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“NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA’
The Kenai Peninsula
ED KEITH AHN
H.SiOHY MUSEUM t LIBRARY
JUNEA'J hLASKA I — i — 1 Id
THIRD YEAR
August 25, 1961
10c a Copy
Don L'Hirondelle is barely visible (arrow points to his head) as
he lays where he was thrown out of his auto when it rolled down
the bank off Pickle Hill in Ridgeway between Kenai and Sol
dotna. Had the car rolled over one more time Don would have
been crushed.
Pickle Hill Auto Wreck
Donald Emery L’Hirondell, 23,
is reported recovering satisfac
torily from injuries received in
an automobile accident which
occurred on “Pickle Hill” between
Soldatna and Kenai at about
6:30 p.m. August 12. LHiron
delle, who is an employee of
Reading and Bates, well drilling
contractors, apparently was
thrown out of his car when it
overturned and was still con
scious when a passing motorist
noticed him and summoned aid.
He was giver, emergency treat
ment at the clinic in Soldatna
then flown to Anchorage by CAP
Pilot Carl Swanson and taken to
Providence hospital for treatment
of a fractured shoulder and other
injuries.
L’Hirondelle’s car, a dark green
1953 Mercury, was reported as
demolished.
Tel. Building for Soldatna
Bernice Lake
Land Auction
Slated Sept. 15
Spirited bidding is expected at
the Bernice Lake lease auction
slated to be held in the Civic
Center in Kenai at 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 15.
Roscoe E. Bell, Director Divi
sion of Rands, Anchorage office,
has announced that 55-year leases
will be offered on 13 lots in the
Bernice Lake Alaska Industrial
Subdivision, located in Section 15,
T7N, K12W, SM, just east of the
North Kenai Road.
The 13 tracts, Lots 2-14 :nclu
sive, range in size from 1.100
acres to 2.893 acres, and in ap
piaised minimum annual rental
from $100 to $155. No bids will be
accepted for less than the ap
praised minimum annual rental.
A detailed description of the
tracts listed, including lot num
bers, acreage and appraised mini
mum rental appears in a legal
notice elsewhere in this issue of
the Cheeehako News.
The successful bidder shall de
posit at the time of the award
a sum not less than 25 per cent
of the high bid, plus $20 to cover
costs of advertising and-or ap
proval, Bell said. Such deposits
shall be made in the form of
cash, and-or certified check, and
or money order, or combination
thereof. Following approval by
the Commissioner, leases for a
period of 55 years will be issued.
Information and sale brochures,
along with plats of the subdivi
sion, at a cost of $2 each, may be
obtained from the Division of
Lands, S44 Sixth Ave., Anchor
age.
Opens Market
Lou’s Market of Anchorage has
opened a market in Soldotna at
the location formerly occupied by
A&D Mercantile. Manager Doyle
Jowers is in the process of en
larging the store, restocking ami
installing a complete meat, de
partment.
Plans for a larger telephone
exchange at Soldatna have been
finalized, Trans - Alaska Tele
phone officials announced this
week. The project provides for
construction of a building to
house new equipment with cut
over date scheduled for April
1962.
■Carl Roberts, manager of the
office at Kenai, said definite pur
chase of real estate upon which
the building is to be erected has
not been completed but that
equipment has been ordered.
A complete new telephone sys
tem is to be installed in Soldatna.
Kenai is in need of cable only,
Roberts said. The project there
is to intensify upon improving
existing facilities.
Approximately 15 miles of
new line extending from Kenai
to Soldatna will be strung. Lines
will extend east and south out
of Soldatna and north, south and
west of Kenai.
Fifty new subscribers, possibly
more, are expected to be picked
up in the Soldatna area, accord
ing to Roberts.
A company spokesman express
ed regrets that Trans - Alaska
Telephone has not been able to
keep abreast of the rapid growth
in the Kenai-Soldatna area. Every
possible effort is being made to
reduce the held order backlog.
Orders are being processed and
installed as quickly as material
and manpower will allow.
Necessary construction planned
to coincide with the new equip
ment will permit “as ordered”
service after the cut-over in
1962, he said.
Pastor Visits
Rev. and Mrs. P. A. Harlan,
who have been visiting during
August with their son, Rev. Dan
Harlan, and family in Kenai, will
be leaving Sept. 1 for their home
in Zanesville, Ohio. The elder
minister recently retired after
44 years in Methodist pastorates,
all in Ohio. He served as guest
paster last Sunday in all three
churches of his son’s parish, at
Ninilchik, Tustumena and Kenai.
i Cessna 17© Crashes in Sports Lake
j A stall on landing on Sports
Lake in Ridgeway (between Ke
nai and Soldotna) resulted in the
total wreck of Ray Lewis’s
Cessna 170 floatplane last Mon
day morning. Except for a duck
ing and minor bruises there were
no injuries suffered by Ray or
his two daughters Marsha 9, and
Linda 12, who were his passen
gers.
Ray, coming in for a landing
on the glassy, unruffled surface
oi the lake stalled out about 20
feet above the surface and nose
dived in.
The plane struck the water
folding both floats back up
against the struts and turned
over on its back. The back door
tlew off and Linda, who was in
the back, climbed out on the
fuselage without difficulty. Mar
sha was pinned in the front with
her foot caught under the seat
and the plane sank completely
under before Ray managed to
free her and push her out through
the door. Ray then had to swim
out from under water. “I had a
few anxious moments getting
Marsha out,” said Ray.
The three of them climbed up
on the fuselage and when it sank
completely they climbed up on
the floats.
John Hakala saw the crash
from his home and with the aid
of a neighbor rowed out in a boat
and took them to his nearby home
and gave them all dry clothes
and hot drinks.
