m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXII No. 62NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MAY 23, 1960 Per Copy 15*
Advance Warning Saves Many Hawaii j
Islanders from Crushing Tidal Waves j
Weekend Chilean
Earthquake Claims
220 Lives Lost
SANTIAGO, Chile, OP) — Chile
was hit today for the third
straight day by earthquakes that,
coupled with gigantic tidal waves,
are already blamed for an offi
cial toll of more than 360 persons
dead or missing.
The Seismograph Institute here
said shocks occurred throughout
the night and early today in south
Chile. A strong movement was
felt at Valdivia, a river port 570
miles south of Santiago.
Damage from the weekend dis
asters in central and south Chile
ran into millions of dollars. There
were unofficial reports of 220 dead
from the quakes alone.
An official report listed 203
known dead, 100 missing and 1,500
injured. Aid was rushed from
neighboring Latin American na
tions and from U. S. bases in
Panama.
The quake was Chile’s worst
since 1939, when more than 20,000
persons perished in the same area.
Offical reports said the tidal
wave near Ancud washed away
100 villagers. None of the bodies
have been recovered.
A tidal wave of hot sea water
was reported to have hit Lebu, 285
miles south of Santiago, and ama
teur radio messages predicted a
heavy toll.
Northern California Town
Washed By Tidal Wave
CRESCENT CITY, Calif., UK —
A tidal wave swept into Crescent
City at 12:20 p.m. today, pushing
water for three blocks into the
town.
Police reported three persons
were hurt.
There was no word of fatal in
juries.
• Crescent City is near the Cali
fornia-Oregon border.
Two fishing vessels were
swamped and 30 others damaged.
Jetties and other harbor installa
tions were damaged.
K. I. Village Shines
With New Look
The cleanest part of town is
now the King Island Village.
The village people saw the work
beind done by the Jaycees east of
the seawall, saw how these men
gave their evenings, night after
night, so that the beach could be
clean. They saw as they walked
home, the big improvement in
their own part of the city.
The King Islanders, men, wo
men and children, got together
and duplicated the work of the
Jaycees, and now the beach in
front of the village is just as clean
as the area cleaned toy the Jay
cees. However, these people didn’t
stop with the beach. They asked
for cars to haul off the debris
from the village itself, and this
has been done. The city responded
with some gravel, to fill a low,
marshy spot within the village,
and now King Island is the clean
est area in Nome.
What was once the dirtiest part
of town is now the neatest. It was
no miracle — just hard work —
and an example of what the people
in any part of Nome can duplicate.
HONOLULU, UP) — A series of j
surging tidal waves killed at least |
15 persons in Hilo today, police j
said. They reported dozens of
others were missing.
The awesome waves, generated
by the earthquakes in Chile,
rolled relentlessly across the vast
Pacific.
Mass evacuations because of
forewarnings sharply cut the
losses in the Hawaiian Islands.
All deaths occurred this time in
Hilo. Many persons were injured
and others reported trapped
there.
One eyewitness said the waves
hit “with the roar of a freight
train.”
The massive waves rolled across
the Pacific from their suboceanic
birthplace on the Chilean coast,
where a continuing series of
heavy earthquakes and tidal
waves caused more than 300 deaths
and tremendous damage.
The waves smashed the island
of Hawaii in four mighty surges,
with Hilo taking the brunt of it.
Hilo is on the northeast coast of
the island, easternmost in the Ha
waian chain.
The biggest wave — topping six
feet — hit at 1:05 a.m., sending a
wall of water into the Hilo Thea
ter and plunging the city in dark
nes when it shorted out the city’s
power station.
Hil Before in 1346
Hilo, with a population of 25,000,
bore the brunt of a tidal wave in
1946 when 159 persons were killed
and 163 injured.
Residents and tourists in Hono
lulu’s plush Waikiki Beach resort
area and other low-lying coastal
zones were evacuated to higher
ground.
Civil Defense authorities said
the death toll might have been
much higher if residents had not
been warned to head for higher
ground.
Quake-Inspired
Waves Run Amok
In L. A. Harbor
LOS ANGELES, Calif., W) —
Freak current 'believed caused
by waves from the Chilean earth
quakes, surged powerfully through
California harbors today, ripping
hundreds of pleasure craft from
their moorings and heavily dam
aging dock facilities.
