THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone 443-2381 $1.50 Per Month
P.O. Box 66 $16.00 a Year
Jamss F. O'Sullivan, Publisher & Editor
Ed Jocius, Foreman
Entered *t second class matter October 14. 1943, at the
post office at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March S, 1B7».
All In Five Years ...
/>) Robert Morris
RECENTLY 1 WAS INVITED to address the seventh anniversary
observance of the thrilling 1956 Hungarian uprising against
Soviet bondage. Five years had passed since I had been the speaker
for this annual occasion. In my opening remarks, I sketched the
historical developments of the intervening years. What I found
myself reviewing was most distressing.
Five years ago the frontier of the world struggle was deep in
Eastern Europe with Soviet forces there almost tottering. Africa
was Western-oriented from the Meditteranean to the Cape of Good
Hope. The Caribbean was a Western preserve. In South America
the Communists did not have even a toe-hold. Khrushchev, for all
his aggressions, was ringed by defensive bases in Turkey and in
manv other Allied countries. Laos was a Western outpost. Our
navy was without peer.
Five vears is a short time in history; vet, look at what the in
tervening vears have brought. Cuba, lying to the west of every
countrv in South America, is a bristling Soviet bastion. A grim
Communist expeditionary force, with missiles, MIGs and tanks
is bivuacked there. Soviet submarines and ’'fishing’’ trawlers prowl
the Caribbean, exporting agents and saboteurs to everv country in
South America. The Soviets have a base now in British Giana,
while Brazil which dominates the continent, is in hands distinctly
pro-Communist.
In fact, the date lines of the world conflict are now the
Florida Straits and Key West, adding a psychological advantage
to the Communist gains.
Around the world, the march down the Southeast Asia sector
continues unchecked. The West is evacuating Africa and a whole
cast of front-runners for Khrushchev — the Ben Bellas and the
Nkrumas — are filling the vacuum.
But, as this Soviet "locomotive of history’’ moves on, resist
ance here and at home is abating. Our neglect of sea power is
only one reflection of this inexplicable trend.
Vice-Admiral John S. McCain Jr. recently made an important
speech that dramatically reveals how we are gradually losing con
trol of the seas to the Soviet enemy.
There are four strategic bottlenecks of world sea power: the
Panama Canal, the Malacca Straits and Singapore, the Straits of
Gibraltar and the Suez Canal-Red Sea complex. Five years ago
these were predominantly western controlled.
Now, Soviet Cuba and Communist British Guiana, strategically
threaten the Panama Canal. Khrushchev’s ally, Sukarno, with a
navy led by a Soviet cruiser and 25 Soviet submarines, menaces
the Malacca Straits. Ben Bella and Soviet technicians are now mov
ing on Gibraltar. Nasser, the Egyptian dictator, firmly allied with
Soviet power, holds Suez at the northern outlet of the Middle East
bottleneck while he and the Soviets control Yemen at the neck of
the Red Sea, where Khrushchev is building a giant air field.
Instead of reacting as our navy men insist, we are actually re
ducing our sea power. Admiral McCain points out that, whereas
we had several thousand merchant ships at the end of World War
II, we now have only 900 with but 58 building. The Soviets, start
ing with virtually none at the war's end, now have 1,100, with 225
building. While our navy is declining at the rate of four per cent
annually, they will double their merchant fleet by 1970.
This decline is taking place in all phases of our sea power and
is but a reflection of the retreat of the United States that appears
to be underway on all fronts. Yet, ironically, expressions of indig
nation are reserved, not for these people responsible for our decline,
but rather for the troubled few who raise their voices to oppose
the trend.
MEET THE TEACHER
Our salute today to Mrs. Mary i
Ellen Walsh who teaches Junior
High School English. She can call
upon 13 years of experience plus
substitute teaching and is equipped
with a B.A. from Iowa State
Teachers College. Mrs. Walsh is
quite justified in calling Nome
her home. With a “politician-air
line” husband and three boys to
keep her busy, she needs no other.
hobbies although a couple of trips
to Europe have broken any mono
tony which may have possibly
crept in.
We have a Fin® Selection
o f
Boxed
Christmas Cards
. . . Including many of a
Religious Nature.
SHOP EARLY—MAIL EARLY
Mail Orders gratefully accepted
Polar Curio
Box 880 Nome Ph. 443-2661
Nome and Kotzebue Are
Pivot Points for Special
Forces Village Flights
FORT RICHARDSON—A small
group of dedicated Army pilots
are this winter reliving the dash
ing experience of Alaska s early
bush pilots.
Single engine planes are again
droning over the isolated villages,
vast snow fields and caribou herds
of the most isolated nooks and
crannies of the most isolated state.
Men of the 12th Aviation Com
pany, U.S. Army, Alaska, Aviation
Battalion are piloting their Ul-A
Otters in support of the soldiers of
Company A, 7th Special Forces
Group (Airborne).
These men are now working with
the Eskimo Scouts of the 1st Scout
Battalion, 297th Infantry, Alaska
Army National Guard. Their camps
are scattered to such remote vil
lages as Barter Island, Gambell, Ki
valina. Point Barrow and Unalak
leet.
One Otter is stationed at Nome,
another at Kotzebue.
Chief Warrant Officer Craig Bur
roughs, maintenance officer, says
the biggest problem of operation
in the far north is the extreme
cold. It takes almost three hours
to get the plane ready to make
a flight when it is extremely cold.
