22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 26 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 2, 1959 Per Copv—15<g
Don Dafoe Resigns
As Commissioner
Of Education
JUNEAU, UP)—Don Dafoe, Al
aska Commissioner of Education
for the last six years, resigned
today, effective April 3.
Dafoe addressed his resignation
to A. H. Ziegler of Ketchikan,
president of the State Board of
Education. A copy of the resigna
tion letter was sent to acting Gov
ernor Wade, along with a sep
arate letter detailing plans to
transfer the office.
Dafoe’s resignation from the
$16,000-a-year job came one week
after the Legislature had been
bombarded with telegrams from
education and teacher groups urg
ing that Dafoe be retained as head
of the Department of Education.
The commissioner made no ref
erence to last week’s telegrams
which were a reaction to a reso
lution by the South Central Dem
ocratic Committee at Anchorage
The committee had urged Dafoe’s
ouster.
Dafoe said in his letter he was
leaving to complete work on his
doctorate degree at Stanford Uni
versity.
He recommended the appoint
ment of Howard Matthews, assist
ant commissioner, as acting com
missioner, pending reorganization
of the state government.
The reorganization bill, key
measure of the first state law
making body, is now expected to
be introduced tomorrow.
The Education department is
likely to retain the commission
form of operation, but speculation
is that the head of the department
will be an appointee of the
Governor.
Bob Hope Will Heed
Doctors’ Advice In Hopes
For Eye Trouble Recovery
HOLLYWOOD, —“From now
on,” says Bob Hope, “I’m doing
whatever the doctor tells me. “I’ve
got too many places to see.”
Eye trouble threatens to come
between Hope and the places he
wants to see. He will fly to New
, York by jet liner today to see a
Columbia University specialist
about the ailment.
The comedian suffered a blood
clot in his left eye during a
Christmas holiday trip to enter
tain U. S. servicemen. He says vi
sion in the eye is now going fuzzy.
Hope said physicians have told
his wife he may lose full vision
in the eye unless he gets help.
ERIC BLORE, HOLLYWOOD
FILM BUTLER, DIES AT 71
HOLLYWOOD, UFi — Eric Blore,
71, the ’’gentleman’s gentleman,”
in two decades of Hollywood film,
died last night of a heart attack.
Blore’s career on the stage and
in films spanned a half century.
He appeared on the stage in Lon
don, where he was born, and in
New York before coming to Hol
lywood in 1934.
He retired after suffering a
stroke in 1956.
HEAVY FIGHTING IN ALGIERS
ALGIERS UPi — Algerian na
tionalist rebels struck with in
creased strength over the week
end. The rebels ambushed a mili
tary supply convoy, blew up two
trains, attacked a town with mor
tar fire and kidnaped 10 members
of an Italian immigrant family.
The French claimed that 87 reb
els were killed in operations.
Pilot Relates How
He Found Youm
Passenger Frozen
FORT YUKON, UP) — An Alas
kan bush pilot, his voice choked
with emotion, told Saturday how
he found his 16-year-old passen
ger frozen to death after his plane
crashed in the Arctic wilderness.
“I got down bn my knees and
prayed to God to forgive me if I
had done wrong in leaving her,”
Walter G. Lyon told a U. S. Com
missioner’s inquest here.
The 40-year-old Fairbanks man
said he had offered to fly Miss
Marie Martin to Arctic Village last
Tuesday to visit an uncle. En
route, he noticed animal tracks on
a small lake and landed to inves
tigate. The plane crashed on take
off. The couple was uninjured,
but a wing of the plane sheared
off.
With only a thermos of coffee
and one pair of snowshoes between
them, Lyon and the girl decided
to hike to the village, 20 miles
away. After a few hours in the
40-below zero weather, Lyon de
cided they were lost and thought
it best to return to the plane. Miss
Martin was exhausted and was
unable to continue.
“I gathered a stack of wood
. and built a fire for fier,” Lyon
said. “I told her to keep it burn
ing and-to walk around it to keep
from freezing to death while I
went back to get sleeping bags and
food.
“When I got back I saw her
body lying next to the ashes of
the fire. I got down on my knees
and prayed God to forgive me if
I’d done wrong.”
Lyon was rescued later that
day by Walter John, a trapper,
who came across his snowshoe
tracks.”
