as NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
, VOL. LV No. 20 NOME. ALASKA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1953 Per Copy—15^
Mt. Katmai Erupts
Sending Column of
Smoke 6 Miles Up
KODIAK, UP—One of Alaska’s
slumbering volcanoes awoke with
a roar yesterday in an eruption
that sent a column of smoke
nearly six miles into the air.
Ash and smoke filtered into
nearby valleys, reminding oldsters
here of the eruption of fabled
Mount Katmai in 1912. But whe
ther the volcano was Katmai or
one of two other long-threatening
peaks in the Valley of 10,000
Smokes was not determined im
mediately.
Nor was there immediate word
of whether villages in the thinly
settled area might be threatened.
Military fliers first reported the
eruption. They said it was on
7,500-foot Mount Katmai. Observ
ers who flew to the vicinity of
the smoking mountain later said
it could be Mount Tribent or
Mount Mageik.
Mount Katmai s last big ram
page in 1912 covered Kodiak Is
land, 110 miles to the southeast
with two feet of ash and deposited
500 feet of ashes in the Valley
of 10,000 Smokes close by. The
towns of Katmai, on the peninsula
and Kodiak had to be evacuated.
Navy and Air Force planes both
skirted the volcano after it blew
up yesterday at 4 p.m. The Air
Force pilot reported that 50 min
utes after the eruption the pillar
of smoke had reached 30,000 feet.
The Navy pilot reported that
ashes were filling valleys near
the angry peak.
The eruption had been predict
ed by Father Bernard Hubbard,
who said three years ago the pat
tern of volcanic activity along the
Aleutian Chain pointed to a big
blow-up of Katmai in 1953.
The volcano, in the Aleutian
Range, is in the Mt. Katmai Na
tional Monument, a park set aside
in 1919 by the late President Wil
son.
Eighth Army Commander
Says Reds In For Surprises
SEOUL, (AV-U. S. Sabre jets
Monday shot down three Russian
built MIGs, probably destroyed
another and damaged seven while
screening a massive air raid on a
big Communist troop and supply
. build-up area.
The U.S. Fifth Air Force re
ported the Communist jet fighter
losses after announcing earlier
that 200 Allied fighter - bombers
had turned the supply area south
east of Pyongyang into a boiling
mass of smoke and flames.
On the battlefront, Allied in
fantrymen threw back five small
Communist probes in pre-dawn
. darkness. Temperatures dropped
below zero all along the front.
The Eighth Army’s new com
mander, Lt. Gen. Maxwell Tay
lor, indicated there might be some
unpleasant surprises for the Com
munists.
Taylor told a news conference
the 17-nation army is “a formid
able military force which has ac
complished great things in the
past and is capable of further
* * achievements in the future.”
Legislators Frown On
New Bill Which Would
Cut Income Tax in Half
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UP) — With the first
20 days behind it, the Alaska
Legislature today faced more
than twice as many Senate bills
as it had at the same time last
session and nearly twice as many
in the House.
Action on all major measures
is still ahead. Only a couple of
minor bills have passed both
houses.
Highlights of the session to date
have been House passage of a bill
to repeal the general property
tax and passage of three bills by
Rep. Dorothy M. Prior, Anchorage
Republican, for revision of elec
tion laws and political party pro
cedure.
A new Dili which would direct
ly affect the taxpayers’ pocket
books is lying in a House commit
tee, where it may continue to
rest. It is a proposal by Fred Esta
baugh, Juneau Republican, to cut
the income tax in half.
Some leading legislators of both
parties are frowning on it, figur
ing these lush times of military
construction in Alaska would be
a poor time to under cut terri
torial revenues.
The Taxation Department esti
mate for the income tax take
during the next biennium is 12
and a half million dollars. Halv
ing it would mean taking six
million or more dollars from rev
enues, putting an end to surplus
accumulation and putting the
territorial treasury back to its
long-time red ink position, unless
expenditures are cut drastically.
Few legislators see the possibil
ity of cutting the budget in an
era of rising costs and expanding
services so there is very little
sentiment apparent for cutting
taxes beyond repeal of the pro
perty tax which has been pretty
much in a state of suspended ani
mation during court actions.
