First Gas Service in Alaska
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Ed Back and Bill Gross smile up at Mrs. Emmett Karsten just
after they made the final connection on the gas meter, making
the Emmett Karstens of Ridgeway (he first civilian consumers
of natural gas in the State of Alaska.
Ridgeway Couple State’s
First Users of Natural Gas
Emmett and Betty Karsten of
Ridgeway have the distinction of
being the first civilian consumer
customers of natural gas in the
state of Alaska. Soldatna is the
first incorporated town in Alaska
to receive natural gas consumer
service.
Connection of the Emmett
Karstens’ service line as the first
civilian natural gas consumer in
Alaska marks a most important
milestone in the development of
Alaska.
The Karstens live between Sol
datna and Kenai on property
which adjoins that upon which
the Cheechako News is located.
Their home was hooked up for
natural gas service on Aug, 9.
Ed Back of Ed’s Appliance
Service in Soldatna, and Bill
Gross , of the Anchorage Natural
Gas Co., presided at this first
hook-up.
The Anchorage Natural Gas
Co. lines extend from the Union
Oil Co. gas wells on Kalifonsky
Bowlers! Notice!
WINTER LEAGUES
START IN SEPTEMBER
Get Teams Together Now
SKYBOWL
Soldo! na
CONCRETE BLOCKS
Concrete Materials
and Supplies
Nestor Concrete Products Co.
BOX 105 SOLDOTNA Ph. 262-4471
ffHERIG
! BAR, CAFE AND LIQUOR STORE
I N
• Package Store
• Beer to Co
• Cocktails
KENAI
* Cafe
* Meals
* Short Orders
Kenai’s Most Modern Cafe & Cocktail Lounge
CAFE NOW OPEN—6 a.m. until 12 Midnight
Mr. and Mrs. Wesley T. Connolly — in the Cafe
BILLY McCANN, WAYNE STERLING AND
BOB PATNODE AT THE BAR
BAR HOURS: 8 a.m. thru 5 a.m.—all legal hours
Beach near Soldatna to Anchor
age, passing through Ridgeway
between Kenai and Soldatna. The
pressure reducing station is on
the Kenai Spur Road with lines
extending from the Cheechako
News in Ridgeway to Soldatna
and throughout the town.
The Soldatna line was dedicated
on July 15 with Burton Carver,
president of the Soldatna City
Council, lighting the symbolic
torch. Actual pipe laying to Sol
datna began June 19 and consist
ed of over 5'i> miles of pipe, not
including the main line from the
gas wells on Kalifonsky Beach.
Gas entering the main 12-inch
line that passes through Ridge
way will carry the gas to An
chorage for commercial and resi
dential use.
Gas from the wells, with a
well-head pressure of about 1300
lbs., goes into a separator build
ing and then to the dehydrator
building where it is dried and
pressure reduced to S10 pounds
before the gas enters the main
12-inch line that goes to the
Ridgeway reducing station. There
the pressure is reduced again to
60 lbs. and enters a 3-inch main
consumer service line to serve
Soldatna and Ridgeway. This
main line as it continues is re
duced to 2-inch and lli-ineh
lines from which %-inch residen
tial service lines are run to each
customer’s meter. At the meter,
the pressure is reduced for a final
time to about 4 lbs.
The gas line was constructed
by Locher Pipeline Co., with
Frank McKinney of Anchorage
Natural Gas Co., doing the engi
neering for the line, and Marvin
Smith of Soldatna supervising
the construction.
Gravel Bids Soon
Advertising for bids on pit-run
gravel to be spread on streets
in Kenai will appear soon, fol
lowing action of the Kenai City
Council last week.
A motion made by Mac McGa
han, seconded by Carl Swanson,
ami passed unanimously by the
Council, authorizes James E.
Fisher, city attorney, to advertise
for bids in alternates of zero to
300 yards, and 300 to 5000 yards
of pit-run gravel to be delivered
on Kenai streets, truck spread.
Alternate pits are to be approx
imately two miles from the city’s
private pit or five miles from
Beaver Creek pit, or on the bid
der’s own private pit.
Former Dock Owner
Mrs. Juanita Anderson, former
long-time Alaskan, left Monday
for her home in Rancho Mirage,
Calif. The Andersons built the
dock at Seldovia in 1917 and
owned and operated it for 30
years, selling the dock in 1947.
While visiting in Alaska, Mrs.
Anderson spent considerable time
in Seldovia as well as being a
guest in the Allen Peterson home
in Kenai and the Archie McLane
home at Kasilof.
P-TA Workshop Held at Kenai School
Guest speakers at the Parent
Teacher Association workshop
held at Kenai school on Auk. 38
were Mrs. George E. Tonkin, Jr.,
of Boise, Ida., vice president of
Region 7; Mrs. Robert C. Cob
of Spenard, Alaska P-TA presi
dent, and Mrs. Mary Hawkins,
District 5 vice president, fro.a
Ninilchik.
Attending the meeting were
Mis. Mary Ann Harlan, Mrs.
Marion Peterkin, Mrs. Refine
Lewis, Mrs. Frances Meeks, Mrs.
Florence ( Rusty) Lancashire,
Mrs. Nina Sample, Mrs. Ruth
Parsons, Mrs. Phyllis Moris and
Ed Hoi Her.
Refreshments were .served by
Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Harlan.
News classifieds bring results.
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ANGLES, CHANNELS & PLATES .20c lb
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