Demo. Caucus
Ponders Measure
For Reorganization
JUNEAU, (fft — Democratic
legislators held a long caucus be
hind closed doors Saturday amid
rumbles of discontent over the
handling of a bill to reorganize
the executive branch of govern
ment.
Some Democrats have objected
the measure was taken out of the
State Affairs Committee by the
majority Policy Committee.
There was no immediate word on
the exact nature of the Democrat
ic meeting and no indication there
woufd be a formal statement on
what was discussed.
Speculation, however, was that
the caucus was called to thrash
out differences in the reorganiza
tion bill which is designed to
streamline some 96 territorial
boards’ commissions, departments
and other agencies into the new
state government.
Provisions of the measure are
not definitely known but it is be
lieved the Board of Education
and the Fish and Game Commis
sion will be continued.
Apparently the bill is scheduled
to be introduced next week with
hopes for quick Senate and House
approval.
While the Democrats met, the
Legislature’s eight Republicans
had the afternoon off. Some of
them seemed to feel a real fight
had developed among the oppo
sition lawmakers. Commented one
GGP legislator:
“I’ll bet they come out of there
bleeding.”
Discoverer I Lost
In Polar Orbit
INGLEWOOD, Calif. iff! — The
Air Force believes its Discoverer
I rocket may have gone into some
kind of orbit — and is simply hav
ing trouble raising its voice
enough to let the world know
for sure.
Authofities say tracking sta
tions have picked up “sporadic
signals” tending “to confirm that
an orbit has been attained.”
Discoverer I, the first space ve
hicle aimed into an orbit which
would carry it over both North
and South Poles was launched
Saturday from Vandenberg Air
Force Base, 170 miles north of
Los Angeles.
A Navy ship 900 miles south
of the base received faint signals
from the bullet-shaped missile
shortly after it was fired. Then,
for hours, there was nothing.
Officials speculated something
may have gone wrong with the
radio equipment in the 1,300
pound projectile.
Of the random signals received
so far, authorities said, the most
reliable were picked up by track
ing stations at Edwards Air Force
Base, Calif., Annette, Alaska, and
Vandenberg.
The Air Force said the informa
tion at hand suggests Discoverer
may be circling the earth about
once every 96 minutes. It said the
preliminary data indicate the
rocket is about 146 miles from the
earth at the point of Its closest
approach, and 558 miles away at
the farthest point.
Texans Celebrate 125th
Anniv. of Declaration of
Independence from Mexico
WASHINGTON, Tex. OP) — A
rental payment 125 years overdue
gets paid off today as Texans
pause to celebrate the anniversary
of the signing of their declara
tion of independence.
Fifty-nine citizens of Mexico
gathered in a small blacksmith’s
shop in this tiny village on the
banks of the Brazos River in
Washington County on March 2,
1836.
They proclaimed their indepen
dence from Mexico and set up ad
ministrative machinery for the
Republic of Texas. But historians
say the group forgot to pay rent
of $55 for use of the blacksmith’s
shop to one Noah T. Byars.
Tom Whitehead Sr., Brenham,
executive director of the Texas
Independence Day organization,
will present a check to Miss Jew
ell Byars, Houston, a descendant
of Noah Byars.
PHILIPPINES ARE CHECKING
SOVIET SHIPS OFF LUZON
MANILA., OP) — The Philippine
Navy was ordered to usher five
Soviet trawlers to a naval base
today while authorities investigate
their appearance off Luzon
Island.
A foreign office spokesman said
the investigation might take an
other day or §p. The 100 or so
Soviets aboard the trawlers were
repoted impatient about thir de
tention.
MAMIE IS HOMESICK
PHOENIX, Ariz., OP) — Mamie
Eisenhower is eager to return
home, but she’ll stay in Phoenix
another week.
The President’s wife admitted
to newsmen Sunday she was get
ting a bit homesick, when she left
Valley Presbyterian Church in
nearby Scottsdale.
Senate Unanimous On Passage of
Bill Creating Alaska Court System
JUNEAU, m — A bill to estab
lish a judicial system for the na
tion’s newest state whipped
whipped through the Senate Sat
urday on a unanimous vote.
The measure would create a
state supreme court comprised of
three justices and an eight-judge
superior court. It calls for full
operation of the court system by
1961 but contains emergency pro
visions for more immediate acti
vation if necessary.
Continuing in the spirit of una
nimity, the Senate passed a bill
permitting the Governor to fill
legislative vacancies by appoint
ment, subject to confirmation by
the remaining lawmakers.
