SS NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS___
VOL. LXIII No. 1 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1961_Per Copy 15*
Omie McCarthy
Passes in Seattle
Mrs. W. B. McCarthy passed
away at the Virginia Mason Hos
pital in Seattle Tuesday afternoon
following an operation for a brain
tumor. This word was received
in a wire this morning from her
husband, W. B. McCarthy, who
took her outside on Saturday.
Mrs. McCarthy, aged 69, had
been a resident of Nome since the
1920’s when she came as a pri
mary grade teacher for Nome
School and she was active in her
profession until reaching retire
ment age. During this time she
was beloved by two generations
of Nome children who started
school under her.
She has been an active worker
in the Community Methodist
Church heading the primary de
partment of the Sunday School
and as an officer for many years
in the Women’s Division of
Christian Service. She has been
counsellor for the local Beta Sig
ma Phi Sorority for several years
and 'honorary member of the KK
Library Club for her voluntary
services to that organization.
As a member of the Territorial
Welfare Board she was known
throughout the state.
Mrs. McCarthy endeared her
self to newcomers in the town
by her kindly acts of welcome
and friendship and her many and
unfailing contributions to civic
work of the community will en
dear her memory for many years
to come.
She is survived by her husband
W. B. McCarthy who has ex
pressed appreciation to many
friends here for their acts of
kindness and help during her ill
ness. Surviving are two sons, Paul
McCarthy and family of Washing
ton, and Walter and family now
in Beriut, Lebanon; also several
sisters and a brother whose names
were not available at this time.
Burial will be in Seattle on Fri
day.
Dr. June Dunbar who accom
panied the McCarthys to Seattle
returned this morning.
Mr .McCarthy may be reach
ed thru Mrs. Glenn Miller, sister
ai Mrs. McCarthy, at T505-58th
N. E., Seattle 15, Wash.
RED CROSS ADVANCED
FIRST AID CLASSES BEGIN
The Red Cross Advanced First
Aid Class started last evening at
the Public Health Nurse quarters
in the MMM Hospital. The second
class of the 14-'hour course will
be held tonight at 7:00 p. m.
It has been announced that all
persons planning to take the in
structors course under Arthur
Littleberg starting on Jan. 9 must
have completed the advanced
course in First Aid.
Anyone having questions or
wishing to participate in either
of the courses may call Jo Ann
Conklin at BLack 334 or Florin
Rhode at MAin 118.
Church Belli Will Ring Next
Sunday Commemorating
Civil War Centennial
JUNEAU, UP) — Approval of the
allocation of $8,000 in depressed
area funds for projects at Willow,
in the Mananuska Valley, was
announced today by Gov. Egan.
The governor said the funds
will be used to help pay labor
costs for construction of a com
munity building for emergency
school, clinic and civic purposes;
bus stop shelters for school chil
dren and playground equipment.
$15 Million Real Estate
Transaction in Anchorage
Alaska’s Largest Deal
NEW YORK — The largest
private holding of real estate in
Alaska was sold today for $15
million—more than twice the
price the United States paid Rus
sia for all of Alaska in 1867.
The brokerage firm which
handled the transaction said the
property was the Alaska Housing
Corp., owner of land, 1,257 apart
ments with 4,000 rooms and two
shopping centers in Anchorage.
The apartments and shopping
centers were built in 1950.
The sellers included Samuel
Sockol, Justin Piscopo and Arthur
Taffet, members of a group which
purchased the Housing Corp.
seven years ago in what was
described as the New State’s first
major realty transaction.
Daniel Brener and Edward
Lewis, partners in the real estate
brokerage firm, did not disclose
the identity of the purchaser, re
ferring to him only as an invest
ing client of their firm.
Under terms of U. S. purchase
of the then Territory of Alaska
nearly 94 years ago, a price of
$7.2 million was paid to Imperial
Russia.
The brokers said the sellers
realized a profit of about $2 mil
lion on the sale consummated in
New York City today.
Home Arts Club Meets
Special Guests Speak
The Home Arts Club, which is
the local member of the Federa
tion of Women’s Clubs met Tues
day evening at the home of Mrs.
Gerald McCray with Mrs. R. Cas
person assisting hostess. The pro
gram of the evening was legisla
tion and guests were Senators
Bronson, McNees and Walsh and
Rep. Art Johnson who all spoke
on important issues to come be
fore the Legislature which con
venes this month.
