THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Telephone: Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
P.O. Box 618 $16.00 A YEAR
Subscribers not receiving their papers by 5:30 p.m. call
Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the
oostoffice at Nome. Alaska under the Act of March 3. 1879
SPARKMAN SAYS ADMIT ALASKA
Senator John Sparkman, Alabama Democrat, said
recently Alaska should be admitted to the Union as
a state if Hawaii is granted admission. Sparkman did
not say he would oppose statehood for Hawaii but said
he would press an effort to have Alaska included in
the same movement for admission.
The argument against admitting Alaska has re
volved largely around the fact that over 90 percent
of the territory of Alaska is under federal ownership
and, therefore, exempt from state taxation. Sparkman
says this situation could be gradually remedied since
the federal government does not intend to maintain
ownership of this land indefinitely.
There seems to be merit to Sparkman’s argument.
We do not believe that because the federal government
owns a large percentage of the Territory of Alaska
this situation bars statehood for this strategic territory.
The remedy to this situation need not come before
statehood but could easily be worked out after statehood
is granted. Although present indications are that
statehood for Hawaii is near a reality and that Alaska
may be left out, we believe there is much merit in
Sparkman’s suggestion that both territories be made
states at the same time, if they are to gain statehood.
World’s Only
Native Bismuth
Mine Near Nome
By SEN. HOWARD LYNG
Bismuth, the magic metal of the !
atomic age, is found in its native '
form not far from Nome. To
date this is the only place it is
so found on the North American j
continent, and as far as can be j
ascertained, in the world.
Native Bismuth was first dis- :
covered on Charley Creek, a trib
utary of Sinuck River, by John ‘
Dahl and Louis Erickson in 1902. j
The discovery point was approxi- 1
mately 35 miles north and slightly j
west of Nome and is accessible
over 26 miles of graveled I'oad
and 10 miles of tractor trail. The ]
property consists of six iode j
claims and five placer locations. ,
Native Bismuth. Inc., a corpora- ;
lien set up under the laws of the
Territory of Alaska, holds title to
all claims. The staking was done
in 1943.
Dahl and Erickson, in their in- ;
it; il prospecting did some open
cut work on both sides of Charley
Creek exposing two small veins
containing native bismuth. These
veins were 8 and 12 inches in
width, respectively. In 1908 the :
partners abandoned the prospect’
for lack of price and market.
Those years and for many more,
in fact until World War II, our
commercial bismuth requirements
were chiefly supplied by Asiatic
c i untries. The defection of much
of Asia from the free world has
changed all this.
Bismuth, which is produced
chiefly as a by-product of lead
and copper refining, is conse
quently in short supply and in
the- past has been limited by cartel
activities.
In 1951 Native Bismuth Inc., set
up a camp and moved a prospect
ing outfit onto the property.
Charley Creek was first dammed
and the creek diverted from the
exposed veins in the- creek bank.
An adit tunnel was started along
the strike of the vein and driven
to a dept of 54 feet. A bulldozer
was utilized in putting in 13 cross
cuts on the hillside, uncovering
the vein in 12 of them, and turn
ing up considerable bismuth float
in the 13th.
Exploratory work was contin
ued during the season of 1952 and
part of 1953 together with road
and trail work. Mapping of pro
perty, running of assays for bis
muth, gold and silver, as well as
other technical service was ac
complished in cooperation with
Nome Field Station and Assay Of
fice, Territorial Dept, of Mines,
under direction of Dan Jones, As
sociate Engineer.
The bismuth assays indicate
that a tenor of one to two per
cent is possible. The range is from
$40 to $30 per ton. Proven bound
aries of mineralized zone are:
length, 900 ft., widtli 700 ft., with
probably length 1,600 ft., width
900 ft.
At various times the property
has been visited by interested per
rons, mostly professional mining
men. Among them are J. A. Hard
lick and Robt. Thorne, both of the
U.S. Bureau of Mines, Region 1,
also Max White, Alaska Section
U.S. Geological Survey, 'Washing
ton. D.C.
This spring plans call for ex
tending the adit to a minimum of
500 feet and putting in at least
two 40 foot cross cuts out from
the adit. Channel cuts every five
feet along the extended adit will
be taken and run for assays. On
the most promising ore shoot, it
is planned to sink approximately
200 feet.
Officers of Native Bismuth, Inc.
are O. A. Margraf, president and
manager; D. M. Russell, vice
president; O. E. Margraf, secre
tary; Hilkey Robinson, treasurer.
Headquarters are at Nome.
"4-on" E piic le ~
Rescued Man
Owes Life To
Four People
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, UP1—I f
Frank (Tuffy) Edgington lives up
to his nickname and lives, he will
have a native woman, a woman
doctor, a bush pilot and a dog sled
driver to thank.
Edgington was brought to a
Fairbanks hospital early Wed
nesday in critical condition from
injuries received in a plane crash
on Yukon River ice four days ago.
With him at the time were his
wife, Rosalind, and a friend, Lot
tie, 55, a native woman. The wo
men, though cut and bruised,
pulled Edgington to a log cabin
on the river bank and then Miss
Justin walked three miles in 46
below-zero weather to the cabin
of John Swenson.
