m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—-MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LIX No. 16 NOME,_ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1957 . Per Copy—15^
Jail Fire Here
Shows Faults of
Federal Building
The Fire Department had two
calls yesterday.
The first one, in the morning,
was to the U-S. Jail in the east
wing of the Federal Building,
where it was found that faulty
wiring and a leaking roof mixed
together in a conduit and resulted
in a short of a fixture in the
closet of the jail matron and
could have resulted in a serious
fire.
It was not necessary to evacu
ate the prisoners, but the Chief of
Poliee stated that “even if the
building is condemned, correction
must toe made to this hazard
while it is in use before a tragedy
occurs.”
About four o’clock in the after
noon the Fire Department was
again called out to the residence
of Floyd Pauwok, where an over
heated stove had flared up. No
damage resulted. Attention was
called to the fact that phone ser
vice to the hospital was not avail
able.
.. . 1 ■— 1 9
Karl Dewey Recovering
From Heart Attack
JUNEAU, UP)—-Territorial Tax
Commissioner Karl F. Dewey is
described. as “getting along very
nicely” at a hospital here.
The 55-year-old. Republican of
ficial, who suffered a heart at
tack Sunday, still is not allowed
visitors,. A hospital attendant said
“We want Mr. Dewey to get all
the rest possible. But he is getting
aipng very nicely.”
APW Accepts Nome Application for
Water And Sewage System
It was announced at the regu
lar meeting of the Chamber of
Commerce that APW has accept
ed Nome’s -application for the
water and sewage system and has
given the application a number—
the first step in processing the
city’s request. This is a project on
which the outgoing Board has
worked diligently during the past
^year.
This last regular meeting of the
NWA Chamber of Commerce un
der the present Board of Directors
was conducted by President Stan
Morgan. Tonight the Board will
meet at the Morgan home at 7:30
to count the ballots for the in
coming board members. There
will not be a luncheon meeting
next Tuesday noon.
Committee Chairman Don Hun
gerford announced that the an
nual dinner of the Chamber will
take place Tuesday evening, Feb.
112, at 7:30 at the Bering Sea Club.
It is requested that reservations
for the dinner be made in ad
vance with Ruth McLean.
Judge Walter H. Hodge was
thanked for his efforts and those
of his committee for the fine
luncheon meeting Last week in
honor of Secretary of the Interior
Seaton and his party, and espe
cially for the judge’s excellent
presentation of local needs and
V
Seaton Greatly
Impressed With
Alaska Trip
By W. JOYNES McFARLAN
WASHINGTON, UP>—Secretary
of the Interior Seaton said today
“Alaska is certainly the Land of
tomorrow and maybe even the
land of today.”
Seaton returned Sunday from
a 'nine-day trip to Alaska and said
in an interview: “I was tremen
dously impressed with what I
saw.”
Seaion recalled with a chuck
le that he was at Nome when he
saw a short Associated Press
item which quoted Alt M. Lan
don. Republican presidential
nominee in 1936, as saying he
favored Seaton for the GOP
presidential nomination in 1960.
“That is quite a compliment
from my old boss,” Seaton said.
“I was one of his secretaries back
in 1936.” He declined further
comment.
Seaton said he did not think
anyone could observe the tremen
dous growth of many ALaskan
areas “without realizing it is quite
a place.”
"I was impressed by the peo
ple you meet," Seaton contin
ued. "I am sure a census anal
ysis would show an unusually
high proportion of young people.
“If I recall correctly, it was at
Seward that I found the pastor of
the Methodist church was 34
years old, a former Philadelphian.
The mayor is 32 and most of the
councilmen about the same age.
hopes for the future.
Two letters from Juneau were
read, one from John McNees and
one from James von der Heydt,
both Chamber members now
serving in the Legislature. The
letters contained comments on
committee appointments and pre
liminary budget and tax propos
als. Mr. McNees mentioned that
Secretary Seaton expressed him
self in Juneau on his reception
in Nome.
The Chamber secretary was in
structed to send a communication
to the Alaska Telephone and Tel
egraph Co., through Mr. Dunbar,
protesting the prolonged lack of
telephone service in the commu
nity. It is important that service
be restored to the hospital and
the school at once, with service
for business houses and individ
ual homes reinstated as soon as
possible.
Jim Walsh reported that cash
collections in Nome for the AVA
amount to $275. In addition to
this amount, two airlines, Pan
American and Wiens, have made
donations directly to the An
chorage office of the AVA. Of
these amounts, $225 from PAA
and $500 from Wiens has been
allocated to Nome. (Total $1,000.)
A charming guest to the lunch
eon was Miss Anne Hutchison,
Rotary Club exchange student.
C-47 CARGO PLANE
CRASHES ON TAKEOFF
AT ALASKA BASE
ANCHORAGE, WV—An Alaska
Air Command C-47 cargo plane
crashed on a takeoff at Sparre
vohn, 125 miles west of here, yes
terday, but the Aii- Force said
none of the 12 persons aboard
was believed seriously hurt.
An Air Force spokesman said
the twin-engined plane had just
taken off for Elmendorf AFB at
Anchorage and was 1,500 feet be
yond the end of the runway when
it slammed into the ground.
The aircraft was extensively
damaged. The persons aboard in
cluded five crewmen and seven
passengers.
Bartlett Proposed
As 13th Member of
Highway Comm.
WASHINGTON, UPV—Congress
has been asked to make Delegate
Bartlett a member of the Alaska
International Rail and Highway
Commission.
The commission was authorized
by Congress last year to be com
posed of 12 members named by
the President. Five of the com
missioners would be members of
Congress.
