m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 65NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1955Per Copy—15^
Chamber Seeks To
Prod Officials To
‘Fix’ Nome Field
The Chamber of Commerce de
voted their noon luncheon meet
ing yesterday to a thorough dis
cussion of the deplorable condi
tion of Nome Field, repairs of
which seem to be delayed from
week to week, curtailing the land
ing of larger aircraft.
Much concern was felt over the
neglect of the field, especially
since air freighting is the only
means of transporting supplies
and equipment into the area. With
the mining season now open and
with both Alaska Airlines and
Wien Airlines operating all the
equipment they have, they can
not keep up with the incoming
freight.
The need for the larger Pan
American DC-6 and other large
craft is keenly felt by business
men especially food merchants of
perishable commodities some of
which cannot now be handled
profitably since it must change
planes in transit.
The fact that the necessary
raw material for repairing the
field is available in abundance
was voiced, and that the field
should and could be put in con
dition readily if the proper au
thorities would give the signal
for the repairs to be made.
A committee was appointed to
write CAA officials and to Dele
gate Bartlett at Washington, D.C.,
for prompt action, as the sum
mer season is already well ad
vanced.
Doris Barnes Elected
President of Alaska
B and P Women’s Club
PETERSBURG, UP)—1The Alaska
Federation of Business and Pro
fessional Women’s Club has au
thorized its local member clubs
to endorse “qualified men and
women” seeking election as dele
gates to the constitutional con
vention at Fairbanks.
A resolution to this effect was
among those adopted at the
group’s biennial convention end
ed here Monday.
Territorial Sen. Doris Barnes of
Wrangell, a member of the Ju
neau club, was elected president
of the Alaska Federation, suc
ceeding Hazel B. Johnson, An
chorage. New officers were in
stalled by Miss Ruth B. Cullen
of Bremerton, Wash., national
federation treasurer.
A Kodiak woman, Grace Pecor
ex, was elected treasurer of the
territorial federation, and its
next biennial convention will be
at Kodiak.
In a banquet address acting
Gov. Waino Hendrickson said
women were exemplary workers
at the grass roots level of politics.
He noted 63 per cent of the gov
ernment workers in Juneau of
fices are women.
QUID FATAL TO OLDSTER
ALLENTOWN, Pa., tf) — How
ard R. Ritter, 88, a farmhand,
choked to death yesterday on a
piece of chewing tobacco that
lodged in his throat.
Believe House Will
Restore $8 Million
Of Alaska’s Funds
WASHINGTON, UP — Senate
approved increases in appropria
tions for Alaska Public Works
and road construction are “as
safe as a church,” Rep. Don Mag
nuson (D-Wash). said today.
The Washington congressman is
a member of the House Confer
ence Committee which meets to
day with a Senate counterpart to
iron out differences in the two
versions of Department of Inter
ior appropriations for the year
beginning July 1.
The House Appropriations
Committee deleted the entire five
million dollars asked by the
President to carry on the Public
Works program. It also cut back
from $7,800,000 to $4,800,000 the
recommended appropriation for
Alaska road construction.
The Senate reinstated both cuts.
In expressing belief the House
conferees would accept the high
er Senate figures, Magnuson said
the Alaska cuts had been made
because of a misunderstanding by
some members of the House com
mittee over how much money is
available for the two programs.
Because some funds appropri
ated in the past years had not
been specifically obligated at the
time of hearings this spring, a
majority of the committee felt
there would be enough of such
money to carry the programs thru
the coming year.
Magnuson said this view failed
to recognize the short construc
tion season in Alaska or that the
money, while not technically ob
ligated, actually was earmarked
for projects scheduled for con
struction.
Senate Passes
Postal Pay Raise
WASHINGTON, UV—The Sen
ate today passed a bill to raise
salaries of the 500,000 postal
workers an average of 8 per cent
after being assured it was ac
ceptable to President Eisenhower.
The Senate debated only half
an hour, and sent the bill to
the House where the Post Office
and Civil Service Committee
plans plans to meet on it tomor
row.
