THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone 443-2381 $1.50 Per Month
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James F. O’Sullivan. Publisher & Editor
Ed Jocius, Foreman
Entered at second class matter October 14, 19A3, at the
post office at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1S79.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BOUNCING BALL
...IT MAY BE FOLLOWED BY A BOUNCING BOY I
Washington Watches the Gold Flow
(Christian Science Monitor)
IT IS AN OLD experience for Britain, but rather a new one for
the United States to watch the balance of trade figures a bit
apprehensively for their effect on the gold reserve. For that mat
ter, possibly only a few specialists are watching the subject in
Washington and New- York; but the import of it could be large
for the American and the world economy.
In the national capital last week the director of the Bureau
of the Budget, Kermit Gordon, sat down with representatives of
other government agencies to review what is being called the
"gold budget.” This is a set of quarterly reports, lately initiated,
on overseas spending and income.
Last year, despite a favorable balance on goods bought and
sold, the United States had a deficit of $2.2 billion in its inter
national balance of payments. Much the greater part of this rep
resented military aid, economic aid, loans to underdeveloped
countries and maintenance of American forces or offices abroad.
Like President Kennedy's reduction of his foreign aid request
in the light of the Clay committee report, the review of the "gold
budget” is designed to bring about reductions of outflow and im
provements of inflow of dollar exchange wherever possible with
out sacrificing national interests. Everything that can be accom
plished in this way will help to protect the ample but threatened
gold reserves which support the value of the dollar as a national
and international medium of trade and finance.
Egan Names New
S.E. Ferryboat
JUNEAU UP) — Gov. William A.
Egan said Wednesday the new
state ferry which will start oper
ating next year between Kodiak
Island and the mainland will be
named the Tustumena.
In selecting the name, Egan car
ried out the theme started when
the three ferries on the Southeast
marine highway system were
named after Alaskan glaciers.
Tustumena Glacier is located at
the head of Tustumena Lake,
which lies approximately 45 miles
southeast of Kenai. It is 20 miles
long and has a surface area of
154 square miles.
OMAN’S
Bargain Counter
Dry Goods — Wolf Ruffs
Open 3 to 9 Weekdays
All Day Saturday
5,503 Cases Jammed State
Court Backlog for July
JUNEAU OP—The state’s courts
had 5,503 cases in their pending
files at the end of the month of
JUiV, up from 5,437 on June 30,
Srate Courts Administrator Thom
as I*. Stewart rep today.
During the month of July, the
state’s courts terminated 1.862
cases, but 1, 926 new cases were
filed.
Fine Job Printing at the Nugget
BRING YOUR
WATCH
to the
Nome Drug Store
for
EXPERT REPAIRS
6-Year-Old Eskimo Boy Gaining
Progress After Loss of Feet in Fire
r
By ED MARK AIT Y
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — After a tragic start, Steven
Nukatsuak, 6 years old, rapidly is swinging into stride for the
journey through life. An Eskimo, Steven lost both feet in a fire
at the age of two months. Virtually his entire life since then has been
geared to hospital routine.
It has failed to dim his inner sparkle, and his progress is cre
dited in great measure to advances in medical science plus tender
nursing care and long hours of'
work with physical therapists
“He had undergone 17 opera
tions before being brought to us,” j
says Nicholas Van Andel, medi
cal-social consultant of the Area
Child Amputee Center here.
The center is a special-purpose
tax-supported institution of the
Michigan Crippled Children Com
mission. Federal funds have been
made available through the US
Children’s Bureau since 1955 for
eligible patients.
Steven arrived at the amputee
center for examination of his con
dition last January, accompanied
by Dr. Jack K. Lesh, chief of
the Alaska State Division of Pub
lic Health.
“Steven is able to walk on the
fire-damaged leg stumps,” says
Van Andel. “It isn't a good gait
but he can get around by him
self.”
The boy was admitted for sur
gery, prosthesis fitting and train
ing late last February.
“I don’t think he’s too far from
discharge,” Van Andel says.
“There’s a reasonable chance that
he will be home by the end of
August.”
Home is Kipnuk, Alaska, a tiny
Indian village some 410 miles west
of Anchorage and just inland from
Etolin Strait.
Records show that before Steven
came under Alaska Public Health
care he was given by his father
in an Eskimo adoption to one
couple, who died, and then to a
second set of foster parents. It is
unclear at present who has juris
diction.