Lonnie Lewis 18, son of Ray
Lewis the pilot, viewed the whole
wreck and rescue from the pub
lic campground on the lake where
he was waiting with a car to pick
SwLLtWV! 1J° i°°ked like 5 after nosediving into
Sports Lake just off the Kenai Spur Road in Ridgeway. Warren
J1®*2*" (on fl«al), Burton Carver and Dan France wcirk to sal
vage plane while pilot Ray Lewis stops long enough to tell Dick
Mjdyett about the accident.
up his father and sisters. He
drove around to Hakala’s and
picked them up.
Ray Lewis contacted Burton
Carver in Soldotna who with Don
Selberg of Howard’s Y Service
took Dan France’s boat to the
lake and towed the plane ashore
where Don Selberg with the help
of Burton Carver, Dan France
and Warren Metigtr Cwho
down from Anchorage to help)
righted the plane and loaded it
on a trailer. The plane was then
taken to the Skybowl in Soldotna
where it was picked up by one
of Lewis & Metzger's trucks for
transportation to Anchorage.
Hospital Assoc. Will Hold
Incorporation Meeting
Ninilchik Legion
Sponsors Auction
For the purpose of raising
funds for a recreation center,
members of American Legion
Post No. 18 at Ninilchik will
serve as auctioneers Saturday,
Sepi ember 1. The sale will begin
at 2 p.m. at the American Legion
Hall.
Negotiations for 40 acres to be
used for a recreation site and
location for an American Legion
building are currently underway
with the Bureau of Land Man
agement. A ball field, skating
rink, picnic area and camp ground
will be included in the recreation
area.
The post is headed by Post
Commander Ed Jackinsky and
has 50 members. The American
Legion Auxiliary, under leader
ship of Wanda Cooper, has 30
members. The groups have been
meeting in a building located on
pi ivate land and loaned to them
for the purpose.
Persons desiring to exchange
cash for articles they no longer
need are invited to bring them
to the Legion Hall on the date of
sale or to contact Tiemann at
the post office for further infor
mation.
A 270 Winchester Model 70
rifle will be awarded at the sale
to the holder of the winning
ticket.
May Have Surgery
Kenny May, pumper for Stan
dard Oil who lives on a home
stead two miles east of Soldatna,
was evacuated recently to the
5040th Air Force Hospital at
Elmendorf for examination and
possible surgery.
1 he “go-ahead” signal for the
establishment of the Central Ke
nai Peninsula Hospital Associa
tion, Inc., has been received, it
was announced Tuesday by Vir
ginia Gibbs, one of the three co
signers of incorporating, papers
for the organization. Incorpora
tion papers have been approved
bv the state and are back from
Juneau. Other signers were Jess
Nicholas and Jim Fisher.
An organizational meeting has
been called for 8 p.m. Aug. 30
at the Soldatna School building
for the purpose of membership
discussions, adoption of by-laws
and election of trustees.
Ail persons interested in the
establishment of a hospital in this
area of the Kenai Peninsula are
urged to attend and to take part
in the business of establishing
the organization.
The association, although much
discussed, could not organize,
elect officers, adopt by-laws or
conduct a membership drive to
raise funds until incorporation
papers were approved.
5000 Moose
Over 5000 moose are estimated
to be using the Kenai National
Moose Range, as revealed by a
lecent aerial moose survey.
The actual count was 4064
moose. Of this number, 23 per
cent were bulls, 52 per cent cows,
24 per cent calves, with a small
number undetermined.
About 40 out of 100 cows had
calves with them, indicating a
high calf production and the gen
era] good health of the moose
herd. Moose browse on the 1947
Rurn and several mild winters
have made favorable factors in
maintaining the well being of
these animals.
Park Director
From Congo Sees
Kenai M. Range
Marcel Bahizi, assistant di
rector of the three nacional parks
in the Congo, arrived ;n Kenai
and WIWIHC
of his 10-day tour of Alaska.
In Kenai, he conferred with
Dave Spencer, regional refuge
supervisor of all wildlife refuges
in Alaska, and with John B.
Hakala, refuge manager for the
Kenai National Moose Range.
They took him on a conducted
tour by air of the Kenai Moose
Range and showed him summer
and winter ranges as well as dis
cussing problems connected with
operations.
Bahizi saw goats, sheep and
bear as well as moos'3. He could
not visualize, however, the winter
problems connected with the
range, Hakala said, as there is
no dormant season in the C «ngo,
which lies along the equator.
Bahizi, who speaks halting
English, was accompanied by
Morton Wood, operator of Camp
Denali in McKinley Park, who
acted as interpreter. He came to
America to learn administration
of national parks and wildlife
refuges.
The 34-year-old Congolese is in
the United States for a year un
der auspices of the U. S. State
Department. The Congo parks
must support themselves through
a {mission and license fees, he
said, as the government provides
no money. The Congo is a former
Belgian colony.
American hunters are most
welcome in the Congo the director
said, due to over-population of
game, which includes hippopota
muses, water buffalo, elephants,
gorillas, gazelles and antelope.
An American can hunt there for
a week for $60 and is entitled to
take two buffaloes, two elephants
and a number of other animals,
including antelope and gazelles.
Bahizi said he plans to util r.e
advice and ideas obtained here
in operation of parks in the Con
go and to open a Congo wild lie
information center in New York,
as well as to publish a wildlife
magazine.
Fly-in Guests
Mr. and Mrs. George Bradford
of Canby, Ore., flew in last week
for a visit with their sen and
family, the Jack Bradfords. This
is their fifth trip to the Kenai
Peninsula so folks here think this
country must have a Strong ap
peal to them. _