The Kenai Peninsula
f D K w t i H. H.J
li 3. OR Y MUSEUM 1 LIBRARY
JUNEAU ALASKA I-L-U
THIRD YEAR
DECEMBER 29, 1961
PRICE 10c COPY
NUMBER 60
Scidotna Trailer lioine
Bums Tuesday Evening
I he two-1 tearoom trailer house
of Mr. and Mrs. Justin Marie
burned completely Tuesday night
at Riverside Terrace Trailer Cts,
in Soldotna, It was the second
disastrous trailer house fire in
the week in the Soldotna-Sterlmg
area.
Mails*, who came here from Cal
. ifornia this pa T spring, is a
highway engineering assistant
with the local Dept, of Public
Works and is in charge of survey
crews as needed. He had been
working at home all evening and
at about 9:15 went to the Sky
Bowl to pick up his wife, Zolie,
When they and their three-yeas
old son, Larry, returned home 45
minutes later, the child remarked
that he smelled something burn
ing.
The car was driven a safe dis
tance away amt then Maile opened
the door of his home to be met
v ith gieat bursts of flame.
The Soldotna Volunteer Fire
Dept, was summoned and w a s
there within moments. The pump
er was frozen, however, and no
water was available to use in the
hoses to combat the blaze.
Cause of the fire is undeterm
ined but is believed to have been
caused by an overheated stove.
The trailer was covered by in
surance. All clothing and house
hold possessions of the f a m i 1 y
were lost.
The Mailes spent the remainder
of the night with Mr, and Mrs. Al
Marasse. Other friends have of
fered them shelter until more
permanent ai ran gem cuts can be
made.
Disastrous Fire Leaves
Sterling Family Homeless
Fire, believed to have origin
ated from an exploding oil heat
er, completely destroyed a trailer
house and its contents early on
Tuesday at Sterling.
The family of Carl Heft, der
rick man for Reading and Bates
Drilling Co., Inc., one-half mile
north of Sterling school, was left
without shelter, food, clothing and
household possessions due to the
consuming blaze.
Mrs. Heft and the couple’s six
months old baby were alone in
the trailer and narrowly escaped
losing their lives in the fire.
Heft had gone to work at Swan
son River field and his wife had
returned to bed after feeding
the baby. She was awakened at
about 8 a.ni. by the sound of the
baby’s coughing and discovered
one end of the trailer uohse en
veloped in flames.
The young mother hastily
grabbed the baby, a heavy coat
in which to wrap the infant and
her purse and fled the inferno
dressed only in her night clothes.
Teinepratures registered about
38 degrees below zero.
The 8x41 ft. two bedroom trail
er house was burned to the ground
and all contents including a re
cently purchased freezer were
See—DIASTROUS FIRE— p. 12
... ■ ...a
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rhone 202-45-14
AN AERIAL VIEW OF DOWNTOWN KENAI showing the Kenai
School in (he left center and the end of the Kenai Airfield in right
center, the disputed area is out of the picture at the left across the
Kenai River. A move is currently underway to build a bridge across
the river.
Tideland Oil Leases Reap
Over $14 Million for Alaska
Persistent rum >rs of a good
oil strike by Pan American Pe
troleum Corp. on West Forelands
across Cook Inlet from Kenai
apparently influenced offers in a
sealed bid lease sale held Dec.
19 at Anchorage in which the
State of Alaska harvested $14,
631,489 from oil lease bonuses.
The next state lease sale is to be
held in July 1962.
Absolute secrecy has shrouded
activities of Pan American con
cerning two wells drilled on sub
merged and tide lands on the west
side of Cook Inlet. The area has
been closed to everyone except
crews on the wells and company
officials, all of whom have been
“close-mouthed ’ as to showings
and results.
Unverifie : armors continue,
however, o tv: -kie out that a rich
find ha-’- been made. 'Fhe oil-hear
ing structure 1 f the reported new
strike is up -mily a continua
tion of tha. beneath the Swan
son Rive* • po-.< «n 'h- Kenai Pen
insula.
A group of Kenai and area res
idents control a large block con
taining several thousand acres in
the vicinity of Pan American’s
wells.
Largest bid at the sale was Pan
American's bid of $2,554,000 for
a pair of tracts, S-13-5-49 and
S-13-6-21. Pan American also out
bid a combine of Standard Oil of
• a! Shell Oil Co., and Richfield
< il Corp., by bidding $2,502,000
on ,'cok Inlet tract S-13-6-8 for
wh a the combine’s bid was
$2.A‘0,372.