Pete Walsh, newly appointed
member of the Senate filling out
the unexpired term of Bill Beltz
by appointment of Gov. Egan,
spoke on roads bringing out the
fact that Nome is the only town
with population of 2,000 or more
that is not connected to other
towns in Alaska by any kind of
road.
Les Bronson discussed the Em
ployment Security problem stating
he was still in favor of tax on
total wages but would go along
with the present plan which seems
to be working.
John McNees went into much
detail on the Borough Program
suggesting that the club get be
hind the City Council and work
toward a home rule plan for Nome
as other Alaskan cities have al
ready done.
Art Johnson spoke on education,
particularly the proposed Voca
tional School and pledged him
self to make every effort that the
school be built here as soon as
possible.
Much concern was felt over the
Hot Lunch Program at the school
which has aided so many under
nourished children in the past
several years but due to the un
usually mild weather this year
has not had the necessary support
so far to be carried out success
fully. Volunteer funds have not
been coming in for the free lunch
es for needy children as in the
past, stated Esther McCoy, al
though the need is still evident.
The program started again yes
terday after a months delay it
was announced with the price
lowered to 35c.
Nuclear Reactor
Blows Up;
Three Killed
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho UF> — A
new-style nuclear reactor blew up
Tuesday night, killing three men
and touched off a high level of
deadly radiation in a building at
one of America’s major atomic
testing stations.
The Atomic Energy Commis
sion quickly sealed off the area
and said there was no danger to
other parts of the station or Idaho
Falls, a city of 34,000 persons 40
miles away.
But the building itself was so
“radioactively hot” that only one
of the three bodies could be re
covered in the first nine hours
after the blast.
A team of radiological experts,
eerie looking in their baggy white
suits with heavy protective shoes,
gloves and mask, shuttled in and
out of the building to inspect dam
age and test the radiation.
They went in one at a time and
could stay only minutes. The AEC
said it would send airplanes aloft
to check the level and direction
of radiation. A southwest wind,
however, was blowing at the time
and would take any radiation over
barren wastelands away from
populated areas
The accident occurred at 9:30
p. m. The three men killed were
the only ones in the building. At
least 60 are on duty there in the
daytime.
First Fatal Accident in 11 Years
It was the first fatal accident
in 11 years of operation at the na
tional reactor testing station, a
major AEC installation.
The engine for America’s first
atomic submarine was developed
at the site and tests are now being
conducted there on a variety of
projects, including the power
plant for an atomic airplane.
Hie radiological crew members
who entered the metal building
pieced together this picture of the
explosion:
Hie experimental reactor, being
developed as a portable source of
electrical power and heat for the
armed forces, apparently “blew
its top.”
The reactor and the boiling
water in which it is immersed are
housed in a metal shell which was
not penetrated. This is capped by
a metal cover through which fuel
and control rods run to reach the
enriched uranium core of the re
actor.
The reactor is housed in the
basement, where the explosion
apparently occurred. The blast
did not appear to have penetrated
above the basement. The exterior
of the building was not damaged.
TWO ARE SENTENCED
Vernon Carlson was sentenced
to 180 days in jail on a disorder
ly conduct charge. A previous
suspended sentence of 180 days
in October was re-instated also
by the State Magistrate.
Douglas Davis was given a six
month sentence for petty larceny
having stolen some travelers
checks.
WEATHER FORECAST
Cloudy to partly cloudy with
occasional snow. Low tonight -5,
high tomorrow 10 to 15. In the last
24 hours: High temperature of 12, ’
low of 4. Sunrise at 9:55 a. m.,
sunset at 2:18 p. m.
Temperatures a year ago today:
High 31, low 24. Extremes on this
date since 1907: High of 37 in
1942, low of -34 in 1917. ,
U. S. - Cuban Diplomatic Relations
Broken Off; Limit Has Been Reached
WASHINGTON UPi — President
Eisenhower has broken U. S. dip
lomatic relations with Fidel Cas
tro’s Cuban regime, declaring “the
limit has now been reached . . .
to what the United States in self
respect can endure.”
The President said “our sym
pathy goes out to the people of
Cuba now suffering under the
yoke of a dictator ”
The White House announce
ment of the break-off Tuesday
night marked rock bottom in a
downward plunge of U. S.-Cuban
relations that started soon after
Castro’s capture of power two
years ago. Castro’s anti-United
States attacks and his surge to
the Communist camp have mount
ted over the months.
The bearded Cuban leader re
acted to Eisenhower’s statement
by saying, “we are alert.” He
called his cabinet into emergency
session, then sent a note to the
U. S. Embassy guaranteeing safe
ty of all remaining Americans.
