THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME”
VOL. LXXV., NO. 11,581
JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
Reds Smash at American Flank, Gain Miles
FLAMING SHIP
RACES TO LAND
600 PERSONS
TADOUSSAC, Quebec, Aug. 15—
ifl—The 7,000-ton cruise ship Que
bec burned to the waterline last
A night after racing aflame in the
’ St. Lawrence River to land safely
some 600 person aboard.
Three Montreal residents w<*re
unaccounted for today.
The 22-year-old vessel was owuCS
and operated by the Canada Steam
ship Lines, whose cruise ship Nor
onic burned at her berth in Tor
onto last Sept. 17, taking a toll of
119 lives.
Operators of the Quebec said she
' was a "complete loss.”
A considerable amount of bag
gage was destroyed as the ship
burned to the water’s edge about
four hours after she docked at
this resort town at the mouth of
the Saguenay River.
Still unexplained was the cause
• of the fire, discovered late yester
day afternoon as the passengers
crowded the Quebec’s decks watch
1 ing the grandeur of the Saguenay
cliffs. The ship sailed from Mon
treal Sunday night.
SALMON OUTLOOK STILL
SLIM IN JUNEAU AREA
SAYS SETON THOMPSON
Seton Thompson, chief of the
' branch of Alaska Fisheries for the
Fish and Wildlife Service, in Ju
neau from Washington, D.C., head
quarters will make an aerial survey
of fisheries conditions today and
a survey aboard the Brandt tomor
row, the opening day of the local
salmon canning season.
After a week in this area, Thomp
son will leave for the westward and
continue as far north as the Prib
ilof Islands where he will inspect
the season's sealing operations.
With Mr. Trumpson in Juneau is
C. E. Peterson, who has been with
. the F & W S commercial fisheries
statistical division in Washington,
and who will be supervisory survt\
statistician in Seattle for the F & W
S. This is Peterson's first trip to
Alaska in 12 years.
Prospects are pretty good for the
salmon season in the Ketchikan
area, but the showing is still pretty
slim here, the fisheries chief said to
day.
BANK EXECUTIVE HEBE FROM
KETCHIKAN HEADQUARTERS
William E. Bates, managing di
rector of the Miners and Merchants
Bank, Ketchikan, and the First
Bank of Sitka, is in Juneau today
on his way to Sitka.
Ketchikan is booming, according
to the first city banker. T^e six*
story, 108-unit Ferris Court upart
- ments are a third completed, i..*J
the town is buzzing over the start
of the fishing season tomorrow.
After a week in Sitka and a stop
at Pelican where the Sitka bank
has an agency, Mr. Bates will re
turn to Juneau on his way to his
Ketchikan home. While here he is
at the Baranof Hotel.
rhe Washington
Merry-Go-Round
By JACK ANDERSON and
FRED BLUMENTHAL
Xsarriabt. IM «i Mil avadiwts. Ins.)
(Ed. Note—While Drew Pear
son is on a brief vacation, his
column will be written by mem
bers of his staff).
Buying Bed Sheets
Yesterday we suggested organiz
ing home-front committees to stim
ulate public opinion against “me
firsters"—the war profiteers and
noarders.
This is what we would like to
see stopped:
Last week Franco’s hired Wash
ington lobbyist slipped Into Oar
finckel’s department store and
sheepishly bought out the store’s
supply of select bed sheets.
Harriman’s Trip
The inside reason for Averfell
Harriman’s flying trip to Tokyo
wasn’t to scold General • Mac
Arthur for conferring with Chiang
Kai-Shek, as the dopesters have
reported. Instead, President Tru
(Contlnued on Page Four)
"LARGEST" QUAKE
RECORDED; WHERE
WAS THE THING!
(By the Associated Press)
One of the five greatest earth
quakes ever recorded shook the
earth today, the US. Coast and Ge
odetic Survey reported. It tenta
i tively placed the earthquake’s loca
) tion in the northern tip of Burma
! near the China border.
Capt. Elliott Roberts of the survey
told a reporter at Washington, D.C.,
that the earthquake had a magni
tude of 8.4. He said this compares
with 8.5 for the maximum so far
recorded.
