25 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LX No. 149 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1958_Per Copy—l!xr «
21 Catholic
Prelates Elevated
To Cardinal Rank
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By FRANK BRUTTO
VATICAN CITY, UP) — Pope
John XXIII today formally ele
vated the Archbishops of Phila
delphia and Boston and 21 other
Roman Catholic Prelates to the
rank of Cardinal.
The Pontiff, himself crowned
supreme ruler of the church only
last month, increased the mem
bership of the sacred college to7
74 and gave the world’s half
billion members of the chaurch
their broadest representation ever
in the high Senate body.
Elevation of the new Cardinals
broke the limit of 70 set for the
college by Pope Sixtus V in 1586.
In his address to the sacred col
lege telling of his choices, the
Pontiff called particular atten
tion to the persecution of Catho
lics by the Communist regime in
China. Missionaries have been
expelled and many archbishops
and bishops, “full of zeal and
courage, are in prison, or restric
ted or impeded in the free exer
cise of their pastoral ministry,’’
he said.
The two Americans, Richard
James Cushing, 63, of Boston, and
John F. O’Hara, 70, Philadelphia,
received the word at the North
American Pontifical College, high
on Rome’s Janiculum Hill. Also
notified with them was Amleto
Cigognani, whose elevation ended
his 26-year tenure as Apostolic
Delegate to the United States.
The Pope did not say directly
whether he intends to increase
the size of the college still more
in the future, as has been specu
lated. But he did say that he had
in mind many other prelates of
the church who had “proved
themselves very worthy of this
high honor.”
The new Cardinals are from
nine nations, including the 13 from
Italy. They bring the number of
nations represented in the col
lege to 27. Mexico and Uruguay
obtained their first Princes of the
Church.
USO Show To Be
Open To Local Public
Another USO Show is coming
our way on December 26th, it has
been announced by Sgt. Jim Blan
ning, to which the public is in
vited.
There will be one performance
at 8 p.m. at the school auditorium,
with a cast of 14, with the show
called “Paris Calling.”
Tickets will be made available
at the City Clerk’s office some
tipie next week, and will be lim
ited to adults and students of
High School. Seventh and eighth
grade students may also attend, if
accompanied by parents.
POLE OF INACCESSIBILITY
IN ANTARCTICA REACHED
BY SOVIET OBSERVATION MEN
LONDON, ifft — A Soviet Ant
arctic observation station has been
set up at the Pole of inaccessi
bility.
Deep in Antarctica, the Pole
is 600 miles toward the Indian
Ocean from the geographic South
Pole.
The Pole of Inaccessibility was
named as the spot regarded by
explorers as the most difficult to
reach overland.
An 18-member Soviet expedi
tion traveled 1,366 miles.
Seaton Denies
Report He Plans
To Quit Post
HONOLULU. UP> — Fred A. Sea
ton planned to return to Washing
ton Saturday, firmly denying a
report that he intends to resign
as Secretary of the Interior.
Seaton said the report arose
from a misunderstanding. He
said he told Charles Parmiter, po
litical reporter for the Honolulu
Star-Bulletin that he has no in
tention of pursuing a political ca
reer after 1960 and “I have told
reporters that in each of the 48
states.”
Parmiter said Seaton had vol
unteered that he intended to re
sign soon.
Seaton was in Honolulu to ad
dress the closing conference of
Republican leaders of 12 western
states and Hawaii.
Republicans Fight
For Control
WASHINGTON, UP) — A group
of 10 Republicans who rate them
selves as liberals voted unani
mously today to undertake a fight
for control of the Senate leader
ship of their party.
Their spokesman, Sen. George
Aiken (R-Vt) announced that they
intend to present “a full slate of
candidates at the Senate Repub
lican conference i n January
which will be representative of
the Republican Party as shown by
the voters in the last election.”
The action posed the prospect of
a fight with Senator Styles
Bridges of New Hampshire, chair
man of the Senate GOP policy
committee, and Senator Everett
Dirksen 0R-I11), who apparently
is Bridges’ choice to succeed Sen.
William F. Knowland' (R-Calif),
as Republican floor leader.
It also raised the possibility
that Bridges himself may seek
the floor leadership if it appears
Dirksen might be in danger of
losing.
Bridges has been quoted as say
ing that if it is necessary to avoid
a fight he will step in and take
over the leadership.
