OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 142 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1955._Per Copy^l5*
Nome Eligible For
APW Water and
Sewerage Systems
The Nome PTA had an inter
esting meeting last evening with
Harry Johnsen presiding.
Mayor Steffen Andersen pre
sented a plan laid out by the Al
aska Public Works, proposing a
modern water supply system and
sewerage disposal system for
Nome. According to APW, new
methods explored by other com
munities with permafrost condi
tions, make it possible to meet
this health hazard successfully.
The mayor read a report from
the APW showing the over-all es
timated cost for setting up a
circulating water system with
pumping stations, hydrants, fire
mains, and other necessary equip
ment, of about $250,000, and a
sewerage disposal s> stem for
about $200,000. This would break
down to individual cost of about
$8.00 per month for running
water and sewerage per family.
This problem has been discus
sed for many years but until re
cently no plan was considered
feasible due to freezing condi
tions. Mayor Andersen explained
that the system has worked suc
cessfully in Fairbanks, from
which the costs for Nome were
estimated. He also explained that
it gets considerably colder in Fair
banks than at Nome during the
•winter.
Chief of Police Carl Webb ex
plained the new School Boy Pat
rol and how it will operate to
protect school children from traf
fic during the morning, noon and
evening hours when they are
going to and leaving school.
The following boys have been
chosen from the 7 th and 8th
grades for the patrol under the
direction of Chief Webb and Pat
rolman Howard Yates of the City
Police Department. Carl Liebig is
faculty co-ordinator.
# Morning Patrol: Reginald Okit
kon, leader, Robert Oksoktaruk,
Roy Piscoya, Joe Amarok;
Noon Patrol: Christopher Sieg
wart, leader David Barber, Ray
Arnold, John Herman;
Evening Patrol: Rodney Bou
cher, leader, Billy Joe, Robert
Oman, Eddie Johnson.
The patrol posts will be at 2nd
and B St., 3rd and B, and 3rd
and Division Streets.
Alaskans Asked to Join
In S-D Day Campaign
To Reduce Auto Accidents
A. P. Brandt, superintendent of
the Department of Territorial Po
lice, at the request of Gov. Heint
zleman, has requested Police
Chief Carl Webb to cooperate in
President Eisenhower’s Safe Driv
ing Day campaign.
The challenge to this communi
ty will be: not a single serious
traffic accident during the 24
hour period—in daylight or dark
ness.
This year, as last, the purpose
of S-D Day is to show that motor
ists and pedestrians can reduce
traffic accidents by their own ac
tions. The first S-D Day, last De
cember, produced a reduction in
the national toll of deaths and in
juries, and in the number of acci
dents, as against the comparable
day in 1953. For the second S-D
Day, we are being asked to join
with other municipalities in our
territory in bringing about a much
greater reduction in our traffic
toll.
Wrangell Mills
Start Shipping
Lumber to States
SEATTLE, —The first major
shipments of Alaskan lumber in
history are coming south to Seat
! tie at the rate of IVz to 2 million
board feet a month, it was an
nounced yesterday.
Since August, the entire output
of the Wrangell Lumber Co., has
been earmarked for Seattle.
Japanese interests who control
the _ Wrangell mill through their
Alaska Pulp Co., are barging the
lumber in here for processing and
shipment by rail to distributors
throughout the country.
In Seattle, the United States
Millwork Corp. is processing the
Sitka spruce and fir into either
finished lumber of such products
as window frames, jambs and
mouldings. Most of the lumber
goes from here to a large mid
west dealer.
Mrs. Stella Bowen, the woman
lumber broker who engineered
sales outlets for the Wrangell
product, estimates that the proj
ect will bring a million dollars
worth of lumber into Seattle an
nually.
Output of the Wrangell mill or
iginally was slated for Japan.
However, Japanese demand has
not been as heavy as expected
Eden Stalls Demand
Britain Accept Red Call
For Ban On H-Weapons
LONDON, UP — Prime Minister
Eden today stalled Labor de
mands that Britain accept Soviet
Russia’s call for an immediate
worldwide ban on nuclear weapon
tests.
