THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday, bv The Nome
Publishing Company, Nome. Alaska
Telephone Main 114 P. O Box 518
Subscription Rates Payable In Advance
Delivered by caxrder in Nome ard Little Creek for $2.00 per month.
By mail, postage paid, outside of Nome & vicinity. $1.50 per month.
Entered in the Post Office in Nome as 2nd Class Matter
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
STOP WORRYING ALASKA
When Heny Ford was recently asked what he intended doing
after the war. with the many-million dollar airplane factory he
now has under construction he answered that he intended to con
tinue to build airplanes in it, and added that it would be only
a few short years until Americans by the thousands would bie
flying their own planes. That is the sort of attitude which is the
answer to the g'bom purveyors who are spending most of their
time just now wondering what is to become of us when the de
fense boom days are over. Instead of visualizing catastrophe,
Henry Ford meets the challenge of the future by envisioning
new and glorious vistas of accomplishment for American invent
ive genius and industry.
In the minds and on the tongues of Alaskans is the constant
question “what is going to happen to Alaska when the construc
tion period of the defense program comes to an end? A logical
enough question, to be sure, for the consideration of Alaskan
business men and Alaskans in general,
We certainly lay no claim to the prophetic quality of judge
trrent which has characterized the career of Henry Ford, but if
an octaganarian who has slaved in tire workhouse of industry
. since childhood can look tomorrow in the face with the joy of
battle in his eye. a virile young country like Alaska can surely
•do no less.
In the first place, we do not believe that defense work in Al
aska will be completed this year or the next or the next. We
believe that it is just getting nice y started and that present
Alaska posts will be extended and new ones added to the end
^ that Alaska defenses shall be so impregnable that no enemy will
attack.
In the second place no system of defense bases is of full value
Xithout connecting highways and communication system, the
Hiding and maintenance of which will require the work of
\v men for many years. Again, in these days of vital im
Yee of the air arm of defense and offense, no military pro
.< Is completed without the construction of numerous further
airfields, again, requiring plenty of labor.
In the third place, A askans must, have a poor opinion of
their great land indeed if they believe that of all the thousands
of workmen and selectees who are coming to know the country
there w 11 not be many who wil desire to take advantage of the
opportunities it offers for good living and advancment. In the
general economic turmoil which will follow the present hysteria
hundreds if not thousands of men who have come to knew the
country are certain to compare favorably what Alaska has to
•offer with the strife and chaos outside.
In the fourth place, regardless of the eventual outcome, it is
important that our thinking now be along constructively optimis
tic lines. We, of Alaska, should be making every possible effort
to seize ho d on this prosperity and make it permanent. We
should be making ourtities as livable and attractive as possible.
We should be doing everything which our finances and our ab
ility permit to provide conditions which are inviting to the man
with a family and to emphasize the manifold advantages which
«re a part of Alaskan citizenship.
Mark Twain once said that he had noticed that the things he
Worried about almost never happened. Stop worrying Alaska: Yes
terday is gone, today is on the way out — but tomorrow is all
yours to do with what you will.
This 3-story hotel building in Torrance, Calif., on the outskirts
of Los Angeles, was one of several score structures damaged by
* sharp earthquake, the mbit severe in eight years, which shook
the Los Angeles area. Guests fled the building as the temblor
showered bricks into the street and were ordered to find lodgings
elsewhere when the structure was condemned.
OFFENSE, NOT DEFENSE IS
REASON FOR FORTIFYING
ALASKA, SAYS COREY FORD
♦
“A'aska Gets Hot!”
That’s the striking title of an
article appearing in the Collier’s
Weekly issue of November 29.
Written by Corey Ford, nation
ally known writer who spent the
past summer fishing and prowl
ing around Alaska, in company
with a fellow scribe, Dan Hol
land, the piece is the most com
prehensive digest of the way this
Territory is preparing for mili
tary activity yet to appear in a
magazine.