Since Bridges is the senior Re
publican, most Congressional ob
servers feel it would be difficult
to defeat him.
Aiken said the group did not
endorse any candidates today, but
will do so when it meets again
on December 30.
One of those at the meeting was
Senator Thomas H. Kuchel of Cal
ifornia. Several of those present
back Kuchel for the post of Re
publican whip.
Aiken said all those at the
meeting are strong supporters of
President Eisenhower, but when
asked if the White House had giv
en them any encouragement, he
said:
“We haven’t heard a peep from
the White House, but we would
welcome some encouragement
from there.”
He also said the movement had
not been discussed with Vice Pres
ident Richard M. Nixon.
There will be 32 Republicans in
the new Senate.
WEATHER FORECAST
Fair today and tonight with
increasing cloudiness Tuesday.
Lowest temperature expected to
night 6, the high tomorrow 24.
Sunrise at 9:57 a. m., sunset
at 1:57 p.m.
Extremes this date since 1907:
highest 37 in 1932, lowest -30
in 1935.
GOP Leaders
Predict Balanced
Budget From Ike
WASHINGTON, (VP) — Repub
lican Congressional leaders pre
dicted after a conference with
President Eisenhower today that
the Administration will send Con
gress a balanced budget calling
for spending about 80 billion dol
lars next year.
Spending of that size would
compare with an estimated $70,
200,000,000 in the fiscal year which
started July 1.
Senator Styles Bridges OR-NH)
gave newsmen the new 80 billion
dollar estimate after he and other
GOP leaders had conferred with
Eisenhower on the Administra
tion’s 1950 legislative program.
Bridges’ estimate appeared to
dash Eisenhower’s hopes for a
general reduction in federal spend
ing. But Bridges predicted that
the budget Eisenhower will send
to Congress next month will be
balanced.
Prospects in the current fiscal
year are for a deficit of about 12
billion dollars.
Bridges is chairman of the Sen
ate Republican Policy Committee
He said that of the 80 billion dol
lar estimated total for the new
year, the Administration goal is
to keep defense spending at about
this year’s calculated level —
$40,800,000,000.
Gas Main
Explodes In
Pa. Town
ALLENTOWN, Pa., I* — A
darkroom technician who wanted
to fee a newspaper photographer
stopped on his way home from
work to take pictures of a gas
main explosion. Minutes later, he
and six other curious spectators
lost their lives in a second blast.
Lester S. Riyealssuk, 29, a cam
era bug hired last September by
the Allentown Call-Chronicle, was
driving home late Saturday night
after work. As he reached the
outskirts of this Southeastern
Pennsylvania city, he saw a huge
jet of flaming gas shoot up
through the street paving from
a broken main.
He parked and ran with his
camera to the front porch of the
120-year-old Mountainville Hotel,
a good spot from which to see
the spectacular fire. Others also
had gathered on the porch, or near
it, to watch.
Minutes later the seond explo
sion ripped the building apart.
Tons of' brick and stone buried
the six victims. Twenty-three
others were injured, two crit
cally.
The second blast was followed
by a series of lesser explosions as
leaking gas ignited in the streets
around the hotel.
The operators of the hotel, ac
tually a tavern with living quar
ters on the second floor, were
Mr. and Mrs. George Andresack.
Mrs. Andresack’s timely warning
to some 50 patrons probably kept
the death toll down.
“I went to the cellar door after
I smelled gas and when I opened
it, the odor was very heavy,” she
said.
“I yelled to the patrons to put
cut their cigarettes and get out
because I was afraid of an ex
plosion.”
Moments after the bar patrons
left, the hotel was destroyed.
Edith McCaf ferty, Partially Blind Native
Girl, Regains Sight At ANS Hospital
-<®
‘Dangerous’ Flights
U.S. Responsibility
Says U.S.S.R.
LONDON, UH — The Soviet
Union today protested the “un
provoked fire opened by a U. S.
military aircraft upon a soviet
fighter” near Latvia, Moscow ra
dio reported.
The note was in reply to a
U. S. note of November 13, ask
ing information about 11 Amer
ican fliers whose plane crashed
in Soviet Armenia in September.
In the note, Moscow said, the
Soviet government had reiterated
that all responsibility for “dan
gerous fights by U. S. aircraft”
and violation of Soviet frontiers
rests with the American govern
ment.
