™E NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LVI No. 80 ~ NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1954 Per Copy—15^
Truck Driver Rescues Four Persons
Trapped In Up-side Down Car in Water
After Plunge Off Christochina Bridge
VALDEZ, I/P)—The cold courage,<
determination and hardihood of
Francis Krch saved the lives of
four persons July 4 but no one
ever would have known about it
if they waited for Krch to tell
the story.
He had to get his load of pipe
delivered.
This, it was learned here today,
is what happened:
As Krch was approaching Chris
tochina bridge, 180 road miles
north of here, he saw a car dis
appear over the side of the bridge.
Stopping quickly, Krch saw be
low the wheels of the car show
ing above water.
He swiftly attached a chain to
his truck and threw the chain
over the side of the bridge to the
auto. Then, after tying down his
air horns to attract attention for
any other travelers, he descended
the chain to the overturned car
in the river.
As he reached the car, he call
ed and was answered by its occu
pants, who it developed were
standing in the vehicle with their
heads just above the water, hold
ing two young children in their
arms.
The lower side of the auto
mobile had opened as the car
hurtled from the bridge and a
suitcase had jammed in the open
ing, preventing the door from
closing.
Krch reached down through the
narrow opening and took a baby
from its mother’s arms, then
climbed up the chain to the
■bridge. Down he went again, this
time pulling the mother through
the small opening with much dif
ficulty. She, too, was hauled safe
ly to the bridge, where other
passersby had gathered.
Krech made a third trip down
the chain and saved a 4-year-old
child.
Then, with great difficulty and
almost paralyzed by the 36-degree
water, he managed to work the
father through the narrow open
ing. Then Krch went back to the
car because he thought two other
children still were in it. .
He squeezed his way back into
the car and frantically searched
for them. Then, he almost per
ished because of the difficulty in
getting out of the car but managed
after an extreme struggle to free
himself.
The man and his family were
taken to a roadhouse at Christo
china and were reported in good
physical condition after treatment
for shock. Little was learned of
their identity except that they
were from Fairbanks and the man
was an employe at Ladd Air
Force Base by the name of Drum
mond.
Krch left immediately after.
His load of pipe was needed for
the Haines-Fairbanks pipeline.
>
Castillo Armas Emerges
As Top Man In Guatemala
GUATEMALA, (Jl—Col. Carlos
Castillo Armas finally rode the
top of the political heap in Guate
mala today. The government an
nounced the rebel chief was elect
ed president of a new three-man
junta—the fifth government turn
over in less than two weeks.
Col. Elfego Monzon, tempor
ary chief of the five-man junta
in charge since last Friday, re
mained in the new pared - down
ruling body.
But the reins were clearly in
Castillo’s hands. The third mem
ber of the top group—Maj. En
rique Oliva—was defense min
ister in the provisional govern
ment which the rebel leader set
up in Chiquimula after his army
of Guatemalan exiles invaded
their homeland from neighboring
Honduras on June 18.
A government decree last night
said Castillo’s election was ef
fective immediately.
Peacetime Spying In The
U.S. Punishable by Death
WASHINGTON, (41—Peacetime
spying would be punishable by
death for the first time in U.S.
history, under an administration
bill passed 323-0 by the House
yesterday. The measure now goes
to the Senate.
The bill would also remove the
present 10-year limit on prosecu
tion for espionage. And it would
broaden the espionage and sabot
age laws to make them apply to
germ and atomic warfare.
Explosion Wrecks Huge
Vat of Caustic Soda
GARY, Ind., UP)—One workman
was killed and 21 others were
hurt in an explosion of a 90,000
gallon vat of caustic soda at a
de-tinning plant here yesterday.
The explosion shattered the 12
ton cover of the de-tinning vat,
12 feet in diameter and 30 feet
high. It virtually wrecked the
new plant building, 200 by 500
feet and as much as 150 feet tall.
The building was made of a metal
alloy, tanite.
The damage was said to amount
to over $100,000.
July 19-24 Proclaimed
National Jackass Week
REDDING, Calif., UP)—The city
council proclaimed July 19-24
National Jackass Week—complete
with a popularity contest to
choose “your favorite jackass—
animal or human.”
George Fleharty, top exalted
grand puncher of the asphalt
cowboys, a fun-loving group of
business men, sold the council on
the idea to publicize a community
barbecue here Aug. 1.
Alaska Aeronautics
Comm. Approves
$50,000 In Projects
ANCHORAGE, UP — Approxi
mately $50,000 worth of airport
construction projects were ap
proved by the Alaska Aeronautics
and Communications Commission
during its summer session which
wound up here yesterday.
Second Division projects ap
proved: construction of an airport
at Wales, $11,400; first stage con
struction of airport at Selawik,
$3,600; extension, improvement of
existing field at Basin Creek,
$2,000; airfield improvement at
Kotzebue, $2,500.
Preliminary work was also au
thorized for Kiana and mainten
ance provided for the field at
Coffee Creek.
Two of the biggest expenditures
will be made in the 4th Division.
They are $14,000 for improvement
and lengthening of the airfield at
Hughes and $10,000 for start of
construction work on a new air
port at Bethel.
The next board meeting was
scheduled to be held at Nome on
Oct. 26, according to Bill Munz,
2nd Div. board member who just
returned from the meeting.
Czechoslovakia
Seizes Seven
U.S. Soldiers
WASHINGTON, UP) — The
United States has served Red
Czechoslovakia with a brusque
demand for the “immediate re
turn of 7 U.S. soldiers who this
government charges were kidnap
ed last Sunday.
