THE
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
64th Year No. 36
NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 25, 1963
Per Copy 150
Pilot and Woman Rescued; Survive
Seven Weeks of Yukon’s Bitter Cold
WATSON LAKE, Y.T. UP) — \
Starving and injured, an American !
pilot and a Brooklyn model were
rescued texlay after surviving for
seven weeks beside their crashed
plane in the cruel cold of the
Canadian north.
Helen Klaben, 21, of Brooklyn,
N.Y., was thin from hunger. She
had gangrene in a fractured right
foot and her broken left arm was
in a splint. ,
Her pilot, Ralph Flores of San
Bruno, Calif., had broken ribs.
They said there were only two
cans of fruit and two cans of sar
dines when their plane crashed
on a 4,000-foot mountain Feb. 4
on a flight from Whitehorse en
route to the United States.
They reported they made this
food last for seven days and from
then on they had nothing. They
survived by making a campfire
and melting snow for drinking
water.
Rescue pilot Jack McCallum
said Miss Klaben was in good
spirits but “cried in my arms when
we reached her.”
McCallum piloted one of three
private planes that had flown out!
to look for them after the wreck
age of their plane was spotted Sun
day by a Canadian pilot.
McCallum said the couple had
no sleeping bags, no axe, no rifle.
The temperature had dropped to
-iO degrees below zero during the
ordeal.
Flores and his passenger had
moved down the moutain side near
the Yukon-British Columbia bor
der and set up a tarpaulin for
shelter*. Wood for fire was chop
ped with a hammer and chisel.
Reports from the scene indicated
it took Flores three days to tramp
out an SOS in the snow near
the crash.
Chuck Hamilton, Yukon Flying
Services pilot, spotted the wreck
NINA WHALEY IS
NEW MISS ALASKA
FAIRBANKS UP) — Miss Fair
banks, Nina Whaley, Saturday was
elevated to the title of Miss Alaska
at the pageant held at the National
Guard Armory here.
Miss Whaley, 18-year-old dau
ghter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Whaley, won her crown by beating
out four other contestants for the
coveted honor.
In the pageant were Kathy Eck
roate of Elmendorf AFB repre
senting Anchorage, Miss Bridget
Coffman of Delta Junction, Miss
Betsy Allen of Skagway and Miss
Barbara Robinson of Ft. Greely.
Miss Whaley will now represent
Alaska in the Miss Universe con
test. She was crowned by former
Queen Teresa Hanson of Anchor
age.
The new Miss Alaska is a stu
dent at the University of Alaska.
OUT-OF-TOWN TEAMS
EXPECTED TO RACE
Out of town teams that are ex
pected to enter the Arctic Club
dog races next weekend are led by
Isaac Okleasik of Teller who
mushed into town during a lull in
the storm. Also expected to enter
is Chester Topkok who entered a
team in the Fairbanks races.
Wilbur Sampson, who placed 4th
in Fairbanks, is expected to enter,
as is Larry Westlake of Kiana;
Isaac Oksoktaruk and Tom Brown
of White Mountain; Sam Ahwin
ona of Elim, and that grand old
man of dog racing, Ed Punguk of
Golovin.
age during a flight yesterday with
supplies for a big game guide.
It was 31 below zero when their
plane, a single-engine Howard air
craft, went down Feb. 4 and it
was still cold when the search
began this morning — 13 below
zero.
The area is rugged and covered
with from two to four feet of
snow. It lies near the border with
British Columbia. Chuck Hamilton,
flying a B.C.-Yukon Service plane,
who spotted the two persons and
the wreckage, said he was alterted
by the letters SOS stamped out
in the snow. He described the re
gion as “very bad for walking.”
Hope had been abandoned for
the two only recently and an aerial
search was called off. Search offi
cials at the time said they be
lieved the plane was equipped with
survival gear.
Miss Klaben, a former employe
of Land Management in Fairbanks,
was flying with Flores to Seattle
| to catch a plane to New York City.
Flores worked in the Yukon on
the DEW Line. He had finished
his work and also was headed
home.
In San Bruno, Mrs. Flores,
mother of six children exclaimed:
“Oh, my God. I’m so happy. We
had the feeling all along that he
would be found alive.”
!
.
Doc Lombard Is
13-Time Winner of
Fairbanks’ Races
FAIRBANKS UP) — After roar
ing 30 miles over a very soft trail
and in a blowing snow storm, Dr.
Roland Lombard of Wayland,
! Mass., pushed his team across the
1 finish line yesterday to become the
second man in history to have
won the North American Sled
Dog Racing Championship three
times.
The New England veterinarian
won the race in 1959 and also in
1962. The only other three time
winner was Horace (Holy) Smoke,
of Steven’s village.
