62nd Year No. 119 _NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1961Per Copy 15^
Fire Levels Teller
Commercial Co.
The Teller Commercial Co.,
historical landmark of Teller,
burned to the ground Monday in
a disastrous fire which took with
it half of the food supplies for
the community stored for the win
ter as well as all the personal
effects of Mr. and Mrs. Bob
Blodgett, the owners who lived
upstair in the large two-story
building.
The fire which is reported to
have originated on the second
floor was out of control before
it was discovered.
The Teller Commercial Co.
building has served Teller and
Port Clarence area since about
1901 and from 1916 to 1932 was
operated Ca X. Tom Peterson,
mining man, who also operated
the mail 'boat and freighted in
that area. Upon his death his wid
ow assisted by the widow of his
partner Ethel Marx operated the
store until they retired a few
years ago. CWm. Marx lost his life
in a snowstorm while returning
from Ear Mountain to Teller with
his dog team.) The store received
much publicity when owned and
operated by these women as it
was unusual to have women of
the far north operating a general
store of this type.
As it was feared the wind would
carry the fire to other parts of
the town, fire fighting equipment
was rushed from Nome by air,
with Dick Galleher taking the
equipment. The men working at
Pt. Spencer also went to Teller
and assisted in controlling the
blaze and keeping other build
ings from burning.
The Teller Commercial Co.
was partially insured, it was re
ported today and the fire ad
juster has already been to Tel
ler. Don Perkins reports that Bob
Blodgett is already making plans
for to rebuild on a concrete form
which has been laid. Although
overwhelmed with their loss of
both their business and all per
sonal .things, they are bravely
setting about planning for their
future in Teller.
Teller had two general stores,
the other being the North Star
Commercial Co., operated by Mary
Tweet and family. This is a
modern supermarket type of
building with a hotel on the
second floor and a lunch counter
in the store.
Mrs. Helen Blodgett came to
Nome this morning for supplies.
The staff of the Nugget joins
with other business houses in
Nome who have experienced fire
loss in extending sincere sympa
thy to the Blodgetts at this time.
Soviets Detonate
18th and Biggest Bomb
WASHINGTON UP) — The At
omic Energy Commission said
tonight the Soviet Union had ex
ploded another atmospheric test
ih the'Arctic.
The ABC statement, coming
hours after Paris and Tokyo re
ported the nuclear blast, said the
test device was detonated early
today in the vicinity of Novaya
-f Zemlya.
Today's blast was the 18th in
the Soviet Union’s current test
series, which began Sept. 1.
French government detection
service*, first to report the ex
plosion, called it the biggest yet.
Japanese experts estimated its
streugfti at 16 megatons.
A megaton is the equivalent of
^^^^mlUion tons of TNT.
Mrs. Khrushchev Tells
Peace Marchers Russians
Are Not Building Shelters
MOSCOW UR — Mrs. Nikta
Khrushchev told a group of West
ern “Peace Marchers” today that
the Soviet Union was making no
effort to build air raid shelters.
“There is no defense in a nu
clear war,” said Nina Khrushchev,
the wife of the Premier.
“Therefore we are not build
ing any bomb shelters. We are
not getting ready.”
Mrs. Khrushchev made her re
marks after spending an hour ex
changing pleasantries and de
bating disarmament with the
marchers, who arrived here Tues
day. The debate took place at
Moscow’s “House of Friendship,”
where Mrs. Khrushchev’s aides
served tea, chocolate and apples.
Most of the marchers did their
best to convince Mrs. Khrushchev
that, if the world refuses to dis
arm, one country should set a
good example by discarding all its
armaments. Mrs. Khrushchev de
clined to agree.
“We do not want to be the
only ones who throw our bombs
into the ocean,” she said.
She added that in the past 40
years, the Soviet Union has had
many unfortunate experiences
with war and does not want to
be in a position where it could
be trampled upon again.
Thirty-one persons from the
United States and Western Europe
participated in the march, which
began in December uf last year
in San Francisco.
Nikita Gives His Okay
For Erection of Wall
Between East-West Berlin
(LONDON W -- ■ Soviet Premier
Khrushchev appioCid' today the
erection of the wall between East
and West Berlin.
This was not surprising, since
the East Germans closed East Ber
lin’s (border with West Berlin Aug.
13 immediately after the Soviet
bloc Warsaw pact members
ordered effective border controls
to stop the flood of escaping re<
fugees.