He said Britain is “perfectly
ready to consider” the proposal
but warned parliament against ex
pecting unconditional British ac
ceptance
Eden said the terms of the Rus
sian offer, broadcast from Mos
cow “are far from clear.” He
commented it “might have ap
peared in a better light if it had
been made before the recent So
viet explosion of which Mr. Khru
shchev has spoken in such en
thusiastic terms.
But Eden refused to commit the
government on the proposal of
Clement Attlee, Labor party lead
er, that Britain initiate talks with
the United States and Russia with
a view to ending further experi
mental hydrogen bomb tests.
Eisenhower Condition
Continues To Improve
GETTYSBURG, Pa., (^—Presi
dent Eisenhower’s physicians re
ported after an examination today
that he is “free of symptoms” and
his convalescence “continues to be
satisfactory without complica
tions.
Col. Thomas Mattingly, heart
specialist of Walter Reed Army
Hospital, Washington, joined Maj.
Gen. Howard Snyder, the presi
dent’s personal physician, in a
medical bulletin which made clear
Eisenhower’s activities still are
being restricted even as they are
progressively increased.
9/000 TRAM TOKENS TAKEN
DENVER, UP—Two armed men
who robbed the Denver Tramway
Co. office yesterday should have
solved their transportation prob
lem for several years.
In addition to $97 in cash, their
loot included 9,186 bus tokens,
valued at $1,363.
CRIPPLED JET SPEWS DEATH
AND DESTRUCTION ON EIELSON
FAMILY HOUSING DURING NOON
-«
Carpenter Blown Out
Of Second Story
Window—To Safety
FAIRBANKS, l# — The explo
sion which followed the crash of
a jet plane into a group of apart
ment buildings yesterday gave
Herb Porter a lift—right out a
window to safety.
The Eielson Air Force Base car
penter was working alone in
Apartment C of Building 725
when the crash occurred.
Porter said he heard the plane
coming “and the whole building
was vibrating.”
The next thing he knew, a sheet
of flame broke the wall in the
second floor apartment in wliicfc
he was working.
“It was suidde to go down the
stairs,” he said, so he ran*to the
window and opened it. As he was
kicking out the window sash, an
explosion blew him out the win
dow to the ground below.
Porter said when he reached
the window, all he could see was
flames through the courtyard and
people being killed. Four died in
the next door apartment, first to
be struck by the hurtling F84.
“It was a good thing I was
blown out the window because I
wouldn’t have had the guts to
jump,” he admitted. He was un
injured except for numerous
bruises which were treated at the
Eielson infirmary
Rich Shoplifter Released,
Drives Off in Cadillac
PHOENIX, Ariz. (£*—A 52-year
old woman was stopped by police
Monday carrying an armful of
Christmas wrappings and carving
knives from a store in one of the
fancier shopping centers in this
city.
After a hurried conference, she
agreed to pay $73.28 for the goods,
and police let her go.
She drove away in a 1956 Cadil
lac.
Frank Whaley Here
On Fund Raising Trip
For Alaska Visitors Assn.
Frank Whaley, executive direc
tor for the Alaska Visitors Assn.,
who is on an intensive promotion
trip to all communities in the ter
ritory on a fund raising project to
match funds appropriated by the
lai.t legislature, reports that when
he left Anchorage this morning
over $ 14,0(0 had been raised in
that community alone. He states
that businessmen are more and
more aware of the importance of
the tourist dollar and the response
in communities already reached
has been very stimulating.
Whaley will be a guest of the
Rotary Club tomorrow noon and
will show pictures which explain
the plans and aims of the AVA.
These aims are to stimulate the
millions of people who are travel
ing. into visiting Alaska and to
spur the efforts of travel agents
to selling more trips to Alaska
Through the courtesy of the
management of The Theater, Mr.
Whaley will give a five minute
talk before each show Thursday
night and present some interest
ing facts to the theater - going
public.
* FAIRBANKS, (/P) — An Air Force jet fighter
plane, veering like a bird with a crippled wing, spewed
death, horror and fire yesterday through half a dozen
eight-family housing units at Eielson Air Force Base.
Even today, nearly 24 hours after the disaster at
the base 26 miles southeast of here on the Alaska High
way, there was no exact figure on the casualties. Air
Force spokesmen announced 13 were known dead.