It is a substitute for a postal
pay hike measure vetoed by the
President May 19. That measure
carrigd pay raises averaging 8.6
per cent and fringe benefits
which took the over-all total up
to 8.8 per cent.
The bill passed today gives
each postal employee a 6 per cent
raise retroactive to March 1. The
additional 2 per cent involves
reclassification features demand
ed by the President. These will
mean much larger increases than
the average for some upper
bracket employees.
Both Sen. Knowland, Republi
can floor leader and Sen. Carlson
(R-Kan), administration spokes
man on government employee pay
matters, assured the Senate Ei
senhower will sign the new postal
bill.
Uranium Hunter
Parachutes To
Inaccesible Lake
BURNS LAKE, B.C., OH —The
tale of the parachuting prospec
tor came out of the north today
documented by two witnesses.
It concerned veteran uranium
■prospector Art Bellos who could
n’t wait for the ice to go out
of Tchentlo Lake, 250 miles north
of here.
Hugh Russell, Pacific Western
Airlines pilot, flew Bellos here
with two United States prospec
tors—John Stoneburg of Wash
ington, D.C., and Justin Pompeo
of Hartford, Conn.
The pilot said he had told
Bellos earlier this year that
chunks of ice were still floating
on the lake surface, making it
impossible to land. Bellos told
him he would get in somehow.
He hired another plane and
pilot and flew out to the lake and
parachuted in.
“It was one of the most amaz
ing things I’ve witnessed,” said
Stoneburg, a former Washington
editor.
“We didn’t even see the plane
in the overcast. Then Bellos was
floundering in the water about
30 feet offshore. He had his
Geiger counter in a waterproof
case around his neck. He was
laughing and treading water. We
rafted out our air float and pulled
him to shore.”
Bellos himself, relaxing in his
hotel room here, dismissed the
episode as an every-day event. He
directed the first air prospecting
expedition into the Fort McLeod,
B.C., area in 1932, later prospect
ing throughout western Canada
with former bush pilots Russ
Baker, now president of Pacific
Western; Grant McConachie,
president of Canadian Pacific Air
lines and B.C.’s famed bush flyer
“Ginger” Coote.
Bellos said he was attracted to
the Tchentlo Lake uranium
claims, 2,000 acres of which were
staked last winter, to investigate
reports of high U30 content.
Body of Miner, Lost All
Winter, Found At Mine
FAIRBANKS, UP)—'The body of
an elderly miner, missing since
early last winter, was found yes
terday in the lonely and rugged
Preacher Creek area near here.
He was Don Lydon, the object
of an unsuccessful search earlier
after his wife alerted officials.
His body was found near the
entrance to one of his mines by
four members of a Fish and Wild
life team.
Death was believed caused by
some sort of explosion, probably
of a homemade boiler Lydon had
rigged up near the mine entrance.
AUTO UNION EXTENDS
CONTRACT WITH FORD TO
NEXT MONDAY MORNING
DETROIT, Uh—'The CIO United
Auto Workers union today ex
tended its contract with the Ford
Motor Co. from midnight tonight
to next Monday morning to pro
vide more time for further nego
tiations.
Red China Releases 4 U.S. Airmen
Held Captive Since Korean War
--——— .-.<
Air Force Plane Carries
Relatives To Meet Men
WASHINGTON, MV-A big Air
Force plane left here today on
the happy mission of carrying
nine relatives of the four airmen
released by Red China to a meet
ing with them in Hawaii.
Before the takeoff, the plane
was stocked with food, including
savory-looking steaks, for the
5,200-mile trip via Philadelphia
and Offutt Air Force Base, Neb
raska.
Government Still Pressing
For Release of Prisoners
WASHINGTON, (tf>—House Re
publican leader Martin said after
a conference with President
Eisenhower today that the gov
ernment is “still pressing” for re
lease of more of the Americans
imprisoned by the Chinese Com
munists.
Martin and Senate majority
leader Knowland both expressed
satisfaction that four U.S. airmen
have been set free by the Reds.
“We are still pressing for the
release of the rest of them,” Mar
tin told a news conference.
