OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
64th Year No. 35
NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1963
Per Copy 15*
Four Army Men
Will Trek 400 Miles
Across Wilderness
ANCHORAGE UP> — Four Ft.
Richardson men are starting on a
ski trek of some 400 miles across
an Alaska region never before
traveled by soldiers.
The four were flown to Koyukuk
on the Yukon River Wednesday
morning, scheduled to head west
on skis Thursday. They are on a
long-range patrol which will take
them to Wales, 366 map-miles away
on the westermost tip of the Sew
ard Peninsula.
Members of the patrol are 1st
Lt. Wm. Smith Jr. of Co. F, 4th
Battle Group, 23rd Infantry; Sgt.
1/C Kenneth Maederer, 56th En
gineer Co.; Sp./4 John Niskoch,
Hdqs. & Hdqs. Co., 4th Battle
Group, 23rd Infantry; and Sp./4
John Clabom, 514th Medical Co.
The patrol will carry the men
across a vast wilderness area which
has never been before covered by
soldiers. It is the latest in a series
of U.S. Army long-range patrols
which have been carried out over
the past dozen years.
The men will make the trip on
the Army’s new short skis, being
used experimentally in Alaska.
Other experimental items the
patrol will test include a sort of
over-snow wheelbarrow developed
by the Trailmate Co. of Anchor
age. They will use the machine
to haul their gear for about one
third of the trip.
To take full advantage of day
light, the patrol plans to take no
long noon break. Instead they will
eat as they move. The four men
have been supplied with food in
tubes which was originally devel
oped for astronauts flying through
space. They will suuplement the
space-age trail ration with pem
mican.
Lt. Col. N. W. Pooley, chief of
the Intelligence Division of the
USARAL Office, said the patrol
plans to make the trip in 29 days.
He said although the patrol dis
tance scales 366 miles on the map,
the men will probably ski about
400 to 450 miles to cover the dis
tance.
Rolvaag Finally Becomes
Governor of Minnesota By
91 Votes Over Anderson
ST. PAUL, Minn. UP) — Repub
lican Elmer Andersen plans to
waive his appeal and will turn
the disputed Minnesota governor
ship over to Democrat Karl Rol
vaag Monday, the Associated Press
learned today.
Three judges who supervised
the recount of votes from the Nov.
6 election ruled yesterday that Rol
vaag won by 91 votes of the more
than W\ million cast.
Andersen confided his plans to
several state legislators and is ex
pected to make a public announce
ment during the weekend. Under
state law, he has 10 days to file
an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Waiver of the appeal will per
mit Rolvaag, 49, to assume office
Monday — some four months and
three weeks after the closest gov
ernor election in Minnesota his
tory.
Urge Water and Sewage Facilities
JUNEAU UP) — A resolution urg
ing an accelerated federal public
works program to provide for
community water and sewerage
facilities at Nome, Dillingham,
Kenai and Yakutat was approved
by the State Senate today.
Can of Tuna Found
Toxic In California Store;
Recall ‘Taste Well’ Brand
BERKELEY, Calif. (M — The
State Department of Public Health
announced today a toxic substance
had been found in a can of tuna
processed in San Francisco.
The can was found on a grocer’s
shelf and no one had eaten of it.
Dr. Malcolm Merrill, depart
ment head, said thousands of cans
of brand “Taste Well” tuna had
been recalled from stores through
out California.
Two Detroit women who died
this week were believed victims of
botulism poisoning after eating
tuna.
Dr. Merrill said the toxic sub
stance, with characteristics of
botulism, was found in a can of
tuna from a store at Saratoga,
Calif.
“While not conclusively proven
to be botulism,” Dr. Merrill said
in a statement, “the first result
coupled with a laboratory report
from the U.S. Food and Drug La
boratory in Detroit, indicates
botulism.
“The toxic substance developed
in a can of spoiled tuna picked up!
in a Saratoga store. The can was
swollen and it was obvious to the
eye it was defective.”
Five-Time Killer Dies
In Electric Chair With
Smile On His Face
OSSINING, N.Y. — Five
time killer Frederick Wood was
executed in Sing Sing Prison’s
electric chair last night after anti
cipating death with a wisecrack
and a smile.
To the end, Wood repudiated the
efforts of persons he termed “do
gooders” to gain him a reprieve. A
derelict who had spent 30 of his
51 years in prison, Wood said he
had not wish for further life be
hind bars.
Instead, he pleaded for an op
portunity to “ride the lightning”
of the electric chair.
Wood arrived for his ride at
10:01 p.m. four minutes later he
had come to the end of his journey.
