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Fair and Colder | I MONDAY,
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VOL. 41. No. 154. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 1939 Price per copy 154
--’-’-’- .. - -■ -- -—-==-^- - , ■ -...=
Hans Mirow Killed In Rescue Flight
Earthquakes Felt In Three Parts Of The World
Gov. Declares Airbase Contractors Discriminating
Earthquake
Is Felt Los
Angeles Area
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 27 <iT») —
A qiuake was felt in Los Angeles
at Ll:29 am Pacific Standard
Time which rocked the Associat
ed Press office located on the
fourth floor of the Herald Ex
press building.
The California Institute of Tech
nology’s seismograph laboratory
reported the quake was not large
although it may have been strong
enough to have caused some dam
age. The Laboratory estimated
the center of the quake to be
about 50 miles from the labora
tory but said it couldn’t be deter
mined in which direction.
The shaking was felt in Long
Beach for about 10 seconds.
There were no reports of dam
age but it was said to be the
hardest since the disasterous 1933
earthquake.
Glendale and Alhambra also re
ported sharp shocks and so did
Anaheim.
In the 33-storv Los Angeles
City Hall chandelier swayed for
a few seconds and pictures on
some of the walls went awry.
Hundreds Killed
By Earthquake
In Turkey
ANKARA Turkey. Dec. 27 (A»i
—Hundreds were reported killed
and whole villages destroyed by
a quake which shook northern
Anatolia. Four shocks were felt:
in Ankara between 2 am and 5
am Tuesday.
Accurate information of the
damage caused was not immed
iately available because com
munications were disrupted. Of
ficials said reports indicated that
major catastrophe quakes center
apparently along the Black Sea
coast and in Turkey in Asia.
Heavy damage is reported at
Ordu, Samsun, Tokat, Amasia,
Sivas and Yozgad. Thousands
are reported to have abandoned
towns for fields, fearing addition;
al shocks.
_
Quake Strikes
San Salvador
SAN SALVADOR, Dec. 27 (JP)
— A fairly heavy quake shook
San Salvador at 5:15 am frighten
ing inhabitants but causing no |
damage here. Whether the shock j
caused damage in the provinces
is not yet known. The quake is
the second felt in San Salvador
within a few hours.
Several provinces were shaken
late yesterday but no casualties
or damage was reported.
'
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Kegoayah Public Library now
open at City Hall Friday even
ings from 7 to 7:30 pm.
British Admiralty
Announces Plans
For 200,000 Mines
UNDATED, Dec. 27 <A>)—Fresh
troops in the snowy Finnish-So
viet battlefields and a new mine
screen around the British Isles
broadened Europe’s two wars.
The Finnish military command
reported that Russia is sending
300,000 more soldiers to the war
fronts where the outnumbered
Finns held up the Soviet advanc
es and inflicted severe losses
since the war started.
Friends of Stalin reported that
command of the new troops are
heading toward a renewed offens
ive on the central Arctic fronts.
Military observers expressed the
belief that the Russians are count
ing on bissecting Finland.
In the central front drive Rus
sia reported only “petty skir
mishes.” in yesterday’s fighting
out the Finns declared that the
widespread Soviet attack was re
pulsed leaving 700 Red soldiers
dead on the frozen lake of Suv
anto and 23 Soviet planes were
sa d to have been downed.
Aid from financial contribu
tions and volunteer fighters sent
to Finland by the Swedish gov
ernment and the movement of
volunteers from Sweden has not
been recognized officially be-;
cause of Sweden’s neutrality pol
icy but hundreds are known to
have joined the fight against
Russia.
Over Christmas week calm was
maintained on the Western Eu-;
ropean front.
The British Admiralty disclos
ed plans for a huge new mine
field 30 to 40 miles wide and
500 miles long extending from
the Orkney Islands to Dover
Straits as a measure to counter
the German submarine and
mine menace which has taken i
such a heavy toll of British ship
p:ng. The minefield will lie about
eight miles off the coast thus per
milting coastal shipping to move;
in relative safety. Naval sources
said 200.000 mines wou’d be used.
Gov. Discloses
Disrimination
Against Alaskans
JUNEAU, Dec. 23 <7P) — Gov
ernor Gruening severely criticiz
ed the Sitka and Kodiak airbase
contractors for “violation of the
expressed policy of the Navy De
partment” to give Alaskan pref
erence or an even break in the
project employment.
After a visit to Sitka Gruenng
sad he found “the grossest dis
crimination” against Alaskans.
He termed an outrage the nul
ifying of the administration's pur
pose of increasing the population
of Alaska by aiding in the livli
hood of those settled here.
He said he would take the
matter up persona ly with the
Navy Department on his trip to
Washington in January.
Ten Wrecks On
Nazi R. R. Systems
Since Otober 8
KARLSRUHE, Germany, Dec.
23 ifP) — Germany officials an
nounced two disasterous train
wrecks yesterday and claimed
hat 182 lives were lost and in
jured 139.
Fifty were kifled and 30 in
jured when a passenger and
a freight train collided head on at
top speed between Marksdorf
and Kluftern. 132 were killed
and 109 injured when two pas
senger trains collided at Gcnthin.
Officials declined to comment
specifically but blackout and fog
was generally blamed for the
fact.
Ten wrecks have plagued the j
system since October 8. costing
319 lives and injuring more than
311.
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Hitler Walks
Into France
On Christmas
j BERLIN, Dec. 26 UP)—Author
itative sources reported that Hit
ler walked across the frontier in
i to France while he was spending
Christmas with the German fore
es at the west wall fortifications.
This was the first time since 1918
| that Hitler set foot on French
soil. Informants said he was then
a corporal in the 16th Bavarian
reserves.
