™ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 83 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY-, JULY 16, 1954 Per Copy—1~5^
Arctic Ocean May
Become Navigable
In 25 to 50 Years
WASHINGTON, UP) — The ice
packed Arctic Ocean may become
navigable in another 25 or 50
years if the present “warming up”
tendency of the polar region con
tinues, Congress was told yester
day.
Several American scientists to'ld
about it in seeking funds for
United States’ participation in the
“International Geophysical Year”
— a worldwide scientific under
taking designed to glean new un
derstanding of Mother Earth’s sur
face, inner structure, oceans, at
mosphere and weather.
The big project—scheduled for
1957-58 with scientists of some 30
nations expected to participate—
is hailed by American scientists
as offering potential benefits to
the whole world from the stand
point of such things as improved
weather forcasting and better
means of communicating by radio.
Russia has indicated an interest
in participating but has not yet
formally signed up.
American scientists say, too,
that the scientific facts gained
from the studies should directly
benefit the United States’ “inter
national relations, national de
fense, agriculture, commerce and
industry.”
Far East Air Commander
Estimates Red Air Force
Outnumbers U.S. 3 to 1
TOKYO, UR—The Communists
have an armada of 7,500 war
planes in the Far East, outnum
bering U.S. combat planes 3 to 1,
America’s top air commander in
the Pacific said today.
Yet if war were to break out
“our first objective would be to
gain control of the air,” Gen. Earl
E. Partridge, Far East Air Force
commander, declared in an inter
view.
Partridge’s estimate that Rus
sia, China and North Korea have
7,500 combat-ready planes is 1,000
planes higher than the top pre
vious figure.
U.S. air strength totals about
2,400 bombers, fighters, recon
naissance and transport planes,
the general said.
“By refueling in the air our
bombers are capable of striking
at any Communist target in the
Far East today,” said the air com
mander.
• Asked if that meant with atomic
bombs, he replied:
“We would be delinquent in our
duties if we were not prepared to
use atomic weapons.”
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Oil lease
applications covering approxi
mately 65,000 acres in the Cari
bou Hills area near Homer were
filed yesterday in the Anchorage
Land Office.
The filings were made as Stand
ard Oil of California confirmed
rumors it is starting extensive
new oil survey work in the area.
Land Office officials said most
of the applications were from
residents of California. The new
filings brings to over 300,000 acres
the land under lease in the Homer
area.
USED and FWS Officials
Here To Study Low Water
Conditions At Nome River
W. H. Butler of the U.S. Engin
eers and R. W. Allin of the Fish
and Wildlife Service arrived yes
terday from Anchorage to study
the condition of the mouth of the
Nome River, which has been re
ported to have formed such a
large bar at the mouth as to hin
der the needed fish run scheduled
soon. The matter was brought to
their attention by Senator HoNvard
Lyng, who stressed the impor
tance of this food source for the
population.
Allin returns to Anchorage to
day and Butler will remain to
study the situation. His wife is
expected to arrive today.
Luther Hess Left Bulk
$200,000 to $400,000 Estate
To University of Alaska
FAIRBANKS, W—Luther Hess,
pioneer Alaska attorney, banker
and businessman, left the bulk of
his large fortune to the University
of Alaska, it was revealed yester
day when his will was filed for
probate.
Hess died last week in Seattle.
Aside from small bequests to
close relatives, friends, lodges,
churches and service organiza
tions, Hess left to' the University
all his real estate, mining pro
perty, cash, stocks, bonds and
business holdings.
The bequest is in the form of
a trust fund to be’ set up for
the University. The University is
to receive all the profits from
investments made by the admin
istrator of the fund. The First Na
tional Bank of Fairbanks is de
signated as administrator.
Until an inventory of the estate
is completed, it will not be known
exactly how large the University’s
share will be. On the basis of
known holdings, however, an es
timated minimum value of $200,
000 has been given, with other
estimates running to $400,000 or
more.
Dr. Ernest Patty, president of
the University, said the bequest
was “a generous and constructive
thing for Luther Hess to' do. This
. . . will benefit the lives of young
men and women for countless
years in the future.”