Engine oil chills to the consistency
of butter; super cold gasoline
spilled on the hands causes instant
frostbite. Frozen metal parts break
easily.
“You have to be self reliant to
go up there,” said Burroughs. “The
pilot has to be the mechanic too,
along with his crew chief. One
nice thing, everyone up there is
cooperative. Anyone will pitch in
and help. The Eskimos, settlers,
government workers, trappers, ev
eryone helps. Of course we in re
turn do anything we can to help
them.”
BID NOTICE
Sealed bids will be received in
ihe City Clerk's office until 5 p.m.,
November 25. 1963, to furnish the
following for one year:
Furnace oil — Lots of 400
gallons or more.
Stove oil — by gallon.
Garbage pickup at City
Hall—three times a week.
Bids will be opened at the reg
ular meeting on November 25,
1963.
The City reserves the right to
reject any and all bids.
NOME COMMON COUNCIL
By Robert F. Scott,
City Clerk.
Pub. Nov. 15, 18, 20. 22, 1963.
Cleaning House for the
Thanksgiving Holiday?
DON'T FORGET YOUR
DRAPES and CURTAINS
For Pick-up Dial 2491
Modern Cleaners
"FOUR WALLS"
A room can bo a haven
Lovely things can be found
If you only take a little time
To really look around.
Besides four walls
Mine has tiled floors
Tables, chairs and mirrors
And three shiney varnished doors.
It has two large windows
To let in the evening breeze
And a view of the mountainside
All covered with trees.
Often there are little birds
Hopping all around
Picking up things
They find in the ground.
Or perched on a branch
To sing a throaty trill
Before taking wing
To fly over the hill.
Yes I pity all those people
That hide beneath their shawls
Because they feel shut in
By just four walls.
DORIS CORDERMAN
Wesleyan Hospital
Seward, Alaska
INVITATION FOR BIDS
STATE OF ALASKA
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS
Sealed bids in single copy for furnish
ing all labor, equipment and materials
and oerforming all work for Projects
S-0131 (12 and S-0131U3), Nome-Teller
Road, Sinuk to Tisuk Section described
herein, will be received until 10:00 a.m.,
PST. December 19, 1903 in the Commis
sioner's office, Department of Highways,
Island Center Building, Douglas, Alaska.
This project consists of grading and
drainage of 20.877 miles of roadway and
constructing six welded steel girder
bridges with concrete decks on the Nome
Teller Road near Nome, State of Alaska.
Total length of project is 21.094 miles.
Principal items of work consist of the
following: Unclassified excavation, 124,
000 cubic yards; Selected material, type
1 borrow. Case 1. 937,000 cubic yards;
Selected material, type II borrow. Case
1, grading A, 63,250 cubic yards: Over
haul of borrow. Case 1 11,000 ft. free
haul), 2,080,000 yard-miles; Structural
steel piles. 10 BP 57, furnished and driv
en, 3,627 linear feet; Class A concrete,
1,315.7 cubic yards; Reinforcement steel,
235,550 pounds; Structural steel, furn
ished. fabricated and erected, approxi
mately 617,920 pounds; Rock slope pro
tection, 4,456 cubic yards and miscella
neous minor drainage structures. All
work shall be completed by July 25.
1966.
Plans and specifications may be ob
tained by all who have a bona fide need
for them for bidding purposes from the
Commissioner of Highways. Plans may
be examined at Department of Highways
District offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks,
Juneau, Valdez and Nome.
Commissioner of Highways
D. A. McKINNON, P. E.
Pub.: Nov. 18, 20, 22, 1963.
Alexander j
UTOMOTIVE
DIAL 2532
Heuston and Betty Alexander
Letter
To The Editor
To The Editor:
It would soem to me that Nome
is neglecting its leading group of
good will ambassadresses — the
Nome High School Cheerleaders.
These girls have put forth a con
certed effort to raise funds to trav
el to other Alaskan communities
where Nome will represent itself
on the basketball floor.
Thus far, funds are still inade
quate for cheerleader participation
in these activities, whereas in most
other schools in our 50 states this
is a school-reimbursed function.
Any progressive school and com
munity is usually more than happy
to send its cheerleaders to school
sanctioned athletic functions as
they know it is their best bet for
helping develop good relationships
between schools and promoting
school spirit.
Our cheerleaders as well as our
teams are our best agents in show
ing other communities that we are
behind our teenagers and are build
ing our future in young men and
women of this caliber.
How about it, Nome?? — Let’s
really get behind these girls and
show them that we appreciate
their efforts.
To help out — Nome Sanitary
Service and Straub’s Service Cen
ter are each donating $10 towards
a Cheerleader Traveling Fund.
I'm sure that many of you other
businesses, organizations and in
dividuals alike will want to do the
same.
You may send your donations to:
Cheerleader Traveling Fund, c/o
Jirp Stone, Box 777, Nome.
Donations need to be in by De
cember 1.
JIM STONE
Letter-size and Legal File Folders
For Sale ai the Nugget
I
»
Chunn’s
Auto
Repair
PHONE
2585
See us for
Guaranteed Automotive Repairs
Service and Tire Work
Hours 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
We Pay Highest Cash Prices
for All Kinds of Seal Skins.
We manufacture Parkas, Mukluks, etc.,
from these Skins — In Alaska !
Just Put
Your Skins
on
M u n z
or
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We pay the freight.
SHIP TO:
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831 Vz 4th Avenue Anchorage
" Alaska? s Oldest Fur House”
TRADER — ED SHEPHERD OF GAMBELL