as NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. 46.—No. 142. NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1944. PErHcOPY—15~
1 ■ " —— ——4—^—i —— ■ mi ——■ .. 11
P-T BOATS ARE '
ACTIVE IN BIG
SEA AFFRAY
bv c. yates McDaniel
GEN. MacARTHUR’S HEAD
QUARTERS IN THE PHILIP
PINES, Dec. 13.—<"AP)—Today’s
communiques report the sinking
of three Japanese destroyers and
four troop transports of an 11
ship convoy, which was attempt
ing to run re-inforcements to the
beleaguered Nipponese on Leyte
Island.
General MacArthur said that
one other enemy destroyer and
two freighter transports were so
severely damaged in the 36-hour
running fight, they may also
have been sunk.
The dead were left in the burn
ing waters.
Fifty Japanese planes were re
ported destroyed in the battle
and the Americans lost eight.
Only one Japanese vessel was
able to escape unscathed, that one
being a destroyer.
This furious battle of Lightn
ings, and the speedy hard-hitting
P-T boats, occurred off the north
west coast of Leyte Island. This
convoy will be sadly missed by
the Japanese ground troops, who
are being pushed into the north
west corner of the island.
About 30 Japanese planes at
tacked the American convoy
from the supply run to Ormoc at
dawn on Sunday, but were met
by marine fighters, which down
ed 11 of the enemy craft.
The American supply ships
suffered some damage, the com
munique added.
Later reports from the western
and norhtern parts of Leyte
showed little change on the
ground.
The 77th Division is still
cleaning up and consolidating
their position around Ormoc,
while the 32nd Division at the
northern approaches of the Or
moc Valley, are maintaining a
steady and heavy pressure
against tough artillery back Jap
anese opposition.
REP. MAGNUSON
TO PLACE BILL
ON HIGHWAY
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.—(AP)
—Rep. Magnuson set in motion
today, plans to present the Alas
ka Highway Bill at the next ses
sion of Congress.
He plans to confer with Dele
gate Dimond and Delegate-Elect
Bartlett about the bill which
will authorize the construction
of the Alaska Highway, which
will be about 650 miles long and
will connect with Prince George
and the present terminus.
Governor Langlie, who was in
Washington yesterday, named j
Rep. Magnuson to fulfill the re- j
mainder of Rep. Bone’*s term in
t'jfc present Congress, as Bone
resigned last month to become a
member of the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals.
RUSSIANS NEAR
BUDAPEST IN
NEW ADVANCES
MOSCOW, Dec. 13.—The Rus
sian assault forces pointed their
steps toward Budapest today,
from the newly-captured town of
Godollo 10 miles to the north
west, it has been reported.
Artillery drew up in close for
mation on the northern and
southern outskirts of the capital
despite the close approach of the
Red Army, which plans to seize
the city in a semi-circle forma
tion.
No front-line dispatches men
tioned anything about the fall of
^ie capital being imminent.
The city’s inhabitants have
fled westward by the thousands.
The German garrison is said
to have dug in apparently deter-1
mined to hold out until the full
destruction of the metropolis.
From the Russian positions
many fires have been observed
inside Budapest.
The army paper Red Star re
ported that German authorities
made hurried evacuation of mil
itary depots and war plants on
the frontier districts of Austria
FEDERATED CHURCH TO
HOLD ANNUAL MEETING
he Federated Church will
hold its annual meeting at the
parsonage on Friday even at 8:00
o’clock. Anyone interested in
hearing the annual reports read,
is cordially invited to attend asj
it is an open meeting.
FIRST ARMY ON
WAY TO RHINE
CITY OF BONN
PARIS, Dec. 13.—(AP)—The
southern wing of the U. S. First
Army sprang into action before
dawn today and are sloshing
their way eastward toward the
Rhine city of Bonn, it has been
announced.
The attack was made beyond
the Hurtgen Forest and south
west of the beseiged city of Dur
en, and in less than three hours,
General Hodges and his muddy
riflemen had advanced more than
a mile. They entered the village
of Roollesbloics, which is 13
miles southwest of Duren.