Death Toll From Heat
And Storms Reaches 190
(By the Associated Press)
The death toll from heat and
storms rose to 190 today as cool
northerly winds routed th© sea
son’s severest heat wave in most
parts erf the country.
The cooler air extended from
Kansas and Oklahoma eastward
over Missouri, Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky and Ohio to the North
Atlantic coastal states. Daytime
temperatures in that area yester
day were 10 to 25 degrees cooler
than on the preceding day.
Missouri was hardest hit by the
heat wave, counting 60 deaths.
Oklahoma had 44, Kansas 34,
Illinois 11, Kentucky 8, Pennsyl
vania 5, Colorado 4.
Temperatures in the 90s and
100s still covered most of the
southern half of the nation with
Little Rock, Ark., recording 107.
Largest and Fastest
Jet Liner, The 707,
Makes Test Flight
SEATTLE, UP)—The plane Boe
ing Airplane Co. believes is the
world’s largest and fastest jet air
liner has left its nest and proved
its wings in a dramatic flight test.
The big ship, dubbed the 707
and built to serve as an airliner
for the commercial airways or a
tanker to haul fuel for Air Force
jet bombers, took off on its maid
en flight yesterday afternoon.
The takeoff for the 110,000
pound craft came at a point two
thirds of the way down the 5,400
foot runway at Renton Municipal
airport. Its four, 10,000 - horse
power jet engines had boosted it
into the air in 17 seconds. Within
15 minutes it was at 20,000 feet.
An hour and 24 minutes later it
landed after what its pilots said
was a faultless flight.
Company officials said no speed
test was involved but the big
craft, designed to carry 130 pas
sengers in its massive belly, * is
supposed to be capable of a speed
of 550 miles an hour.
The plane company’s senior vice
president, Wellwood E. Beall, said
the 16 million dollars invested in
the ship thus far “is a reasonable
business gamble taken after con
sideration of possible military and
commercial sales.”
Drunk Driver Faces
Homicide Charge
JUNEA-U, UPI—Grant K. Ritter,
34, Juneau construction foreman,
faces four charges, including neg
ligent homicide, in connection
with two accidents on the Glacier
Highway Saturday.
One person was killed in the
accidents and five persons, in
cluding Ritter, were injured. The
other charges filed by U.S. Dis
trict Attorney T. E. Munson yes
terday are: driving while under
the influenece of liquor, reckless
driving and leaving the scene of
an accident.
Kuskokwim Tundra Fire
Menaces Kalskag Village
ANCHORAGE, UR — A raging
fire which has burned over a
million acres of tundra and mus
keg country and is threatening
three villages has been slowed by
light rains.
The blaze, now nearly a month
old, has approached to within five
miles of the town of Kalskag,
100 miles up the Kuskokwim
River.
Heavy smoke, which has trav
eled as far south as Fairbanks,
300 miles away, hinders observa
tion of the fire as it burns through
the moss and other vegetation.
A fire break is being bulldozed
around Kalskag to protect it from
the creeping flames.
No effort is being made to ex
tinguish the blaze. Forestry of
ficials said such an attempt would
be impractical in such inaccess
ible areas and would require large
numbers of men.
The main concern—and efforts
—is being directed to the saving
of small villages.
Sen. Cordon, New Head of Interior
Group, Says Alaska Should Get
Statehood ‘At Earliest Moment’
-<
CAA Prefers Cold Bay
Over Kodiak As Stopover
For Flights to the Orient
WASHINGTON, UP)—The Civil
Aeronautics Administration has
given a House Appropriation sub
committee five reasons why it
would be preferable to use Cold
Bay, Alaska, rather than Kodiak
to replace Shemya as a stopover
on the great circle air route to
the Orient.
The possibility of using exist
ing facilities at Kodiak was in
jected by Rep. Bow (R - Ohio)
when CAA appeared before the
subcommittee to support appro
priation of $271,000 new money,
and re-programming of $666,000
previously appropriated, for the
Cold Bay operation.
