ssi NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV NO. 87 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 1953 Per Copy—15^
Japanese Plan For Pulp
And Lumber Mill at Sika
Described as “Optimistic”
JUNEAU, (A*>. — Authoritative
sources described as “optimistic”
yesterday the reported plans of
22 Japanese promoters to- build a
pulp and lumber mill at Sitka.
The proposed “Sitka Lumber
and Pulp Company” mentioned in
Tokyo news dispatches was re
garded as a long way from oper
ation.
The Japanese would have to
submit a formal application thru
an American corporation, then
bid competitively with other Am
erican business firms for the right
to operate, he err
then they would
ance that another American com
pany would not underbid them.
John A. Emerson, assistant re
gional Alaska forest chief, said no
application had been made by any
Japanese group for timber rights
in Alaska.
Another official here recalled
that Japanese leaders spoke last
winter of securing a loan from
the Import and Export Bank.
They may now need United States
capital, he said, but they seem
ignorant of the financial require
ments of the planned project.
While official encouragement
will be given any legitimate de
velopment of territorial resources,
the main sentiment here seems to
favor bona fide American back
ing.
Siika Residents Divided On
Prospects of Japanese Pulp Mill
SITKA, —The site for a pulp
mill which was favored by a
Japanese survey group last Jan
uary is six miles south of Sitka,
at the end of the new highway at
Herring Cove, at the mouth of
Sawmill Creek.
The majority of Sitka’s resi
dents are jubilant at the prospect
of this pictureesque one-time Rus
sian capital of the territory step
ping ahead into the industrial
field. There are some however,
who are not happy about it.
Congress Expected To
Authorize Mining Leases
On Alaska School Lands
WASHINGTON, tP) — Congress
is expected soon to authorize the
Secretary of Interior to' issue min
eral leases on lands in Alaska re
served for the support of Terri
torial public schools.
A bill for this purpose, intro
duced by Delegate Bartlett has
been approved by both House and
Senate but is now back before
the House for action on a Sen
ate amendment designed to' pro
tect parties who previously have
acquired mineral leases in good
faith.
Gov. B. Frank Heintzleman of
Alaska recently wrote Bartlett the
bill would accomplish two things,
“both of them desirable.”
“It will permit the leasing of
school lands in Alaska to com
panies interested in exploring for
coal and gas and will thus en
courage the development of our
resources. And while doing this it
will provide some additional reve
nues for the territorial treasury
and particularly for the support
of our school system.”
Syngman Rhee
Again Protests
Imminent Truce •
PANMUNJOM, UP — South
Korean President Syngman Rhee
and his foreign minister issued
threatening protests in public
statements Wednesday against a
Korean truce that appears only
days away.
But shortly after the Korean
leaders in Seoul protested angrily
against reported U.N. assurances
to the Reds at Panmunjom, Presi
dent Eisenhower said in Wash
ington he is still hopeful^ and rea
sonably confident a truce will be
signed soon.
And at this truce village itself,
United Nations and Communist
staff officers believed to be ham
mering out a military dividing
line worked past midnight.
They began their unprecedented
marathon session at 10 a.m. Wed
nesday and had taken only short
breaks since.
It was learned authoritatively
that the new dividing line will
show in Communist possession the
ground the Reds won in their re
cent Kumsong bulge offensive and
at Berlin and East Berlin outposts
wrested from American Marines
last Monday.
Rhee issued an angry statement
in response to questions by news
men that South Korea will give
a post-armistice political confer
ence only 90 days to “persuade
the aggressors” to pull back into
Manchuria.
“If their efforts fail,” the 78
year-old president asserted, “we
shall be a liberty to follow our
own course of action.”
An authoritative source said in
Tokyo Wednesday South Korea
has been given all the assurances
it is going to get, indicating the
U.N. Command will sign a truce
as soon as remaining details are
worked out.
The ROK president said he was
awaiting approval from Washing
ton of agreements made with
Robertson in the secret talks
earlier this month.
South Korea “is trying all we
can,” Rhee said, but “if the United
Nations does not consider our de
sire for survival, we cannot re
gard the understanding as bind
ing.”
