Palmer Airport Hearing
November 14.
VOLUME 5. NUMBER 8.
Halley Jrontiergman
PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER, ALASKA. THURSDAY. NOV. 1. 1951.
PAGES
TODAY
PRICE TEN CENTS
"Bob” Bartlett Valley Guest Tomorrow
icy Pavements, First of Season,
Blamed in Many Week-end Accidents
Motorists were rudely shocked
from their summer equanimity
Last week end as winter perpe
trated a pre-Hallowreen prank
that frosted highways with a slip
pery glaze, slowing down traffic
and sending many of the unwary
into a slithery spin.
The Highway Patrol was kept
so busy investigating the more
serious accidents that there was
little time to check up on stalled
and ditched cars reportedly lin
ing Glenn Highway from the
Butte area up to Alpine Inn.
Four cars were involved in ac
cidents on Moose Creek hill, scene
of the accident which took two
lives a week ago. The first of the
series was noticed by the High
way Patrol at 11:15 Saturday eve
ning when the smoking ruins of
a ’47 Kaiser were spotted over
the embankment. Although evi
dence suggested that the accident
had occurred less than 15 min
utes before, there was no one near
the burning car. Reported earlier
as having been stolen from An
chorage, the car was a total loss.
Just as the Highway Patrol had
completed investigation of the
first accident and before driving
from the scene, a ’49 Ford went
over the bank. The three occu
pants were servicemen attached
to Company C, 42nd Engineers of
Fort Richardson. The driver,
^ Newt Ragsdale, was the only one
seriously injured. Dr. C. C. Bailey
was summoned to the scene of the
accident and he helped in the re
moval of the injured man to Vai
(Continued on Page 4)
COMMUNITY CHEST
DRIVE NEARS GOAL
Hope was expressed this week
that the Community Chest would
reach its goal as late returns
slowly inched receipts toward the
£3,000 mark.
Meeting Tuesday, October 30,
the Community Chest Board
learned that the latest count was
£2,836, just $163.14 short of the
£3,000 hoped for.
With Jonesville returns still
outstanding and contributions
still coming in from persons who
were out of town or missed dur
ing the ten-day campaign, Emil
Ganschow, chairman of the 1951
drive, had hopes that the drive
would “go over the top”.
"It is a great encouragement ,o
the services benefited”, Commu
nity Chest President Marvin
Slaughter said this week. “The
Health Center, the Welfare-Dis
aster Council, Girl Scouts, Palmer
Library, the Alaska Crippled
Children’s Association and the
United Defense Fund—all will be
glad to know that the community
is behind them to this extent.”
HINTS FOR DRIVING
ON ICY PAVEMENTS
The Highway Patrol this
■veek had some suggestions for
notorists, new to Alaskan win
ders, who travel over highways
inder hazardous, icy condi
;ions.
Reducing tire pressure will
lelp a lot on icy roads by per
nitting a wider base to the
;ires.
l Easing of a car into motion
.vhen starting from a dead
stop is better than giving it
sudden spurts of gas.
“Otherwise”, said the High
way Patrol, “just think three
:imes farther than under or
iinary conditions, and let com
pression do the work instead
>f the brakes.”
0. K. Kincaid Is
New Business Manager
Of Valley Hospital
O. K. Kincaid assumes his new
duties as business manager of the
Valley Hospital today.
Appointment of the local Certi
fied Public Accountant was an
nounced last Friday by the Val
ley Hospital Association Board oi
Directors and was to become ef
fective November 1st. The ap
pointment marks a change in ad
ministrative organization. From
now on Valley Hospital will have
a business manager and a nursing
supervisor, according to the board
secretary, Mrs. Julia Graves. The
new nursing supervisor will ar
rive from New York some time
in the near future.
The new business manager is a
recent Valley resident, having
come here last July as the local
representative of the accounting
firm of Beaver and van Seventer.
He is a graduate of the University
of Idaho at Moscow. Since his ar
rival in the Valley, Mr. Kincaid
has taken a keen interest in Val
ley civic affairs. A frequent visi
tor at City Council meetings, he
is also a member of the Kiwanis
Club and the Chamber of Com
merce.
He and his wife Sharlene, a
graduate nurse, and their young
son live in one of the AHA
houses.
Mrs. Gladyce Bunell, supervisor
of nurses and hospital manager,
resigned her position last May
8th, and has been continuing in
the performance of these duties
pending appointment of her sue
| cessor.
RELIEF FROM WATER
SHORTAGE EXPECTED
THIS WEEK EHD
Barring interference of the ele
ments. the Co-Op hoped to have
its new water line to Carnegie
Creek completed this week end,
thus ending a year of severe wa
ter shortage in the city of Palmer.
Excavation for the new six
inch wood stave pipe line had
reached Fishhook Road yester
day, just 300-400 feet away from
the main Co-Op line hook-up. It
was hoped that Don McKechnie
and Jack Zamowski would oe
able to complete the excavation
with their back hoes today. Fol
lowing that, the pipeline should
be in operation within a very
short time.
Under the able leadership of
Frank Clark, Co-Op crews have
made rapid progress on the pipe
line since arrival of the pipe last
week Monday. In addition to the
McKechnie and Zamowski back
hoes, two bulldozers and the
ARRC cat and carry-all were
pressed into service in the water
emergency. Ben Hermon and
Clark operated dozers and a Mr.