The earthquake had been reported
on seismographs around' the world.
Roberts said it was premature to
be too exact of the quake's location,
although he was sure that the
Burma-China border was correct.
He said there was no doubt but
that it was a tremendous quake.
•‘It was a humdinger all right," he
said.
Seismographs in Britain, Japan
and the United States recorded the
shocks of extraordinary violence.
Auckland, N.Z., reported an earth
shock of some intensity at Rotorua,
center of the thermal region of New
Zealand in the hot springs spa
area. This shock at 9:45 p.m. New
Zealand time (3.45 a.m., E8T) rat
tled windows over a wide area. It
was preceded by two milder tremors.
However, the great violence of the
shocks recorded elsewhere indicated
to one London scientist that there
may have been a quake under the
sea.
The Central Meteorological Ob
servatory in Tokyo reported the
shocks were believed in the northern
part of the American continent.
At Seattle, Dr. Eijo Vesanen, Uni
versity of Washington seismologist,
said the quake probably occurred
in New Zealand or Malaya. The first
shock was recorded on his instru
ments at 7:23.07 a.m. (Pacific Day
light Time) (9:23.07 a.m. EST). It
was still being recorded four and a
half hours later.
Dr. Vesanen estimated that its
distance from Seattle as about 7,000
miles. Its intensity, he said, was
comparable to a quake which killed
6,000 persons in Ecuador last year.
The University of Washington
seismograph is one of the newest
and most modern in the country.
The Boston College seismograph
at Weston, Mass., and the seismo
graph at Marquette University in
Milwaukee, Wis., recorded heavy
shocks. The Rev. Joseph Carroll,
S. J„ at Marquette, said the strong
shock lasted more than two hours
and would be located somewhere
in the Pacific, possibly in the vicin
ity of Japan.
At the University of California in
Berkeley, Calif.. "A very large and
distant” shock was recorded. It was
described as the "largest ever re
corded on our instruments.”
SITKA, Aug. 15—(AT—The Coast
and Geodetic Survey reported to
day’s heavy earthquake Was re
corded here at 6:22.05 a.m. (PST).
Hugh Nelson, observer in charge,
estimated the quake was possibly.
6,500' miles southeast of Sitltp. He
said an accurate estimate was not
possible from the seismographic re
cord here.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Princess Louise scheduled to ar
rive from Vancouver at 6:30 p.m.
and will leave at 11:30 p.m. for
Skagway.
Aleutian from Seattle in port and
will sail for Seward at 6 p.m.
Alaska scheduled to sail from
Seattle Thursday.
WEATHER REPORT
In Juneau—Maximum, 75;
minimum, 55.
At Airport—Maximum, 74;
minimum, 44.
forecast
(Juneau uni Vicinity)
Continued fair and warm
tonight and Wednesday.
Lowest temperature tonight
about 48 degrees. Highest
Wednesday near 68.
PRECIPITATION
(Past 24 boura ending 1:30 a.m. today
City of Juneau — None;
. since August 1=—1.14 inches;
since July 1—11.07 inches.
At Airport — None;
since August 1—0.85 inches;
since July 1—7.89 inches.
ILWU OUSTER
OF BRIDGES
DEVELOPING
COOS BAY, Ore., Aug, 15—MV
Behind closed doors West Coast
longshore union leaders opened a
caucus here today that may lead
to a serious revolt against Harry
Bridges.
Bridges, head of the union for 14
years, is being challenged on his
connection with the controversial
Maritime Federation of the World
and his criticism of U.S. action in
Korea.
His opponents are attempting to
force him to resign the union presi
dency.
Actually, the caucus has not the
' power to do that. His opponents
i are attempting, however, to apply
pressure on the longshore leader
who is in prison at San Francisco
I after being convicted of lying when
he said he never was a Communist.
The pressure is being applied by
two resolutions from the San Fran
cisco delegation.
Princess Born
To Elizabelh
| _
j EONDON, Aug. 15—<4*1—A princess
j was born today to Princess Eliza
! beth, heiress-presumptive to the
! throne ox the British Empire, and
I her handsome husband, Prince
Philip.
