™£ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS _
VOL. LVI No. Ill NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1954 Per Copy—15#
Radioactive I^ain Falls
On Northern Japan
TOKYO, — Radioactive rain,
contaminated by recent Russian
a-bomb tests, fell Saturday in
northern Japan, the newspaper
Asahi said Tuesday. The radio
activity was far below the danger
level.
The paper quoted Prof. Hiro
nobu Watanabe of Nigata Univer
sity as saying the rain showed
more radioactivity than any test
ed so far in northern Japan.
Russia announced last week
that it had completed a new series
of A-bomb tests.
Steamer Grounds, Sinks
Off Arctic Coast;
2011 Survive, 1 Dies
OSLO, Norway, UR — A little
Norwegian coastal steamer ran
aground at full speed in the
Arctic waters of the Lofoten Is
lands before dawn today and —
after all but one of the 203 per
sons aboard had reached life
boats—shuddered and sank.
A strong blast, apparently a
boiler explosion, was heard by the
survivors as they rowed in the
darkness across a calm sea from
the stricken ship, the 1,920-ton
Nordstjernan to a nearby island.
The ship, which went down in
the Strait of Raftsund was carry
ing 157 passengers and 46 crew
members. Most of the passengers
were sleeping in their cabins
when the shoals caved in the
hull. Awakened by the fire and
alarm signals, they streamed on
deck. There was no panic.
The cause of the grounding was
not ascertained, but the night was
very dark and currents in the
Strait may have forced the ship
off course.
The climate of the Lofoten Is
lands is mild, though they lie in
the North Sea entirely within the
Arctic Circle.
Nationalist Planes Sink
5 Communist Gunboats
In 20th Day of Raids
TAIPEH, Formosa, (Ah—Nation
alist warplanes today sank five
Communist gunboats in the 20th
straight day of raids on the Red
China coast, the defense ministry
reported.
It was the biggest bag of gun
boats claimed since hostilities
broke out in the Amoy-Quemoy
area Sept. 3. A communique said
one big motorized junk also was
destroyed and five other smaller
junks were damaged.
The air strike was made at Red
shipping concentrations in Chaun
chow Bay, 25 miles northeast of
Amoy. It was the second straight
day of air blows there. The Na
tionalists said they set fire to a
big junk the day before.
As the Nationalists published
their claims, the commander of
the U.S. 7th Fleet arrived on For
mosa.
U.S. officials said the visit of
Vice Adm. Alfred M. Pride, whose
fleet is charged with protecting
Formosa from invasion, was rou
tine.
They dismissed as unfounded
rumors that Pride flew to Que
moy, Nationalist outpo'st island
off the China coast, shortly after
his arrival. They also denied ru
more that a fleet of U.S. carriers,
cruisers and destroyers had sailed
past the north Formosan port of
Keelung in a show of strength.
LOS ANGELES, (#> — Gover
nor Goodwin J. Knight says Cali
fornia is spending a million dol
lars a day for highways.
The governor spoke Tuesday at
a groundbreaking ceremony at the
site of an overpass at Sepulveda
and Sunset Blvds. It will be a
part of the 73 - mile Sepulveda
Freeway.
15 Civil Air Patrol Chaplains
Praise The Lord and Parachute
To Safety From Burning Plane
NEWHALL, Calif., CP)—Praying
as they parachuted in shirtsleeves,
15 chaplains landed safely min
utes before their disabled Air
Force C-46 plane crashed and
burned Monday. The three crew
men also bailed out successfully.
“You can be sure there was
plenty of praying going on,” said
the Rev. Lertis R. Ellett of Lawn
dale, Calif., Church of Christ, who
is an Air Force reserve colonel.
"The Lord was with us in many
ways, even to the fact that the
fire in one engine was on the
right side of the plane and the
door through which we jumped
was on the left,” said the Rev.
Bertil Von Norman of the West
Hollywood Presbyterian Church.
The group of Civil Air Patrol
chaplains from Southern Califor
nia left Burbank in the C-46,
bound for a regional CAP chap
lains’ conference at Sacramento.