Oberg of Peters Creek covered
some 200 feet of earth laid in a
box on top of the ground over a
low place with a "can”. Charlie
Schaefer, Henning Blunck, Jim
Kindler, Larry Stock, Grant Ken
ser. and Harry Campbell did most
of the manual work. Jack O’Mal
ley was responsible for grade line.
Work on the pipe line could
not be completed too soon for
many people in Palmer who have
been without water except for
short intervals for three weeks.
City Council efforts to repair the
temporary steel pipe to ease the
shortage until the pipe line was
completed had to be abandoned
last Friday. It was found that in
moving the pipe to make way for
the excavation, it had been dam
aged beyond all hope of repair.
(Continued on Page 4)
New Grader Ordered
For Maintenance
Of City Streets
Negotiations have been com
pleted by the City Council for the
new Caterpillar Diesel No. 112
motor grader purchased through
the Northern Commercial Com
pany.
Due to the existing emergency
the council ruled that it would
not call for bids on this particular
piece of equipment. Shipment is
expected in early December.
Meanwhile, the city has acquired
by successful bid, a used road
maintainer from the Alaska Road
Commission which will be re
paired and put to use immediate
ly. This will assure adequate
maintenance of city streets as
soon as equipment is ready.
Open C of C-Sponsored Luncheon
To Honor Alaska Delegate and Wife
TWO DUCK TRIAL ON
HALLOWEEN THEFTS
Halloween thefts by two sol
liers from Fort Richardson re
;ulted in their apprehension by
Police Chief Bernie Bouwens
following a chase by car thru
:ity streets.
Unable to confine the ser
vicemen in the local jail be
cause of a defective door hinge,
;hey were released with orders
to appear before City Magis
trate William Head this morn
ng at ten o’clock.
When they failed to appear
ay one o’clock today, a bench
warrant was issued by the city
nagistrate. The soldiers, were
charged with stealing goods
from a showcase at the T and
T Sourdough Bar last evening
md will be picked up by mili
tary officials and brought to
Palmer for trial.
Planning Commission
Meets; Charles Wilson
Elected Chairman
A general airing of city prob
lems and a determination of im
mediate goals occupied members
of the new City Planning Com
mission meeting at the home of
Charles W. Wilson Monday night.
Chairman of the new group is
Charles Wilson. Elected as secre
tary was Betty Mears. Ed Smith,
of Ketchikan Spruce Mills, was
elected vice-chairman.
After discussion of city prob
lems in general, it was agreed
that the commission’s first job
would be an inventory of existing
facilities and conditions not only
within the incorporated limits of
the city of Palmer, but also in the
immediate surrounding areas.
Initial plans call for preparation
of a series of base maps including
all natural, legal, and section line
boundaries. On these several base
maps will be superimposed (1)
underground facilities (2) commu
nication lines, (3) power lines and
telephone lines, (4) public build
ings, (5) private buildings, and
(6) plats of subdivisions.
Preliminary budget discussions
were dropped pending an expect
ed early meeting with the City
Council. At this meeting, com
mission members will ascertain
the council’s ideas on pressing
city needs. Although the possi
bility of seeking professional as
sistance was voiced, such a move
was considered untimely until the
inventory is completed and the
group becomes aware of the spe
(Continued on Page 4)
Plans are all set for a luncheon
honoring Alaska Delegate E. L.
‘Bob" Bartlett and Mrs. Bartlett
n the Co-Op Club Room at 12:15
p.m. Friday, November 2.
Sponsored by the local Cham
oer of Commerce, the luncheon is
apen to all interested Valley resi
dents. according to Chamber Pres
dent Jim Hurley. Tickets may be
purchased at the door.
Hurley said that the impromptu
uncheon was arranged following
a telephone call from Kodiak on
Monday where Delegate Bartlett
was attending the meeting of the
League of Alaskan Cities. Bartlett
said that he would be in Palmer
Friday and expressed a desire to
talk with Valley residents and
hear their comments on legisla
tion affecting the welfare of Al
askans.
Bartlett had intended to visit
Palmer Saturday, October 20. but
was forced to cancel plans at the
last minute. With him on his visit
to Palmer tomorrow will be Mrs.
Bartlett, who has accompanied
him on most of his visits around
the Territory since he arrived
two weeks ago to officiate at the
opening of the new highway con
necting Anchorage and Seward,
ft is believed that tomorrow’s vis
it will be Mrs. Bartlett’s first in
the Valley.
Starting next week, Delegate
Bartlett will embark on a whirl
wind schedule of hearings on the
delegate’s bill providing means
for settlement of land claims by
Alaska natives. Hearings will
start in Anchorage Monday, No
vember 5, with another scheduled
for Fairbanks the same evening.
In quick succession, hearings will
oe held at Kotzebue and Nome on
the 6th and 7th, and, after a hur
ried flight to Kodiak, another
there also on the 7th. Hearings at
Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan are
planned for the 8th, 9th, and 10th
af November.
FOOD CENTER GOES
OUT OF BUSINESS
“We’ve gone out of business”,
Nels Stensland said yesterday in
response to inquiries made about
the Palmer Food Center and the
Shamrock Bakery which were
closed this week.
Although customers have been
unable to buy groceries at Palm
er’s newest store since early last
week, the bakery had been open
for business until Tuesday. Local
restaurant operators, who had de
pended on the local shop for
baked goods, suddenly found
themselves without supplies Tues
day.
Speculation about resumption
(Continued on Page 4)