A proposal to increase the com
mission’s membership to 13, with
the extra spot earmarked for the
Alaska delegate, was made by
Chairman Engle (D-Calif) of the
House Insular Affairs Committee
after it was recalled that Bartlett,
as a non-voting delegate, techni
cally is not >a member of Congress.
The commission would study
the need for added highway and
rail facilities between continental
U.S. .and Alaska, and for feeder
purposes within Alaska, and rec
ommend the most feasible routes
for such facilities.
None of the 12 members has
been named. The Administration
proposes to ask an appropriation
later this year of $70,000 for the
commission’s expenses.
FORD DONATES $1 MILLION
TO HUNGARIAN ESCAPEES
VIENNA, Austria UP)—The Ford
Foundation has donated ore mil
lion dollars for Hungarian stu
dents, intellectuals and artists
who had to leave their home, it
was announced today.
Hungarian Refugees
Threaten to Lynch
Red Quizzers in Austria
VIENNA, Austria, UP)—-Angi'y
Hungarian refugees threatened to
lynch a Communist repatriation
commission from their homeland
today when it began conducting
interviews in Vienna’s refugee
camps.
Austrian police were called out
to hold back the enraged group
of 200 refugees.
Two commission members were
greeted at the camp by jeering
refugees bearing posters showing
Hungarian Premier Janos Kadar
hanging from a gallows. Police
cleared the way for the officials
to a barracks where they were to
interview Hungarians about re
turning home.
Propane Gas Explosions Kill Two’
Injure 41 In Downtown Reno
---<
AIR FORCE SEEKS
WITHDRAWAL OF
ALASKA PUBLIC LAND
WASHINGTON, UR — The Air
Force is seeking withdrawal of
£700 acres of public lands in
Alaska for military purposes.
Secretary of the Interior Sea
ton in announcing this said% the
land is in the Cape Prince of
Wales area, Seward Peninsula.
The proposed withdrawal would
close it to all forms of appropria
tion under the public land laws,
including mining and mineral
leasing.
A'60-day waiting period is pro
vided for suggestions or objec
tions from the public.
Grace Appears at Court
To Fete Dutch Bakers
MONTE CARLO, UR — Grace
Kelly today made her first offi
cial appearance since the birth of
her daughter, Princess Caroline.
The former Hollywood movie
star joined her husband, Prince
Rainier of Monaco, in receiving
a delegation of Dutch bakers in
the Monaoan palace’s “Court of
Honor.”
The bakers brought the royal
couple a special raisin bread from
itheir town of Uithqizen.
Gov't Controls
Over Inflation
May Be Necessary
WASHINGTON, OP)—President
Eisenhower said today the gov
ernment will have to move in
with some form of inflation con
trols if business and labor fail to
deal with the problem adequately
on a voluatnry basis.
The President, at a news con
ference, did not specify what type
of controls he may have had in
mind.
Eisenhower also said that he
believes Israel has a decent re
spect for mankind and will com
ply with United Nations demands
that it withdraw its troops from
the Gaza Strip and the Gulf of
Aqaba area.
As for whether the United
States would go along if there is
a U.N. call for economic sanctions
against Israel, Eisenhower had no
direct reply to a question on that
point. But he did say the United
States is committed to support
the United Nations.
Israel so far has refused to
comply with U.N. demands that
it withdraw its forces from all of
Egypt.
On the matter of inflation, Ei
senhower was reminded that in
his January State of the Union
message he called on both busi
ness and labor leaders to cooper
ate in a voluntary drive to check
spiraling prices.
Today, Eisenhower said that
when he brought up that point in
his message he had in mind the
long-term best interest of every
one concerned.
> ' By JIM THOMAS
RENO, Nev., UE)—Propane-air
gas exploded* after leaking from
mains in downtown Reno yester
day and destroyed five business
buildings.
Two persons were killed in the
series of three blasts and 41 were
injured.
Damage along Sierra St. -was
estimated in excess of $2 million.
Because of the great amount of
rubble to be cleared away and
dangerous walls and overhanging
beams which need to be knocked
down, disaster crews could not
search the wreckage until today.
A clothing store employe re
acted quickly when he smelled
gas and a much worse disaster
was prevented. But for that, said
Fire Chief Karl Evans, the death
toll “could have been a hundred.”
Evans and other officials still
sought the cause and place of the
leak which freed the propane-air
gias into at least three buildings
in which it exploded. The gas is
heavier than air and tends to set
tle to the lowest possible point
when it escapes.
The first of the series of blasts
occurred at 1:03 p.m., short min
utes after a clothing store em
ploye reported smelling gas in
the basement.
A crew of trouble shooters sped
to the scene. They evacuated
nearly everyone from the five
buildings before the fires started.
Major credit was given to Or
ville Owen, power company trou
ble shooter who sensed the dan
ger. He rushed along the street
warning people to “get out.”
Firemen arrived as the first
blast went off. They evacuated
those in the Gray Reid Dept.
Store, Reno’s Largest, and the
Elk’s Club.
Neither of those known killed
was inside the buildings. One man
was crushed to death beneath an
automobile which was blown over
on him and crushed by a falling
wall.
PAA STRIKE
POSTPONED
CHICAGO, UP)—The Airline Pi
lot’s Assn, said today it was “re
luctantly acceding” to a National
(railway) mediation board request
and postponing a planned strike
Friday night against Pan Ameri
can World Airways.
ALP A President C. N. Sayen
said the postponement was only
to allow further mediation.
The strike could be “reactivat
ed” he said, should the confer
ences prove “unproductive.”
The union said 1,500 PAA pilots
with an annual average salary of
$13,000 are affected by the con
ferences.
The mediation board is con
ducting conferences in the dispute
over wages, working conditions
and length of a proposed new
contract. No specific wage in
crease demands have been made
by the union, Sayen said.