ernest Al
len. deputy marshall in Valdez.
The Erdmans had sought Mr.
Allen's help in leading the
search for Larry.
Mrs. Maitland Hospitalized
Mrs. George Maitland, formerly
Miss Monora Schanz. has been j
hospitalized here at Valdez Com
munity Hospital for the past
week. Her condition is satisfac- j
tory, attending physician Dr. Ken-;
neth Ham said.
Valdezans to Elect Mayor, Conncilmen
On Oct. 3, Territorial Officers Oct. 10
Valdez residents will be called
to the polls twice in early Oc
tober, when they select first a
mayor, three councilmen and
three school board members on
Oct. 3, and then return to cast
their ballots for candidates of
their choice for territorial offices
on Oct. 10.
Both elections will be held in
the lobbv of Hotel Valdez from
eight a.m. to eight p.m. each day.
City officers whose terms ex
pire. and who will be replaced or
re-elected next Tuesday are:
Mayor C. G. Stith and coun
cilmen Howard Burch, George
Gilson and Stuart A. Slarbuck.
(Mr. Starbuck recently was ap
pointed to fill the unexpired
term of A. Jarvi, resigned.)
School board members whose
terms expire include:
Leo Soward, Mrs. Neva Egan
and Mrs. Dorothy Jennings.
Mrs. Jennings was appointed
by the city council to fill the
vacancy created by the resigna
tion of Mrs. James Dolan.
Candidates for city office, all of
whom have filed a petition signed
by 20 qualified voters, include
these Valdezans:
For mayor—Joseph C. Dier
inger, C. J. Egan, Frank Simp
son.
For councilmen—George H.
Gilson, Ralph W. Matthews.
Chris Pedersen, John A. Souers,
Jr., Stuart A. Starbuck, Rich
ard J. Teeter, George R. Waf
ford and Gerald G. Wilson.
Voters will select one candidate
for mayor, and will name three
councilmen at next Tuesday’s
; election.
Also on Tuesday, Valdez voters
; will elect three of the following
| candidates to a seat on the local
jschool board:
Nelda C. Carlin. William C.
Hunt. Magel Johnson, Jean M.
Emily, Taylor, Lucille M.
Weeks.
All city officials and school
board members will continue in
office until their successors are I
sworn to their new positions. j
Council seats are not all vacant
in this election. Holdovers include
Owen Johnson, Miss Helen Long
and Marvin Beals.
A sample ballot for either the
Oct. 3 municipal election or the
Oct. 10 territorial election may
be secured from Gilson’s Mercan
tile Co., Valdez Supply, Burch’s,
or from the office of the city clerk
between the hours of seven and
nine p.m. on Tuesdays and Thurs
days.
To vote in the territorial elec
tion. full citizenship requirements,
a one-year residence in Alaska
! and a full month’s residence in
i the District of Valdez are musts.
SLAYER IS CHARGED
WITH MAHSLAUGHTER
AT TUESDAY HEARIH6
Manslaughter charges we:
brought against Jack Wallace i.t
a preliminary hearing in the.
court of U. S. Commissioner Mar
garet Harrais last Tuesday, fol
lowing the Sunday morning” death
of Farrel Crithfield. Crithfield
was killed in an early morning
brawl with Wallace at a local
night club.
The men, both truckdrivers,.
were settling a long-standing feud
with bare fists. A blow from Wal
lace felled Crithfield, who died
shortly thereafter.
At the Tuesday trial. Commis
sioner Harrais heard the testi
mony of eight witnesses. Wal
lace was represented by attorney
William Renfrew of Anchorage..
Bond was fixed at S2,5O0 by Mrs.
Harrais, and was paid by Wallace
who was then discharged from,
custody.
The dead man had been living
in Valdez for the past several
months, where he had been em
ployed as a driver for Alaska
Freight Lines. He was an Alas
kan of some 18 months residence.,
having lived in Fairbanks before'
coming to Valdez. He is survived
by a wife, Evelyn, and by two
sons, Gary, aged 11, and Gail,
aged five.
Funeral services for the dead
trucker were held Tuesday after
noon at the Valdez Gospel Chapel
Rev. R. J. Teeter officiated. The?
body was flown to Pullman
Wash., for burial. The Crithfields
are former Renton, Wash., resi
dents.
Neighbors Will Ghat
On Valdez Phones
By Mid-November
Valdez will have telephones by
mid-November, Owen Meals
promised this week. Mr. Mealc
had announced earlier this su
mer that he expected the phoru
to be ready for use by fall, but he
said this week that a materials
shortage is delaying the installa
tion of the system.
When telephone bells start ring
ing through Valdez, there will be
at least 100 subscribers prepared
to lift a receiver, the system pro
prietor said.
The Valdez city council already
has approved rates for the new
service. There will be a chareg of
S6.50 a month for a one-party
business phone. Valdez residents
oh a private line will pay $4.50
for the privilege of a phone irk
their home.
NATIVE VILLAGERS
GET FINAL ‘SHOTS'
To complete the immunization
series begun early this month,
Dr. Kenneth Ham of Valdez Com
munity Hospital visited the na
tive villages of Eliamar and Tatit
lek on Prince William Sound this
weekend. Dr. Ham left Sept. 29.
He was accompanied by Kenneth
Brittel, the Alaska Native Service
teacher at Tatitlek.
While at the villages, Dr. Ham<
showed movies for the entertain
ment of the local residents.