* Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. ”Ihc News of the l)av In Pictures** Member of I he Associated Pres**
'■ ■ * - - ___. ______ ________________ ________________________________ _______
~_ THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 138. NOME. ALASKA, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1942 P« Copy is#
Jap Planes Run Out Of Aleutians
21 Senators Protest to FDR, Mine Closing Order
American and Canadian Flyers Run
Jap Fighter PlanevS Out of Aluetians
Allied Airmen Run Up Remarkable Score of 22 to 1
In One Month Since September First
By William Worden
Headquarters of the Alaskan Army Air Force, Oct.
13 (/P) — American and Canadian airmen have appar
ently run Japanese fighter planes from the Aleutian
skies. Army officers reached that conclusion on the
basis that on Kiska bombing raids, Jap floating fighters
worried unescorted American bombers during the sum
mer but failing against fighters since September first,
,, Allied airmen have run up a remarkable 22 to 1 score,
in one month. More important, they seem to have ex
hausted the supply as the last fighter opposition at
Kiska was on October 3rd when six attacked bombers
but American fighter downed five of them. Some have
been sighted on the water but they never attempted
take-offs, apparently being disabled. Jap anti-aircraft
fire is still plentiful and has improving accuracy.
The Japs are also continuing stubbornly efforts to
reinforce Kiska by water. The airmen usually find one
to five ships in the Kiska bombing area but very few
warships have been seen recently.
* President Urges Drafting of 18 and 19
^ ear-Olds and Rationing of Manpower
Workers Must Be Kept From Changing Jobs At Will
And Ration Manpower As We Ration Materials
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (/P) — Delayed—President
Roosevelt, asserting that Allied strength was “on the:
upgrade” arid the enemy is growing nervous, tonight,
urged drafting of 18 and 19-year-olds so that the
Army with the spirit and hardness of youth, may
shorten the war with annihilating new offensives.
At the same time, the President called for rationing
• of manpower. Workers must be kept from changing
jobs at will, he said. Pirating of one employer’s labor
by another must be forbidden. The objective must be
“the right number of people in the right places at the
right time.”
In addition there was a hint of second front plans to
divert “enemy forces from Russia and China to other
theaters of war, by new offensives against Germany
and Japan.”
The President, terming the war a conflict to deter
mine “whether the march of progress will proceed or
be halted by totality conquest,” declared the United
Nation’s victory will be a “victory for oppressed and
enslaved people everywhere.”
In his Columbus Day statement he said “Our cause
is not only for liberty for ourselves but for liberation
for others.”
United Nations Strength On Upgrade — Axis at Peak
He pictured as jittery the lot of Axis leaders, ner
vously watching the strength of the United Nations
« grow while their own diminishes. “The strength of the
United Nations is on the upgrade in this war and the
Axis leaders, on the other hand, know by now that they
have reached their full strength and that their steadily
mounting losses in men and material can not be fully
replaced. Germany and Japan already are realizing
what the inevitable result will be when the total
strength of the United Nations hits them at additional
places on the earth’s surface.
He added: “I believe it will be necessary to lower
the present minimum age limit for selective service,
from 20 years down to 18. We have learned how inevi
table this is and how important to the speeding up of
victory.”
Turning to the manpower problem, he said the na
tion is learning to ration materials and now must learn
to ration manpower. He outlined two objectives:
“First—To select and train men to the highest fight
ing efficiency needed for our armed forces in the
achievement of victory over our enemies in combat;
“Second —To man our war industries and farms
with the workers needed to produce the arms, muni
tions and food required by ourselves and our fighting
allies to win this war.”
U. S. Deals Japs
Terrific Beating
Land. Sea and Air
Washington, Oct. 13 (/P)
— From the tropic Solo
mom to the chill Aleutians
United States forces dealt
the Japanese a terrific beat
ing on land, sea and air, in
the past 6 days. The Navy
disclosed in three communi
ques that Army 4-motored
bombers showered incen
diarv & demolition bombs
on Kiska on October 8th,
9th, and 10th. New fires
were started where the
Japs had been bombed
steadily for several weeks.
No Jap planes took the air.
Anti-aircraft fire was light
and no planes were lost al
though some were damag
ed.
A task force of cruisers
and destroyers waylaid a
Japanese force trying to
land reinforcements at
Guadalcanal Sunday night,
and sank a heavy cruiser, 4
destroyers and one trans
port. One unidentified Unit
ed States destroyer was
lost. Torpedo planes and
dive bombers, chasing the
Predicts Virtual
Shut-Down Of
Alaska Mines
—
Seattle, Oct. 13 (/P)—The
virtual shutdown of Alaska
i gold mines and the shift
| iug of several thousand
miners to war work was
i predicted by Commission
er of Mines Stewart, who
said “All mine workers,
nearly 6,000 in 1941, but
that number, reduced to
trained men readily absorb
: ed in the mountainous jobs
to be done in Alaska in con
nection with the war, is too
few.
“The mines which pro
duce the badly needed min
erals of platinum, tung
'sten, antimony, tin and
' mercury are not affected
by the order to close down
and will continue to oper
ate."
Stewart is here after con
ferences in Washington
I and he plans to return im
1 mediately to Alaska.
i
fleeing Japs the next day.
badly damaged at least an
other cruiser and probably
sank a destroyer.