Lombard went out of the chutes
first yesterday, after winning Sat
urday’s heat, and had a three
minute lead on second place
Beattus Moses of Allakaket.
For a while yesterday it ap
peared as if Lombard might not
be the winner of the last heat
as Lester Sam, another Allakaket
musher moved up from a slow start
to have as much as a one minute
lead at the 22 mile check point.
The young Allakaket musher
couldn’t quite keep up the pace
though, and gradually dropped
back, finishing three minutes be
hind Lombard. Although Sam
couldn’t beat out Lombard, his
impressive run earned him a
solid second place in total time
elapsed.
Moses, who won the 1961 cham
pionship, won the first heat of
the sled classic but managed only
third place in overall time.
The two surprises of the event
were a second place finish by Bill
Williams of Hughes in Saturday’s
heat and a fast run by Wilbur
Sampson in yesterday’s final heat
to win Sampson a fourth place
berth in total elapsed time.
Times for the money finishers
in the race: Lombard, 301.54; Sam,
312.07; Moses, 316.83; Sampson,
319.49: Keith Bryar of Laconia,
N.H., 319.72.
Japanese Fishing
I Fleets are Ready to
Enter Bering Sea
TOKYO (J’! — A high official
at the Fishery Agency said today
j about 70 Japanese fishing boats
j are in the east Bering Sea ready
to catch halibut as soon as the re
cently signed Japan-U.S.-Canada
fishery pact goes into effect.
Shunichi Oguchi, director of the
Productive Bureau of the agency,
told a reporter the ships are equip
ped with longline fishing appa
ratus—the only halibut fishing
method approved under the agree
ment. The halibut season opens
today.
These fleets are now catching
other kinds of fish not banned
under the agreement, he said.
“If the Canadian government
fails or delays to sanction the agree
ment these ships will (continue to)
i pursue fish of other kinds,” Oguchi
; said.
Japan and the United States
have approved the recommenda
: tions by the three-nation Interna
j tional Pacific Fishery Commission,
: made earlier this year in Tokyo.
; The Canadian government must
' also approve the commission’s
j recommendations, which for the
first time permitted Japanese hali
but fishing in the east Bering Sea.
President Kennedy announced
his approval in Chicago Saturday,
I accepting the recommendation oi
the International North Pacific
Fisher! es Commissi on.
! The Seattle Times said Kennedy's
; action angered members of the
| American halibut fleet, which sail
j ed Saturday from Sand Point, Alas
| ka. One Seattle skipper was quoted
i as saying that if the Japanese
1 fishermen appear, “we’re going to
cut their gear loose.”
' Other American fishermen ex
| pressed concern the entry of
; Japanese into the area would harm
1 the American halibut industry.
Minister Diefenbaker
Has “No Comment”
VANCOUVER, B.C. W — Can
adian Prime Minister John Diefen
baker, arriving for his election
campaign tour of the West Coast,
declined comment today on the is
sue of Japanese fishing in the
eastern Bering Sea.
A small crowrf and newsmen
met him as he stepped from his
private railway car.
The Prime Minister said he
might comment at a later time on
the fishing issue, but did not in
dicate when. Canadian approval of
recommendations of the Interna
tional North Pacific Fisheries
Commission is needed before the
Japanese fishing can start. Both
Japan and the United States have
approved.
The fishing was to start in the
Bering Sea tonight and fleets of
both Canadian and U.S. boats were
on the grounds. Their skippers
were angered at the prospect of
Japanese competition.
Dodged the Searchers . . .
BALDWIN, Mich. Iff) — A search
party of 25 volunteers and state
police spent Saturday night comb
ing the woods 10 miles south of
here for Roger Robbins, 12.
Roger, son of Mrs. Ila Hilts, re
turned to his home near this north
western lower Michigan commu
nity at 5 am. Sunday.
He explained that he had dodged
the searchers for seven hours be
cause “it was my turn to wash
the dishes.”
Sen. Kefauver Urges
U.S. Doxing Commission
WASHINGTON (/P — Sen. Estes
Kefauver, (D-Tenn.), said today
that because of the death of for
mer featherweight champion
Davey Moore ho will re-introduce
his bill for federal regulation of
boxing.
“Dave Moore’s death is another
tragic milestone in the boxing in- I
dustry’s history as mishandled !
human beings,” Kefauver said.
“It underlines the crying need
for a National Boxing Commission
with the authority to require
thorough physical examinations.”
Kefauver’s bill, which died in
committee during the last session,
calls for establishing of a Federal
Boxing Commission as a part of
the Justice Department, with broad
authority to regulate boxing.