LONG, COLORFUL CAREER
ENDS FOR GEORGE TENNANT
MANISTEE, Mich., Uft—George
Tennant, who served as chef on
expeditions of Admiral Richard
E. Byrd to both the North and
South poles died Sunday of a
heart attack at his home here.
He was 70. Tennant, a mild
mannered small man who wore
horn-rimmed glasses, had a color
ful career. He once operated a
bakery in California oil fields,
cooked hot dogs in the World’s
Fair in St. Louis, plied his cook
ing trade on Alaska salmon ships
and sealers, prospected for gold
in Mexico and once was a soldier
of fortune in a South American
revolutiop.
Gasoline Prices Upped 2.1 Cents
SAN FRANCISCO, UP)—Stand
ard Oil and Chevron gas stations
in five Pacific Coast states, Haw
aii and Alaska, boosted the retail
price of gasoline a maximum of
2.1 cents per gallon Monday.
Other major gas companies
were expected to announce raises.
The action announced Sunday
by T. S. Peterson, company presi
dent, raises prices to 27.9 cents a
gallon for regular gas and 30.5
for premium.
House Memorial
Asks Appointment
Alaskan as Gov.
JUNEAU, (.'PI—A legislative peti
tion for appointment of a “bona
fide resident and inhabitant of
Alaska” as governor was prepared
for introduction in the territorial
House of Representatives today.
Rep. Herald Stringer, Anchor
age Republican, drafted the mem
orial to President Eisenhower,
Secretary of the Interior McKay
and Congress.
The memorial was making its
appearance as legislators were
getting increasingly impatient
over the delay in appointment of
a successor to Gov. Ernest Gruen
ing.
The memorial cites these points:
Eisenhower has repeatedly stated
he would prefer to appoint an
Alaskan; people of the territory
are desirous of having an Alaskan
appointed until such time as Con
gress enacts enabling legislation
for Alaskans to elect their own
governor, “There are residents
who are fully qualified to fill the
office.”
A.N.B. Recommends
Engstrom for Governor
JUNEAU, GW—The House ap
proved quickly and unanimously
Rep. Stringer’s memorial for ap
pointment of an Alaskan as gov
ernor.
Also six Republican leaders of
the Alaska Native Brotherhood
recommended today to Secretary
McKay the appointment of Sen.
Elton Engstrom as governor. He
is the long-time Republican chair
man, of Juneau.
Taft Reveals Eisenhower
May Repudiate
“Secret Agreements”
WASHINGTON, UP) — Sen. Taft
said Monday President Eisen
hower wants to make a cabinet
rank government department out
of the Federal Security Adminis
tration and has set machinery in
motion to create' such a depart
meit.
Taft, the Senate Republican
floor leader, gave this word to
reporters after a 40-minute meet
ing of congressional leaders with
the President.
He said much of the session
was spent in discussion on the
question of repudiating certain
“secret agreements” made by
Presidents Roosevelt and Truman.
Some progress was made to
ward drafting a repudiation reso
lution such as Eisenhower has
called for, Taft added.
Later in the day, Eisenhower
planned to take up the atomic
energy program with top admin
istration officials.
The fact that both Far Eastern
policy and atomic energy were
being discussed on the same day
stirred speculation that the ad
ministration might be studying
the long-debated question of using
atomic weapons against the Com
munists in Korea.
There was no hint of such a
study, however, from any person
‘ figuring in the two meetings.
Secretary McKay Hopes To Make
Governor Recommendation Soon
From 16 Candidates Advanced
<8
Ton of Food Flown To
Inhabitants of Nikolai,
Laid Low by Pneumonia
ANCHORAGE, UP) — A ton of
food was airlifted by commercial
fliers and bush pilots over the
weekend to the tiny interior Alas
ka village of Nikolai, whose 85
odd residents were reported starv
ing after a mass pneumonia epi
demic.
The focfd was carried Friday to
McGrath by Air Force planes,
which could not land at Nicolai
because the settlement has no air
field.
Fliers for the Northern Consol
idated Airlines and bush pilots
shuttled the supplies in ski-equip
ped planes the 60 miles from Mc
Grath to the village yesterday
and today.
The villagers, laid low by the
outbreak of pneumonia, were un
able to maintain needed food sup
plies through fishing and trap
ping.