Ford, in his article, starts at
Dutch Harbor, then .goes to Ko
diak and finally to Sitka in his
story of the modern mirac’e of
turning tundra and rocky islands
into streamlined naval bases with
in a year. Colorful, he paints the
picture of $100,900,000 being pour
ed into Alaska to make it ready
and the white population doubl
ing within 12 months as soldiers,
sailors, marines and defense
crews arrive by the boatloads,
Wants More Bases
Most striking is a colored map
along with the article, showing
how the Aleutian Islands lie
along the shortest route between
Tokyo and Seattle, something
few residents of th.e States ap
preciate. Of interest, also, is his
stand that more bases should be
built at Adak, Kiska, and Attu,
fortifying the Aleutian chain to
the very tip.
Alaska is being mad" ready,
the Collier’s article assures the
reader, then Ford asks:
“Ready for what? Invasion?
Military experts generally scoff
at the idea that an enemy would
attempt to capture a territory so
far from home, so sparsely set
tled and undeveloped that it
would be impossible to hold it
successfully. Attack by Para
chute troops? Air-borne tanks?
A siege of Alaska by an enemy
fleet? No; none of these. Con
trary to popular impression our
Army and Navy are not primar
, ily concerned today with Alas
kan defense. There is another
reason for all the military pre
paration goiing on up there in
such a .hurry right now.
i “That reason is offense.
Good Parlor Game
"Take a globe and a piece of
string. Put one end of the string
on Tokyo, and the other on Seat
tle. The string will cross the
Aleutian Islands twice. Dutch
Harbor, you will find, lies smack
in the middle of the shortest
ocean highway between the Unit
ed States and Japan. Now swing
the western end of your string
down as far as Manila. Still it
will pass only a few hundred
miles south of the .Aleutians.
Actually it is shorter to Manila
by way of Dutch Harbor than by
way of Honolulu. (Impossible?
Check it yourself). Even the
southern islands of Guam and
Luzon, you will find, are nearer
our Pacific coast by way of Al
aska than by way of the Haw
aiians."
Ford describes Alaska’s string
of defense, or offense, bases as a
"pipeline” for the Navy. Dutch
Harbor is the center of the first
and frontline section of this line.
Kodiak is the principal spot in
the second section, and Sitka the
capital for the third and final
section. If Dutch Harbor is tak
en, fleet operations would fa'l
back to Kodiak, and if that base
falls, they will retire to Sitka.
But as the U. S. pipe line short
ens, the pipe line of the enemy!
in waging its war must lengthen.
Ford points out, with the attend
ant difficulties of waging war
via a long supply route.
Discourage Attack
“The mere existence of well
fortified bases in these islands
would have a strongly deterring
effect in an tendency to trespass
on the Philippines, the East In
dies, Singapore, or Australia,”
Ford asserts. “Furthermore, in
this thousand - mile Aleutian
chain there are at least three
harbors —Dutch Harbor, A dak
and Kiska —which are larger
than any harbors in the South
Pacific east of the Philippines.
The capacities of Pearl Harbor,
Pago Pago and Guam are respec
tively, four, seven and eleven
first c ass ships; the capacity of
Adak Harbor alone is 23 ships,
Kiska could accomodate 40, and
Dutch Harbor could furnish ec
commodations for the entire
fleet. I
The military plan anticipated
by the Admirals and Generals
was explained by Ford thus; '
“Alaska’s role is to keep the
peace; but, if war comes to the
Pacific, Dutch Harbor is the spot
they all figure would be thd
most logical target for an enemy
attack. Not invasion, but a token
bombing. “There are three rea
sons,’ a Navy official explained,
‘why this place would be Num
ber One on the list First Is its
offensive position; an enemy
would naturally wish to remove
it, for his own security, before
| it could strike at him. Second,
such a bombing of an Alaskan
base would have an immensely
stimulating effect on enemy mor
ale at home; and Dutch Harbor
' is the nearest. Third and most
important, any attack on Alaska
: would bring our ships rushing
from all directions, thereby im
j mobilizing a large portion of our
fleet in the North Pacific and
leaving the southern waters less
adequately protected.’ ”
Job In Alaska
And here’s what Ford advocat
es at the end of his article;
“We’ve secured our position in
the Atlantic and our job is now
to finish safeguarding our North
Pacific position as well. We
should hasten to select, equip and
fortify fleet, submarine and air
bases all the way out the Aleu
tian Islands — to and including
Attu. That way only can we
anchor securely our Pacific tri
I angle of defense. That way only
lean we offset any possible Nazi
I thrust at the Western Hemi
i sphere via Alaska and Canada,
jand send adequate ships and
planes from our island bases to
slash at the invader’s flanks. That
way, and that alone, can we dis
| courage permanetnly any Orient
j al attempts to trespass on our
West Coast, on Hawaii, on the
Philippines, even on Singapore
and the East Indies.
