Hi NOME NUGGET
_ OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 40 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 4, 1955Per Copy—15^
U.S. Views Seizure |
Of Fishing Boats
As Very Serious
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, UP) —■ j
U.S. Ambassador Shelton Mills i
said yesterday the United States
government views the seizure of
two U.S. fishing boats by the Ec
uadorean government with ex
treme seriousness.
The two ships, the Arctic Maid I
and Santa Anna out of Seattle,
were taken into custody last Sat- j
urday after an Ecuadorean patrol
boat opened fire and wounded
William Peck, an engineer aboard
one ship.
Rollin Atwood, director of the
Office of South American Affairs,
and Fred Taylor, foreign affairs
specialist, both from the State De
partment arrived early today
from Washington. Ambassador
Mills came here this afternoon
from Quito and joined the two
State Dept, officials and U. S.
consul in Guayaquil, Churchill
Hutton.
The Ecuadorean government
says the ships were taken into
custody because they were violat
ing Ecuadorean territorial waters
which Ecuador claims extend 200
miles off shore. The ships were
between 25 and 35 miles off the
coast when seized.
Secty. Wilson Discloses
Further Cuts In Army’s
Manpower Strength
* WASHINGTON, UP) —Secretary
of Defense Wilson disclosed today
he is sticking to the plan for a
further cut in Army manpower
strength.
There have been recent reports
of a new “new look” to leave
more men for the ground forces,
but Wilson, in testimony prepared
for a Senate Appropriations sub
committee, said the plan is for an
army of 1,027,000 by June 30,
1956. This was approximately the
figure originally recommended
by Wilson to the Budget Bureau.
Long-range fighter units of the
Strategic Air Force are scheduled
to be re - equipped with faster
than - sound fighters, Wilson re
ported. The B-36, piston-engined
long-range bombers now in use
by the Strategic Air Command
will be replaced with all-jet B-52
heavy bombers, he said.
Aif Force strength by June 30,
1956, is planned for 131 wings—
within six wings of the eventual
goal. The planned strength for
1956, Wilson said is “four more
combat wings than the Air Force
thought they could achieve one
year ago.” By 1956, he added, the
number of active planes in the
Air Force will have increased to
about 23,000 “and will continue to
increase in fiscal year 1957.”
DEATH TOLL FROM QUAKE
ON MINDANAO REACHES 432 j
MANILA, UP) —- Death toll in
Friday’s violent earthquakes on
Mindanao today was reported at
432, with about 2,000 injured and
12,000 homeless.
Paul Gordon, Far East director
of the Committee for American
Remittances Everywhere (CARE)
arrived from Hong Kong and
planned to survey the disaster
area in the southern Philippines.
Winners of Sunday's
Nome River Dog Derby
Perfect weather for dog racing
and picture taking brought out
the populace yesterday for the
Arctic Club’s Nome River Derby
which was won by Dave Walluk
with a time of 29 minutes 53 sec
onds. Pete Larsen Jr. was sec
ond and Gordon Dimmick placed
third.
Following are the teams which
participated in the order of their
finish with the number in paren
thesis the starting position:
David Walluk <6> 29:53.
Pete Larsen Jr. <5> 31:10.
Ben Herman (2) 31:20.
Ralph Olanna (4) 31:55
Gordon Dimmick <3> 35:20.
Carl Adams (8) 37:15.
Stephen Tocktoo (1) 41:22.
Kenneth Kotongan (7) 44:40.
1 Million Dollar
Contracts Let For Work
At Six Military Bases
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Contracts
have been awarded for more than
IVz million dollars worth of work
at six Army and Air Force bases
in Alaska, the Army Engineers
announced today.
The largest contract of $935,024
went to Peter Kewitt Sons Co.
and Fred J. Early Jr., Co. for an
enlisted men’s service club and
indoor recreational and training
facilities at the Army’s Arctic
Center at Big Delta. *
$375,704 to L.B. McKinney Co.
of Portland, for construction of a
concrete gymnasium and rehabili
tation of the water system of the
Army’s port facilities at Whittier.
$329,530 to Schmid Construc
tion Co., Seattle, for a fireproof,
500-seat concrete theater at Fort
Richadson.