The chaplains and crew were
wearing back parachutes and had
been briefed before take-off but
none of the ministers had ever
jumped before.
Minutes after the departure,
smoke began trailing from the
C-46. Vibration was felt in the
ship, then the right engine caught
fire. The pilot, Capt. Willson sent
a “May Day” distress call by
radio.
Then as the other two of the
crew, Lt. Earl W. Meredith and
Sgt. Lloyd Plew, carried the
pilot’s instructions to the chap
lains to bail out at about 3,000
feet, the right engine fell away.
Rev. Von Norman, a CAP major,
was credited by his colleagues
with calm heroism as he helped
the chaplains adjust their ’chutes
and shepherded them out the
door, one by one. He was the last
chaplain to bail out. The crew
followed, with Capt. Willson the
last to jump when the ship was
probably no more than 1,000 feet
up just west of the Los Angeles
Police Rehabilitation Farm for
alcoholics at nearby Saugus.
The plane crashed and burned
on the farm, only 75 feet from
where the nearest inmates were
working.
9th Circuit Court Reverses
Embezzlement Conviction
Of Alaska Attorney
SAN FRANCISCO, UPI — The
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court yester
day reversed the conviction of an
Alaskan attorney who had been
sentenced to eight years imprison
ment in Fairbanks on charges of
embezzling $3,950 from an estate.
The attorney, C. P. Coughlan
was accused of converting the
money from the estate of Ray
mond Silba for his own use. He
was employed by the administra
tor of the estate.
The court held that the prosecu
tion did not prove the indictment
charge that the embezzlement
was made by a person acting
under power of attorney. The
court said:
“We think the offense charged
against Coughlan comes under
misdemeanor provisions and not
under the age-nt provision creat
ing a felony.”
N.Y. Democrats
Pick Harriman as
Candidate for Gov.
iBy thf. Associated Pressi
New York Democrats today
nominated Averell Harriman as
their candidate for governor. The
former ambassador and foreign
aid chief topped Rep. Franklin D.
Roosevelt Jr. on the first conven
tion ballot.
Today also marks the start of
a three - day speaking tour by
President Eisenhower. He has
scheduled four talks for a swing
through Montana, Oregon, Wash
ington and California.
Vice President Nixon was barn
storming Minnesota today, urging
a GOP victory in the Nov. 2
balloting for control of Congress.
Nixon spoke last night at East
Lansing, Mich., and challenged
Democrat Adlai Stevenson to
make “constructive criticisms” on
the Eisenhower administration.
Polling of delegate votes in the
heated Harriman-Roosevelt con
test in New York City began
shortly after midhight. The count
was halted soon after Harriman
picked up the 510 votes needed
to win.
Roosevelt then entered the hall
and suggested that “the nomina
tion of my old friend Averell
Harriman be made unanimous.”
He called Harriman “a great
leader with a great record.”
At that point, Harriman had 541
votes, Roosevelt 217.
Harriman, 62, had the backing
of the state’s most influential
party leaders. A former Repub
lican, he served both the Roose
velt and Truman administrations.
The Republicans are expected
to name as Harriman’s opponent
Sen. Irving M. Ives, the choice
of retiring Gov. Thomas Dewey.
Nixon’s East Lansing talk was
billed as a reply to Stevenson’s
recent criticism of the administra
tion. He said “we can only as
sume” a Democratic Congress
would return to the policies of
the Truman administration. He
added:
“Unless Mr. Stevenson tells the
American people how he differs
from these policies, we shall have
to continue to remind the people
what these policies were.”
End of Alaska Steamship Company
Passenger Ship Service to Alaska
Regretted, Leaves Void to be Filled
--<
Education Commissioner
Visits Nome School
Don Dafoe, commissioner of ed
ucation, is here on his first offi
cial visit to this area. He has
visited the local school, specially
observing the overcrowded con
dition now existing.
He plans to also visit two other
territorial schools in this area, at
Teller and Candle.
8 Parachute to Safety
From Air Force Plane;
Crash Starts Forest Fire
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., IIP)
—One man died in the fiery crash
of an Air Force C-82 cargo plane
in the San Bernardino mountains
last night. Eight men parachuted
and were rescued.