The broadcast said the note
charged that an American military
plane had opened fire on a So
viet plane “near the territory of
the U.S.S.R. in the area of the
town of Ventspils, Latvia.”
It said it was clearly estab
lished that American planes on
November 7 and 8 had carried out
deliberate flights for hostile pur
poses in the Baltic and in the
Far East.
The note called on the U. S.
government to forbid once and
for all U. S. Air Force flights
toward the state frontiers of the
U.S.S.R.
I _
Moscow Charges
Western Big Three
Ignoring Proposals,
LONDON, Ml — Moscow radio
charged the foreign ministers of
the Western big three with ig
noring the Soviet proposal to
make Berlin a demilitarized free
city.
The Soviet radio said the West
ern communique ‘'bears witness
to their unwillingness to allow
any change in the abnormal sit
uation in Berlin.
“In essence, it gives no reply
to the Soviet proposals.”
This was followed by a fresh
promise in Pravda to defend
Communist East Germany from
aggression.
“The Soviet Union will not be
hampered by irresponsible threats
made by certain Western wind
bags who declare they will hold
a clear road to Berlin with
troops and tanks,” the party or
gan said.
Mechanic Taken For
Flight Without Pilot
OAKLAND, Calif., MB — An un
piloted private plane took off at
Oakland Airport yesterday with
a mechanic dangling from a wing
strut.
The mechanic, Tony Herold, had
been changing the ignition switch.
As he turned the propeller, the
single-engine Cessna came to life.
Herold grabbed a strut in an ef
fort to stop the plane, but it gath
ered speed, climbed 25 feet, dipped
and climbed again.
Herold let go on the second dip.
He suffered only cuts and bruises.
The plane bounced into three
gasoline trucks, cut off the tail
of another aircraft and crashed
to a stop against an airliner.
Estimated damage: $70,000.
ANCHORAGE, UP — A partial
ly blind Eskimo girl, Edith Me
Cafferty, 16, has regained nor
mal vision in her left eye after
the first corneal transplant ever
made in Alaska.
The operation was performed
two weeks ago at the Alaska Na
tive Health Service Hospital here
and announced as a success today.
Hospital physicians said a sec
ond transplant was planned for
the youngster’s right eye if an
other cornea becomes available.
Edith’s home is in the Norton
Sound village of Elim, 90 miles
east of Nome, but she has been
in Anchorage since last October
for mastoid surgery at the hos
pital.
Dr. Thomas Rambo, a mastoid
specialist from New York City,
and Dr. Milo Fritz, an Anchorage
specialist and consultant to the
ANHS, examined the girl during
a field trip to Kotzebue last May.
The Alaska Eye, Ear, Nose and
Throat Foundation sponsored the
field trip by the two physicians,
who found the girl partially blind
because of infection related to her
mastoid condition.
The hospital likened the opera
tion to the replacement of a frosted
window pane with clear glass,
with a new and clear cornea re
placing one through which the
patient is unable to see. The op
eration was developed in 1906,
hospital officials said, but had
never been performed in Alaska.
The hospital said the healthy
cornea was taken from a patient
whose eye had to be removed be
cause of another disease, which
did not affect the quality of the
cornea.
The hospital said the welfare
branch of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs has been given legal cus
tody of the youngster, to provide
training required since she has
regained her sight.
“The medical success of the op
eration would have been meaning
less without good post-operative
planning,” the hospital said.
The rehabilitation work has
been a joint effort of both gov
ernmental and non-governmental
agencies, the native agency said.
Soviet Plane Finds
Abandoned Tent
Near Antarctic Wreck
LONDON, t/H—A Soviet search
pilot today found a tent less
than two miles from the wreck of
a Belgian plane in the Antarctic
but saw no trace of four missing
explorers.
The Belgians, with only enough
food to last until Tuesday, had
left a note in the plane four days
ago saying they were setting out
on foot over treacherous icy waste
land to a supply depot 80 miles
away.
Radio Moscow said Soviet polar
pilot Victor Perov had spotted the
tent' in Queen Maud Land and
landed there. Htrfound the tent
empty and no dne about.
Perov searched the area for 25
minutes and then took off again
to look for the missing men from
the air.
The Belgians said in their note
that they had food enough to last
until Tuesday.
The Belgians’ plane had been
missing since December 6. They
are members of the Belgian Ant
arctic Expedition.