______ __ __ . ^ Box3t2°or5iCal Museu“ * Ubrarj
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3m Cheechako News
% “NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA’*
THIRD \ EAR_ __ FEBRUARY 16, 196g PRICE 10c PER COPY NUMBER 07
The first gas generation power
plant on t)he Kenai Peninsula,
which also has the distinction
of being the first in Alaska to
be built directly at a well head,
wa* open for public inspection
Sunday afternoon.
Built by Consolidated Utilities,
Ltd., the plant is located near
Sports Lake and is about 10
miles from downtown vervai. It
is expected to be one o' the first
keys to open the Kem.i area for
industrial and low cof t home use
of electrical power and is at
tracting much Outside as well
as local interest.
Natural gas for operation of
the huge engines with their aut
omatic dual fuel system will be
supplied by a Sterling Unit gas
well completed this past year by
Union Oil Co. of Calif, and Ohio
Oil Co. on a site adjacent to that
upon which the plant is built.
The open house event occurred
on the first day of the seventh
annual observance of National
Electric Week, which began Feb.
11, birthday of Thomas Alva Ed
ison. Theme of the national ob
servance is “Electricity Powers
Progress.”
:;i Sunday's open house was host
ed by Kenai Power Gorp. of
ifrwhicb Frank Rowley of Kenai
is president. Roth he and Mrs.
Rowley were on hand to greet
visitors. Engineers were present
to explain plant operation and
answer questions.
Consolidated Utilities, Ltd., is
to furnish all electrical power
demanded by Kenai Power Corp.
.during term of a 20 year con
|pl‘ (Continued on page 12)
N. Kenai
Oil Worker
Is Injured
Norm an MeGahan, North Ken
ai homesteader and oilfield work
er, was seriously injured at ap
proximately 8:15 p.m. Monday
while working on a drilling- rig
at West Forelands, across Cook
Inlet from Kenai. MeGahan is
an opei-ator for Schlumberger
Well Surveying Corporation.
Howard Thomason, Schiumber
ger location manager at Kenaij
said some object fell from the
top of the derrick and struck
MeGahan squarely on the head.
Subsequent examination reveal
ed that his skull was fractured.
The injured man was flown
to Kenai and was taken to Cen
tral Peninsula Clinic at Soldtrtna
for emergency treatment and
examination. The examining doc
tor advised immediate evacuation
to Anchorage.
MeGahan, accompanied by his
wife, was flown to Anchorage
by private plane. He underwent
surgery Tuesday morning. His
parents, Mr, and Mrs. Ken Me
Gahan, and his sister. Mrs, 11a
Davison, were also at the hospit
al at the time.
Acce ding to the Schlumber
ger manager, MeGahan was out
r>f surgery at 11 a.m. Tuesday
and is expected to recover soon.
It is possible that he may be
brought home Friday or Sat
urday, Thomason said.
K-S Sled Dog Race
Purse Set at $2000
I' ’ A purse of $2,000 is currently
I being liaised by Kenai and Sol
riotna as prize money for the
first annual Alaska State Champ
ionship Sled Dog Races. The com
mittee in charge of raising funds
has announced that liie goal set
r for the punse has been nearly
| peached but aditional contribu
/ lions are needed for other ex
it ponses in connection with the
event.
H The race is a t.wo day affair
for the weekend of March 3 and
: 4. instead of March 2 and 3 as
I first planned. It is scheduled to
I He run over a course between
; t^ie two cities.
Kfv The Anchor River Sled Dog
H Racing Association will lay out
g the course and supervise the race.
The trail will run between Kenai
1 and Soldotna and will be unique
f m that almost the entire race
dan be viewed from the Kenai
| Spur Highway connecting the
r-two cities.
. J’he race will consist of two
|||p mile heats which will start
f in one city and end in the other
Jj on alternate days. A coin was
■> tossed Wednesday at a meeting
I* of the planning committee to
I; determine in which city the two
* day event will start.
R^The first heat will begin in
5- Soldotna at 1 p.m. on Saturday,
^^fearcb 3 and will end at Kenai.
BUb second and final heat will
originate in Kenai at 1 p.m. on
Sunday, March 4 ami will end
at Soldotna.
