Oldest Newspaper in Alaska. “The News of The Dav In Pictures** Mem her Of I he Associated Press
. ’’ THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 28. NOME, ALASKA, * FRIDAY, March 6, 1942. Copy W
Approve Alaska Int’nationa! Hiway
Dutch Admit Situation On Java
Is Serious But Is Not Hopeless
UNDATED, March 6 (AP) — Dutch headquarters
acknowledged a mounting crisis today in the battle of
Java as Allied troops are being worn down by the
greatly superior Japanese invasion forces, while Tok
yo announced the fall of Batavia, the scorched-earth
capital of the Netherlands East Indies. Aneta news
agency said practically all of western Java was over
run by the invaders, and Dutch, American. Australian,
and British troops have fallen back to new positions.
A bulletin from the NEI headquarters admitted the
capture of Jogjakarta, city of 140,000 population, by a
Japanese thrust knifing almost to the south coast of
Java. Thus, the 622-mile-long island is cut in two in
the central section. The Dutch communique detailed
the situation as serious but still not hopeless. They
said fierce battles are raging throughout the island,
the Allies offering desperate resistance. Dutch troops
are said to have recaptured one point.
The thunder of artillery fire was heard in Bandoeng
itself, as Jap forces are reported less than 25 miles
away.
Invaders Virtually Overrun Island
j
UNDATED, March 5 (AP) — Java appeared doom
ed to conquest of Japan’s invasion hordes captured at
least six key towns and imediately threatened both the
old capital of Batavia and the Allied headquarters at
Bandoeng. They bombed the last possible harbor from
, which United Nations reinforcements might debark.
Starkly summarizing the crisis, a bulletin from the
Dutch headquarters acknowledged that the enemy is
“advancing continually,” and fierce battles are now
raging all ovei^the island. The communique said that
Rising Sun bombers are also attempting to knock out
the port of Tjilatjap on the Java south coast to prevent
fighter reinforcement or the escape of the island’s de
fenders.
Against a grim backdrop of tragedy with Java an
apparent sequel to Hongkong, Malaya, and Singapore,
MacArthur’s headquarters in the Philippines reported
a heavy blow to Japan’s armies of conquest. MacAr
thur said a thousand Jap troops were believed drowned
in the surprise raid earlier this week by his little air
force, on Subic Bay on the north Bataan Peninsula
fighting front where big troop laden transports were
bombed and sent to the bottom. It is the first time that
MacArthur has reported that American planes have
met no aerial opposition.
A bulletin from the NEI headquarters indicated that
the Jap invaders are virtually over-running the 622
mile long island of Java, advancing in many sectors
despite the “heroic, courageous resistance” of Ameri
can, British, Australian and Dutch soldiers.
MacArthur Reports Japs Fear Uprising;
WASHINGTON. March 6 (AP) — The War Depart
ment reported that the success of the Subic Bay air
attack, announced two days ago, was believed to have
dislocated the Japs, whose planes made an immediate
renewal of the offensive aga*nst MacArthur’s forces.
Enemy activities in the last 24 hours have been neg
ligible, the department said. Also the Japanese army
order, directing Filipinos in occupied areas to surren
der guns and blade weapons of every description, was
interpreted by MacArthur as indicating the invaders
are afraid of a popular uprising.
TOM MOONEY DIES AT SAN FRANCISCO
SAN FRANCISCO, March 6 (AP) — Death took
Tom Mooney, aged 58, after only three years of free
dom from the prison sentence, which organized labor
the world over, fought for with undying tenacity, dur
ing his 22 years behind prison walls.
Mooney died in a hospital at 2:25 a. m. He suffered
from recurrent stomach ulcers and underwent his
fourth operation in three years, Monday. His sister,
Ann, and his brother, John, were at the bedside.
Announces Fall
Of Batavia
Tokyo Radio
San Francisco, March 5
(AP) — CBS heard the
Tokyo radio proclaim the
fall of Batavia, which was
said to be “completely occu
pied,” at 9:30 p.m. Japan
time today.
German Planes
Raid Moscow
.No Damage
LONDON, March 5 (AP)
The Russian radio announc
ed that German planes,
, raided Moscow Thursday
night “at random and in
flicting insignificant dam
age,” athough there was
some damage. This is the
first reported air raid al
arm on Moscow since Dec.
i
23 when 50 planes appear
ed.
Mining Men
To Carry On
Operations
i SEATTLE, March 2 — Good
news for the interior of Alaska
' and the Alaska mining industry'
was related at the recent meet
ing in Seattle of the Alaska Min
er’s Association when J. K. Crow
dy, manager of the New York
Alaska Gold Dredging Company,
revealed the operations of his
company would continue along
’ normal lines this year.