The new princess, second child oi
the royal couple, is third in line of
succession to the British crown. She
follows her chubby 21-month-old
brother, Prince Charles.
The birth of the baby at Clar
I ence House near Buckingham Pal
| ace, home of Elizabeth and Philip,
pushed Elizabeth’s sister, vivacious
Princess Margaret, into fourth place
in the royal succession.
A bulletin issued by the attending
physicians said the baby came at
10:50 GMT (2:50 a.m., Juneau time)
and that “her royal highness and
her daughter are both doing well.”
The baby princess weighed six
! pounds, an official announcement
j disclosed.
j Her birth touched off spontaneous
| family and public celebrations.
Prince Philip, as he had done with
, the arriyal of Prince Charles toasted
j the new princess’ health in cham
| pagne with members of the family
j and his staff.
He also rushed through a long
distance telephone call to his father
j in-law, King George, who was on a
| grouse-shooting trip at Balmoral
! Castle in Scotland, 500 miles away.
Queen Elizabeth was with her
! daughter, arriving Just five minutes
I before the baby was born,
i An announcement oj the royal
birth, hung on the wrought iron
gates outside Clarence House,
brought cheers from a crowd of sev
eral hundred which had grown since
early morning despite glowering
j skies.
The roar of cannon salutes greeted
the arrival of the new princess.
From ancient London tower the
honorable artillery company, fol
lowing an old tradition, fired a 62
gun salute. In Hyde Park the regu
lar army signalled the birth with
41 guns.
VESSEL REFLOATED
WEST OF PETERSBURG
The motor vessel Portia of Peters
burg was refloated early this morn
ing after going ashore on a rock
pile in Duncan Canal, about 15
miles west of Petersburg.
The Portia was aided by a 52-foot
Coast Guard cutter from Petersburg,
which arrived on the scene after the
vessel went aground yesterday. Men
from the cutter assisted in patching
a small hole in the 41-foot vessel’s
hull.
After being refloated, the Portia,
owned by Martin Inge, proceeded
to Petersburg under its own power,
according to word reaching Coast
Guard headquarters here.
—
MEDLEY VISITS
Judge Edward F. Medley, presi
dent . of the Lathrop Co. and the
Healy River Coal Corporation and
executor of the estate of Capt. Aus
tin E. Lathrop, arrived in Juneau
by Pan American Monday and con
tinued to Fairbanks by PAA today.
■»
Tank Support Against Enemy
■ i* » ——Mtrag mn;xm —mm ■ ■ ■ 1 ~ »
An American medium tank blasts at enemy positions in South Korean hills as a soldier, crouched in
I weeds in foreground, observes hits. tfP) Wirephoto. .
DEFENSE GROUP WANTS
THANE AND HIGHWAY IN
LOCAL ORGANIZATION
Governor Ernest Gruening will
I be requested to permit the Juneau
civilian defense council to include
Thane, West Juneau, and the Gla
cier Highway district including Auk
Bay in the local civilian defense
' organization.
This was announced by R. E.
j Robertson, chairman of the local
defense council, after a meeting ot
the council last night. I
He said these areas had been
under the council's jurisdiction dur
ing World War II.
In Juneau, the captains of the
27 patrol zones into which the city
will be divided will have charge of
setting up organizations in their
sections, Robertson said.
This will include the appointing
of lieutenants and patrolmen for
each section and the assignment of
duties. Names of the zone cap
tains will probably be announced
before the end of the week, he ih
dicated.
Now being prepared are city maps
showing the zones and forms to be
filled out when captains, lieuten
ants, and patrolmen take oaths oi
allegiance, he said.
* The council will meet each Mon
day at 7:45 p.m. in the City Hall,
unless otherwise notified by press
and radio releases, Robertson said
FWS AIRCRAFT IS SAFE
AFTER BEING FORCED
DOWN NEAR KETCHIKAN
A Fish and Wildlife Service
Widgeon aircraft was being towed
to Ketchikan today after being
forced down in heavy seas at the
entrance to Boca de Quadra, an
inlet about 30 miles southeast of
Ketchikan, last night.