Khrushchev also predicted a
German peace treaty would be
signed soon—but without specify
ing whether he meant between
the Soviet Union and East Ger
many alone. He has threatened to
s'gn such a treaty befcre the
end of the year.
Khrushchev’s views were stated
in a telegram to East German
Communist leaders c-n the 12th
anniversary of their regime.
U.S. Moves That U.N.
Debate Halting of
Nuclear Testing
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (Jf>—
The United States formally moved
today that U.N. Political Com
mittee give top priority to debate
on the question of halting test
explosions of nuclear weapons.
The Soviet Union immediately ob
jected.
The clash developed as the 100
nation committee met to organ
ize its work program for the cur
rent session of the General As
sembly. U.S. delegate Arthur
Dean told the delegates the ques
tions of nuclear testing “should
not be buried in the complexi
ties of disarmament negotiations.’’
Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister
Zorin insited that the discussions
should begin with the general
question of disarmament and that
nuclear testing was a part of this
problem.
> .*< •*«./
Uncle Sam Unveils
New, Simplified
1040 Tax Form
WASHINGTON <*> — Uncle
Sam unveiled the new, simplified,
two-page form 1040 to be used in
paying the tax on this year’s in
dividual incomes.
It presents the best effort of
the Internal Revenue Service to
use plain English instead of
legalistic gobbledegook, and it
eliminates one tax forw entirely
—the old 1040W.
The new form is printed on
better paper in bigger type. It
will arrive in December in a re
vised 1961 instruction book.
IRS Commissioner Mortimer M.
Caplin, who promised Congress
when he took office that he’d try
to make the annual struggle with
tax forms easier on taxpayers,
told a news conference:
“As long as the tax form was
a mirror the tax laws, we cannot
have complete simplification. But
we think the great bulk of people
can be better served with this
new basic two-page form.”
The new 1040 is for taxpayers
whose income came from salaries
and wages and who did not re- '
ceive more than $200 of dividends I
and interest.
The old form 1040A, the punch
card form, continues to be avail
able for those who made less than
$10,000 total income. It has been
only slightly revised.
Taxpayers who have more
than $200 of income from divi
dends, or interest or who have
income ffom farming, partner
ships, businesses, annuities or
capital gains must use additional
“schedules.” attaching them to
the new 1040.
One feature of the new form
gives Caplin particular pride, he
indicated; the entire tax computa
tion has been brought to the first
page of the return, eliminating
the need for taxpayers to flip
pages back and forth while carry
ing numbers in their heads.
Eliminated also is the question
whether you owed any federal
tax for previous years. “We have
that information,” Caplin said.
New Edition of Alaska
Compiled Laws Are
Ready For The Printer
JUNEAU UPl — The Legislative
Council has approved the award
of an $89,000 contract for publi
cation of the proposed revision
of the Laws of Alaska, Executive
Director John Doyle said today.
The contract will be awarded
to the Michie Co. of Charlottes
ville, N.C.
The Legislative Council’s staff
has been working on the new
statute revision since 1959. The
T962 Legislature will be asked to
approve the proposed formal re
vision by reference and appro
priate money for its publication.
Under the terms of the contract,
the state would receive 700 sets
of the statutes for official use
and distribution.
The Michie Co. would have ex
clusive right to private sales in
and out of Alaska. Under the con
tract, the maximum price which
the publisher could charge for a
set of the statutes in Alaska would
be $100. Annual upkeep of the
statutes would cost the state and
private persons in Alaska $15.
The proposed revision will re
place the Alaska compiled laws
annotated of 1948, the session
law volumes dated 1949 through
1961 and the session laws of 1962.
Stork Outruns
“Dr. Sheldon”, the
Bush Pilot’s Bush Pilot
ANCHORAGE \m — “Get off
the air—we’re having a baby in
flight,” was the word that went
out from the Anchorage Federal
Aviation Agency’s Air Traffic
Control Center to pilots request
ing landing instructions.
The baby was being born 4,000
feet over Talkeetna in a four
place Cessna 180 owned by bush
pilot Don Sheldon.
The flight started at Cantwell,
on the Alaska Railroad south of
Mt. McKinley, when Sheldon
picked up Mrs. Joanna Rock for
a routine trip to the Alaska Native
Hospital here. Over Talkeetna the
trip ceased to be routine, as Mrs.
Rock began to give birth to the
child.
Sheldon called FAA on his
radio and requested an ambulance
to meet him on arrival at Merrill
Field. He also requested instruc
tions for a doctor. /
Dr. Gloria Park, of the Native
Hospital, was called on the phone
and messages were relayed be
tween her and Sheldon via the ]
FAA controller.