Farther north, other units of
the First Army are now opposed
by a new German Fifth Panzer
army, which is within 28 miles
of Down. This lies 15 miles south
west of Cologne.
The First Army has now drawn
up the swift ahd very high swol
len banks of the Roer river, on
both sides of Duren.
On the western front, the U.
S. Seventh Army tried their ar
tillery on a large section of the
German defenses inside the Bav
arian city of Palatinate.
The Third Army is fighting
slowly into the Seigfried line, in
side industrial Saarlann.
AMBASSADOR
RESIGNS HIS
SPANISH POST
WASHINGTON. D. C„ Dec. 13.
—(AP)—The White House today,
announced the resignation of
Carlton Hayes as ambassador to
Spain.
A nomination has been made
for Norman Armour to replace
him. Armour is now acting as di
rector of the State Department’s
office of American Republican
affairs. He was formerly ambas
sador to Argentina.
The President nominated Laur
ence Steinhardt, now ambassador
to Turkey, as ambassador for the
Czechs government in exile in
London. This leaves the Turkey
assignment open.
Mr. Hayes, who resigned, went
to Spain two years ago, and was
ercently the target for criticism j
from some groups who contended
he was inclined to deal too len
iently with the Franco govern
ment.
Eveyone reads The Nugget.
AIR C H I E F—Sir Trafford
Leigh-Mallory (above), RAF air
•chief marshal, has been named
Allied air commander-in-chief
under Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.
GERMANS USE *
NEW WAR
AIR DEVICE
_ I
PARIS, Dec. 13.—(AP)—As the
allied armies round out gains on
the western front the Germans
disclosed that they had thrown
in a new device, it was repored
toady. j
This war mystery is a silvery;
ball which floats in the air. Pi
lots report seeing these objects
both individually and in clus
ters during forays over * the
Reich. Their purpose is not im
mediately evident.
There is a possibility that these
objects are a new anti-aircraft
defense instrument or weapon.
This dispatch has been heavily
censored by supreme headquar
ters.
I
Approximately 10,000,000 radio
receivers of all types were sold
in the United States during 1939,
with a retail value of about $300,
000,000.
LIBERATORS
STRIKE ISLAND
OF IWOJIMA
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD
QUARTERS AT PEARL HAR
BOR, Dec. 13.—(AP)—Liberators
and bombers of the newly-or
ganized strategic air force, struck
at Iwojima volcanos on Saturday
and Sunday, and are maintain
ing a heavy aerial pressure on
that enemy base, which is 725
miles north of Saipan, headquar
ters announced today.
Admiral Nimitz reported that
they ran into moderately intense
anti-aircraft fire on Sunday,
which damaged eight planes, all
of which returned however, to
Saipan, which is the base for the
j Super-Fortresses that have been
raiding Japan proper.
Saturday’s raid was made by
a single army bomber.
Navy search planes struck the
harbor installations at Chinch
jima.
CITY COUNCIL
RENEWS LOCAL
BAR PERMITS
The Nome City Council met at
their regular meeting last Mon
day evening. The main business
I of the evening was the renewing
( of permits for liquor stores and
| bars. The following permits were
i approved:
Beverage dispensaries: Mullins
& Laurin, of the Lincoln Hotel;
Polar Bar, Board of Trade, Ne
vada Bar and May Bale.
Retail licenses approved were
Nome Mercantile, Northern Com
mercial, Leo Seidenverg & Sons,
Cavey’s and the Nevada Liquor
Store. • •
Plans were also made for the
meetings of the Board of Equali
zation, which is announced else
where in this issue.
I -
! SUFFERS SERIOUS INJURY
IN CAR ACCIDENT
Charles Washburn, better
known as Whitey, owner and op
erator of Whitey’s Taxi Co., was
severely injured when his car
| truned over into a pit in the mil
itary area, approximately 75 feet
deep. His car was completely
wrecked and he is in the hospi
tal with a broken leg and chest
injuries and in a critical condi
tion. He was carrying no passen
gers at the time of the accident,
as he was returning from a trip
to the Post.
9 Shopping Days
Till CHRISTMAS