How the Reds will react to
Rhee’s ultimatum was the big
question as staff officers contin
ued to work at Panmunjom on
the final details of a truce.
Jimmy Doolittle Expected
Participate In Dedication
New Anchorage Airport
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Lt. Gen.
James Doolittle is expected to
take part in the formal opening
of Anchorage’s multi-million dol
lar International Airpot this fall,
Bob Reeve, Anchorage airlines
owner and chairman of the event,
said Tuesday.
The opening is tentatively set
for October. It will be held along
with the National 50th anniver
sary of powered flight. General
Doolittle is chairman of the group
which is commemorating that
event.
Doyle Burchett. Erickson
Placers Employee, Killed
Today On Bessie Road
Doyle Burchett, aged 27, em
ployed by the Erickson Placers
was accidentally killed this morn
ing on the Bessie Road. /
Erickson Placers started mov
ing their equipment today to the
Bangor Creek .project. The ex
ploration unit, the main piece of
placer equipment and the first
one to be used in this area, is
very high. It was being towed by
a tractor and Burchett was on
top of the unit clearing wires with
a broom.
It was reported by an eye wit
ness, that when crossing under
some wires on the Bessie Road, a
high voltage wire was contacted
which threw the man to the
ground, injuring his head.
The doctor was rushed to the
scene of the accident but Bur
chett died shortly after the arrival
of the doctor.
His home is reported to be in
Denver, Colo., although he had
lived in Anchorage for the past
couple of years.
Eisenhower Confident
Truce Will Be Signed Soon
WASHINGTON, UP — President
Eisenhower said today he still is
hopeful and reasonably confident
a Korean truce will be signed
soon.
The President's statement at
his news conference came against
a background of deep concern
here over new South Korean
threats to the conclusion of a
truce.
The President also:
1. Declared American food for
hungry East Germans will remain
available despite Russia’s de
mands that shipments of the sup
plies be halted.
2. C&led the House Appropria
tions Committee’s on^irrilion dol
lar cut in foreign aid too heavy.
He said the yardstck a-lways must
be America’s own security, and
he believes the House Committee
went too far in slashing' his re
quest for $5,100,000,000.
3. Again declined to say how
he feels about Sen. McCarthy. A
reporter told him that some peo
ple in the Republican party feel
the administration should crack
down on McCarthy. Eisenhower
in reply recalled that he had said
many times he does not deal in
personalities.
4. Said he feels in looking back
on his first six months in office
that progress has been made but
that it has not been as fast as
he would like.
Two Army Mappers Killed In
Helicopter Crash at Ruby
ANCHORAGE, UP) — First Lt.
Joseph H. Kirby, Clintwood, Va.,
and Cpl. Richard E. Barnes, San
Francisco, were killed Saturday
in a helicopter crash west of Fair
banks.
The two were specialists on
mapping duty. The crash occurred
near Ruby on the Yukon River,
300 miles from here.
They were attached to the
Army’s 30th Engineer base topo
graphic battalion of Fort Winfield
Scott, San Francisco.
M’Kinley Climbers
Say It Is World’s
Hottest, Cold Spot
ANCHORAGE, UP) — The first
men to conquer North America’s
highest peak—Mt. McKinley—this
year, came down Monday to re
port they had reached the top in
spite of snog and sunstroke and
returned as the 20,300-foot peak
trembled in an earthquake.
The expedition consisted of
Fritz, Lippmann, 32, of San Fran
cisco; Thomas W. Steinburn, 29,
and David A. Collins, 24, both of
Seattle, and Keith Hart, 26, Fair
banks.
Hart suffered sunstroke at the
17,000 - foot level but recovered
shortly and was able to make the
return trip unaided, although he
did not reach the peak.
The quake—brief, but brought
worry of possible avalanches.
The snog — a combination of
snow and fog—beset them as they
toiled upward between the 11,000
and 14,000-foot levels. “We didn’t
see a thing the whole distance,”
said Steinburn. /
“We had to feel with our feet
before we took a step. We named
one area Blotto—it was nothing
but a white haze.”