A message requesting Coast
Guard assistance was received here
at 8:30 o’clock last night from ElHs
Air Lines in Ketchikan, which had
picked up the aircraft’s radioed
distress call. The message said the
aircraft was attempting to make
Twin Islands in the inlet and one
engine had failed.
The cutter White Holly was in
structed to proceed from Ketchikan
to assist the aircraft. A short time
later, a message was received stat
ing that the aircraft was anchored
in sheltered waters off Twin Island.
A FWS patrol boat took the air
craft in tow for Ketchikan while
the White. Holly stood by, accord
ing to Coast Guard headquarters
here.
BETHEL TABERNACLE
MEETS END TONIGHT
The closing exercises of the Chil
drens meetings will be held at 8
o’clock tonight at Bethel Taber
nacle, corner 4th and Franklin Sts.
There will be awards and prizes.
The program will include choruses,
felt-o-graph story, rythm band,
movties.
A special invitation is given to
the parents, guardians, and friends
to attend these closing exercises.
Auto Workers
Strike; Rail
Closure Hear
8,000 Packard Men Walk
Out-Conductors and Train
men "Near End ot Rope”
(By Associated Press)
The .hreat of a nationwide rail
road strike hovered over the labor
front today and the three months
of peace in the automobile industry
in Detroit ended.
The -White House continued ef
forts to avert the threatened rail
trike involving some 300,000 train
men and conductors. Leaders of
the two big unions, however, said
they are near "the end of the rope.”
In Detroit, 8,000 Packard employ
es were called out on strike by the
310 United Auto Workers—the first
major strike in the industry since
he 100-day work stoppage by Chry
sler employes. Company manage
ment charged the union with a
■pressure move” to enforce con
tract demands. All Packard oper
ations were shut down.
Although rail union officials said
no progress was made in peace
alks last night with John R. Steel
man, assistant to President Tru
man, they agreed "reluctantly” to
resume talks today. • <
W. P. Kennedy of the Brother
boo* of Railroad Trainmen said:
I Unless we make some progress, it
ooks like we will be at the end of
our rope.”
A railroad spokesman, however,
said progress was being made be
tween the union officials and Steel
I man.
Kennedy said the wage and hour
I dispute had gone unsettled for 17
S months and the men are anxious
to strike.
Chief issue in the dispute is the
request by the unions for a reduc
tion from the present 48-hour
work week to a 40-hour week 16r
yard service workers—without loss
in pay. A Presidential board rec
ommended the shorter work week
but not as much pay as the union
asked.
PROS GANTY HERE
Prosper S. Ganty of Pelican is
stopping at the Baranof Hotel.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 15 — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 2%, American Can
93%, Anaconda 33%, Curtiss
Wright 10, International Harvester
29%, Kennecott 61%. flew York
Central 14%, Northern Pacific 17%,
U.S. Steel 36%. Pound $2.80%, Ca
nadian exchange 90.87%.
Sales today were 1.330,000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 215.31, rails 62.10, utilities
39.98.
STATEHOOD FOR
HAWAII SURE IF
SENATORS VOTE
I WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 — (pW —
Samuel Wilder King, former dele
gate to Congress from Hawaii, said
today the Hawaii statehood bill is
certain to pass if it reaches a Sen
ate vote.
The President of the Hawaii Cdn
stitutional Convention told a re
' porter that a tally of senators, pre
I pared by statehood advocates, shows
168 probable votes in favor of the
House-passed bill.
"There certainly will not be Ida
than 58 votes for Hawaiian state
hood,” he said.
“We count only 28 sure vo*es
against the bill.”
King has spent a week making
the rounds of senatorial offices to
present certified copies of the pifo
posed Hawaii state constitution
drafted at the recent Constitutional
Convention.
Reporting on his progress, King
aid he had talked up Hawaii state
hood to 37 senators, in addition to
visiting Secretary of the Interior
Chapman and other administration
officials who are supporting the
statehood ambitions of both Ha
waii and Alaska.