Food concessions will be avail
able at both ends of the race and
other events are being schedul
ed for the weekend. .
The $2,000 purse is expected
to attract top mushers. Commit
ments have already been received
from several mushers including
the well known Gareth Wright.
Entries, accompanied by a $15
entry fee, should be mailed to:
Alaska State Championship Sled
Dog Races; Mi's. Raye M, MuHin
Sec'y, P.O. Box 388, Kenai, Al
aska. •
Power Vote
Next Friday
This Saturday, Feb. 17, will
be the last day for registration
of voters who wish to cast bal
lots in a special election to be
held at Kenai on Feb. 23 for
the purpose of ratifying or re
jecting the City of Kenai’s Or
dinance No. 18. The oidman,ce,
it ratified by electors, would
grant a franchise to the Kenai
Power Corporation, its succes
sors and assigns, to operate and
maintain an electric utility -ys
SEE—VOTE— page 12
A SUDDEN EXPLOSION catches members of the Kenai and
Soldotna fire departments in a blast of blaze and smoke at last
week s Tow-ne Dorm fire. Luckily no one was badly injured,
Hllilllliiiiiiii'MHMHBI •• $ "Wkwi* ' MrnTufTinrn it—himi im'im1111' ^ ^ :
_jKiijiii
WHEN THE TOWNE DORM and Cafe burned last week very
little was saved. Owner and builder Jim Jones stands next to
right in picture watching flames devour the Cafe.
Planes Damaged
In Freak Mishap
At Kenai Airport
Two pilotless planes took a spin,
down the runway of the Kenai
airport at approximately 5 p.m.
Tuesday and crashed into a big
snowbank at the south end of
the airstrip. Both planes were
damaged considerably.
Kenneth Allen, formerly of
Seward and now Anchorage man
ager of Allen Oil Tool, failed to
get his Cessna ISO started and
was propping it up when it took
off without him. The tail of the
plane caught under the propel
ler of a Cessna 175 owned by
Odin Strand berg, also of Anch
orage.
Strarulberg’s plane was torn
loose from its mooring and was
<i ragged down the runway.
Strandberg is president and man
ager- of Consolidated Utilities,
Ltd., whose gas generation pow
er plant was opened for inspec
tion Sunday near Kenai.
It is estimated that damages
of between $860 and $1000 re
sulted to Strandberg'a plane and
considerably more to Allen’s
Allen is a brother of Chester
Allen, who recently left Soldot
na to move to the San Fran
cisco Bay area. They are still
associated in the business which
previously operated from Soldot
ria. 4 warehouse still is main
tasnoi| at Soldotna but offices
have neen moved to Anchorage.
KENA — The Kenai Chamber
of Commerce contributed $25 to
help pay the expenses of Kenai
basket ball teams on their trip
to Fairbanks for the. Class B
tournament.
Governor’s Aide
Guest Speaker
At Chamber Meet
John Aleantra, special assis
tant to Gov. William A. Egan
in his Anchorage office, explain
ed hist duties Saturday when he
addressed the Greater Soldotna
Chamber of Commerce at its
luncheon meeting at Parkers in
Riverside.
Alt-antra's ottbee serves as a
clearing house for information
needed in connection with prob
lems confronting many areas.
Questions to the governor should
be submitted through his office
in order* to insure a speedy reply,
he said. Research necessary to
the solution of these problems is
done in his office- and he will
schedule meetings with other of
ficials when desired.
In connection with this service
Alcantra said he will arrange
for Morris Ford, Director of
Tourism and Economic Develop
ment, to visit the doldotna
Kenai a.aa soon for a discussion
on the developing of tourist facil
ities.
He suggested that the Kenai
Peninsula send a strong repre
sentation to Seattle in connec
tion with Alaska’s part in the
Century 21 Exposition and World
Fair, ft was also announced Yule
Kileher of Homer, who is plan
ning to show his films on Alaska
and homesteading at Century 21,
is willing to show the film for
SEE GOVERNOR’S AIDE— p. 5
on the Kenai, it's
Open House
Saturday, Feb. 17
SEE OUR AD ON PAGE TEN
Member FDIC and Feleral
Reserve Syste in
in the
TRADE BUILDING
KENAI PHONE 283-7545