A State Department spokesman
said the break did not affect the
big U. S. Naval base at Guanta
namo Bay in Cuba. Castro has
made threats against the base. The
United States says it holds an un
breakable, no-time-limit lease on
the installation.
Eisenhower served notice last
Nov. 1 that the United States
“will take whatever steps may be
appropriate to defend the base.”
$8,000 in Depressed Funds
Approved for Willow
WASHINGTON, GW—The Civil
War Centennial Commission ex
pects every church bell in Am
erica to ring at 11 o’clock next
Sunday morning as a symbol that
the centennial observance has of
ficially begun.
The commission says this four
year commemoration will be the
greatest ever staged in this
country.
It added that President Eisen
hower will make a radio and tele
vision talk next Sunday calling
on all Americans to participate
in the observance.
SPENDS NINE YEARS IN JAIL
FOR NON-SUPPORT MONEY
WOODLAND, Calif. OF) — For
mer Kansas farmer Fred Block,
67, who spent the last nine years
in jail here rather than make
child support payments to his ex
wife, left rather reluctantly Tues
day.
He hitched a ride to nearby
Sacramento with a reporter, say
ing he is “getting out of the state
of Califronia.”
“I may go back to Kansas,” he
said.
But Superior Court Judge Ches
ter McDonald made sure Block
would return at least once by set
ting a Jan. 16 hearing on disposi
tion of $1,100 in Social Security
checks that accumulated while
Block was in jail.
It has cost Yolo County $11,349
to keep Block in jail. The daugh
ter for whom the original support
payments were intended has
grown up and married.
Father Lawrence Nevue left to
day for Fort Slocum, N. Y. where
he will attend a special three
month training school for chap
lains. Father Nevue is Chaplain
for the 1st, Scout Battalion, Alas
ka National Guard.
Kennedy Declines Comment
President-elect John Kennedy
declined comment on the diplo
matic break. He was given ad
vance word on the President’s
action
The end to U. S.-Cuban rela
tions had been long expected. Yet
it was dramatic. The break cut
Washington-Havana ties for the
first time since America’s fight
ing men had freed Cuba from
Spain at the turn of the century.
The last straw snapping Wash
ington’s forebearance policy was
Castro’s demand, delivered to the
U. S. Embassy in Havana early
Tuesday that all but 11 of the
U. S. Diplomats get out of Cuba
within 48 hours.
American authorities from Ei
senhower down saw this as a cal
culated insult. They figured the
U. S. Embassy could hardly op
erate with only 11 men—fewer
than the number of guards alone
needed for the 10-story Embassy
Building.
In Havana the ranking U. S.
Diplomat Charge D’Affaires Dan
iel Braddock, and 10 of his top
aides planned to remain a few
days to take care of pending mat
ters and transfer the care of U S.
relations to Swiss Ambassador
Walter Rossi.
Castro named the Communist
Czechoslovak Embassy to handle
future Cuban dealings in Wash
ington.
Borough Hearing to be Held
At Lutheran Parish Hall
A sub-committee Borough hear
ing will be held on Friday eve
ning at 7:30 at the Lutheran Par
ish Hall under the sponsorship of
the Chamber of Commerce.
This controversial subject which
will come before the Legislature
is not very well understood and
Alaskans should take advantage of
this opportunity to hear more
about the purpose of the Borough
System, its weaknesses and its
powers.
Use the north door of the church
building which will be lighted. i
FISHING IN A BANK
BRINGS UP A GOOD HAUL
PONTIAC, Mich. UD — A thief
with a way with a wire fished
$16,000 out of a night deposit box
at the Community National Bank
branch in suburban Union Lake
village over the weekend.
Customers who use the night
deposit box place their money
and checks in special bags pro
vided by the bank.
Many are provided with a key
to the deposit box.
Detective-Sgt. Leo Hazen said
the thief must have had a key. He
rigged a wire net inside the slot
All those with keys to the box
will be questioned, he said.
-
N.W. Alaska Students At Haskell
Institute Make High Grades
The local Bureau of Indian Af
fairs Office recently received a
copy of the student publication of
Haskell Institute, at Lawrence,
Kansas, “The Indian Leader,”
which shows the following stu
dents from this area on the Vo
cational Honor Roll:
Charles Snyder, Nome; Clifford
Charles, Koyuk; Wilfred Murray,
Elim, and Darold Mitchell, Noa
tak.
These students received an
over-all grade of “A” for the cur
rent semester.
!