King said his discussions with the
37 senators indicated about the
same ratio of pros and cons as re
pealed by the “nose count” of the
entire Senate membership.
"Most of them are for statehood
without qualification, some of them
have not quite made up their
minds, and a few of them are
Against us,” he -said.
The former delegate said some
senators are giving serious thought
to’ his argument that permtiting
the statehood bills to “die on the
Senate calendar would be capital
ized by our enemies.”
The Communists, he said would
make particular use of such action
as another example of capitalist
imperialism in denying equal op
portunity to territorial peoples.
—
MINNESOTA COUPLE END
VISIT WITH BURFORDS
After a three-week visit with
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. (Jack) Burford,
Mr. and Mrs. George Monson plan
to leave tomorrow to return to their
home in Hibbing, Minn. Highlight
of their visit was a trip to Glacier
Bay aboard Burford’s boat, the Don
jac.
The Monsons expect to go to
Haines tomorrow and return as they
came, over the Alaska Highway.
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
All persons interested in entering
a City tennis tournament are asked
to contact either A1 Carlson or Dick
Forrest at the Evergreen Bowl.
Names must be received by this
Saturday.
RING SPLICE LEAVES
The Ring Splice, Alaska Steam
ship freighter, sailed for the west
ward at 4:30 p.m. yesterday and
does not call here on the return
trip.
Heavy Fighting on All
Fronts; High Casualties
Suffered by Both Sides
(By the Associated Press)
Communist forces smashed sav
agely today against the American
southern flank on the Naktong
river bridgehead southwest of
Taegu, main U.S. forward base in
South Korea. This Red drive rolled
ahead to a point six or seven miles
east of the river in the Changnyong
area, 23 miles southwest of Taegu,
in some of the severest fighting of
the war.
A breakthrough in the Chang
nyong sector not only would imperil
Taegu, but probably would signal
the beginning of what the Com
munists hoped would be the final
push to Pusan to throw the defend
ers into the sea. But a U.S. officer
expressed confidence the Reds could
be pushed back. Headquarters said
the battle was "indecisive.'’
While the U.S. 24th Division bat
tled the Red push on the southern
flank under a blistering sun, with
both sides suffering heavy casual
ties, United Nations forces were
holding Just to the north in the area
where the Reds already have swol
len their bridgehead to 12,000 troops.
The Changnyong front has been
almost semi-circular.
The Reds rammed another bridge
head across the river on the north
ern end of the Naktong river front
near Waegwan, where the kickoff
of a Communist general offensive
has been awaited, but severe Allied
air punishment of the Communist
concentrations may have thrown
the Red timetable out of kilter.
Other Sector* Flame
There was heavy fighting on other
fronts. On the northeast rim of the
140-mile-long battlefront, Allied
forces moved to within a half mile
of Red-held Pohang, formerly the
No. 2 U.S. east coast supply base,
i On the southern end of the curl
| ing front—behind the advance of
I Marines and Infantry—U.S. Negro
troops with the 25th Division cap
i tured a rocky hill in fierce fighting,
I freeing the remainder of a force of
! 200 American artillerymen who had
been encircled by the Reds.
American pilots repbrted a Com
munist mechanized column of more
than 100 vehicles moving toward
Chinju, Communist southern base
being threatened by the American
| leathernecks and doughboys in their
southern drive.
A Russian-made North Korean
Yak plane dropped two 500-pound
bombs on Masan, communications
center near the southern battlefront
area in the first reported Red air
{activity in some days, and strafed
U.S. installations.
The Communist radio at Pyong
nyang said the Reds had seized
Kosong in the area where the U.S.
Marines have been advancing on
the extreme southern front. It is
20 miles southwest of Mesan and the
same distance southeast of Chinju.
Marines seized the town in their
sweep through the south last week.
Red Tanks Move
On the northern end of the Nak
tong river front, where 60,000 Reds
are poised across the river for the
expected push, the Communists
slammed about 3,000 men — with
tanks—across the river against
South Korean defenders. The enemy
moved over bridges which were sub
merged a foot under water to hide
them from air attack. Between 70o
and 1,000 Reds were killed by U.S.
