The Kenai Peninsula
Cheechako News
“NEWS FROM THE OIL CENTER OF ALASKA”
THIRD YEAR*
JANUARY 12, 1962
PRICE 10c COPY
NUMBER 62
Alertness on the part of a
right policemen and prompt
cooperation between Ker.ai city
police and state partolmen result
ed in apprehension of two men
early Sunday monming only min
utes after their alleged break-in
and burglary of the Kenai Pharm
acy had been discovered.
Break-ins and burglary of three
Soldotmi business establishments
were also reported and are be
lieved to have taken place late
Saturday night or shortly after
midnight Sunday morning.
Buildings entered were the Sol
dotna branch of the National Bank
of Alaslct> Lou’s Market and the
Sky Bowl, Entrance appeared to
have been gained through doors
on which locks were broken.
Merchandise and cash for a
total of approximately $1,000 and
including wrist watches and a Pol
aroid camera with flash attach
ments were missing from the Ke
nai Pharmacy.
Gash from ■pinball and vending
machines at the Sky Bowl was
taken. As far as has been re
ported, nothing; was taken from
the bank. At Lou’s Market, a
quarter—the only coin in an Al
aska Crippled Children’s Assoc,
container—was the only cash tak
en.
Now lodged in federal jail in
Anchorage waiting trial are David
Eugene Gibson, 23, who gave his
residence as Arctic Trailer Court
in Anchorage, and Larry Dean
Puddiecom.be, 24, Palmer, also of
Arctic Trailer Court. Both are
charged with burglary in con
nection with the Kenai Pharmacy
and bail has been set at $10,000
each.
The two- men are suspected of
having: participated in a number
of burglaries in Palmer, Anchor
age, Seward and Soldotna and are
under investigation by state po
lice and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, according to "Red”
Peavley, Kenai Police Chief. The
FBI investigation Is in connection
with the breakin at Soldotna NBA
bank.
Jerry Hobart, night police of
ficer at Kenai, in making the
rounds of lousiness establishments
at 2:29 a.m. Sunday discovered
the front door of George's Coffee
Shop had been pried open and
the door kicked In connecting the
coffee shop and the durg store.
The building had been locked when
the officer checked it at 2 a.m.
Hobart immediately contacted
State Trooper Wayne Hagerty by
radio and gave hlrii the descrip
tion of a Volkswagen sedan which
previously had aroused suspicions
of the Kenai police.
(Continued on Page I)
Soldotna Mail Dispute
Aired at Anchorage Meet
Feasibility of a change in air
carriers to transport mail in and
out of Soldotna directly w a g
brought to the attention of Asst.
Postmaster General William J.
Hartigan in a conference Monday
afternoon m Anchorage with a
delegation from the Soldotna
Chamber of Commerce and repre
sentatives from Ninilehik.
Sixteen Soldotna C of C mem
bers and five representatives from
Ninilehik took the chartered flight
to present the facts of the mail
situations as they knew and ex
perienced it under the present de
livery system. Much delay, some
times as much as three or four
days, currently is experienced in
mail seivice bet-wee: Kenai Pen
insula points, the postal authority
was told.
Hartigan was quite receptive to
arguments for the change, <1 of C
members attending the conference
have reported. He said a study of
the situation will be made. Any
change will have to be approved
by the CAB (Civil Aeronautics
Board), he pointed out.
Mail from Sew aid to Soldotna
designation is now flown out of
Seward on Cordova Airlines plan
es directly to Anchorage and is
not intercepted at Soidotna al
though the planes come through
Sokiotna. At Anchorage it is load
ed on Pacific Northern Airline
planes, flown to Kenai, and then
trucked back to Soidotna.
Mail from Soidotna to Seward
at present goes to Anchorage by
PNA, is transferred to Cordova,
flown back through Soidotna, and
then taken to Seward, Hartigan
wm informed.
Outgoing mail from Kasilof and
Cohoe is flown into Homer by
PNA and trucked back up the
highway. Kasilof now' has an air
(Continued on Page 8)
. * — — ■ »■ Mia —1———-— **
H. E. A. Schedules
Annual Meeting
The annual membership of the
Homer Electriet Assoc., Inc., has
been announced for Tuesday, Feb,
6, and is to begin at 1 p.m. in
the Family Theatre at Homer.
Three trustees, each to be elec
ted for a three-year term, are to
be selected by the voting member
ship at this time.
Other business will include con
sideration and action upon mat
ters that may lawfully come be
fore the* meeting;. a««t*
amendments to the bylaws of the
corporation. One of the proposed
amendments is that the words—
“trustee” and “director” shall be
regarded as synonymous.
Howard Myhili, HEA president,
is a candidate for re-election to
the board of directors.
Two Soldotna Slayers
Indkted by Grand Jury
Arthur Vernon Watson, 58. and3
James Franklin Bush, 21, both of
Soldotna, were indicted by the
week for the first degree murder
in seperate charges.
Watson, a motel operator, was
indicted on Jan. 10 in connection
with the fatal shooting of Marion
T. Grissom, 57, Soldotna area
homesteader, on Dec. 18. Watson
allegedly shot Grissom with a.300
caliber rifle at the Watson home
during an argument following a
drinking party.
Following his anairigment on
Dec. 19 on the first degree mur
der charge, bail was fixed for
Watson in the amount of $30,000
and a preliminary hearing was
held on Dee, 27, He has been held
in Federal jail at Anchorage in
lieu of bond.