Northwest Stratocruiser
Sets Pacific Crossing
Record 15 hrs. 54 min.
SEATTLE, (tf)—Northwest Air
lines announced Saturday one of
its big Stratocruisers, which land
ed here at 9:13 a.m., set a new
trans - Pacific commercial record
of 15 hours, 10 minutes from
Tokyo.
Total elapsed time of the flight
over the great circle route was 16
hours and 54 minutes, but one
hour and 44 minutes was spent at
Shemya, in the western Aleutian
chain, on a refueling stop.
Northwest said the double-deck
Boeing airliner was piloted by
Capts. Russ McNown and Jack
Fletcher. The new record breaks
one already held by NWA on the
Tokyo-Seattle run, of 15 hours,
56 minutes.
Because of the International
Dateline and intervening time
zones, the Stratocruiser’s landing
here at 9:13 a.m. was six min
utes before its listed departure
time from Tokyo of 9:19 a.m. Sun
day.
House Committee Okays
10 Per Cent Cut In Income
Taxes Effective June 30
WASHINGTON, UP)—The House
Ways and Means Committee ap
proved a bill Monday to cut in
come tax rates 10 per cent effec
tive June 30.
The tax cut was sponsored by
Rep. Reed (R-NY), chairman of
the committee.
This bill was passed by' the
committee despite President
Eisenhower’s recommendation no
action be taken on an income tax
cut until steps have been taken
to balance the budget.
The future fate of Reed’s bill
is uncertain. It could get tied up
for a long time in the Rules Com
mitee.
The Ways and Means Commit
tee is the first step for all tax
bills. If a measure is killed there
that disposes of it.
WASHINGTON, UP) — Secretary
of the Interior McKay says he
hopes within the next few days
to decide on a man to recommend
for appointment as governor of
Alaska.
The secretary is known to have
been presented 16 names for con
sideration.
Some of the 16 advanced as
candidates are understood to have
asked that they be removed from
consideration but it could not be
learned which they are.
Robert Reeve has been en
dorsed by a majority of the Al
aska Republican Central Com
mittee for the governorship.
A minority of the Central Com
mittee criticized the recommenda
tion on the ground that Reeve
was defeated as the Republican
candidate for Delegate to Con
gress last year and his appoint
ment would be contrary to the
wishes of the people of Alaska.
Others recommended to Mc
Kay include: Elmer Rasmuson,
Anchorage banker; J. C. Morris,
Anchorage business and civic
leader; Lee Bettinger, mayor of
Kodiak; Albert White, counsel for
the Alaska Republican Central
Committee; Frank Heintzleman,
regional forester for Alaska; R.
E. Robertson of Juneau; Ralph
Lomen of Nome; Terris Moore,
president of the University of
Alaska; Emil Hurja of Washing
ton, a farmer executive director
of the Democratic National Com
mittee who supported the Repub
licans last fall;
H. L. Faulkner, an attorney at
Juneau; Cash Cole of Fairbanks;
Walter Hickel, Anchorage con
tractor, Keith Lesh, Palmer bank
er; Roy Earling, Fairbanks attor
ney; and Arthur S. Crits of
Bakersfield, Calif.
Gen. Atkinson of Air Force
Named Commander In
Chief Alaska Command
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower Friday - nominated
Maj. Gen. Joseph H. Atkinson
for promotion to lieutenant gen
eral and to be commander in chief
of the Alaska Command.
Last Nov. 17 the Air Force an
nounced Atkinson’s appointment
as vice commander in Alaska, say
ing at that time that he would
move up to the top job at the
end of February when Lt. Gen.
William E. Kepner will be retired
after 35 years of service.
An Air Force spokesman said
that the orders naming Atkinson
commander in chief in Alaska
would be issued after his nomin
ation has received Senate ap
proval. The Alaskan Command
comprises Army and Navy units
as well as Air Force. Assignments
for such theater commands re
quire Senate confirmation.
Bartlett Introduced Amendment
Immigration and Nationality Act
WASHINGTON—Delegate E.L.
Bartlett has introduced a bill in
Congress to amend the Immigra
tion and Nationality Act by strik
ing out the word “Alaska” in its
application to screening and con
trols at ports of entry.