Trip to Barren Ice Island Research
Outpost Like Going to Another Planet
Bids Invited for
New ACS Stations
i At Nome? Kotzebue
Three new Alaska Communica
tion System centers at Nome,
Bethel and Kotzebue, and water
supply systems for ACS stations
at Fairbanks, Big Delta and
Northway are offered to construc
tion firms for competitive bids by
the Alaska District Corps of En
gineers.
Bids on the new ACS centers
will be opened June 18 and bids
on the water system June 20, both
at the District Engineer Office on
Elmendorf Air Force Base.
The three schedules for the
new ACS centers are combined
under Invitation 57-82:
A. NOME—A two-story re
inforced concrete building 45 by
45 feet.
B. BETHEL—Frame construc
tion, first floor 30 by 69 feet, up
per floor to be used for quarters,
22 by 25 feet; foundation of pipe
pilings in classified backfill.
C. KOTZEBUE—A one-story
frame structure, 25 by 50 feet,
concrete slab floor.
All stations require interior
electrical and mechanical sys
tems. Completion date September
3, 1958.
The water supply systems will
be built in priority according to
availability of funds: A—Fair
banks, B—Big Delta, C—Nome.
Completion is slated for Oct. 31.
1957.
Justice Dept. Employes Picnic
Justice Department employes
enjoyed a p:cnic yesterday at the
foot of Anvil Mountain. Those at
tending participated in baseball
and horseshoe contests as well as
delicious picnic food.
I . ■" 1 i
By JIM BALOG
KENI-TV Staff Photographer
ANCHORAGE, tP)—I have just
returned from an ice island near
the North Pole. It was like going
to another planet—deathly quiet
with an eerie, foreboding atmo
sphere.
I think that’s the best way to
describe my visit to “Operation
Ice-Skate,” the Air Force name
for a barren strip of ice where
scientists from five nations are
attempting to learn some of the
secrets of the arctic.
It’s a strange place. -Right now,
the sun never sets and brilliant
light reflects along the endless
ridges of the ice cap.
Whiie-Ouis
To be without specially adapted
sun glasses is inviting blindness.
Two of the five days I spent on
the island I experienced a “white
out,” a familiar term to many
Alaskan pilots. A white-out oc
curs when dense fog from open
leads in the ice combines with
the glaring sunlight to complete
ly wipe away the horizon. We
moved around more by sound
than sight during these periods.
Eskimo Tan
It requires only a short time
for one to tan while being ex
posed to the arctic sun, a copper
colored tan symbolic of the Alas
kan Eskimo.
Morale is high on this floating
mass of ice two miles square, in
habited b\- nine scientists, seven
construction workers, ten hand
picked Air Force maintenance
men and a Catholic priest from
Barrow, Father Cunningham.
The scientists are from the
United States, Canada, Austria,
Denmark and Germany. They are
studying weather, oceanography,
marine life, earth contour, heat
radiation, upper air soundings,
and thermo-budget, a study of the j
temperature of ice.
Showers a Luxury
Much work is being done on
the island. There is plenty of
good food and it is prepared well.
Showers are a luxury because
water is scarce. Heavy beards are
common.
There is very little entertain- j
ment at present while the camp
is in its early stages.
“Ice quakes” occur frequently
on the island, which moves clock
wise 60 to 80 miles per month.
These take place when the island 1
I
-|
1
John Cooley Visits
Here From Valdez
John Cooley, BPR engineer j
from Valdez and former BPR en
gineer here, accompanied by Ira
H. Sharpe, his brother-in-law,
and Raymond Huddleston, gener
al foreman of BPR of the Valdez
district, are visiting here for a
couple of days.
They arrived yesterday in the
Cooley plane. John Cooley is en
joying meeting old friends, while |
Huddleston and Sharpe are on |
their first visit.
--—V
I
Nome Laundry j
& Cleaners
CALL MAIN 29
FOX PICKUP
JOE AMAROK, Proprietor
collides with other ice caps drift
ing in the vicinity. Needless to
say, it’s a tense situation because
during these meetings the island
could break up, split down the
middle, or even tilt at an awk
ward angle.
Boat for Emergency
In anticipation of such an oc
currence, a boat is being flown
in to enable the men to move to
another island nearby. There are
many suitable for occupation in
the ice cap, which is less than 400
miles from the North Pole.
The men of Operation Ice
Skate are not alone in their silent
world. They have neighbors to the
west, tho they’ve never seen them
—a Russian scientific camp is
occupying another island 120
miles due west of them.
Our island is about eight to ten
feet thick in the center, tapering
off to the edges. Because of this,
only one aircraft at a time is
allowed on the cap.
Globemasier Airlift
It was quite a gamble landing
the first C-124 Globemaster on
the center of the island. Ninety
tons of airplane is a lot of weight
for shifting ice. But they are un
loaded quickly and take right off
again, weather permitting, to keep |
up the giant airlift of supplies I
and equipment needed to operate
the camp.
