Foundation Experts Recommend
Thirty-Foot Refrigerated Pilings
For Building On Arctic Permafrost
ANCHORAGE, (#>—A refriger-^
ation system is being used to as
sure firm footing for military
buildings in the Arctic.
It sounds like an engineering
version of the old saw about sell
ing refrigerators to Eskimos, but
it conforms to the experts’ form
ula:
“Don’t thaw it; freeze it!
“Keep the permafrost frozen
solid and foundations will stay
solid,” said Dr. Arthur Casa
grande, consultant to the chief of
U.S. Army Engineers.
Permafrost is the perpetually
frozen earth that lies from one
foot to hundreds of feet deep
under the tundra covering above
the Arctic Circle, where exten
sive defense construction is under
way. The problem that arose in
early Arctic work was that heat
entered the ground after the tun
dra was broken, the permafrost
melted and foundations would
slump. As a result, this system
has been developed for perma
frost work where Dr. Casagrande
described it as like “trying to
-huild firm foundations on a dirty
cake of ice.”
Thirty-foot pilings are set in
holes drilled through the tundra
covering. Piped cooling coils are
placed around each piling. They
are connected to a freezing system
much like the family refrigerator.
They freeze the piling back into
the surrounding permafrost in a
few days.
With the foundations in as solid
as ice, construction can proceed.
There is another change from nor
mal procedure, however, in erect
ing outlying Arctic station build
ings. The first floor is raised
about four feet above the tundra
*to allow free movement of winter
cold over the ground and avoid
any thawing by heat from the
buildings.
In estimating the effectiveness
of the specialized procedures, Col.
Carl Farrell, the Army’s Alaska
District chief, expressed confid
ence “this method will provide
the stability imperative to main
tain permanent defense stations
in the Arctic and sub-Arctic.”
Editor’s Note: Dr. Casagrande
was in Nome Wednesday with a
group of foundation specialists for
the Army Engineers, and includ
ing John Ireton, formerly of
Nome. They visited the site of the
Nome School addition, which has
been held up due to the failure of
refrigeration to freeze the ground
| under the foundation footings be
fore concrete was poured. It was
reported unofficially today that
the concensus of opinion among
the specialists was that the build
ing should have a refrigerated
post foundation.
However, whether the group
had authority to recommend such
a change tp the APW was not
knowrf here.
Modern first aid practice has
been traced back to the “Order of
the Hospital of St. John of Jeru
salem,” founded nearly 900 years
ago in England to give aid to pil
grims on the way to the Holy
Land.
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PUBLISHED BY THIS NEWSPAPER AS A PUBLIC SERVICE.
Public Health Service
Says Polio Apparently
Has Passed Its Peak
WASHINGTON, W — Polio ap
parently has passed its peak for
1955, the Public Health Service
said today.
The Service’s weekly report on
polio cases listed by the states
showed 2,033 in the week ended
Sept. 3, with no figures in from
Nebraska and Montana. In the
comparable 1954 week there were
2,101 cases.
The cases reported last week
represented a drop of 256 from
the week ended Aug. 27, or a I
drop of 242 if Nebraska and Mon
tana were excluded.
“This would appear to indiC
ate that, he peak of incidence
for the countr/ as a whole was
reached in the week ended Aug.
27,” the weekly report said.
A.T.&T. Will Build Twin
Submarine Cable Between
The U. S. And Hawaii
WASHINGTON, 'The Am
erican Telephone and Telegraph
Co. revealed plans today to build
and operate twin submarine
cables between the United States
and Hawaii.
In authorizing the 35 million
dollar project, the Communica
tions Commission said the Office
of Defense Mobilization had de
scribed it as “vital to the sup
port of our national defense.” The
commission itself said such needs
are “of paramount importance”
and “outweigh any other consid
erations.”
The more than 2,000 mile span
will make it the world’s longest
telegraph cable, exceeding in
length either of the two other
A. T. & T. cables now being con- j
structed. These cables are be
tween Newfoundland and Scot
land and between Port Angeles,
Wash., and Ketchikan, Alaska.
Carl O. Larson, Formerly
Of ‘Nome, Killed In Car
Wreck on Seward Hi way
Last Saturday an Anchorage
man was fatally injured when his
speeding car failed to negotiate
a slight curve at Mile 22Vz on
the Seward highway.
The dead man is Carl O. Lar
son, 50, formerly of Nome, where
he worked for the U.S. Smelting
Co. for a number of years.
He and his wife, Eva Larson,
are well-known to many Nome
ites. A brother, Otto Larson, who
also used to live here, is now in I
Fairbanks.
Larson was taken to the Sew
ard hospital where he died of a
severe skull fracture and other
injuries. He never regained con
sciousness.
WEDNESDAY BALL SCORES
American League
Cleveland 6, Baltimore 0
New York 2, Kansas City 1
Chicago 4, Washington 3
Boston 7, Detroit 4
National League
Brooklyn 3, Milwaukee 1
Pittsburgh 2, Chicago 0
Cincinnati 6, Philadelphia 3
New York 8, St. Louis 2
Pacific Coast League
Oakland 3, Seattle 2
San Diego 6, San Francisco 4
Portland 6, Los Angeles 1
Sacramento 10, Hollywood 6
ft ' * J ‘'1 ‘ ...
ELECT
James A. von der Heydt
DELEGATE FROM DISTRICT NUMBER 7
(CAPE NOME. WADE HAMPTON PRECINCTS)
TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
if Well qualified by education and background
if College and law university graduate
if Former U.S. Commissioner and U.S. District Attorney
if Now practicing law at Nome, Alaska
if Resident of Second Division for 12 years
Cast Your Ballot Tuesday, September 13 For
James A. von der Heydt
A QUALIFIED DELEGATE
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