The account said that on Christ
mas Eve orderlies carrying gifts
packages and Hitler crossed the
frontier into that which is now
No Man’s Land but which until
a few weeks ago was occupied by
the French.
He spent some time in the vic
;".v'y of Spichercn Heights ‘oe
i tween Snarbrucken and Forbach.
, Led by the captain commanding
that section he visited the
French concrete dugouts then
walked through the woods to the
extreme front line. Informants
said that he made an easy tar
get for French guns.
Hitler promoted the Captain
who was his guide to the rank
of Major.
Christmas Week
End Takes 684
Lives In U. S.
UNDATED, Dec. 26 (A5) — A
new compilation showed that at
least 681 persons died violently
on the three-'day holiday and
week-end in the United States.
445 persons were killed in
autos; 51 were burned to death;
52 were stabbed and shot and
put to death by other violence.
Every state and the District of
Columbia were represented and |
California’s 65 deaths was the
largest toll.
s
CETTINC THE ONCE-OVE R—Details of its performance are still secret, but here Is a
SSSsrSfes “TSS
P plane. After Its factory tests, it wUl *et a once-over by the L. S. navy.
MI ROWS WRECKED PLANE IS
FOUND 6 MILES WEST KALTAG
Mi row's Body Arrived Nome Today
With Pilot Frank Whaley
J
—
Pilot Frank Whaley arrived at
[Nome 1:45 pm today with the
body of Pilot Hans Mirow, and
gave the following personal inter
[view to the Nome Nugget:
At 10:20 am December 23rd,
Pilot Bert Lien, flying a CAA
Fairchild plane accompanied by
Inspector Burnette sighted Mi
! row’s wrecked plane six miles
west of Kaltag, approximately
500 feet north of the telephone
line. Frank Whaley accompanied
: by Fred Chambers in a Wien Air
lines plane were searching along
lthe south side of the phone line
in close proximity to Lien at the
time.
Both planes circled the wreck
ed plane and returned to Kaltag
where six dog teams were im
i mediately dispatched to the
; scene of the wreck. Frank Whal
: ey, by air, directed the dog
, teams to the location of the
wreck. Upon arrival there which
i was in timber, the airplane (gull
! wing Stinson) was found in an
almost perpendicular position, in
dicating that the plane apparent
: ly struck the ground at a very
sharp angle, the left wing being
partly crumpled under the plane. f
It is evident that the crash was
not anticipated as Mirow and
Peter Bystedte who accompanied [
him, were in their seats with [
Mirow's hands on the controls;
the ignition switch on and the,
gasoline valves open.
Pilot Mirow, responding to the
distress call of Pilot Chambers, j
wdio with passengers w'as forced]
down on Nulato River, left Nome
at 9 am Decemebr 20th for the
scene of Chamber’s plane, going
via Unalakleet, taking on gas at
that point and leaving Unalak-j
leet at 12:20 on the same day.)
Notwithstanding the adverse
weather conditions then prevail j
:ng; Mirow, realizing the condi-[
tions at the Chambers plane!
where a woman and infant baby1
were amongst the passengers, evi:
dently determined to reach them |
and render assistance, attempt
ing to force his way through the
inclement weather, and on this
errand of mercy, risked and gave
his life that others might be
saved.
Since approximatey one foot of
snow had fallen between the
hour of the crash and the time
the plane was located, it is very
difficult to say just what caused
the crash, but since the Kaltag
weather observer, only six miles
away, recorded only a 300 foot
ceiling at that hour, heavy snow,
and with visibility less than one
mile, it is generally believed by
! those viewing the wreck, that the
visbility of Pilot Mirow was so
limited that he struck the tops
of tall trees at the west end of a
small clearing while attempting
to follow the phone line into Kal
tag.
Fred Chamber, Bert Lien, and
Inspector Burnette, assisted by
several Kaltag natives removed
the bodies from the plane and
they were taken to Kaltag arriv
ing there at 4 pm.
The following day the bodies
of Bystedte & Mirow were taken
from Kaltag to Nulato by Pilot
Frank Whaley where they were
prepared for shipment to their
respective locations, Mirow to
Nome with Pilot Whaley & By
stedte to Anchorage with Pilot
Jefford. Heavy snowstorms how
ever, prevented plane move
ments out of Nulato in any direc
tion until today when Jefford ac
tompanied by Chambers with a
tri-motored Stinson arrived with
Bystedte’s body at Anchorage
Whaley accompanied by Mike
Walsh arrived with Mirow’s body
at Nome.
In the passing of Hans Mirow.
the territory of Alaska has un
doubtedly lost one of its most
xmrageous pilots whose flying
ability was recognized and ad
mired by all his fellow airmen.
Funeral arrangements will be
announced later.
Mayor Kansas j
City Quits
KANSAS CITY, Dec. 27 {/P) —
Mayor Bryce Smith resigned his
office tn become effective Satur
day after a switch in the City
Council voting which returned
the Pendergast Democratic ma
chine faction into power. His re
signation followed the Council’s
abrupt shaking off of Smith’s
suggestion that a town man be
named as city manager to clean
up waste & payroll padding con
ditions disclosed by the Federal
county grand jury.
The Council named William
Drennon, aged 73, retired insur
ance executive as city manager
over Smith’s opposition.
Finns Repulse
Renewed Attacks
HELSINKI, Dec. 27 (JP) —The
smashing of the renewed Russian
assaults on half a dozen fronts by
the stonewall Finish defense was
reported b ythe high command
after a day of Russian air raids
on numerous cities.
The Russians retreated from
the strategic Lieksa sector with
the Finns following and captur
ing seven tanks the Finns an
nounced ad listed a series of ac
tions on the Karelian Isthmus
north of Lake Ladoga. A com
munique said said all but one of
the attacks were repulsed.
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