Letter From Earling
Al Anderson, secretary of the
association, also read a letter
from Roy B. Earling, vice-presi
dent and manager of the United
States Smelting. Refining and
Mining Company in Alaska, in
which Mr. Earling stated the op
eration of his company would
continue on a basis as near as
normal as war time conditions
would permit.
Members of the Association in
Seattle admit it is impossible at
this time to determine definitely
the exact number of operations
planed for this year and the ex
tent of these operations.
Plan To Carry On
It is known, however, that the
majority of operators who have
been in Seattle this winter plan
to carry on at least a portion of
their work.
Of course the transportation
situation and the availability of
fuel oil must be taken into con
sideration. Nevertheless all the
i mining operators from Alaska
I who are now in Seattle expressd
| themselves along lines which in
; dicate they will carry on their
operations on as large a scale as
| wartime conditions will permit.
Now is the time to look over
y-our job printing needs for the
spring and summer. The Nig
get Office will be glad to consult
with you as to your wants and
prices on same.
i ..
Three Bombs
Dropped On
Honolulu
__________
HONOLULU, Mar. 4 (AP)
|— The Army announced
l more than 12 hours later
that the three explosions
which aroused residents at
2 a m., Honolulu time,
were from three medium
sized bombs dropped by
presumably an enemy air
plane flying at a great
1 height, launched possibly
: from a cruiser or carrier.
There were no casualties
and the only damage was
broken windows, as the
bombs landed in the out
skirts of the city. This was
the first air raid on Hawaii
(sinee December 7th.
Japs Report
Planes Bomb
Their Island
NEW YORK, Mar. 4 (AP)
— CBS heard a Tokyo
broadcast that 30 planes of,
an unspecified nationality
I attacked the Japanese is
land of Minamitori Shima
of the Bonin Group, 3,000
miles west of Honolulu.
One building was fired and
8 casualties suffered in the
raid, which was repulsed
with seven raiders downed
The island is 1,000 miles
northwest of Wake and is
the easternmost of the Bon
in Group, which is 1,200
miles southeast of Tokyo.
There is always one irrefutable
answer to the worried question
of what will become of this grow
ing generation. It will grow up.
- - _
Alaska International Highway
J
Approved By Defense Board
j "
WASHINGTON, March 5 (AP) — The long-pro
jected Alaska Highway, War Secretary Stimson said,
was approved by the joint American-Canadian board
He indicated that construction will be started as soon
as “engineer troops,” assigned to make surveys, lay out
the pioneer road, Stimson said at a press conference.
He didn’t announce the route the road will take or other
details.
Construction Is to Start Immediately
OTTAWA, March (5 (AP) — Announcing that the
Canadian cabinet approved the recommendations of
the U. S.-Canadian Joint Defense Board, for comple
tion of the projected overland route from the United
States to Alaska, Prime Minister King announced that
construction will start immediately. The route, he said,
will follow approximately the new air route from For:
St. John, B. C., to Alaska. The highway from Fort St.
John to Fairbanks will connect existing Canadian and
U. S. highways.
The cost of the road is estimated at from twenty live
to thirty million dollars, the construction and war
time maintenance of which is to be paid for by the
United States.
Leon Henderson Says No Rubber
Available l or 30 Million U.S. Cars
WASHINGTON, March 5 (AP) —Leon Henderson
I told a Senate defense investigating committee that
“not a single pound of crude rubber” is available for
new tires or retreads" for upwards of thirty million
passenger cars now owned by ordinary citizens of this
country. The Director of Civilian Supplies testified
that this is the “most significant single statistic”
among the maze of details in the rubber situation,
I which he will offer later before the Senate investigate
, ing group.
I He estimated that the United Nations will need two
million tons, whereas “the most optimistic estimate”
I of supply sources is about 1,400,000 tons.
He said, at best he believed that only about 7 and a
half million of the autos of the present thirty million
could be kept operating in the next three years, due
to wearing out of tires.
' " "T
GIANT JAPANESE PINCERS THREATEN JAVA
|
t
The siege of Singapore is but one incident in the broad Japanese plan of conquest
in the southwest Pacific—a plan which presents this map-picture of Nipponese
thrusts aimed mainly at invasion of the fabulously rich Dutch island of Java.
Meanwhile, to the west the JaJpanese push into Burma and eastward continue
threats to islands north of Australia.
DOG TEAM BURDEN RACE SUN., MARCH 8