■ other tracts brought more
th ■ $1 million each — both
U '■< <_■ to t he Standard - Shell
Id • .eld trio. These were units
' 1 bringing $1,000,302 and
• 18 for $2,300,322.
\ -tal of 76 tracts were of
tor leasing including sev
land tracts for the Uni
■- if Alaska, which brought
ding $182,560. State
•lu :ed 255,708 acres in
-.Of the 76 tracts offered
• : ;i. were made on 53 units
■ a 13 tracts.
Soldoh, a Firemen
Need ^applies,
Better Equipment
A dfl* in • (equate fine
* e ■ c mat is expected
to get unden ay .nsSoldotna after
the first of to oar, a spokesman
for the Solr’ Volunteer Fire
Dept, sai V nesday.
The p ■> n • ipment consists
of a Jem. \ ith " tanks, hose
a" i pm a; - t competent
on a"; 1 fire, espe
i ' <• *r weather.
\ m I ■ ■ k k with ade
11 a I , t. a :a 1' ,11 tl S i -
! >< s ak.tnn department
■-;m: . in. a?'Tuesda;,
. a t ■ a : railei
i c • e >! ■ i ■ : - b '
laeir efsoits wne to no avail
'he..' was toi) much expose!! , ■ ■
for water to go through and t' <■
.pumper the .seen v. frozen.
No >f-.-ponse whatever eas re
See SOLDOTN \ FIR KM FN
I (‘ontinued on page 12)
Starving Moose
( amps '*•! eh
■ i i . camped overnight
■ t; e James A. Me
. ’ ., i e doldotna was killed
• riic morning to prevent
m )':■ !■ in v to members of his
' ghbors. McCoy no
• ii ni Headquarters 'after
animal and they in
! Fish and Wildlife
nai who hauled the
J- - it. da refuge manag
■ K. . '. r jona1 Moose
1 ' m day
: . • • i ng to
f tl nimal
■■ . enhsl > > : ’ ; a- • fa e
a.; :y . r the
r.. said.
> bul
v : • as re
>ce STAKVINC moose
(Continued m rage 12)
A public hearing to fie held by
the Local Boundary Commission
in Kenai on dan. 12 could result
i'i change3 being made as to the
city limits of Kenai. The hearing
is set for In a.m. arid will be in
the City Civic Building.
A petition seeking to exclude,
certain t< : ritory on the west side
<••*' the Kenai River from the in
corporated City oil Kenai was
filed with the Commission, stat
ing that adequate municipal serv
ices had not been provided resi
dents on the west side of the liv
er and that there is no surface
■'< ’.r.mur.i. at• m between the area
ar i Use major portion the city,
1 he Local B ■ ... , Commis
sion has set the hearing in order
that arguments on both'sides of
the problem may be presented by
the public in regard to the matter.
Persons wishing to make formal
statements regarding the petition
arc advised to send them to the
Local Affairs Agem v, P.O. Box
710, Juneau, by Jan. 5.
The present boundaries encom
passing the city limits of Kenai
wore chosen by ballot by citi
zens of the community at a pub
lic meeting held on Jan. 5, I960,
from three proposed city bound
aries and were submitted in the
petition for incorporation. The
people of Kenai-went to the polls
on May 10, I960, ami voted to in
corporate their village into first
class city- by a vote of 181 to 85.
Under the state constitution, a
proposed boundary change may be
presented by the Local Boundary
Commission to the State Legisla
ture during- the first 10 days of
any regular session.
Unless disapproved by a resolu
tion concurred in by a majority
of members of each chamber of
the legislature, the change would
become effective 45 days after
presentation or at the end of the
session, whichever is earlier.
FIRST TO PAY
The City of Kenai has the
honor of being the first paid up
member of the League of Alask
i a Cities for the 1961-62 year.
••ordirg t news fust released
i the League's ft.-. - inter issue
■ ’ V? - d.inr 1 New-'. Kenai is now
a gu’.ar member the I.eague
sther than <*ne of the two asso
ciate membt;s a - befc. e.
"We are proud ; number Ke
r.ai among our regular members
d wi-h them success in their
continu-bns march to becoming one
of the'really -mtstanTing cities in
the state,” the editor - commented.
CLIP FOR REFERENCE
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