The Globemasters fly to the
island from Ladd Field near Fair
banks in three-hour intervals. •
I had a free run of the camp
while on the island. The Air Force
had equipped me with special
arctic gear, but I really didn’t
need it. The temperature ran be
tween zero and 20 above for the
two days I was there.
It was a 3,700-mile trip for me,
all the way from Anchorage, and
I enjoyed every minute of it. I’m
ready to go back any time the
Air Force gives the word.
I <
RAINSUITS
All seams sealed & Vulcanized
PLASTIC RAIN COATS
Rubber Boots, Shoepacs
Insulated Boots
MEN'S WORK CLOTHES
ARMY SURPLUS: Sleeping
Bags, Parkas, Alpaca Lined
Jackets, Mattresses, and Cots.
Calf Skins, Rabbit Skins
The TRADING POST
MODER N
Dry Cleaners
and
Laundry
★
Complete Dry Cleaning
and
Laundry Service
★
"DO IT ALL
WITH ONE CALL"
ir
Telephone Main 113
★
Next Door io FAA
We might be
RUSHING THE SEASON
But we are mighty proud
Of our New Complete Line {
OF FISHING TACKLE.
REMEMBER:- We Pay Transportation
On All Out-Of-Town Orders.
MORGAN & SON
The Sportsman Headquarters
— Open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. —
THE
GEESE
ARE
FLYING!
See Our Beautiful Collection
OF HAND-CARVED BIRDS
Geese Ducks Auks Auklets
* Ptarmigan Murres Eagles
Arctic Owl Sea Parrots
Snow Bunting Gulls
Crane and others
3^
RADIO PROGRAM
ARMED FORCES RADIO SERVICE — NOME
k_A
Friday
6:00—News
6:15—Sports Caravan
6:30—Re verniers’ Romp
7:30—CBS Radio Workshop
8:00—Ebony & Ivory
8:30—Two for the Money
9:00—Groucho Marx
9:30—Suspense
10:00—One Night Stand
10:30—Martin Block
11:00—News
11:15—A Joy Forever
11:30—Land of Dreams
12:00—Mr. Midnight
1:00—Sign Off
Saturday
6:58—Sign On
7:00—News
7:15—Weather Roundup
7:18—Rise & Shine
8:15—Morning Devotions
8:30—Doctor Sixgun
9:00—No School Today
10:00—The Lone Ranger
10:30—Galen Drake
11:00—Robert Q. Lewis
11:30—Musical Revue
11:45—Guest Star
12:00—News
12:15—Let’s Go to Town
12:30—Platter Parade
1:80—Polka Party
1:30—Hawaii Calls
2:00—Mostly Dixie
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—News
4:05—Baseball
6:00—News
6:15—Sports Caravan
6:30—Revenuers’ Romp
7:30—Make Way 4 Youth
8:00—Grand Ole Opry
8:30—Jimmy Wakely
9:00—Country Style
9:30—Dragnet
10:00—Amer.’s Pop. Music
11:00—News
11:15—Terrea Lea
11:30—Land of Dreams
12:00—Mr. Midnight
1:00—Sign Off
Sunday
7:58—Sign On
8:00—News
8:15—Sun. Morn. Melodies
9:00—Catholic Hour
9:30—Jewish Hour
10:00—The 590 Club
11:00—Protestant Hour
11:30—Negro College Choir
12:00—News
12:15—Netherlands Music
12:30—Navy Hour
1:00—Heartbeat Theater
1:30—Portraits in Music
2:00—Fellowship Hour
2:30—E. Power Biggs
3:00—Fort Laramie
3:30—Music Vues
4:00—News
4:05—Baseball
6:00—News
6:15—Sports Caravan
6:30—Ed Sullivan
7:00—Boston Symphony
7:45—Out of the North
8:00—Family Theater
8:30—Our Miss Brooks
9:00—Concert Hour
9:30—X Minus One
10:00—Mitch Miller Show
10:45—In the Mood
11:00—News
11:15—Serenade in Blue
11:30—Land of Dreams
12:00—Mr. Midnight
1:00—Sign Off
Monday
6:58—Sign On
7:00—News
7:15—Weather Roundup
7:18—Rise & Shine
8:15—Morning Devotions
8:30—Breakfast Club
9:00—Coffee Concert
10:00—Turn Back the Clock
10:30—Spotlite on a Star
10:45—Rex Koury
11:00—One Man's Family
11:15—Swinging thru Dixie
11:30—Make Up Your Mind
11:45—Masters of Melody
l',:00—News
12:15—Behind the Story
12:30—Platter Parade
1:00—Hillbilly Jamboree
2:00—Fred Robbins Show
2:30—Music a la Carte
4:00—News •
4:05—Baseball