t
THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday, by The Nome
Publishing Company, Nome, Alaska.
Telephone Main 114 P. O. Box 518
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Alaska Highway Is \^ar Project
THOROUGHFARE FROM EDMONTON WILL HELP
DEVELOPMENT WHEN PEACE COMES
By SAM JACKSON
SEATTLE, June 1 —In Canada some 30.000 men are
desperately pushing a road—the only road—connecting
the United States with its vast, rich and supremely
strategic territory of Alaska. Like many other things,
the Alaska highway looks much different since Pearl
Harbor than it looked before. When I visited Alaska it
was almost incredible to a newcomer that the road had
not already been built. Shipping already was badly
strained; so was airplane traffic.
No Auto or Rail Road
Yet neither auto road nor rail road ran, or yet runs,
/between the war plants of the home country and our
military dispositions—defensive and offensive— which
are nearest Japan.
Cost estimates were mild as road-building goes —
from $14,000,000 to $50,000,000, with most estimates
running around $30,000,000. But Canada didn’t want to
pay for a road that was essentially a United States war
measure, and Uncle Sam didn’t want to pay for a line
of British Columbia filling stations, pubs, auto courts
and improved transportation for Canadian lumberjacks
and miners.
Path Across Wilderness
The new road cuts a bold path across the wilderness
from Edmonton, Alberta, the “jumping off place” in
the westernmost of Canada’s prairie provinces, to Fair
banks. In a territory that compares in size with the
Mississippi Valley, Fairbanks is the metropolis of in
land Alaska.
With a war on, Uncle Sam is now paving for the road
and liking it. After the war. Canada is supposed to take
over maintenance. As for the new road, west coast civic
( rganizations were disappointed that it did not con
tinue arf existing route leading through Seattle and
Vancouver to the little farming village of Hazelton,
('12 miles north of the border.
Traffic (iocs By Sea Chiefly
The highway will carry the motorist, when peace
and tires allow, into an unexploitcd land of beauty —
through what one poet called “deep, death-like valleys'’
screened by “big dizzy mountains.” Here abound
moose, bighorn, marten, fox, mink and beaver. Grow
ing wild are cranberries, blueberries, mushrooms,
fields of roses. The climate, varying from summer’s 90
degrees to winter’s 68 below is not unbearable because
the atmosphere is dry, piercing winds, rare. Summer
n’gilts are cool in the Land of the Northern Lights.
Old Fur Trail
From Fort St. JoliQ. British Columbia, the road will
follow an old fur trail north to Fort Nelson Airport.
Along tlu> way stretch unplowed lands of rich soil. To
the northwest it will cross, perhaps follow, the Laird
river, tributary of the Arctic-bound MacKenzie. Flow
ing m from the south is Trout river, enticing fishermen.
Devil s Portage means a weary walk-and-carry. Farther
downstn am is the 40-mile Grand Canyon of the Laird,
with its Rapid of the Drowned. Hell Gate marks the
end of dangerous navigation.
Valleys Green All Winter
North of the Laird lie verdant valleys, whose hot
springs are said to keep them green all winter.
Swinging into Yukon Territory, the highway will
go to Watson Lake. Westward to Whitehorse, it will
I iseet a famed 1898 trail along which gold seekers
j tniggled to the Klondike. As the road continues north
west it will pass loftly mountains, glaciers, until it
winds up at Fairbanks, the door to Asia.
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PIONEER WATER
DELIVERY
SPRING WATER
AJuavs At Your Strvlce
Phoiii* black 44
( H AS. CAY FA
Carrying an Assortment
of Fine Liquors. Win
es, and Beers.
FRONT STREET. NOME
I
Charles W. riiornton. Long-lime
i
Resident Nome, Is Laid To Rest
i
Charles Walter Thornton died of heart failure in the
Maynard Columbus Hospital at Nome on May 28, 1942.
at the age of 73 years, 2 months and 3 days. He never
married. There is known to survive, a brother, Guv L
Thornton, residing near Clackamas, Oregon.
