THE KENAI PENINSULA
CHEECHAKO NEWS
Phone 262-4624 Kenai Drawer 0
LOREN STEWART . Editor
DOROTHY STEWART .Society Editor
KEITH ARNOLD .Roving Editor
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Published Weekly on Friday at Kenai, Alaska
Second Class Postage Paid at Kenai, Alaska
Jimmy Hollingsworth and Read Kent dampen down the
edges of the forest fire at C. E. Carruthers boundary on the
Kenai Spur after the Kenai Fire Department brought the
fire under control.
BEAUTIFUL—
KENAI LAKE LODGE
MILE 47 STERLING HIGHWAY
offers
ROOMS — CABINS
REASONABLE RATES
GOOD FOOD — BAR — GAS
Your Hostess—Millie Eaton
CONCRETE BLOCKS
★ ★ ★
Concrete Materials
and Supplies
Nestor Concrete Products Co.
BOX 105 SOLDOTNA Ph. 262-4471
I N
• Package Store
• Beer to Co
• Cocktails
KENAI
# Cafe
* Meals
• Short Orders
Kenai’s Most Modern Cafe & Cocktail Lounge
CAFE NOW OPEN—6 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Mr. and Mrs. Wesley T. Connolly — in the Cafe
BILLY McCANN, WAYNE STERLING AND
BOB PATNODE AT THE BAR
BAR HOURS: 8 a.m. thru 5 a.m.—all legal hours
Sightseers Direct Cause of Tragedy
SIGHTSEERS DIRECT CAUSE OF TRAGEDY—This could
have been the banner headline on this week’s Cheqphako News.
Fortunately no one was killed in the fire on the Kenai Spur road
last Monday, but several acres of timber and unknown numbers
of birds and animals were needlessly destroyed because unthink
ing sightseers delayed the Kenai fire-fighters and their equipment.
This is criminal. Not only morally but it is specifically set
forth in Sec. 65-5-15 of the Fire Control Act that “FAILURE TO
ASSIST OFFICER OR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE IN PRE
VENTING OR SUPPRESSING FIRE IS MISDEMEANOR,” and
as such is punishable by both fine and imprisonment.
At the scene of the fire we observed sightseeing parties of
men, women and children deny the right-of-way to fire depart
ment trucks although they had their siren wide open. We saw
sightseers park their autos on both sides of the main highway
and at times completely block the highway.
We saw cars park on the only access road to part of the fire
so that the fire truck couldn’t make the turn off the highway.
We saw these same sightseers completely block access roads after
the truck pulled in to the fire area so that the truck couldn’t get
out to move to another part of the fire.
The delays caused by the actions of these sightseers were
directly responsible for a great deal of the fire damage. Each and
every one of these actions that caused delay was a violation of
common sense and of the Fire Control Act.
We offer three suggestions: First—that ail persons use their
common sense and not interfere with fire-fighters in the perform
ance of their duties. All fires start small., the first few minutes of
a fire are critical.
Second, that the Fire Department designate sufficient num
bers of members; or (as they have authority to do) deputize the
necessary number of persons to control traffic and sightseers at
a fire. And third, that if these measures fail, that sightseers who
persist in interfering with or delaying the fire department mem
bers in performances of their duties, be impressed as fire fighters
under authority of the Fire Control Act. And. if all else fails that
they be reported and charged with violations
Drastic? Perhapsl-but there were four homesteads in the
path of last Monday’s fire. A little more delay and they may well
have burned. __
Teacher Visits
The Kitty Condit family of
Palmer are visiting Tex Jones’s.
Free water testing by Lindsey
Soft Water. For appointment
phone 262-4600 Soldotna or
283-7505 Kenai.
(junsmirhing
and
Machine Work
* Scopes
* Reloaders
* Slocking
* Rebarreling
Harold
FULLER’S
Cun & Machine Shop
Cooper s Landing
Funny River Road
Mr. Eugene D. Smith, Secretary
Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s
Cooperative Assn.
Dear Gene:
Thank you for your letter of
May 22 regarding the proposed
Funny River Road.
Since receiving your letter I
have discussed the question
with Mr. Goodrich and others.
At present, as you know, the
Fish and Wildlife Service ob
jection is holding up work on
the road.
I can assure you, Gene, that
if the objection is removed we
will proceed when we are satis
fied that the road can be built
with the amount of money
available and that no harm
will come to the spawning
grounds through construction
of the road.
At present the bridge is out
of the question due to its ex
pense for which provision may
not be made at this time.
Again, Gene, thank you for
your letter and keep me post
ed on developments.
Sincerely,
William A. Egan,
Governor.
(Since receipt of Governor
Egan’s letter, the Fish and Wild
life Service has withdrawn its
objections to the Funny River
Road and the $50,000 appropri
ation has been made available
for construction.—Ed.)
i.I.
SOLDATNA RADIO & TV
SALES - SERVICE - PARTS -
Phonograph and Auto Radio Service
—TV Antennas—
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SEPTIC TANKS & CESSPOOLS
FURNISHED AND UNFURNISHED
GENERAL EARTHWORK
HAYES CONSTRUCTION
Box 334 Kenai Phone 283 7728
NEW
DERK’S TRADING POST
SOLDOTNA
NOW OPEN
COME IN AND BROWSE
SPORTING GOODS HARDWARE
FISHING TACKLE HOUSEWEAR
MANY MORE ITEMS HERE — AND MORE ON THE WAY
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