U.S. MARINE FATALLY SHOT
AT KODIAK NAVAL STATION
KODIAK UP — PFC David Pell,
19, a Marine stationed at the Ko
diak Naval Station, was fatally
shot Saturday evening, the Navy
announced Sunday.
A Navy spokesman said all in
dications were that the shooting
was accidental.
Pell was the son of Mrs. Maxine
I Pell, of Grangeville, Idaho.
Ofifcers said he was killed by 1
a .45 caliber slug from a gun in!
the hands of Lance Cpl. Harry R.1
L Subbs, 19, also of the Marine bar
, racks at the station.
[ The two men were patrolling
: in a maximum security area.
^ FIRST TO FILE . . .
J Filing as candidates in the City
' election at press time were:
Don Hoover for Mayor.
D. J. Reader for the 1-year term
1 on the Council;
Charles Frazier and Dan Kar
mun for the 2-year term on the
Council;
Barrow7 Morgan for 1-year term
on Utility Board.
Leonard Anseth for the 5-year
term on the Utility Board;
Robert Scott for City Clerk
Filing closes at 5 p.m. today.
WEATHER FORECAST
Partly cloudy and colder with
northwesterly winds 15 to 30 mph.
Lowest temp, expected tonight 0,
the high tomorrow 15.
The average American stays
home from work 2.6 days a year
because of injuries.
No Response
From Hawaii
On Ferry Lease
JUNEAU W — Gov. Wm. Egan
said today the State of Hawaii
has not responded to an offer by
Alaska to lease one of its ferries
to the 50th State to test out a pro
posed inter-island ferry service.
Egan first proposed the lease ar
rangement last year and on March
15 renewed the offer in a tele
gram to Hawaii Gov. John Burns.
Egan said Alaska would make
one if its vessels available from
Oct. 1, 1963, through April 1, 1964,
and for the same period in 1964
and 1965, at a cost to be paid
directly to the State of Alaska of
$175,000 per period.
This money, Egan said, would
cover the cost to Alaska of basic
investment and interest.
Egan told Burns the cost of
operation, including the hiring of
two basic crews, would be $436,800.
Egan also listed these additional
costs: cost of drydocking prior to
delivery to Hawaii, $2,500; cost of
one half of normal dry docking
upon return, $7,000; additional in
j surance, $48,500; and conversion
costs, $111,000.
Egan said he had suggested to
Burns that in order to hold con
version costs to a minimum,
I Hawaii should make a firm de
cision on the lease arrangements
by April 1.
| With the third vessel being con
structed for Alaska, the Matanus
ka, still in the yard at that time,
Egan said, conversion costs could
be held to a minimum.
If Hawaii’s decision were made
after April 1, Egan said, the con
version work, involving strength
ening for ocean travel which would
be required in inter-island service,
could still be done, but it would
cost more.
Egan said the suggested April
1 date was not a deadline for a
decision, but only a suggestion as
a means of saving on conversion
costs.
“These estimations do not in
clude peculiarities due to Hawaiian
operations,” Egan told Burns.
‘*The State (Alaska) has a con
cessionaire who operates the stew
ards department, staterooms and
food and other vending operations,
including feeding of crew, who will
have to be dealt with on a sepa
rate contract.”
Annual Bill Battle Between The
Senate and House Flares Wide Open
JUNEAU m — The annual bill
battle between the Senate and the
House flared into the open today.
Sen. Lester Bronson accused the
Republican majority in the State
House of Representatives of giving
the heave-ho to most of the Senate
bills transmitted to the lower
chamber.
Bronson said the Senate had
sent over some 70 bills, but that
the House had acted on only six.
“One member of the House told
me,” Bronson said, “that the Sen
ate bills sent to the House were
minor measures, of no substance.”
Bronson said that as chairman
of the Senate Rules Committee he
planned to keep all House bills off
the Senate calendar until “some of
our bills start getting some con
sideration in the House.”
The Nome Democrat also took
a swipe at Rep. John Longworth,
chairman of the House State Af
fairs Committee, for failure to take
action on a bill calling for a sup
plemental appropriation of $200,
000 for the State Rural Develop
ment program.
‘The chairman of the House
State Affairs Committee told me,”
Bronson said, “that he is going to
sit on that bill, that it is going
down the chute.”
Longworth, c o m m e n ting on
Bronson’s remarks, said he person
ally could support the appropria
tion measure, if the Rural Develop
ment program were placed under
the Welfare Division of the Public
Works Department.
“I think it would pick up quite
a bit of Republican support,” Long
worth said, “if the program were
taken out of the Governor’s Of
fice.”
A bill which would have placed
the program under the Public
Works Department was defeated
earlier in the session on a straight
(Continued on Page 4)