Funeral services were held Thursday at 2 p.m. m:
the Federated Church. Miss Constance Erickson, Dea
coness of the Methodist Church, occupied the pulpit j
and presided over the first part of the services. Mrs.
Thomas Morcom and Mrs. Merle Smith sang “Abide i
With Me” and “Sweet Be Thy Rest,” with Robert Bald
win at the organ. The concluding service at the Churdh i
and the burial in the Masonic Cemetery at Nome were'
in charge of the Masonic Lodge.
Charles Walter Thornton was born in Le Seuer, Min
nesota on March 25, 1869, the son of Wesley Coates
Thornton and Rachel Livingston Thornton. Until 13
years of age he lived on a farm in Minnesota. Both his
father and mother died while he was quite young and
and he and his three brothers and one sister then lived
with relatives and friends.
He was residing in Seattle at the time of the Alaska'
gold rush and studying law under the supervision of
Z. B. Rawson, City Attorney of Seattle. In 1898 he
joined the Kotzebue Sound expedition, spendmg that
winter on the Kobuk and coming to Nome in the sum-1
mer of 1899 where he mined on the beach. The follow
ing year he entered into the general mercantile busi-i
ness with a partner, the business operating under the
name of Thornton & Keith. The storm of September.
1900 wrecked the store building and was such a finan
cial loss the business'was not resumed. He again took,
up the study of law and was admitted to the Bar in the,
District Court at Nome in August, 1902 He subse
quently was associated with Archer, Ewing Company,
merchants of Nome, and during 1903-04 was the man
ager of their store in Solomon where he also practiced
law. Upon returning from Solomon to Nome to live
he continued the practice of law here until his death
and was the oldest member of the bar at Nome.
From June 6, 1921 to January 11, 1935, Charles Wal
ter Thornton was the United States Commissioner, Re-|
corder and Probate Judge at Nome. The valuable and
voluminous public records of the Recorder’s Office
were in his charge at the time of the fire of September.
1934. By having those records housed in fire-proof
vaults he preserved them from destruction.
About the time he became United States Commis
sioner he was appointed agent for the Railway Express
Agency and continued in that capacity until his death.
He was perhaps the most faithful member and work
er in the community of the American Red Cross^ being
Secretary of the local chapter from about 1918 if not
prior to that year.
One of Organizers of Church in Nome
He was one of the organizers of the Congregational
Church in Nome, and later when that and other church
groups formed the present Federated Church he was!
one of the sponsors. He was most regular in his attend1
ance upon worship services and assisted with the choir
and musical programs of the Church. He was the oldest
in years of service on the Church Board and it was as
a member of that Board that he gave his larit efforts,
for it met last Thursday morning in his office. Immed
iately after adjournment of the meeting he went to the
hospital and passed away a few moments later.
In assisting and organizing libraries and giving of
his time to make them usable to the public of Nome
has not been the least of his many contributions. The
building now known as the Native Brotherhood Shop
was constructed for use by the St. Bernard Public
Library. Upon the subsequent organization of the Con-'
grational Church this library was turned over to the!
Church. In this library, its organization and mainten
ance, he was among those most active. He assisted in
organising and keeping in order the libraries of the
Pioneers of Alaska and the Arctic Brotherhod, both of
these libraries being destroyed in the fire of 1934.'
After that fire a large number of books were sent to
Nome, mostly by the Seattle Public Library, as a start
for a new public library in our City. Upon the urgent1
request of the community he took the books, most of
which were well worn, and except for some "shelving!
contributed by others, he alone repaired, marked, num'
bered and catalogued them, and maintained them for!
public use in his office. The small amount received by!
him for rentals did not compensate him for materials
used in repairing and otherwise preserving the books.;
Charles Walter Thornton was an organizer of the.