First Cavalry Division troops in one
engagement near Waegwan, 12 miles
northwest of Taegu.
On the northeast rim of the 140
mile South Korean front, American
forces captured the town of Yuk
tong, nine miles west of the Pohang
air strip on the Sea of Japan coast
At the same time * South Korear
troops retook the nearby town o.
Imam. Allied forces moved bad
within a half mile of Pohank, sec
ond mast important U.S! supplj
base on the east coast until it was
captured last week by the Reds.
Allied planes gave heavy support
to ground forces. Warships aided
the ground forces on the east coast
sector. U.S. and Australian fliers
smashed at the Wagwan Red con
centrations in more than 400 flights.
A Navy plane reported sinking
a 200- ton Red vessel off the Korean
west coast and another damaged a
Communist ship off the east coast.
Oil Refinery ’Done’
Long range bombers have so
damaged the Red’s huge oil refin
ery at Wonsan in North Korea
that it has been written off as a
major target for B-29 Superforts.
The Far East Bomber command also
reported that the Superforts in the
past month plastered North Korean
targets With 23,000 bombs — 7,000
tons—scoring from 30 percent to
complete destruction on their tar
gets.
North Korea’s premier. Kim II
Sung, reflected worry about this. He
commanded his troops in an order of
the day to win the war by the end
of August, before American forces
become stronger. A score of Chinese
Communist leaders were in Pyong
yang for the liberation day cere
monies, causing speculation whether
the Chinese were planning to come
to the direct aid of the North Ko
rean Reds.
But President Truman, also in ob
servance of Korea’s liberation day,
has told South Korean President
Syngman Rhee he is confident of
victory. President Rhee, too, said in
Taegu, his provisional capital, that
the day of total defeat for the Reds
will come seen.
RUSS ADMIT
AIDING KOREA
(By the ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Moscow admitted publicly to
day that the Soviet Union was
responsible for the military power
of the Red North Koreans.
Thfe preafc earned article by
Kim Do Bon, chairman of the
presidium of the North Korean
people’s assembly, which said
Russia gave his country war ma
terial, machines, mining equip
ment, electric locomotives and
tractors in the postwar period.
lie said this material was that
which was not produced in Kor
ea, and he hailed Prime Minister
Stalin as "our liberator and best
friend of the Korean people.”
GRAND MASTER TO
VISIT MASONS OF
SE ALASKA LODGES
Thursday evening this week will
see the Masons on Gastineau Chan
■ nel in attendance at a rather un
| usual meeting in the Masonic Tem
! pie at Juneau, when Gastineau
Lodge No. 124 of Douglas and Mt.
Juneau Lodge No. 147 of Juneau
will meet in a Joint Communication
to receive a visit from the Most
Worshipful Grand Master of Ma
sons of Washington.
The honored visitors will consist
of Gail Huhn, the present M. W.
Grand Master; Henry C. Heal, who
was Grand Master last year, and
John I. Preissner, Grand Secretary
of the Grand Lodge and also a
Past Grand Master. ' In attendance
also will be Archie C. Shlels who
is the Grand Historian of the
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons of Washington. It wks
pointed out that this is the first
time that so many Grand Mast*Vs
have ever visited an Alaskan lodge
at the same time.
Following the meeting, which
opens at 8 o’clock, refreshments
will be served in the Temple Dining
Room. All Masons on Gastineau
Channel are expected to be in at
tendance.
The following day the Grand Of
icers will fly to Sitka to Constitute
i new Masonic Lodge at that point
vhlch will be known as Mt. Vtt
itovia Lodge No. 291 and thereafter
.he Grand Officers continue on
South to visit the lodges at Peters
jurg and Ketchikan.
IMMUNIZATION CLINIC
TOMORROW MORNING
Parents with babies or children
who have not received or com
pleted their Immunizations are re
minded of the monthly immuniza
tion clinic to be held tomorrow
morning at 10 o'clock in the Public
Health Center, 318 Main Street.
Dr. J. W. Gibson will conduct the
clinic, assisted by the public health
nurses.
All those interested are invited to
attend.
i