$52,950 to the A. M. Jannsen
Drilling Co., Aloah, Ore., for
drilling 18 fresh-water wells at
Ladd, Eielson and Elmendorf Air
Force bases. Six wells will be
drilled at each base to provide a
“tactical defense” water supply.
Nine Die When Mexican
Train Tumbles Into
“Canyon Of Death”
COLIMA, Mexico, W*) “— The
death toll of a holiday train crash
that tumbled three passenger cars
into Colima State’s “Canony of
Death” rose to 13 today. Nine
persons were killed outright and
four others were in serious con
dition.
The cars fell through a bridge
on a mountain line last night 50
miles from the Pacific Coast near
the little town of Alsaba.
The Colima state governor,
Jesus Gonzales Lugo, said about
60 persons were injured slightly.
Other cars of the 15-car train re
mained on the track, the gov
ernor said, and hundreds of the
persons who jammed them es
caped without a scratch.
Fish Kills Fisherman
NAMAZU, Japan, UP)— Fusta
taro Goto, 47, boated a 4Vfe-foot,
300-pound scombroid (mackerel)
yesterday in Suruga Bay and
drove in a harpoon for the kill.
The mackerel-like fish jerked in
a death flip. The harpoon struck
Goto on the forehead, fatally.
Another Dog Race
Will Be Held
Next Sunday
•/
The enthusiastic response to the
| Nome River Derby dog race spon
! sored by the Arctic Club yester
! day has resulted in the announce
i ment that another race will be
irun next Sunday.
The committee stated that the
race will be run over the same
course, Nome City Hall to the
mouth of Nome River and return,
starting at 1 p.m. under the same
rules as last Sunday’s race. Cash
prizes for the winners are being
voluntarily contributed by several
business houses.
In addition to the derby, a one
i dog ski race for 15-year-old boys
and girls will be held following
the dog race and a one-dog sled
race for youngsters under 13. Both
these races will ibe on Front St.
Rules and courses will be an
nounced Wednesday so there will
! ample time tor practice.
One registration for the race
next Sunday has been made at
Col. Borden’s office: William Nel
son, with a team from Bluff.
Nation In Grip Of Fierce
Blizzard Despite Late Date
(By the Associated Press)
A fierce blizzard hurtled east
ward across the Great Plains to
day, plummeting temperatures 20
degrees, and the northeast also
lay in the grip of another sur
prise snowstorm.
And the western storm’s dread |
cousin, the “black blizzard,” had
“all but finished” crop prospects
on the bone dry plains in eastern
Colorado. The furious wind swirl
ed dust 35,000 feet into the air
as it stripped away the meager
remainder of farmers’ hopes ac
ross that section and into Kansas.
For all the April 4 date, it
might as well be winter with 8
to 18 inches of new snow block
ading roads in Wyoming and
Montana, and 5 to 17 inches thru
upstate New York, parts of
Massachusetts, Connecticut and
Vermont.
Even heavier falls were record
ed in the Rockies, Sheridan, Wyo.,
had 21 inches of snow in two days
and Havre, Mont., had 23 inches.
Weather conditions favorable
for tornadoes developed in north
ern Texas and southeast Okla
homa.
The weekend weather was
blamed for at least 12 deaths, in
cluding three persons who died
in the crash of a dust - blinded
small airplane in Colorado Satur
day. The1 others were in traffic
accidents.
HOUSE PAYS TRIBUTE
TO JUDGE HELLENTHAL
JUNEAU, (#> — The Alaska
House of Representatives paid a
tribute Friday to Judge Simon
Hellenthal, former Anchorage
federal jurist who died here
Thursday.
The House adopted a resolution
of sympathy to his family which
described him as “a distinguished
citizen, a loyal and faithful public
servant and a true friend “who
had acquired “widespread es
teem and respect as an able, fair
and conscientious jurist.”
Legislature Passes Sharply-Revised
ESC Measure In Sunday Session and
The Special Session May Soon End
Legislature Enacts Bill
To Tax Gas And Oil
Production, If Any
%
JUNEAU, UP1—The Senate pass
ed a House bill for a gross pro
duction tax on oil and gas, which
was put forth by House members
after the property tax was stop
ped repeatedly by the House. The
oil and gas tax would be one per
cent of the value of the well—if
and when the territory should get
any commercial producers. The
vote was 13 to 3.