As he entered the death house
of the prison 35 miles north of
New York City Wood looked
around and cracked to the witness
es: ,
“I have a speech to make on an
educational project. You will see
the effect of electricity on wood.
Enjoy yourself.”
Then, laughing, Wood walked to
the electric chair with a cigarette
dangling from his mouth, brushed
the chair off with his hand and
calmly told the assemblage:
“I’ll be with you in a moment.
Wait’ll I get through with my
cigarette.”
He tossed the cigarette to the
floor and sat down as guards strap
ped him into the death chair. He
was still smiling when the tradi
tional black hood was lowered
over his face.
Lawyers and New York Civil
Liberties Committee spokesmen
who did not even know Wood
fought to the last to save him,
contending he was insane. Hours
before the execution, three associate
U.S. Supreme Court Justices turned
the appeal down, and Chief Jus
tice Earl Warren refused to in
tercede.
Psychiatrists had pronounced
Wood legally sane during his pro
secution, but Atty. Norman Dor
sen contended in a last-ditch ap
peal that there was enough evi
dence of insanity in Wood’s his
tory to indicate he was insane.
Moore Suffers Critical
Brain Damage In Losing
Featherweight Crown
LOS ANGELES UP — Davey
Moore, Who suffered critical brain
damage in losing his feather
weight boxing crown last night to
Cuba’s Sugar Ramos, clung to life
in a hospital bed today.
The 29-year-old veteran fighter
from Ohio was knocked down
twice and severely pummeled be
fore the bout was stopped in the
10th round. But he was conscious
and talked rationally to newsmen
in his dressing room.
Later, aides said, he put his
hand to his head, said, “Oh, my
headache,” and fainted.
White Memorial Hospital said
Moore suffered damage to the
brain stem at the base of the skull.
“His chances are extremely
poor,” said Dr. Philip Vogel after
an examination.
All three boxing titles up for
grabs had new owners today after
a pair of spectacular knockouts
and a controversial decision in the
ballyhooed triple championship
fight extravaganza.
A crowd of 26,142 watched as
Ramos won the featherweight title
in the middle bout by kayoing
Moore—who was taken by ambu
lance to a hospital about an hour
after the fight.
m tne opener at uoager sta-1
dium, Luiz Rodriguez took the
welterweight championship away
from Emile Griffith on a decision
—unanimous but subject to argu
ment. In the windup, Roberto Cruz
wound up and knocked out Bat
tling Torres in the first round and
won the vacant junior welter
weight title.
Griffith, ironically, was involved
in a fatal fight almost exactly one
year ago. He regained the welter
weight crown last March 24 at
New York’s Madison Square Gar
den by stopping Benny (Kid) Paret
who died of brain injuries 10 days
later from brain injuries suffered
in the bout.
Incentive for Newly Mined Gold
JUNEAU UP) — The Senate today
completed legislation on a resolu
tion asking Congress to approve
a bill calling for incentive pay
ments for the production of newly
mined domestic gold.
Commerce Dept. Endorses
Use of Japanese-Built
Vessel In Alaska Trade
WASHINGTON W —The Com
merce Department, overriding its
Maritime Administration, has en
dorsed a bill to allow the Japa
nese-built vessel “City of New Or
Orleans” to be registered under the
U.S. flag.
Luther H. Hodges, Secretary of
Commerce, put the department be
hind the bill in a letter to Sen.
Warren G. Magnuson of Washing
ton state, chairman of the Senate
Commerce Committee.
The bill would allow the rail
road car-carrying ship to operate
between Washington and Alaska
by waiving the Jones Act which
prohibits foreign-built ships from
engaging in the domestic inter
coastal trade.
Hodges said the Martime Ad
ministrator’s opposition to the bill
was “based upon the water trans
portation aspects of the case . .
“However,” Hodges added, “af
ter careful study of the purpose of
the bill and the competitive factors
involved, I have come to the con
clusion that the Department of
Commerce must consider not only
water transportation but the re
quirements of our over-all national
transportation system as well.’
Sen. Gruening
Lashes Out on
Alaska’s Defense
WASHINGTON — Invasion
of Alaska’s air space by Russian
planes demonstrated that “the so
called defense of Alaska are not
adequate,” Sen. Ernest Gruening
said yesterday.
He criticized the building of
costly military bases in countries
with unreliable governments while
the defenses of strategically located
Alaska are inadequate.
“There is no danger of our
losing any of our military strength
in the 49th State, unless by our
own unwisdom we fail to install
it or keep it there,” Gruening said
in a Senate speech.
Alaska is the logical place for
missiles and none are there, Gru
ening said.
Alaska, he said, “lies within the
naked eyeview of Soviet Siberia.