-,
Nehru Says India
Will Not Be Drawn
Into Soviet Bloc
CALCUTTA, India, W) — With
the Soviet Union’s two top lead
ers listening, Prime Minister Neh
ru said today the world need not
fear this his Russian guests will
draw India into the Communist
bloc.
He told an enormous crowd,
here to welcome Soviet Premier
Bulganin and Communist party
secretary Nikita Khrushchev, that
India is sticking to its “basic
policy” of not joining any “camp
or alliance.”
Then in an apparent reference
to the blasts against the West by
Khrushchev and Bulganin in pre
vious speeches in India, Nehru de
clared:
“We try to be friendly with all
countries whether we agree with
them or not. That is the reason
why we refrain from criticizing
other countries, even when we
disagree with their policies, un
less circumstances compel us to
explain our viewpoint.”
Millions of wildly enthusiastic
Indians packed Calcutta’s streets
and parks to greet the two Krem
lin chiefs. The turnout was be
lieved the greatest in India since
the funeral of the late Mohandas
K. Gandhi.
Argentine Government
Restore Newspaper To
Rightful Owners
BUENOS AIRES, Agrentina, JFI
—The government today issued a
decree restoring the newspaper
La Prensa to the Paz family. At
the same time it ordered disso
lution of the Peronista party.
The decree of provisional presi
dent Pedro Aramburu spelled a
finish to the totalitarian political
machine which Juan de Peron or
ganized six years ago to smother
the opposition and tighten his
reign.
Expropriation of La Prensa in
1951 was one of the steps Peron
took to clamp his control on the
nation.
The return of the newspaper
to its rightful owners came only
'18 days after Aramburu took
office.
Its publisher before expropria
tion, Dr. Alberto Gainz Paz is ex
pected to return from exile to
morrow to resume control of the
newspaper.
THIEF TAKES BADGE FROM
POLICEWOMAN'S PURSE
LEXINGTON, Ky., (JF) — The
thief who rifled a woman’s purse
in the postoffice yesterday may
be assured that one highly irri
tated law officer is looking for
him.
Policewoman Susan Garr said
the thief removed her billfold con
taining her badge and $18.
"There possibly were two others.
Ice-covered debris and wreckage
was being combed in the grim
hunt.
Many of the victims were
women and children, home for the
lunch hour.
Eight or more were injured se
verely in the crash or ensuing
fire. One was described as criti
cal
Dozens of others suffered vary
ing degrees of frostbite from their
desperate fight against flames
that leaped and danced for four
hour in 16 below zero cold.
One poignant note in the over
all tragedy—the worst ever to hit
one of Alaska’s big air bases—
was the death of the 11-month-old
triplet sons of a sergeant.
Most of the victims were mem
bers of the families of military
personnel who lived in the new
and modern housing units at the
base.
The triplets were the sons of
Sgt. and Mrs. William Thimple,
formerly of Ellwood City, Pa.
An officer who lived in one of
the houses adjacent to the scene
of destruction told of finding
Thimple kneeling in debris, burn
ed and with his shirt blown off.
His arms enfolded his other two
small children, and he was shout
ing:
“My other boys! My other
boys!”
The mother was standing be
side a flaming building, with her
screams nearly drowned in the
roar and confusion Both parents
were burned seriously.
There were many narrow es
capes, too, in the carnage which
one officer described as “terrible
. . . awful.” A man told of being
blown out a window; another was
blown downstairs; a couple es
caped injury as a fire-splattering
plane wreckage stopped a few
inches from their apartment wall.
The pilot of the ill-fated F84
jet was Lt. Alfred F. Pounders,
28, of Monticello, Miss He per
ished.
Witnesses said his plane veered
at almost a 90-degree angle as it
left the runway. It limped along
at low altitude, unable to climb,
then crashed into the homes about
a quarter of a mile away.
One witness described the
crash graphically:
“The plane bounced on one
building, throwing it all into
flames. Then it bounced on an
other and a wing flew off. Then
it ripped down a high tension
power line. From there it smash
ed right through an apartment
house and scattered everywhere.”
The tragedy struck shortly after
12:30 p. m. while many children
were home from school for the
lunch hour.
The apartment house that took
tiie full impact was demolished.
The dead triplets were in a front
room of that building. The burst
ing gasoline tanks of the plane
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