Four Men Die in
Big Delta Fire
FAIRBANKS UR—Four men died
early Monday in a fire which de
stroyed the Alaska Communica
tions barracks at Big Delta. Three
others suffered burns in making
their way to safety.
Big Delta is a military base on
the Alaska Highway 100 miles
southeast of Fairbanks.
The fire was believed to have
been caused by a defective elec
trical circuit. Damage was esti
mated around $75,000.
The fire broke out while the
men were in bed shortly after
6 a.m. It burned for about four
hours before it was controlled.
Fire fighters were handicapped
by lack of hydrants, and a score
of Army men and civil defense
workers fought the blaze with
water from tank trucks.
Army officials said an investi
gation was launched immediately.
WOMAN JUDO PUPIL GETS
SOUTHPAW'S HAYMAKER
EL CENTRO, Calif., UR — Mrs.
Ruby Solomon, feeling pretty con
fident after a session of judo in
struction with the Sheriff’s Wom
en’s Reserve, went home yester
day and asked her husband, Ben:
“Swing at me.”
Mrs. Solomon raised her left
hand to ward off the blow, just
as the judo teacher had indicated.
Ben caught her with a haymaker
and Mrs. Solomon realized she
had forgotten one thing—Ben is
a southpaw.
YOUTH DROWNS IN 18 INCHES
OF WATER AFTER FALL
MONTEREY, N.Y., (JV-^Jack S.
O’Neill, 18, was drowned yester
day in eight inches of water.
State police said O’Neill appar
ently was knocked unconscious
when he fell 14 feet from a
bridge into a creek.
» HONG KONG, WV-Four Ameri
can fliers released by Communist
China after more than two years
imprisonment reached Hong Kong
Tuesday. Less than three hours
later they took off for Hawaii and
reunion with their families.
The men, who had been shot
down in the Korean War, ap
peared tired but in good, if sub
dued spirits. They told newsmen
at the airport that they had been
“well treated.”
UJS. Lt. Col. O. W. D. Simpson,
who greeted the men at the Com
munist border, said their mental
attitude “was extremely com
posed and they gave no evidence
of being brainwashed.”
The four, all fighter pilots, are
Capt. Harold Fischer Jr., 28, of
Sioux City, Iowa; 1st Lt. Lyle W.
Cameron, Lincoln, Neb.; Lt. Col.
I Edwin Heller, 36, Wynnewood,
Pa., and 1st Lt. Roland W. Parks,
24, Omaha, Neb.
“We dre all terribly glad and
happy to be free,” Cameron said
to newsmen. “What more can we
say?”
“Tell our folks ‘hello’,” the
fliers chorused.
The Air Force said in Washing
ton that the men would be given
a complete physical checkup in
Hawaii. Air Force Secretary Tal
bott announced that a special
plane would fly their closest rela
tives to Hawaii for a reunion.
Although newsmen were not
permitted to question the four,,
they said at the airport they were
first told last week that they were
going to be sent home.
The four refused to say where
they had been held prisoner in
China. American authorities had
said they believed the men were
held most of the time in Mukden,
Manchuria.
The airmen were dressed in
Communist blue trousers and fad
ed blue, collarless shirts when
they crossed the border into Hong
Kong territory at the Lowu
Bridge. They changed to new
white shirts and light gray slacks
at the Fan Ling Jockey Club,
The clothes had been brought
for them by an Air Force greeting
party headed by Lt. Col. Simpson,
the U.S. air attache in Hong Kong,
who told them: “I welcome you in
the name of the U.S. Government
and the American people. We
have been waiting a long time for
this.”
“So have we,” one of the men
blurted out.
(Continued on Page Two)
Memorial Day
Holiday Death
Toll Is Record 596
CHICAGO, U?>—Belated reports
of accidental deaths during the
Memorial Day weekend ran the
already record toll still higher
today.
Final tabulation today for the
period between 6 p.m. Friday and
midnight Monday, showed the
totals were 369 in traffic acci
dents, 131 drownings and 92 in
miscellaneous accidents.
The traffic toll exceeded the
previous record of 363 set in
1952. The overall total of 596
also was a new record. Last year
the respective figures were 362,
93, and 84.