Swenson picked up Dr. Jean
Persons at Tanana after a 30-mile
run in lour hours with his dog
team, then took her back to Edg
ington in six hours.
Bob Byers, the bush pilot, flew
in from Fairbanks with blood
plasma, landing two hours before
Dr. Persons arrived at midnight.
He then flew the two women to
Tanana for treatment, returning
for Edgington and Dr. Persons.
They reached Fairbanks at 6:30
a.m. Wednesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Edgington are
both about 50.
Byers made his emergency land
ings on the Yukon ice by the light
of flaming gasoline cans. They
were set afire by the natives on
instructions broadcast from Radio
Stations KFAR and KFRB in Fair
banks.
Swenson’s mission with his dog
team was complicated by the
breaking of a stanchion on his
sled during the trek in cold and
darkness over the rough river ice.
As a result he had to help his
dogs pull the sled. Some of his
dogs became* so exhaused on the
return trip with the 26-year-old
doctor that Swenson had to get a
change in dogs at “18-Mile Sta
tion.”
Johnson Named Head Of
Agricultural Committee
WASHINGTON, UPl-—Secretary of
Agriculture Benson Wednesday
appointed Phillip R. Johnson of
Fairbanks, as chairman of the Al
aska Agricultural Stabilization,
and Conservation Committee.
Johnson operates a homestead
which he cleared himself.
Benson said that Edward W.
Liebenthal, of Anchor Point, and
Simon J. Newcomb of Palmer will
continue as members of the com
mittee.
NOTE OF APPRECIATION
Mayor Andersen, on behalf of
ihe Nome Public Health Center,
wishes to thank the M-M Mem- j
orial Hospital staff, and all the
volunteer workers, who were so
generous of their lime and assist
ance in the administering of the
gamma globulin recently, for
polio.
City of Nome,
By Carrie M. McLain,
City Clerk
NOTICE
Seles f~x reports on retail sales
and serv'css for ihe quarter end
ing DEC. 31, 1955 must be in the
City Cl v s Office by JAN. 33,
1954. -"one not receiving a
Celle'r I- Ref rn orm
nr- v '. i the Civ s
O'
, ~ 4.
Nation ‘Marvelously Prosperous,’ Says
Eisenhower, And Urges ‘Bold Steps’
To Protect Our Economic Stability
By STERLING F. GREEN
WASHINGTON, President
Eisenhower Thursday termed the
nation “marvelously prosperous,”
predicted recovery this year from
a “brief and self-correcting” busi
ness dip and pledged to use the
government’s vast powers to com
bat a depression if one should
develop.
He proclaimed readiness—when
ever necessary to avert a depres
sion—to cut taxes, liberalize cred
it and launch large-scale public
works even at the cost of new
deficit financing.
And Eisenhower gave forceful
notice, in his economic report to
Congress, that it should take “bold
steps” requested in his 1954 legis
lative program to “protect and
promote economic stability.”
The program, he said, includes
the protection of millions more
workers under unemployment and
old-age insurance, and bigger ben
efit payments; federal aid for pub
lic works planning; stimulants to
housing; tax revision; highway
improvement; a new farm pro
gram; and a tariff program to en
courage foreign trade.
All this is “immediately advis
able action,” Eisenhower said,
adding that if he finds more
power is needed, he will ask for
it promptly.
Missing was an expected re
quest for an increase in the 75
cent minimum wage. Se-cretary of J
Labor Mitchell recently reported
that the administration was ex-'
ploring means to raise it to “a
more realistic level.” But Eisen
hower told Congress the time is
not ripe.
Of his economic program, out- ]
lined in a 35,000-word message, j
Eisenhower said:
“It is not a legislative program ]
-- _
i
John L. Lewis Denounces!
President's Proposals
For T-H Law Changes
WASHINGTON, UP! — John L.
Lewis today denounced President
Eisenhower‘s Taft - Hartley pro
posals as “pale palliatives, calcu
lated falsely to soothe rather ‘than
genuinely to cure the- manifold
inequities and injustices so deep
ly imbedded in the act.”
Lewis demanded repeal “in i
toto” of the 1947 labor-manage
ment relations law.
The president of the United
Mine Workers Union, in a letter
to Sen. Alexander Smith (R-NJ>,
“respectfully” declined an invita
tion to testify at hearings now
being held on the President’s pro
gram. Smith is chairman of thd
Senate Labor Committee.
of emergency measures, for the
current situation clearly does not
require one.
“Instead, it is a program for
stimulating economic growth and
minimizing any chance there may
be of serious economic difficulty
in the future.”
He set this goal for the econo
my: “An increasing national in
come, shared equitably among
those who contribute to its growth,
and achieved in dollars of stable
buying power.”
After a year in office, Eisen
hower reported national produc
tion at a record 367 billion dollars.
“Employment is high, prices are
steady, and wages and profits are
generally satisfactory,” he said.
But “there can be no certainty”
that the late-1953 dip in business
activity will not become a broader
and deeper movement than the
“minor adjustment” thus far re
corded, the President cautioned.
He described the contraction as
mainly an inventory adjustment—
a production slowdown intended
to reduce the rate of accumulation
of stocks.
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