Hardest hit was Los Angeles
Long Beach Harbor, where flood
like current swept back and forth
through narrow channels lined
with yacht anchorages, wreaking
havoc. Docks to which clusters of
as many as 80 boats were tied,
were torn loose and drifted aim
lessly, bumping into other docks
and bridges and grinding against
channel walls.
The water level changed abrupt
ly every 15 or 20 minutes during
the day, compared with the nor
mal tidal changes of every seven
hours.
San Diego Harbor suffered
extensive damage. There was
lesser harm as far north as San
Francisco. Experts said the wave
action might last several days.
lyos Angeles-Long Beach Har
bor, an intricate complex of
terminals, finger piers, Navy fa
cilities and pleasure landings, was
a scene of confusion as boats rang
ing from 14-foot outboards to
luxury yachts went astray.
j Bartlett Tells U-A
j Grads Khrushchev
| Killed Peace Hopes
j FAIRBANKS, OP) — Sen. Bob
Bartlett said today Soviet Premier
Khrushchev had shattered the
hopes of the world for peace.
“The hard truth is that we now
are living in a world at war,” the
Senator said in an address at the
38th Annual Commencement of
the University of Alaska.
“We have looked forward with
a measured degree of optimism to
a lessening of tensions which have
been building up over the years,
layer by layer, almost to the
breaking point,” Bartlett told uni
versity graduates. He added:
“Now the leader of the Soviet
government has, in response to
God-knows what pressures or de
sires, seen fit in loud and angry
and unreasonable words to end
the summit conference, which he
was so instrumental in promoting,
even before its real beginning.
Bartlett said there was “an un
alterable conflict” between this
nation’s beliefs and those the Com
munists live by.
“Democracy, of course,” Bart
lett added, “is not primarily a
system at all but a set of values.
The chief of these values is that
the indivilual human being is a
creature of infinite worth; govern
ment therefore must protect and
aid the individual.”
He further commented:
‘The beauty of America does not
lie in material wealth. It lies in
freedom.”
Bartlett and Gerald FitzGerald
received honorary doctorate de
grees awarded by the university
at the commencement exercises.
FitzGerald, now a resident of
Salt Lake City, retired in 1957 as
chief topographic engineer for the
Geological Survey.
He served many years in Alas
ka on topographic surveys, begin
ning in 1921.
The University also awarded 88
undergraduate degrees, nine mas
ter degrees and two professional
degrees. Thirteen of the graduates
received army commissions as sec
ond lieutenants.
The commencement exercises
climaxed ceremonies at which the
school Sunday dedicated its new
$3,000,000 Bunnell Memorial Hall.
The combination' classroom and
administrative building is named
in honor of the late Dr. Charles E.
Bunnell, first president of the uni
versity.
Gov. William A. Egan delivered
the dedicatory address at Bunnell
Hall. The Very Rev. Arby Le
mieux, president of Seattle uni
versity, delivered the Baccalaur
eate Sermon Sunday.
Nome Selected Convention
Site for 1962 Gathering
of Women’s Clubs
Esther McCoy, delegate to the
Alaska Federation of Women’s
Clubs gathering held in Anchorage
last week, and who represented
the Home Arts Club, brought back
the good news that Nome has been
chosen for the 1962 Convention.
There were three bids, she re
ports: Homer, Haines and Nome,
with Nome receiving all votes ex
cept two.
Official delegates will number
about 40, and other guests will
also be expected, bringing about
50 persons to Nome for the con
vention as guests of the Home Arts
Club.
Gromyko Asks U. N. to
Brand U. S. As Aggressor
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y., UP)—
The Soviet Union asserted today
that spy flights over Soviet ter
ritory means “playing with fire.”
It called on the U. N. Security
Council for a condemnation of
such flights and demanded that
the United States prevent their
recurrence.
Soviet Foreign Minister Gro
myko told the 11-nation council
spy flights, like that of the May 1
U2 plane, “can involve grave con
sequences unless appropriate
measures to check such acts are
taken forthwith.”
He wound up a grim, sharply
worded speech by submitting a
resolution branding the U. S.
flights as “aggressive acts” and
a threat to universal peace, and
called for condemnation of the
United States.
Jumping Frogs Vie
In Calif. Contest
ANGELS CAMP, Calif., UP) —
Tule Pete of the United States
won the jumping frog contetst
here with a three-leap total of
13 feet 2V& inches.
The gold medalist was owned
and coached by 9-year-old Brian
Basacker of Sonora, Calif.