The State Dept, note dismissed
as unfounded Czech claims that
the seven—a captain and six en
listed men — were spying when
they were seized by a Czech bor
der patrol near the West German
town of Baernau.
But a few hours after the U.S.
note was handed to Czech diplo
matic officials, the Communist
satellite government repeated its
espionage charge in a Prague
radio broadcast heard in Vienna.
The U.S. note, protesting “in
the strongest terms this abduction
of American soldiers,” said the
Americans “were proceeding in
nocently without arms along the
border . . . when they were seized
by a Czech patrol.”
THURSDAY BALL SCORES
American League
Detroit 2, Chicago 0
Cleveland 4, Baltimore 1
National League
New York 11, Brooklyn 2
Chicago 9, Milwaukee 8
St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 1
Pacific Coast League
San Diego 2, San Francisco 0
Los Angeles 8, Sacramento 4
Hollywood 8, Seattle 4
Portland 12, Oakland 1
Kadow Charges Probe of U.S. Tin
Political Smear and Unfair Slander
Sen. Cordon of Oregon
Chosen Chairman Interior
And Insular Affairs Com.
WASHINGTON, UP) — Republi
can senators today selected Sen.
Cordon (R-Ore) as chairman of
the Interior and Insular Affairs
Committee to succeed the late
Sen. Butler (R-Neb).
This is the group that handles
statehood legislation for Hawaii
and Alaska. Cordon had served
as floor manager for these bills
in the Senate.
Ralph Tudor to Resign As
Undersecretary of Interior
WASHINGTON, UPI —Ralph A.
Tudor, undersecretary of the In
terior, said he plans to leave his
post and return to private busi
ness “some time near the end of
Congress.”
As undersecretary, Tudor is sec
ond in command of the vast In
terior Department directed by
Secretary McKay.
Rep. Miller (R-Neb), chairman
of the House Interior Committee
which handles the department’s
legislation, said he understood
Clarence Davis, department soli
citor, was being considered. Davis
is a former Lincoln, Neb., attor
ney.
Circuit Court Judges Ask
Congress Delay Court
For N.W. and Alaska
SAN FRANCISCO, fudges
of the Ninth Judicial Circuit are
asking Congress to delay action on
a bill which would create a new
U.S. Circuit Court for the North
west and Alaska.
The judges, meeting Thursday,
voted to' ask Congress to shelve
the proposal pending further
study.
The six-judge ninth circuit now
handles appeals in seven western
states, Hawaii, Guam and Alaska.
The proposed new circuit would
take in Alaska, Idaho, Montana,
Oregon and Washington. Two
full-time judges and a part-time
judge would have been added to
the western area to speed action
on appeals.
Canadian and U.S. Air
Forces To Hold Joint
Maneuvers This Month
WASHINGTON, UP) — U.S. and
Canadian air forces will take part
later this month in an air defense
training maneuver officially de
scribed as the largest ever held on
the North American continent.
A joint announcement by the
two air force late yesterday said
“hundreds” of planes will take
part, with Strategic and Air
Training Commands simulating
an aggressor’s “attack.”
The exact dates are being kept
kept secret to add a touch of
reality.
> WASHINGTON, UR—Sen. Cape
hart said today the Senate-House
committee on defense production
will give Kenneth Kadow “plenty
of chance to testify” in its in
vestigation of three million dol
lars in loans for Alaskan tin de
velopment.
Capehart, who heads the com
mittee, said Kadow, a former In
terior Dept, officials, will be in
vited to appear at executive ses
sions beginning July 26, and then
at public hearings.
The committee has heard testi
mony that Kadow, once an aide to
former Secretary of the Interior
Oscar Chapman, took a job with
the U.S. Tin Corp. as soon as a
federally - insured loan to that
company was approved in 1951.
Kadow said in Juneau last
night he saw nothing wrong in
taking the job with U.S. Tin after
urging the government to loan
the company money.
Kadow charged that he was the
victim of a “political smear” and
unfair “slander.” He said he had
been pleading for a public hear
ing since last fall, but the com
mittee has not answered his let
ters.
Any inference that he supported
the loan application just to make
himself a job is “100 per cent
false,” Kadow said. Everyone in
terested in Alaska development
supported the U.S. Tin project, he
told newsmen.
Kadow placed the blame for the
investigation on William Strand,
director of the Office of Terri
tories.
There is no question but that he
gave support to the application,
he told reporters but said it was
prior to any idea on his part or
that of company officials that he
join the corporation.
“I joined the corporation later,
when convinced there was a job
I could do for them, which is
neither immoral nor illegal. While
it is true that I have received a
fair salary for the last 18 months
from U.S. Tin, the first 18 months
I was paid in stock of the cor
poration, except for $2,400.”
He agreed that several goals
expressed in the tin company’s
first and subsequent applications
for a loan were not realized on
schedule, but said:
“If this fact constitutes a sin
in Alaska, then nearly every Al
askan who does anything is a sin
ner because few projects are ever
realized on schedule.”
Truman Gets Out of Hospital
KANSAS CITY, OP) — Former
President Harry S. Truman today
was dismissed from Research
Hospital where he had been since
an operation June 20.
The former President had his
gall bladder and appendix re
moved June 20 after suffering an
attack two days previously while
attending an outdoor musical
production.
SATURDAY at 8 p.m.
i nr* Uhl x jliXI o x ujx x assembly of god
A TRUE LIFE STORY enacted by the players of the WORLD - FAMED PASSION PLAY. Also a NEW TV FILM will be shown.
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