It was neither the air trip that
brought him here nor the great
distance that most impressed Ste
ven. He was fascinated by an es
calator at an air terminal, accord
ing to Dr Lesh, and managed to
wangle ride after ride on the mov
ing stairs.
He still talks about it. But new
interests are encroaching on the
memory.
“I like television,” he chatters. |
“That crazy Mickey Mouse, Bull
winkle the Moose — all those cra
zy cartoons—those cowboy shows.
“A n d sometimes we chase
around, me and these other guys,”
Steven adds, pointing with a grin
minus two front teeth to occu
pants of 10 other beds in his ward.
He also knows the delights of
chewing gum.
Steven’s vocabulary and grasp
of English is impressive. He has
yet to be inside a formal school
room. Progress in this field is a
credit to the nurses, doctors and
technicians who work with him,
and to his ward maids.
The center here is one of 17 sim
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ilar units in the United States.
But it is the first devoted exclu
sively to children and its patients
represent the most difficult cases.
“Those who qualify in need
from their home areas are fi
nanced by federal funds.” Van
Andel explains. “It covers rehabi
litation services, X-rays and all
other expenses.
“Many centers can fit so-called
amputees,” Van Andel continues,
“but we get here the very diffi
cult and hard to fit patients. We
are fortunate in this location to
have the wonderful combination
of excellent doctors, limb-makers,
nurses and therapists.”
A problem which has held up
Steven’s return home is one of
“skin breakdown,” according to
attendants. The boy’s legs are a
mass of scars from the burns and
later skin grafts. They become
somewhat irritated after long per
iods with the artificial limbs and
must be treated to prevent skin
cracking which could invite in
fection.
“But his walking demonstrates
growing skill in the use of pros
thesis,” says Van Andel. “It’s not
yet a smooth and graceful gait,
but as he grows older and in
creases in muscular strength it
will improve.”
Personnel at the center describe
! Steven as a “happy, carefree kid,”
who bounces back from any fall
and has made “a very good ad
! justment” to hospital life.
Steven is one of 25 amputees
now being treated at the center,
which accepts and treats patients
up to the age of 21 years.
Steven’s dismissal will be tem
porary. “The doctors will have him
back for a progress check in three
or four months,’ Van Andel ex
plains.
“Then, considering the distance,
his visits here will be made only
every six months or a year.”
Doctors believe he should walk
very well and can be completely
rehabilitated. Steven’s bright out
look on the nature of things is
concrete support for their hopes
Scientists Release
High Altitude
Balloons at Fairbanks
FAIRBANKS M — Four scien
tists are releasing large constant,
level balloons in the Fairbanks
area to study auroral radiation
phenomenon at high altitudes.
They are Dr. James Barcus from
the University of California; Dr.
Harold Trefall from the Univer
sity of Bergen, Norway; Dr. Ei
gil Ungstrup, formerly of the Uni
versity of Technology in Copen
hagen, Denmark, and now of the
Stanford University Radio Science
Laboratory; and Ted Roseberg
from the University of California.
The four are working at Ft.
Wainwright in cooperation with
the US Army Arctic Test Board.
The balloons they release float
up about 20 miles to gather data
on the earth’s environment in the
solar system. The information is
needed for space travel.
There is a $50 reward offered
for the return of the payload from
any of the balloons. The payload
is supposed to fall off after the
balloon reaches a certain altitude.
Directions on how to return the
equipment is on the payload.
Where they will land depends on
the wind.
Twenty-nine balloons will be
launched. The first launching was
Tuesday night.
The experiments here are being
conducted simultaneously with
similar work in Norway.
Not Hard to Identify
CLEVELAND Anyone find
ing Snaff, the dog mascot who
disappeared from the Coast Guard
life boat station here Labor Day,
will have no trouble identifying
him.
Chief M. Don Powell said Snaff
is a 2-year-old Pekinese who
wears his hair like a poodle and
stands at attention when he hears
Taps or the Star Spangled Banner.
One survey showed that 43 per
cent of chickens lay their eggs
between 9 and 11 a.m.
BIBLE BAPTIST
CHURCH
Bob Leight - Missionary Pastor
SUNDAY SCHOOL—10 A.M.
(Currently the Book of Daniel)
WORSHIP SERVICE—11 A.M.
EVENING EVANGELISTIC
SERVICE—7 P.M.
Enrich Your Life
With The Word of God
EVERYBODY WELCOME
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