Z£ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVIII No 25 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1956 Per Copy—15^
Nixon’s Status
As Running Mate
Still Uncertain
WASHINGTON, UP^—At his news
conference today, Eisenhower de
clined to say whether he favors
Vice President Nixon as his run
ning mate again. However, he had
warm praise for Nixon and called
him a dedicated public servant.
In the absence of a definite nod
from the Eisenhower in behalf of
Nixon, there remains some divi
sion in the party, however, about
a vice presidential nominee. Some
elements would like to drop Nix
on from the No. 2 spot.
But it is generally accepted that
Eisenhower, as the nominee, can
have anyone he wants as his run
ning mate. And many party mem
bers believe he would want Nixon
since the President has repeatedly
spoken his high regard for the
vice president.
Despite his praise for Nixon,
Eisenhower took indirect issue
with Nixon’s reference a few days
ago to Chief Justice Earl Warren
as a “Republican chief justice.’’
Nixon spoke of Warren in that
fashion in a speech referring to
the Supreme Court’s decision that
race segregation in the schools is
unconstitutional.
A reporter asked Eisenhower
what he thought about that refer
ence by Nixon.
The President replied that he
was not going to comment on Nix
on’s comment. Then he went on to
say that once a man enters the
Supreme Court he is an American
citizen and nothing else until he
comes off the court. And he added
he never would say that a man
had any political affiliation once
he became a member of a high
tribunal.
DOG RACES SET
FOR MARCH 25
The Arctic Club, which is spon
soring dog racing, has announced
that they will hold a big race on
March 25th.
Prizes for the event have been
announced to be $300 first prize,
$100 second prize, and $50 third
prize.
The course chosen is Nome to
Hastings and return, which is
about 15 miles.
Out of town teams are being en
couraged to participate in the
event and several teams are re
ported interested.
Five or more dogs are required
and the usual rules regarding re
turning with the same dogs as
those that start will prevail.
Three veteran dog mushers—
Fred Rohn, Pete Olsen, and Ar
nout Castell—have consented to
be judges for the event.
Man Finds Second-Hand
Arm Works Fine
DALLAS, UP*—Willie Ingrim, a
53-year-old theater janitor, is go
ing to put to work a right arm
that has been gathering dust in a
pawn shop.
Willie, who lost his right arm in
an accident in 1942, had a mech
anical one but when it wore out
he didn't have the $275 to replace
it. After reading that a local pawn
shop had a mechanical arm gath
ering dust, Willie was waiting
when the store opened yesterday.
He promptly made a $3 down
payment on the artificial limb,
which had a price tag of $22.50.
“I never knew I could buy an
arm secondhand,” he said. “I’m
real happy about this. It needs a
little adjustment but it fits me
fine.”
Rash of Military Plane Crashes
Giving Air Force Much Concern
By ELTON C. FAY
WASHINGTON, UP)—A rash of
military plane crashes—without
any apparent pattern of cause—is
giving the Air Force considerable
concern.
Since early January, 28 airmen
have died in seven air accidents,
not including crashes of jet fight
ers in routine operation and train
ing flights.
These crashes have involved
some of the oldest and newest
planes used by the Air Force—a
C-47 transport, and a B-52 jet
bomber, for example.
Officials decline to disclose the
exact number of accidents. They
contend this information, would
be valuable to Russia.
But according to published
news accounts:
A B-36 bomber caught fire as it
landed at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., on
Jan. 4. The crew escaped. And an
F-101 Voodoo, one of the Century
series of supersonic jet fighters,
crashed on Jan. 10 at Elgin AFB,
Fla., killing the pilot.
A B-52, newest, biggest and
fastest of the heavy bombers,
came apart in the air near Tracy,
Calif., on Feb. 15. Four parachut
ed to safety and four died. A KC
97 cargo plane crashed on take
off near Palm Beach, Fla., on Feb.
21, killing five men.
A C-47 crashed into a mountain
peak in Spain on Feb. 24. Three
died, three survived. On Feb. 27
there were two crashes—a B-50
bomber near Dayton, Ohio, killing
11 men; a B-47 medium jet bomb
er near Sedalia, Mo., killing four.
There were close calls, also, like
the CM2 4which limped to Iceland
with engine trouble.
Because there seems to be no
immediately discernible pattern in
this upsurge of accidents, officials
are hesitant about pointing to pos
sible causes. They mention many
things that happen in civilian as
well as military flying—things
like pilot deficiencies. They talk
about “unairworthy” airports and
navigational aids.
They mention, too, a growing
shortage of experienced mainte
nance personnel. Air Force mech
anics find better-paying jobs in
industry.
And these officials wonder if
there shouldn’t be more money
available to buy fuel to allow
' more flying time for pilots.
Ike Will Run Again
Republicans Hail 1
Term; Democrats
Birthdays in This Family
Are a Big Occasion
DENVER, 0F—Birthdays are a
big occasion for Susan Ellis and
her daddy, Milton Ellis.
Susan really is 4 and her daddy
is 40. But today was only Susan’s
first anniversary and her daddy’s
10th. Both were born on Feb. 29.
U.S. Will Share
Weather Balloons
Data With Russia
OPPAMA, Japan, OF—The last
of 20 huge weather balloons to be
launched here was presumed to
be down somewhere in the Pacific
today, ending the U.S. Navy’s
current experiment in gathering
upper-stratosphere information.
Once that information is inte
grated and coordinated, Navy of
ficials said, it will be made avail
able to all nations. They added
that includes the Soviet Union,
which charges that U.S. weather
balloons carry cameras to spy on
Communist territory.