Funeral services for Grissom
were held in the eemetary at Ke
nai on the aftrnoon of Jan. 0
with burial ar: augments being
made by his friends. Survivors at
tending the rites were his daught
er Ruth (Mrs. Fete) Moralli and
grandson Joe Moralli, both of Sol
dotna,
Bush’s indictment by the state
grand jury took place on Jan. 11
ami was in connection with the
bludgeon death of Jack Edward
Griffiths, Sterling Highway bar
operator on October 8.
Bush was released on $2,000
bond, originally set at $30,000, in
compliance with the request of
Bash’s attorney. He is to be ar
rained Monday on the grand jury’s
indictment.
Griffiths was found bludgeoned
to death in his residence behind
the Circus Bar near Soldotna,
Rush told police they had quarrel
ed earlier in theevening over his
attentions to Griffith's 15-year
old daughter, that he later went
to Griffith’s home, was told tc
enter*, ami that later Griffith;
thraetened him with a rifle struct
Griffiths over the head with J
piece of stove wood.
r j jjuu jj ~
HAVE HEAT WHEN IT COUNTS...
COUNT ON
76 UNIflAME HEATING OHS!
for
24-Hour Delivery
Call 262-4544
Alaska Oil Sales
3k Service, Inc.
Exclusive Distributor of UNION OIL Products
FOR KEN AI DELIVERIES BlffcK pIANT gOLDOTNA
i , PAUL FRICKEY, MGR.
Carl Rodgers „ 0«» \z\ i
birch drive Phone 2o2“4d44
KENAI, ALASKA
Peninsula Cases
Before Grand Jury
Indictments against several Ke
nai Peninsula residents were re
turnee! this week by the state
grand jury in adition t those a
gainst two Solodotmi men indict
ed for murder in the first degree.
The jury convened in Anchorage
on Jan. 8.
Thomas Lee Phillips, ICenai,
was indletfedr’fwr enatoe.gatemwtl H*
ed of^takfnsc ■
>¥» fck* A$«*k*
S6w» employed "t the estaWmh
merit.
James M. Faulk, Jr., and An
drew Horton, 'both of Seward,
were indicted in connection with
burglary not in a dwelling. They
are accused of breaking into the
Seward Trading Co. on Sept. 12.
An indictment for assault with
a-dangerous weapon was returned
against another Seward man. A!
Andy DuBeau, who allegedly
threatened and shot at Joseph
Callahan, Jr., and Richard P. Hill
at -Seward on Sept. 22.
Martin Christian Lorenz, ac
cused of breaking into the fishing
boat Albatross at Seldovia on
Sept. 19 and stealing firearms and
a radio, was indicted for burglary
and grand larceny.
Yet to come before the grand
jury are several other cases in
volving Kenai Peninsula persons.
The jury will be asked to study
the case concerning Mrs. Agra*
fin a Lat'lee, Kenai, who reported
ly died because of pneumonia and
blood clots three days after suf
fering hot water burns and shock
at a Kenai drinking party.
The grand jury will be request
ed to determine if there was any
criminal liability in an automobile
collison on the Kena Spur Road
which resulted in the death of
Mrs, Opal Cates and Michlas Vel
azquez-Kan li ago. a Wildwood
Station soldier.
Also yet for grand jury con
sideration is the case concerning*
a quick draw contest near Wild
wood Station involving two Army
men.
Octavio S*pien was charged
wrOi- man frlRtffchtw in iWfe' ftewtji
of Bayluw lierrori after Herron
died when Shpien whipped his gun
from his holster.
The 61 cases being- considered
by the jury include five murder
cases, 11 aggravated assault and
13 burglary cases in addition to
others, according to District At
torney George Hayes.
Clinic Date Set
The schedule for immunization
clinics for the remainder of Jan
uary has been announced by
Miss Ruth Tewes. Kenai itinerant
nurse,
Monday through Friday, Jan.
15-19, Miss Tewes will be at Ty
onek.
On Jan. 24 she will be at the
Kenai Health Center from 1:30
to 3:30 p,m.
SoSdotna school will be visited
by the nurse from noon to 12:30
p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25.
There will be no January visit
to Cooper Landing*. Clinics f o r
January have already been held
for Clam Gulch, Cohoe, Kasilof,
Ninilchik, Sterling and at Read
ing and Hates Camp.
Standard Announces
Operation Changes
For Kenai Peninsula
Standard Oil Co of Calif, ex
poets to terminate its drilling' op
erations in the Swanson River
field on or about April 1 as far
as drilling1 for immediate produc
tion is concerned, C. V. “Chat
Chatterson, of the Anchorage of
fice said Wednesday.
Chatterson, district superintend
ent of Standard's Western Op
erations, Inc., added that explo
ratory drilling, however, will con
tinue on the Kenai Peninsula.
In the next several months,
Standard expects to start instal
lation of facilities for mainten
ance of reservoir pressure, a con
versation measure. This will in
: voire a process of releasing com
i pr -sect gas hack into the
h :ng formation with the idea
of establishing oil conservation
over a long period.
Chatterscon says Standard Oil
Co. expects the operation toera
ploy approximately the same
number of men as has been used
in drilling operations.
These two factors—cessation
of drilling, with its reduction of
men, and the bringing in of more
men for inauguration of the con
servation process—are expected
to counteract one another as far
as the employment picture is
concerned.
The official added that Stan
dard expects these conservation,
measures to help insure and stabi
lizee future production. Re for
goes the possibility that some oil
will fee produced in the field
as many as 50 years from now.