Russian Expedition Is
En Route To Set Up
Fifth Polar Ice Station
LONDON, UP—A Russian scien
tific expedition left Leningrad
yesterday to set up “Station North
Pole 5” on an Arctic ice floe,
Moscow radio reported.
The expedition is led by N. A.
Volkov, senior scientific member
of Russia’s Arctic Research Insti
tute, the radio said.
Volkov, it reported, said the
new station would have a wider
program and better equipment
than the four other floating ice
stations. Its equipment includes
“highly sensitive devices for
studying ocean currents at var
ious depths,” he added.
Capt. Johnson Named
Commander of Navy’s
Supercarrier Forrestal
WASHINGTON, M—1The Navy
today appointed Capt. Roy Lee
Johnson the first commander of
the supercarrier Forrestal.
The 60,000-ton Forrestal, first
ship of her class, is to be com
missioned later this year.
Johnson, a native of Big Bend,
La., is now head of the Air Wea
pons System Analysis Staff at
Navy headquarters. He has had
that assignment since July 1954.
He served as air group command
er in the carrier Hornet during
World War II in the Pacific and
in the Korean War he command
ed the carrier Badoeng Strait.
The Forrestal is the first of
five carriers building or author
ized for the Navy to handle the
heaviest and fastest types of mod
ern jet aircraft.
U of A Engineers Test
Gas From New “Strike'’
FAIRBANKS, UP — University
of Alaska mining engineers have
begun tests on gas hit in apparent
great quantities by a service sta
tion operator drilling for water
292 miles south of here last week.
Red Seaton who operates a ser
vice station on the Alaska High
way, told the Fairbanks News
miner yesterday the gas was still
pouring from the well. His drill
ing rig was damaged during the
first outburst.
Gas is often encountered in the
area, but there is no record of
such a prolonged output.
♦ By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UP) — A major knot,
the key Employment Security bill,
was untied by Alaska’s lawmak
ers in peaceful Palm Sunday ses
sions yesterday and the end of the
long overtime special session may
be in sight.
Still to be untangled, however,
are the Senate-House differences
over the 31-million dollar general
appropriations bill, with its at
tached salman tax rider. Some
Democratic leaders also want to
stick around to see what Gov.
Heintzleman does with the com
j promise Employment Security be
i fore heading home.
Approval of the sharply-revis
ed ESC measure came in the
House on a 20-4 rollcall last night.
The Senate had given a 13-3 okeh
during the afternoon.
Rep. Joe McLean, Juneau, Re
publican floor leader, sharply at
tacked it on the House floor and
something of a political enigma
also developed. All the Senate Re
publicans voted for it and the
three House Republicans were
solid against it. The Senate op
position came from three Demo
crats. .
Increased Benefits to Alaskans
The bill provides for increasing •
unemployment benefits to Alas
kans by $10 a week, to a new
figure of $45, and decreasing pay
ments to persons drawing their
benefits in the states. The out
siders will be cut $10 a week to
a new $25 a week scale.
Workers will have to contribute
into the insurance fund for the
first time, up to a maximum of
$18 a year.
In debating the ESC bill, Mc
Lean referred to the Palm Sun
day session and introduced the
theme of Pontius Pilot and the 30
pieces of silver into his argument
as he charged the bill is a be
trayal of resident Alaskans.
He contended the bill does not
give enough consideration to sea
sonality and it is unfair to make
resident Alaska workers contrib- *
ute to the fund.
Rep. Ed Locken also argued
against it on the grounds that it
is a bill primarily for the con
struction industry; that a cannery
worker might earn as much as
$1,000 in a three-month period
and still not be able to qualify
for benefits, after having paid
one-half of one per cent of his
pay into the fund. Such workers
would have to earn an additional
$250 in the rest of the year to
qualify for benefits.
In support of the bill, majority
floor leader Richard Greuel con
tended “the people have won a
victory” through the determina
tion of the House to stick to its
guns until ESC legislation was .
enacted. He contended it is a good
bill, drawn under the eye and
with the advice of experts from
the Federal Bureau of 'Employ
ment Security.
The main critic of the bill was
Sen. Marcus Jensen who express
ed the belief it does not provide
(Continued on Page Two)
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