Six of the balloons landed in
the United States after crossing
the Pacific on the high-speed “jet
stream” wind which carried Jap
anese fire bomb balloons to west
ern Pacific sropes during World
War II.
Two made it all the way across
America and came down near
Newfoundland. One crossed the
Pacific, the American continent,
the Atlantic, and—after five days
and eight hours—finally came
down near the coast of Portugal.
One ended up somewhere in
Communist Outer Mongolia, a big
surprise to Navy officials here,
who expected all 20 to move
toward the U.S. on the jet stream.
And three skirted up the Com
munist Siberian coast before final
ly veering eastward toward Alas
ka. One of those, No. 19, was last
reported over the North Pole.
Six Lemon-Sorting
Machines Replace
40 Human Graders
OXNARD, Calif., Ufv—Six elec
tronic color-sorting machines, ca
pable of separating as many as
1,128,000 lemons daily into five
color classifications, have replaced
40 human fruit graders here.
The machines are the first to be
tested under packing plant condi
tions, the Somis Lemon Assn, said
yesterday.
Incorporated in the machines
are photo-tubes and memory units
which register the five degrees of
color in marketable lemons. Fruit
passes through beams from the
tubes, then drops onto separate
conveyor belts according to its
degree of ripeness, denoted by
color.
decision on Second
Make the Best of It
WASHINGTON (A*)—Republicans
greeted President Eisenhower’s
second term announcement today
with cheers, thanksgiving and as
sertions that it means certain
GOP victory in November.
But Democratic National Chair
man Paul M. Butler said Eisen
hower had been “pressured” into
it and that the people will not
elect a “part time president.”
Leonard W. Hall, Butler’s Re
publican ‘ counterpart, contented
himself with a brief statement
that “this is the best possible news
for all Americans.”
Among Democrats, Adlai Stev
enson, who is trying again for his
party’s presidential nomination,
said in New York “it is fitting”
that Eisenhower be the GOP can
didate again. He said the “main
issue will be the policies and rec
ord of the Eisenhower Adminis
tration.”
Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennes
see, who also is seeking his party’s
presidential nomination, said in
Milwaukee: “The campaign can
now be waged on its merits with
out mudslinging, but with no
punches pulled.”
In Albany, Gov. Averell Harri
man of New York said: “The lines
(Continued on Page Three)
Ex-Philippine President
Dies of Heart Attack
MANILA, Philippines, Oft—The j
former President of the Philip
pines, Elpido Quirino, died at his
home today at the age of 65. He
had been suffering from high
blood pressure and heart trouble.
Quirino assumed the presidency
in 1948, when the republic was
but 21 months old. He lost to Pres
ident Ramon Magsaysay in the
1953 election.
Quirino had long suffered from
heart trouble. He was recovering
from an attack when he rose from
vice president to president in 1948.
When he took the oath of office
he said, “I myself am living on
borrowed time.”
Mock Invasion
Of Radar Screen
To Test Sighters
EDMONTON, UP)—Ground Ob- |
server Corps posts scattered thru
northern Canada from Alaska to
Hudson Bay will be tested in spot
ting and reporting aircraft under
simulated wartime conditions in
March, the RCAF said Tuesday.
Operation ‘‘Sales Talk” will
alert civilian observers in posts
from the 55th parallel to just
south of the North Pole.
All multi-engine aircraft will be
reported during the operation. Re
ports will be checked against the
flight plans to planes in the area
to see if observers miss any and
to test the time needed to receive
warnings from the north.
| By Marvin L. Arrowsmilh
WASHINGTON, UP)—President
Eisenhower announced today he
is available for a second term.
Eisenhower’s announcement—
ending a long period of uncertain
ty and speculation—came at a
news conference held just five
months and five days after his
Sept. 24 heart attack.
“My answer will be positive—
affirmative,” Eisenhower said.
In the business and financial
world, repercussions were sharp
and immediate. Prices of stock
bounced up on the New York Ex
change. Buying orders poured in.
so that the ticker was about 19
minutes behind an hour after the
President’s announcement.
His announcement had been ex
pected at today’s news conference
but there was no certainty it
would come.
For the first eight minutes of
the session, the President, calm
and collected, tantalized the news
men by talking first about various
other matters—such things as the
Red Cross drive for funds, the
pending farm bill, and a water re
sources measure which is before
Congress. With the tension mount
ing, Eisenhower finally turned to
the subect everyohe had been
waiting for him to discuss—his at
titude regarding a second term.
He said he had an announce
ment which was something more
personal in nature, and recalled
he had promised the newsmen he
would disclose his second term
plans to them first if it could be
worked out that way.
Eisenhower then said he had
reached a decision whether to bid
for another four years in the
White House. He went on to say
his decision involves so many fac
tors it was impossible for him to
express it in terms of a simple
yes or no.
For that reason, he added, he
was asking the TV-radio networks
for time tonight to speak to the
American people. The broadcast
was at 7 p.m., PST.
Eisenhower said he did not
know for sure whether either the
Republican Party or the people
generally want him to serve an
other four years, but he was going
directly to the people and tell
them the facts.
At that point, the President
ended the months of speculation
and announced: “My answer will
be positive—that is, affirmative.”
That was the only statement
Eisenhower permitted to be quot
ed directly in advance of prepara
tion of the stenographic transcript
—which usually becomes avail
able about two hours after the
news conference.
Republicans from top leaders
down through the rank and file
have been hoping and praying he
would consent to run again.
Just before Eisenhower ended
his 23-minute meeting with re
porters, he said he never would
have decided to seek re-lection
unless he thought he would live
out the next five years.
(Continued on Page Two)