Mine Closing Order Applicable to All
Mining Less than 100 Yards Per Month
The following wire was sent by the Miners and Mer
chants Bank of Nome, to Anthony J. Dimond, Delegate
from Alaska, at Washington, D. C. :
Newspaper states WPB orders shut down gold mines
by October fifteenth Does this refer our small placer
hydraulic and dredge operations If so they should have
time to dig dredges into safe winter quarters Our sea
son almost closed anyway stop What are limits with
reference size of operation not affected by order stop
Cessation placer mining will deprive bulk of our pop
ulaion of means livlihood including many natives who
will have no other means livlihood Please telegraph
collect sufficient details to supply clear understanding
for future.
The following answer was received:
Washington, D. C., Oct. 14
Miners and Merchants Bank of Alaska, Nome, Alaska.
Gold mine closing order dated October eighth is ap
plicable to all gold mines except those mining less than
one hundred tons of ore or less than one hundred cubic
yards of gravel per month and provisional exemption
also conditionally granted gold mines production ore
mining other strategic metals stop The order requires
the mines to close in the shortest possible time and
forbids commencement of new development work or
new operation after seven days and requires all opera
tions to cease within sixty days from the date of the
order.
I have urged WPB that Alaska operations should be
permitted to complete season’s planned work by min
ing the ground already uncovered, within the sixty day
period described in the order and the WPB has wired
Ben Stewart for advicq and information on this point
stop The order contemplates that all machinery and
equipment will be put in protected and safe condition
within the sixty day period and thereafter maintenance
charges only will be permitted stop It is virtually cer
tain that closed mines will not be allowed to resume
operations until after the war stop The manpower or
der issued yesterday plans the transfer of workmen
from closed gold mines to mines producing strategic
metals. Copies of both orders air mailed you.
Navy Loses 3 Heavy Cruisers
* *
In Occupation of Solomon Is.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (/P)—The Navy announced
that three of its heavy cruisers, the Quincy, the Vin
cennes, and the Astoria were sunk in a naval battle
on August 9th, during an early phase of the American
occupation of the Solomons. The majority of the per
ersonnel were saved said a communique, but still there
were many casualties. Captain Samuel Moore, com
manding the Quincy, was among those killed. The^
sinkings brought the Navy’s announced losses ' ' '■
Solomons to 9 ships sunk-: 3 cruisers, 2 destroy*.
4 transports. In addition the Navy announce
stroyers were damaged. ,!inm
Lost in the same action was the Australia i i j(jt,n:,
Canberra, whose sinking was already annou ^1, B:,u'
the Australian government. 'b^rs°N
The cruisers were part of a screening force co'923 f\
the landing of additional troops and supplies ii
Guadalcanal and Tulagi area, on the night of Aut1253
8-9, after the original surprise attack on the Japs’ * ts,
sitions there was carried out on August 7. 'or.
About 1:45 a.m. on August 9th, a communique said,’
enemy aircraft dropped flares over the transports and
supply ships. Simulanteously a force of enemy cruisers
and destroyers skirted the south coast of Savo island
at high speed and headed for the transprts. On sight
ing the United Nations protecting force southeast of
Savo. the enemy opened fire immediately with guns
and torpedoes, damaging and setting fire to the Can
berra which sank iater in the morning. After this brief
engagement, this force of Japs altered their course to
go through the passage northeast of Savo where it en
countered another screen of cruisers and destroyers,
and a battle at close range began.
The Navy said “the action was fought with guns and
torpedoes with the targets illuminated by searchlights
and star-shells. The enemy fire was heavy and accurate
and the U. S heavy cruisers Vincennes and Quincy
were hit repeatedly and sunk during the night. The
third cruiser, the Astoria, was badly damaged and
burned throughout the night and sank the following
morning ."
21 Senators
Protest Mine
Closing Order
Washington, Oct. 13 (/P)
— Twenty-one Senators
protested to the President
in a letter made public,
against the closing of gold
mines, and asked that the
War Production Board or
der be stayed. The letter
told the President that the
order would release only a
few miners to work in strat
egiv metal mines and will
disrupt the economy and
morale of gold mining
| areas.
Germans (Jaim
Berlin, Oct. 13 (/P)— The
German command said U
boats sank the 23,000 ton
British liner Orcades and
the 20,000 ton Canadian
liner Duchess of Atholl. It
was declared they were
“engaged in transporting
troops to Egypt and the
Middle East.” There was
I no confirmation of this
j claim from any Allied
[ source.
United Mine
Workers Start
“X" Drives
Cincinnati, Oct. 13 (/P) —
John L. Lewis announced
that the United Mine Work
ers will start a “V” organ
ization drive among 20,000
chemical workers in West
Virginia and 50.000 coal
mine and supervisory em
ployees and among “great
segments of agricultural
labor.’’ The UMW agreed
to work a 6-day week and
asked the government to
cooperate with them in
transportation prices and
priorities for mining equip
ment and supplies.
HALTED IN NORWAY
GERMAN MUTINY IS
LONDON, Oct — Reuter’s
news agency carried a Stockholm
report telling of a mutiny of be
tween 3000 and 4000 German sol
diers at Atla in far northern
Norway.
The Stockholm dispatch said
that 17 of the mutineers were
sentenced to death and that 17
German officers had been dis
missed for failure to halt the
mutiny.
Write to your friends and rela
tives on the ‘Outside,’ using Sour
i'ugh Stationery They’ll get a
i big kick out of it