Lippmann, who tried unsuc
cessfully to climb McKinley last
year, said “We had lousy, cold,
wet, miserable weather.” He will
join an expedition to the Hima
layas next summer and regarded
McKinley as a rugged workout.
Collins said the temperature in
the sun was about 80 degrees and
in the shade about 30 when Hart
was stricken. “You can be hotter
and colder at the same time here
than any place in the world,” said
Collins.
This was the 10th expedition to
reach the peak in 40 years of
climbing. The climax of a month
of climbing was 10 minutes at the
summit in a nasty, cold wind.
“We got there,” said Lippmann.
“That’s what we wanted. So we
came back.”
“It’s a good looking mountain,”
added Steinburn. “And it sure is
tall.” '
Dean Ernest Patty Accepts
Presidency of U. of A.
FAIRBANKS, UP — Regents of
the University of Alaska have an
nounced the accepance of the Uni
versity presidency by Dr. Ernest
N. Patty, Seattle and Alaska min
ing man and the first dean of
mines at the school.
Dean Patty, as he is known
throughout the north, made
known his acceptance in a wire
to Andrew Nerland, board chair
man. The regents offered him the
position more than a month ago.
He wired: “I am looking for
ward with pleasure to this new
challenge for it offers unusual op
portunity constructively to tefuch
the lives of so many fine young
men and women and also to plan
an active part in the future de
velopment of Alaska and its out
standing university.”
Dean% Patty was a member of
the university’s first faculty but
he later left to return to gold
mining activity.
Skagway Republican
Expresses Dissatisfaction
With “Party Inactivity”
JUNEAU, Uf)—A Skagway man,
Cyril A. Coyne, expressed dissat
isfaction yesterday with what he
called “party inactivity” in Re
publican ranks and said he may
run for the Republican nomina
tion as congressional delegate.
Coyne, who heads the Central
Labor Council at Skagway, said
the GOP in Alaska, is “overlook
ing labor.”
“We should^ get someone to go
back and work with Delegate
Bartlett,” Coyne commented.
“He’s hamstrung in trying to get
anything ' accomplished in a Re
publican Congress when he is
voteless.”
Deploring the “delay” in pat
ronage appointments, Coyne
added:
“It’s time somebody in the
party takes action.”
He conferred here with Ray
Beach, GOP Central Committee
secretary.
Cost of Living Rises To
Record High In May-June
WASHINGTON, W — The gov
ernment reported today that ris
ing food prices forced living costs
to a record high between May
and June.
Besides higher food costs, can
celing out most of the grocery
store price declines which took
place earlier this year, price
boosts were reported for housing,
medical care and such things as
cigarettes and beer in some cities.
The index of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics rose four-tenths
of one per cent between mid-May
and mid-June. This put the index
at 114.5 per cent of the 1947-49
average.
This means that the consumer
paid in June nearly $1.15 for what
he could buy 'for a dollar in the
1947-49 period.
Earthquakes Recorded
Near Kamchatka, Siberia
NEW YORK, UP) — Two sharp
earthquakes were recorded today
on the Fordham University seis
mograph.
The Rev. Joseph Lunch, seis
mologist, estimated the distance
at 5,300 miles from New York.
He said the direction was diffi
cult to determine, but that the
quakes probably were in Turkey
although they could have beefi in
the Aleutian Islands.
At Pasadena, Calif., Dr. Charles
Richter, Caltech seismologist, lo
cated the quake in the vicinity of
the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sib
eria, probably in the ocean. He
added that the temblor probably
is an aftershock of the big quake
in that general area of last Nov. 4.
Dr. Richter listed its magnitude
as 6.8 on a scale of 1 to 10.
File 30,720 More Acres Oil Leases
ANCHORAGE, UP)—Eight Wash
ington, D. C., men and women
have filed applications for oil
leases on 30,720 acres at Yokutat
and Dry Bay, filings showed yes
terday. The fees totaled $7,800.
The area is west of the Kerr-Mc
Gee leases.