Reports from the Alaska Native
Hospital say both the mother and
the baby boy, who doesn’t have
a name yet, are doing fine.
“Dt.” Sheldon, the bush pilot’s
bush pilot, hasn’t been available
for comment.
Navy Jet Accidentally
Downed by Sidewinder
WASHINGTON WV-Two Navy
jet fighters shot down a third
with a Sidewinder missile today
during a training exercise over
the Atlantic.
The Pentagon said the incident
happened about 60 miles off the
Virginia coast.
It was the second such incident
this year. Last April 7 a fighter
plane of the New Mexico Air
National Guard accidentally shot
down a B52 bomber with a Side
winder near Grants, N.M.
Three men died and five others
survived the B52 crash.
Swede is Named Director
General of International
Atomic Energy Agency
VIENNA, Austria UFl — A Swed
ish nuclear scientist, Dr. Sibvard
Eklund, was inaugurated as Di
rector-General of the East-West
International Atomic Energy
Agency' today. The Soviet chief
delegate, Vasily Emelyanov, walk
ed out in protest after sharply
worded attack on Eklund and the
Western powers.
The remainder of the Soviet
delegation stayed in the hall.
Emelyanov, in a statement im
mediately before Dr. Eklund was
sworn in, declared the election
would have “very negative con
sequences for the agency.” He
added that Eklund “will not en
joy the support of the socialist
countries as Director-General.”
He charged the election had
been “railroaded by the Western
majority in the agency.”
Last night he announced that
he would advise his government
to withdraw from the 76-nation
Atoms-for-Peace Agency in pro
test against what he called “com
plete lack of international col
laboration.”
U.S. diplomats took the view
that the Soviet threat to with
draw from the agency was part
of the Kremlin scheme to para
lyze the United Nations.
Speaker Rayburn
May Hold Out
Several Months
DALLAS, Tex. (A — House
Speaker Sam Rayburn, suffering
from extensive cancer, looks a
little better today, his physicians
said.
They reported in a bulletin that
Rayburn no longer was under
sedation and was resting comfort
ably.
Rayburn, 79, entered Baylor
Hospital Monday after he failed
to respond to treatment in his
hometown of Bonham, Tex. He
left Washington Aug. 31 for his
home saying he wanted to rest for
what he called lumbago causing
pains in the back.
Doctors said Thursday after ex
tensive tests that the cancer has
spread to such an extent that no
further surgery was anticipated.
Only visitors permitted are mem
bers of his family, a hospital
spokesman said.
Vice President and Mrs. Lyndon
Johnson arrived at Baylor Hos
pital at midmoring for a visit with
Rayburn.
In Washington, President Ken
j nedy asked the nation to join him
and Mrs. Kennedy “in praying for
Speaker Rayburn, who has served
his nation so well and so faith
fully for so many years.”
Depending on “Mr. Sam’s’*
stamina, one doctor said, he could
hold out for several months, even
longer. Another said “Two or
three weeks” seemed more likely.
JFK SETS CIVIL
DEFENSE GOAL FOR
[FALLOUT PROTECTION
WASHINGTON UPl — President
Kennedy set a Civil Defense goal
today at fallout protection for
every American.
In a letter to the Civil Defense
Committee of the Governors’ Con
ference, Kennedy said this pro
tection should be provided “as
rapidly as possible.”
'Radioactive fallout could ac
count for most of the casualties
in an H-Bomb attack, Kennedy
said.
“Protection against this threat
is within reach of an informed
America willing to face the facts
and act,” he said.
The President conferred this
morning with Gov; Nelson Rocke
feller of New York, who urged
him to draw clear lines of re
sponsibility for protecting the
public in case of a massive nu
clear attack. Rockefeller is Chair
man of the Governor’s Confer
ence Civil Defense Committee.
All Service Organizations
To Participate In
Nome’s Civil Defense
The Civil Defense organization
held the second of its organiza
tional meetings on Wednesday
evening at which time it was re
ported that heads of all service
organizations in the community
were being contacted, as well as
the medical staff and public
health agencies.
From the results of the meeting
of these representatives it is
hoped to formulate the community
Civil Defense program and launch
it in accordance with the pro-'
gram being set up throughout the
nation.
Ash Craft of the U.S. Weather
Bureau gave a complete and de
tailed account of the work done
by the station on fallout.
'■ I