THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
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NOME, ALASKA
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E„ P. BOUCHER .. Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY.. Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at Woe
post office at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1379.
INSPECTION !
A
.
FREE GOLD BILL NEEDED
AS AID TO A SICK INDUSTRY
(Anchorage Daily News)
Senator Alan Bible of Nevada recently ripped into
the administration, especially the interior department
for letting the United States mining industry go to pot.
As a representative of one of the nation’s foremost
mining states, he was pretty mad at the last mineral
production report issued by the interior department.
He said that in reporting a gain of three-fourths billion dollars to
a record high of $18.3 billions for 1957, the interior department
had hoodwinked the people because of the mining industry had
actually deteriorated instead of improving. Up here in Alaska we
can side in with Senator Bible. We know a little of what he’s
talking about.
Here are some of the plain facts the senator quoted about the
mining industry:
During the past year American production of metals decreased
11.6 per cent and this despite the fact that we need more and more
precious metals of all kinds for missiles, jets, tools of war.
During the past two years 719 of 720 tungsten mines on Ameri
can soil closed down.
Domestic chrome in 1957 decreased five per cent. Copper pro
duction also dropped five per cent. During the same period imports
of these metals increased by six per cent.
During the last half of 1957 copper dropped from 36 cents a
pound to 27 cents a pound.
A great influx of foreign mined lead and zinc has caused many
of this type of mining operations to cease during last year.
A long promised mineral program by the administration (Senator
Bible is a Democrat) failed to materialize and as a result the
mining industry is the weakest of all our industries—a situation no
doubt greatly pleasing to any potential enemy, the senator is
prompted to remark.
At one particular point in the senator’s denunciation the blast
became particularly hot.
“The administration should have made public,” he said on the
floor of the Senate, “that at no time in recent history has die en
tire mining industry of our country been in such a precarious posi
tion, that at no time in recent history has our country been so
likely to become entirely dependent on domestic sources for strategic
and critical minerals, and that these sources have been closing
down almost daily.”
Senator Bible is the voice in the wilderness for many Alaskans
who have squirmed under the lax mineral policy of the federal gov
ernment since the closure order placed on gold mining in 1942.
Senator Bible, however, has at least a partial solution and in
proposing this many Alaska will also be in accord. His speech on
January 9 of this year was inspired by his introduction of a bill
<S. 2951) to authorize the free transactions involving the sale, acquisi
tion or holding of gold within the United States and Territories
including Alaska.
The measure, if passed, would loosen the grip of the treasury
Department on gold and put it in the open, free market where
the price often runs a good deal more than the pre-set $35 an ounce.
The bill, if it passes, would at least inject a little blood plasma
into the sick mining industry. Most Alaskans will wish Senator
Bible God-speed in this piece of legislation.
U. S. LAUNCHES . . .
Continued from Page One
to fire one more satellite.”
Placing the Explorer in orbit
was no surprise to the Army
which claimed it could have done
the job long before the Sputniks
if it had been given the chance.
Medaris was so confident that
in a statement prepared several
days ago he predicted “about a
90 per cent degree probability”
for success on the Army’s first
| try.
The great blast of orange flame
that marked the Jupiter-C’s de
parture from the earth indicated
it was one of the most powerful
rockets ever launched here. Tak
ing off more quickly than other
[ big missiles, it gained momentum
r swiftly as its mighty engine
thrust it high into the starry
night sky.
Seven Minutes
Seven minutes after the blast
off, its satellite was in orbit.
Data picked up by the satellite
will be relayed to earth by two
radio transmitters. A high-pow
ered transmitter, broadcasting on
108.03 megacycles, will send out
; information on temperatures, in
side and outside the satellite.
Another of lower power will
broadcast impacts with cosmic
rays and meteorites.
The bigger battery is expected
to last two months. The other
probably will operate about two
months.
The launching of the Explorer
came on the eve of the second
birthday anniversary of the Army
Ballistic Missile agency at Hunts
ville, Ala. Medaris told newsmen
a celebration had been planned
at Huntsville and: “It’ll be a
whopper now.”
Confident
Asked what the Army will do
next, Medaris said it had made
several proposals for other pro
grams. He declined to amplify
but asserted “When your Army
runs out of resources, you’ll .be
in a heck of a fix.”