Tule Jack, owned by Brian’s 7
year-old brother Tommy, was sec
ond at 12^9Vfc, and Untouchable,
owned by Carolyn Voltich, 13, of
Stockton, Calif., was third at 12-1.
The beat a field of frogs from
Jersey and a dozen foreign coun
tries.
Ike TV Report Will
Explain Collapse
of Summit Talks
WASHINGTON, l/PI — President
Eisenhower will go on television
and radio Wednesday to report to
the American people on collapse
of the summit conference.
White House Press Secretary
James Hagerty said the President’s
30-minute talk would start at 4
p.m., Pacific Standard Time.
In addition to the summit col
lapse, he said, the talk also will
deal with “the future aims and
goals of the United States and,
indeed, of its allies and the free
world.”
The announcement on Eisen
hower’s plans came as he con
ferred at the White House with.
Secretary of State Christian Her
ter regarding the TV-r a d i o
report.
In response to questions, Hag
erty said he knew of no plans for
Eisenhower to address a joint
session of Congress regarding the
Paris debacle.
New Zealand Feels Waves
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, l*
— High waves have swept New
Zealand’s east coast from North
Auckland to the Bay of Plenty
tonight, continuing for two hours
in some places. Small boats broke
from their moorings, some were
damaged, others capsized.
The disturbance was connected
with the Chilean earthquakes.
Fog-Shrouded Mt. McKinley Still Holds
Two Climbers, Rescuers, at 10,200 Feet
ANCHORAGE, UFi — An angry
I spring sky and a layer of dense
I clouds thousands of feet thick held
the key today to the successful
completion of this state’s greatest
mountain rescue effort.
A storm which sent winds up
to 100 knots swirling around the
continent’s highest mountain, tow
ering Mt. McKinley, kept the res
cue machinery at a complete
standstill. Heavy clouds complete
ly obscured the mountain from
2.000 feet up.
Still Socked In
The latest report this morning
was that the mountain still was
“socked in” up to 18,800 feet,
with high winds, rain, sleet and
snow. Forecasters said it would
be tomorrow at the earliest before
a break in the weather could be
expected.
Still to be removed from Mc
Kinley were the Whittaker twins
of Seattle, Jim and Lou. Although
suffering slight frostbite, they
were believed in no danger. Only
the weather prevented aircraft
from picking them up from their
campsite near the 10,200-foot
level.
With the Whittakers were a
score or more of seasoned moun
tain climbers, hurried onto Mc
Kinley’s icy slopes after the Whit
takers and two companions, John
Day and Pete Schoening fell 400
feet down an icy slope at the
18.000 foot level last Tuesday
night.
Daring Helicopter Evacuation
Day, 51, a wealthy rancher from
Central Point, Ore., was evacu
ated from the 17,200 foot level
Friday night by a daring helicop
ter pilot, Link Luckett, who took
his craft 1,200 feet above what
had been considered its top oper
ating limit.
The easy smiling Luckett, 32,
pushed his small chopper beyond
its range again Saturday to re
move Schoening, 31, of Seattle.
Day suffered a broken leg, a dis
located left ankle and frostbite.
Schoening had a frozen left hand
and frostbite. Both men are in
good condition, according to at
tendants at Elmendorf AFB Hos
pital.
tion brought on by lack of oxy
Another amazing aerial rescue,
one of numerous acts of individual
and group heroism involved in
this rescue operation, was made
Friday by bush pilot Don Sheldon
of Talkeetna.
Flying a light plane, Sheldon,
a veteran of other air rescues,
landed at the 14,000-foot level on
McKinley and whisked to safety
Mrs. Helga Bading of Anchorage.
Mrs. Bading, 30, was a member
of an Anchorage climbing party
which went to the assistance of
Day, Schoening and the Whit
takers after they fell. She suf
fered mountain sickness, a condi
tion brought on by lack of oxy
gen, and for a time was in cri
tical condition. Sbe recovered
quickly on her return to lower
altitudes.
Loss of Two Lives
While the massive rescue effort
had its bright, happy side, there
was also a dark side, filled with
sorrow for the wife and two small
daughters of William Stevenson,
Anchorage, and the family of a
military man whose name has not
yet been released.
Stevenson was' piloting a small
airplane ' attempting to airdrop
supplies to the Day party Friday.
The military man was a passenger.
While circling at 18,000 feet, the
plane suddenly dived into the
ice and snow. Both men died.
Their bodies are still on the moun
tain.