Bow said he had seen the “ra
ther extensive” facilities at Ko
diak and wondered why it could
n’t be used instead of incurring
additional expense at Cold Bay.
CAA said it considered Kodiak
undesirable because of adjacent
high terrain, unfavorable weather
conditions and hazards involved
in event an airplane misses its
landing approach.
Because Kodiak is 436 miles
east of Cold Bay, it added, planes
flying east from the Orient would
have to lessen their allowable
payloads accordingly.
And finally, it declared, even if
Kodiak were used “it would still
be essential that Cold Bay toe
maintained and operated as an
alternate for the international op
eration and an operational stop
for Reeve Aleutian Airways.”
M’Carthy Cancels Hearing
In Boston On Infiltration
Of Defense Plants There
WASHINGTON, UP) — Sen. Mc
Carthy today cancelled at the re
quest of Senate Republican lead
ers his plans to open hearings in
Boston Saturday on alleged Com
munist infiltration of defense
plants.
Sen. Knowland disclosed this in
the Senate when Sen. Flanders
(R-Vt) began a speech protesting
McCarthy’s plans.
Knowland interrupted and an
nounced that McCarthy “has ag
reed to cooperate.” He told Flan
ders “It will not be necessary to
object.”
Minutes later, Francis P. Carr,
the McCarthy subcommittee staff
director, announced cancellation
of the scheduled Boston hearing.
Flanders said he was protesting
McCarthy’s plans because “I
doubt if the committee has juris
diction.” He said it was a matter
involving private industry instead
erf government operations.
A second reason for objecting,
Flanders said, is that “the sen
ator has a date with me on the
floor of the Senate July 20” when
Flanders plans to seek a test on
his efforts to have McCarthy fired
from committee chairmanships or
censured.
> By FRANK W. VAILLE
(AP Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON, OD—Sen. Cor
don fR-Ore), newly elevated to
the chairmanship of the Senate
Interior and Insular Affairs Com
mittee, says he believes Alaska
should be given statehood “at the
earliest moment.”
Whether that moment will come
in the present Congress, however,
he’s not prepared to say.
Neither will the Oregon sen
ator, who took over the commit
tee chairmanship after the death
of Sen. Butler, go on record as
to how he’ll act in the conference
with House members on the com
bined Alaska - Hawaii statehood
bill.
“Statehood should come to both
territories at the earliest possible
moment,” he told the Senate dur
ing debate. “However, if it cannot
come to -both, then let it come to
one, and we will continue to do
everything in our power to bring
statehood to the other as soon as
possible. That approach seems to
me to be a common sense one.”
He declared:
“I shall vote for statehood for
both territories. I shall do every
thing I can do on this floor and
everywhere else to advance state
hood for both territories. I shall
not do anything that might result
in withholding statehood from
one territory in order to advance
the other.”
Although he believes that as of
now, because of its more devel
oped economy, Hawaii has the
best case for statehood, Cordon
says that “potentially, a better
case can be made for Alaska than
can be made for Hawaii . .
He considers the northern terri
tory's potentialities to be “enor
mous.”
“They are beyond our concep
tion at this time. How long it will
take to deevlop them — no one
knows. But this we do know:
statehood, when it comes to Al
aska, will accelerate greatly the
development and realization of
those potentialities . .
At the same time, however, he
feels there are “some things that
are left undone.”
“More than one-third of the
surface of Alaska is today with
drawn from any sort of use under
which its resources can be devel
oped by the people. The result is
that the potential wealth of Al
aska is locked up, is ‘frozen’ so
to speak, by -the policies of the
federal government in the past.”
One other insight into Cordon’s
views on Alaska might be gained
from the fact that he is one of
the few Republicans who doesn’t
hesitate to praise the territory’s
former governor, Ernest Gruen
ing, a Democrat.
The Oregonian has praised
Gruening on several occasions as
having “had a very great deal to
do with the awakening in Alaska
of that type of civic zeal and re
sponsibility which is essential if
self-government is to be realized
and to achieve success.”