Pursuing an orbit ranging not
more than 35 degrees north or
south of the equator, the satellite
probably would not be seen much
north of a line extending from a
point south of Cape Hatteras,
N.C., to mid-California.
The orbit would not cross the
Soviet Union, and the southern
most circiut would be across the
southern tip of Africa, and the
northernmost circuit across Okla
homa City and southern Tibet in
Asia.
The Jupiter-C rocket, fully as
sembled wth all its stages, was
about 70 feet long.
Its main stage, a modified
Army Redstone missile, weighed
five tons and was more than 56
feet .long and 6 feet in diameter.
Clamped to the top of this huge
weapon by means of explosive
breakaway bolts and poised on a
turntable so that it could spin
freely, was a bucket containing
clusters of solid-propellant rock
ets.
Servicemen are now paying so
cial security tax. Their base pay
will count toward social security
benefits beginning this year.
I CARRIE McLAIN IN WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Spe
cial)—The nation’s capital had a
most enthusiastic visitor this
week when Mrs. Carrie McLain
of Nome visjted' here for the
first time. Mrs. McLain stopped
over in Washington while on a
trip throughout the States to
visit friends and relatives who
extend from one coast to the
other. The friends—mostly of for
mer days in Nome — are being
seen for the first time in many,
many years, but, as Mrs. Mc
Lain has found, their interest in
the Alaska they once knew has
not abated; she is constantly be
seiged with questions about
“home” and ifc having a wonder
ful time talking of the land she
knows so well and in which she
has made her home since 1905.
Last fall when Carrie McLain
left Nome her first stops were
right in the territory—Fairbanks,
Juneau and Sitka. Her stays in
each of those communities would
have been longer had it not been
her sights were set on the Inter
national Sourdough Reunion in
Seattle the end of August.
From Seattle Mrs. McLain vis
ited with a daughter she had not
seen in 12 years who now makes
her home in New Rockford, N.D.
While there she made her first
acquaintance with three grand
children. From North Dakota her
travels took her to Chicago where
she visited with her youngest sis
ter. It had been 37 years since the
sisters had seen one another.
A later stop in Minneapolis
provided a chance to see and visit
with Mary and Ethel Vogen,
friends from Nome «and Teller.
From the Middle West Mrs.
McLain proceeded to Queens City,
Tex., where her daughter Mar
jorie now makes her home. It had
been ten years since they had
seen one another and again three
grandchildren were met for the
first time.
From Texas she had opportun
ity to stop in Birmingham, Ala.,
where she was the guest of the
former Julia Brown of Nome.
While in the Washington area
visits were had with Mrs. Evelyn
Yager, a 20 - year resident of
Nome, and her niece, Mrs. Sarah
Chapman Lund. Mrs. Lund spent
eight years of her childhood in
Nome.
From Washington Mrs. Mc
Lain’s travels will take her to
her childhood home in New York
State where she has not been
since leaving there 53 years ago.
She also will visit friends and
relatives in New Jersey, Connec
ticut and Massachusetts before
turnjng west. Indiana, Nebraska,
Arizona and the Pacific Coast
states will be visited before Mrs.
McLain returns to Nome in June.
One further visit to Washing
ton may be made—Mrs. McLain
would like almost more than any
thing else to be present when
Alaska statehood is debated in.
the Congress of the United States.
EXPLORER STATISTICS
(By The Associated Press)
Shape: A pencil - like tube 80
inches long, and six inches in di
ameter.
Weight: 30.8 pounds, of which
12.67 pounds is the final stage
of the rocket with its fuel spent,
and 18.13 pounds, the satellite
instruments inside a steel case.
They are joined as one piece.
Orbit: Early estimates are it
comes as near as 185 to 230 miles
of the earth, and swings 1,230 to
2,000 mies out into space.
Round-trip time: 106 to 113
minutes.
Speed: 18,000 to 19,400 miles
per hour.
Estimated length of life: 2 to
10 years.
Contents: instruments to mea
sure cosmic rays, meteorites, and
temperatures, and two radio
transmatters to broadcast this in
formation to earth.
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