Some of the survivors were not
located in the rugged mountains
until nearly 12 hours after the
crash. Some had suffered bruises
and cuts but none was seriously
hurt.
The crash at dusk touched off
a forest fire which blazed out of
control for several hours. Crew
men told rescuers there was a fire
aboard the aircraft before the
crash.
Three survivors were located
last night and three more men
were picked up early today.
Eisenhower Appeals to
Iron Curtain Countries
To Join in Peace Prayers
DENVER, UP)—President Eisen
hower appealed Tuesday to' the
people of Russia and other iron
curtain countries to join Ameri
cans Wednesday in a day of pray
er for world peace as “the true
cure” for war-breeding tensions.
In a message beamed to the
Soviet Union and its satellites
over the powerful radio' facilities
of the Voice of America, the
President said:
“May the world be ringed with
an act of faith so strong as to
annihilate the cruel, artificial bar
riers erected by little men be
tween the people who seek peace
on earth through the divine
spirit.”
Streamliner Plows Into
Loaded Gravel Truck
MATTOON, 111., UP)—One per
son was killed and 28 others were
injured Monday when a New
York Central streamliner plowed
into a truck at a crossing and
went off the tracks.
The NYC’s diesel - powered
Southwestern Limited, bound for
New York with an estimated 95
passengers, struck the truck and
the second unit of its diesel engine
was rerailed. Nine cars following
it careened from the tracks.
Rescue crews attributed the
relatively small number of injur
ies to the fact that the derailed
cars did not splinter.
Killed in the collision was Cary
Bryant, 24, of Mattoon, driver of
the gravel-laden truck.
> By LOUIS R. HUBER
SEATTLE — Ending of Ameri
can-flag passenger-ship service to
Alaska October 6 — dreaded by
virtually everyone — appears to
be a certainty. It will be the end
of a pleasantly - remembered era,
and beyond it the shape of things
is not clear.
To Alaskans, and to thousands
of summer-time vacationers, the
loss will be great. From this im
minent pause, however, it is by
no means unreasonable to look
for something better.
A last-ditch effort to' maintain
seagoing passenger service will be
made when the House Merchant
Marine and Fisheries Committee
meets here October 1 to consider
the problem.
At that time Rep. Thomas M.
Pelly (R-Wash) will propose that
the Alaska Railroad purchase the
passenger-cargo vessels of the Al
aska Steamship Company and as
sume the service.
The Alaska Railroad, which runs
from Seward on the coast 470
miles northward to Fairbanks in
the interior, is a part of the De
partment of the Interior. Mr.
Pelly points out that one govern
ment-owned corporation now op
erates passenger ships to' the Pan
ama Canal.
Travelers of the sea route to
Alaska most certainly are in favor
of any plan to maintain this mode
of travel to the northland. There
is no more enjoyable way to get
to and from the territory.
Transportation to Alaska in the
past decade has undergone many
changes, however. A government
agency probably could do no bet
ter under the still-fluid conditions
that a private concern.
Time was, indeed, when Alaska
shipping was a lucrative busi
ness, with several prospering
(Continued on Page Three)
Man Finds His World War I
Hat Among Pageant Costumes
LAWRENCE,' Kan., UP) — City
Clerk Harold Fisher was issued a
uniform for his role in the “World
War I” scene of the Lawrence
Centennial Pageant.
The old style campaign hat fit
ted perfectly. Inside it Fisher
found the initials he placed in a
Army hat issued to him in 1918.
Fisher doesh’t know how the
hat got into the costume depart
ment of the John B. Rogers Co.
that is staging the pageant, but
he is sure it is his old hat.
“The initials are exactly as I
put them there,” he said.
45 Passengers and 5 Crewmen
All Escape Uninjured From
Crash of 4-Engine Transport
STANSTED, England, UP) — A
four - engine transport with 45
British soldiers and a crew of 5
aboard crashed and caught fire on
takeoff today. Everyone scrambl
ed out safely with only a second
or two to spare.
The aircraft was a privately op
erated transport under charter to
the War Office. The troops yv®re
enroute to the Suez Canal Zone.