“Only with the whole Aleutian
chain fully fortified and ready
can we really dictate peace in
the Pacific.”
Federated Church
Wilbur P. Wood, Pastor
11:00 a m.—Church School
7:45 p.m. — Worship service.
Sermon topic: “Searching the
Scriptures.” A quartette will
sing.
Sermon topic: “This Bewilder
ed World.” Anthem by the choir.
Lavinia Wallace Young Mission
Miss Constance Erickson,
Superintendent
11:00 a m.—Church School
5:30 p.m.—Worship service.
A Bible Sunday sermon will
be preached.
Catholic Church
Father J.I. McHugh, S.J. (Pastor)
Sunday Masses 8 and 10 a. m.
Sunday Benediction 7:30 p. m.
FEDERATED CHURCH
HAS ANNUAL MEETING
The annual meeting of the Fed
erated Congregational-Methodist
Church of Nome was held Wed
nesday night, following a cov
ered dish supper in the social
room of the church, and both the |
meeting and supper were well
attended.
The principal action taken at
the meeting was voting to pay
$100 a year on the church indebt
edness of about $550 and to pay,
at the request of the Home Mis
sion Boards of both supporting;
churches, an additional $25 a
month toward the pastor’s sal
ary. The church is looking for!
and expecting the support of the
community in these actions. Good j
annual reports were heard from;
all departments of the church. ,
Subscribe for The Nome Nugget j
PASSENGERS AND EXPRESS TO 8
ALL PARTS OF ALASKA I
Approximately One Dollar of Each Fare
Is Spent for Passenger Insurance
WIEN ALASKA AIRLINES
NOME FAIRBANKS
-> *1* *1* *> v •> *J* *> *1* •> *> v* 4» •!« •!* *3* »!• ❖ *J* *1* •!* •!* *> *!• •> »> *J* *> *3* *}* v 4* *> •> ♦S* ^ *1* *J* ^ 4> ’?•«$••(• *fr
j; MINERS & MERCHANTS BANK OF ALASKA |
5 NOME, ALASKA +
I +- +
- . *
J An Alaskan Bank Which Has Served This j
j Community Continuously Since 1904 J
f. GENERAL BANKING BUSINESS CONDUCTED |
Muncy Transfers Made to Any Point In i
f States By Wire or Draft t
Carry Your Money to the States in the f
| SAFE Way, By Draft *
\ GOLD DUST PURCHASED |
►++++++++++++*+•• ♦++++t+tt+t*+M+++*+H++t++tm+i
*
IMAGINE AN ACH E—Miami Beach, Fla., fishermen be*
lleve that this three*inch*wide tooth, dredged from the Atlantic,
must have come from a shark 70 or 80 feet long. Normally sharks
measure some 20 feet, have molars like those shown.
CONVALESCING AFTER APPENDECTOMY
Maureen O Hara, firm actress from Ireland, was convalescing in
her Hollywod home from an emergency appendectomy performed
the day after she returned from Reno, Nev., where she obtained
a divorce from George Brown, British film director.