It fronts on the new air crossways
of the world, the Arctic Ocean. It
is, needless to say, inhabited by
a militantly patriotic population
of American citizens.”
“It holds the key to the defense
and offense of the North American
Continent and thereby of the
heart of the free world,” he said.
Notice to Candidates 1
Candidates planning to file for]
city offices of Mayor, Council,
School Board and Utilities Board,
must have their petitions in by
Monday afternoon.
It is not known how many have
already filed due to the illness of i
the City Clerk, during which time
that office has been closed.
_
King Salmon Chosen By
Legislature As State Fish
JUNEAU <JP> — A bill designat
ing the King Salmon as the offi
cial state fish won the approval
of the Senate today, after surviv
ing four attempts to amend it.
The measure now goes to Gov.
Wm. Egan for his consideration.
Before passage, the Senate beat
down moves to exchange the words
“Sockeye Salmon,” “Silver Sal
mon” and “Sheefish” for the words
“King Salmon.”
The amendments were offered,
in order, by Sens. Harold Z. Han
sen, David Harrison and Yule Kil
cher.
Sen. Lester Bronson offered an
amendment which would have
made the Tom Cod the state fish
instead of the King Salmon, but
withdrew the proposal before it
could be voted upon.
66th U.S. Fatality Reported
In South Viet Nam War
SAIGON, South Viet Nam OW —
The 66th American fatality in the
South Viet Nam war since late
1961 was reported today.
He was a U.S. Army enlisted
man who was killed yesterday in
the crash of an Army transport
helicopter in the mountainous
Dalat area 160 miles northeast of
Saigon.
The American pilot and co
pilot suffered broken arms, and
two of five Vietnamese army pas
sengers were injured seriously.
The helicopter’s American crew
chief escaped unhurt.
The crash was attributed to me
chanical failure. The helicopter
was on a supply mission.
The names of the Americans
were not announced.
Alaska Airlines
Makes Sweeping
Change in Aircraft
New and greater comfort and
convenience for Alaska’s traveling
public was announced today by
Alaska Airlines. “A sweeping
change in the type of aircraft to
be operated on all of Alaska Air
lines scheduled routes within Alas
ka beginning next week will mean
that all flights will operate with
faster and more comfortable pres
surized airplanes,” stated Robert
Giersdorf, assistant vice president
and general sales manager, in re
leasing the airlines spring schedule.
Beginning Wednesday, March
27, scheduled flights between Nome
and Anchorage will be operated
with faster and more comfortable
fully pressurized aircraft. On
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
flights between Nome and Anchor
age with stops at Unalakleet and
McGrath will be operated with
Convair 340 aircraft. The Convair
340 carries 44 passengers in a spa
cious first class seating configura
tion . . . with wide fully reclining
seats, generous leg room and indi
vidual foot rests, a wide aisle and
wide view windows. “The Convair
340 is a better suited aircraft for
Alaska operations than other
planes of comparable size,” Giers
dorf said.
The other two days each week
a Super Constellation aircraft
operating in a combination pas
senger-cargo configuration will be
used between Kotzebue, Nome and
Anchorage.
“This pattern of service will give
the passengers the full comfort of
' faster pressurized airplanes and
will also provide for the heavy
cargo requirement on the Nome
and Kotzebue route,” Giersdorf
stated.
Further increases in the fre
quency of the flights will be made
later for the summer months
when schedules will be operated
daily in order to fully accommo
date the residents of the commu
nities served and to provide the
best possible schedules for the
rapidly expanding tourist program
of Alaska Airlines. For the sum
mer schedules in addition to the
Convair 340, a Convair 440 is being
readied for service. When the Con
vair 440 begins service earlier de
parture times from Anchorage
will be possible each day and ihe
Super Constellation aircraft will
be used for freight flights. The
Convair 440 has a large forward
cargo door and will be able to
operate in all-passenger or com
bination passenger-cargo configu
rations.
In addition to the improved
service between Nome and An
chorage beginning Wednesday,
March 27, scheduled morning
flights will be resumed between
Fairbanks and Anchorage. The
Fairbanks - Anchorage morning
service will operate daily except
Saturday and Sunday. These morn
ing flights are in addition to the
daily evening flights operated with
the airlines’ Golden Nugget jet.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
Cloudy. Colder today and tomor
row with 10-20 mph winds from
the north. Low tonight -7, high to
morrow 20. In the last 24 hours:
High of 29, low of 10. Max. wind
32 mph from the east. Sunrise at
5:56 a.m., sunset at 6:23 p.m.
Temps, a year ago today: High of
14, low of -15. Extremes on this
date since 1907: High of 36 in
1924, low of -32 in 1928.