Grand Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska, and for many
| years was a member and the Secretary of the Pioneers 1
j of Alaska, Igloo No. 1 at Nome.
He became a member of the Arctic Brotherhood in |
: about 1906, and was at one time Arctic Chief of that!
Order. He was still a member at the time the order be-1
came inactive by the destruction of its quarters in the,
fire of 1934.
He was a member of Royal Arch Masoms and the last !
Secretary of the Chapter at Nome.
He was a member of Anvil Lodge No. 140, F. & A. M.:
at Nome, and its Secretary for many years and until
his death. He is a Past Master of the Nome lodge and;
-.-^-m. mi i—win i i Him mu i i ... 11 nini i
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Questionnaires
Will Line I p
Manpower
JUNEAU, May 27 — With the
mailing next month of occupa
tional questionnaires to the thou
sands of residents in the Terri
tory who are over military age.
local boards in Alaska will speed
to completion the Territory's in
ventory of manpower for war
production, John L. McCormick,
Director of Selective Service for
Alaska, announced today.
These occupational question
naires which will guide the War
Manpower Commission, in coop
eration with the Selective Serv
ice System, for the mobilization
of workers for war industries al
ready have been sent to the men
who registered on February 16.
1942 in the third registration.
Right now, also, local boards are
winding up a similar inventory
of registrants of the first and sec
ond registrations who have not
been inducted into the armed
services. And by the first part
of June, the Director said, the
men between 45 and 66 years of
age, who registered on May 20
will be receiving their occupa
tional questionnaires.
The nation will have pressing
need, by late autumn, for around
10,500,000 additional war work
ers, Director McCormick pointed
out. It is from the men beyond
the military age, he said, that
the War Manpower Commission
expects to obtain most of the
male recruits for this work. How
ever, he asserted, many war
workers also will be obtained
from classes deferred for phys
ical defects as many men who
are unfit for military service are
: well qualified for civilian activ
: ities.
The occupational question
section is sent to the Bureau of
i the Census, Washington, D. C.,
j meres are being sent to all Sel
! ective Service registrants w’ho
, have not been, or cannot be, in
ducted into the armed forces, Di
rector McCormick pointed out,
, and are not to be confused with
the regular Selective Service
Questionnaire upon which classi
fication for military service is
i based.
"It is especially important," he
said, "that registrants in military
age groups who reoieve an occu
oational questionnaire before
they receive the regular question
na:ro keep this distinction care
fully in mind. The two question
naires are entirely separated in
purpose. The occupational ques
, tionnaire is sent to a registrant
of military age only because of
the possibility that he may not
qualify for military service. He
then, however, will be available
, for civilian war effort. He must
fill out and return both question
naires.
When the occupational ques
tionnaires are returned to local
boards, the Director said, they
are checked for completeness
and accuracy, and then are sep
arated into the several sections
of which they are composed. One
i for the attention of its Popula
tion Division which is tabulating
this data for the Selective Serv
ice System, another section is for
warded to the proper United
States Employment Service of
fice in the area in which the lo
cal hoard has jurisdiction. The
third section, which duplicates
the data of the other two, is re
tained by the local board.
Save $2 by paying in advance
'or your subscription.
a Past Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of
Washington and Alaska.
Alaska Flora Authority
He was more than a local figure in one particular
activity. His interest in the flower and other botanical
specimens of our section of Alaska was known outside
the Territory and of the United States. He has been
heard to say that from his mother he acquired a love
for flowers and an interest in them and their growth.
And he maintained the interest as his chief hobby
throughout his long life. He would be the first each
Spring to find the earliest flowers, and his desk was
seldom without a small bowl of them during the sum
mer. In this country that seems bleak and barren to
many he found and catalogued more specimens, it is
reported, than have been found in any other one local
ity, with one or two exceptions. And in so doing he
discovered several new specie and has had them ac
cepted nationally and internationally as such. One or
more of those bear his name in recognition of his dis
covery.