A House bill on the subject had
called for the district committee
of the political party originally
holding the vacant seat to make
the appointment. The House bill
is expected to die.
Also passed by the Senate Sat
urday was a measure that would
remove the Governor and Secre
tary of State from provisions of
Washington State Senate
Asks Alaska To Qiiit
Harboring Errant Fathers
OLYMPIA, LW — Alaskan legis
lators were asked by the Washing
ton Senate yesterday to adopt a
reciprocal father support act
which would enable Washington
State to catch up with delinquent
fathers in the 49th State.
Sen. Perry Woodall, Toppenish,
co-sponsor of the Senate joint
memorial No. 5, said Alaska in its
territorial status had been “sort
of a Mecca for fathers who aban
doned their families” since there
was no way to get at them when
they went to the north land.
He said enactment of the recip
rocal support act would make it
possible for Washington State offi
cials “to impress on Washington
boys who have gone to Alaska
that they should send a few bucks
down here to take care of their
children.”
The Senate approved the me
morial 41-0 and sent it to the
House.
Atlantic Cable Back
In Normal Operation
NEW YORK, UP) — The trans
Atlantic telephone system of the
American Telephone & Telegraph
Co. was back in normal operation
today, after the repair of a cable
break that created an interna
tional incident.
The cable system links the tel
ephone networks of the United
States and Canada with those of
Britain and eight European coun
tries.
The cable was broken February
21. A boarding party from the
United States Navy radar picket
ship Roy O. Hale searched the So
viet trawler Novorossisk for 70
minutes Thursday in an effort
to find if the ship had cut the
cable.
Lt. Donald Sheely said he found
no firm evidence of any intention
to cut the cable, and believed the
most probable explanation is that
the trawler cut it accidentally.
The Soviet Union called the
boarding “premeditated provoca
tion.”
The break was 1,000 feet under
the Atlantic, about 190 miles east
of Newfoundland. i
the state personnel laws. Its pas
age would mean Governor William
A. Egan would be permitted to
draw his, as yet undetermined,
salary, since he has not served
long enough to build up sick ben
efits.
The question of what the two
top men in the state will draw
in the way of wages is still any
body’s guess. A salary scale bill
for the two officials went to a
joint conference committee last
week.
The House proposed $24,000 for
the Governor and $17,500 for the
Secretary. The Senate upped the
Governor’s salary to $25,000 and
suggested $20,000 for the Secre
tary.
Saturday’ session brought the
fifth week of legislating to a close
with this box score:
Twenty-one bills have been en
acted into law.
There have been 175 bills in
troduced, not counting a dozen
committee substitute bills, scores
of memorials and resolutions. ,
Two bill have been defeated.
Mushing
Through
Washington
By FRANK W. VAILLE
i AP Special Washington Sei- >f*e>
WASHINGTON, W) — Alaskans
living in Hawaii _ without ever
leaving the 49th State? Impos
sible? Well', probably — but not
under proposals drafted by two
San Franciscans to carve Alaska
into 94 counties.
Hawaii would 'be the name of
one county, with Metlakatla as
the county seat. It would com
memorate joint efforts of Alaska
and the Pacific territory to achieve
statehood.
Little is known about the pro
posal, which makes no reference
to provisions of the Alaska Con
stitution providing for boroughs
instead of counties, except that
its authors are identified as J.
Wilbur Jones and Mrs. Marjorie
Metcalf Nielsen.
The document of some 100 mim
eographed pages and weighing
several pounds, was received by
Senators Ernest Gruening and
Bob Bartlett in envelopes bear
ing the Army’s postage frank with
the return address of Army En
gineers in San Francisco. Gruen
ing has written Army Secretary
Brucker asking what, if any, role
the Army Engineers may have
played in its preparation.
Copies To Alaska Legislature
A distribution list included as
part of the volume indicates that
more than 200 copies of the docu
ment were sent to members of the
Alaska Lgislatur, stat and city
officials, nwspapers in Alaska and
elsewhere, federal officials, inclu
ding President Eisenhower and In
terior Secretary Fred A. Seaton,
and to former Presidents Herbert
Hoover and Harry S. Tuman.
In the light of the constitutional
provision for boroughs instead of
counties, the assembled material
probably never will see the light
of day officially. But it still makes
interesting reading, and probably
could serve to touch off many an
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