2S NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 28 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1959 Per Copy—15<f
U. S. Will ‘Stand Firm" In Berlin Crisis,
0
Say Congressmen After Ike Conference
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower discussed the Berlin
situation with Congressional lead
ers of both parties for 90 minutes
today. The leaders reported deter
mination all around to stand firm
against any Soviet threats.
“There is no thought of yield
ing to pressure,” Senate Demo
cratic chief Lyndon Johnson told
newsmen.
He added that on the other hand
the United States and its allies
are determined to explore every
possible avenue which could main
tain peace with honor.
Eisenhower and Britain’s Prime
Minister Harold MacMillan will
open talks here March 20 on the
situation. MacMillan also will re
view for the President his recent
Moscow conferences with Soviet
Premier Khrushchev.
Announcement of the definite
plans by MacMillan to come here
was. made by the British and U. S.
governments before Eisenhower’s
conference with the Congressional
leaders.
Accompanying Johnson to the
conference from the Capitol were
House Speaker Sam Rayburn,
Senate Republican leader Everett
Dirksen, and Rep. Charles E. Hal
leck, the House GOP leader.
The Congressional leaders said
Eisenhower had not proposed that
Congress take any specific action
regarding the Berlin situation.
After the meeting with Eisen
hower, the four leaders went to
the office of White House Press
Secretary James Hagerty. Each of
the leaders then made a brief
statement to newsmen.
Rayburn said Eisenhower has
made clear many times just what
he means in saying the United
States will stand firm. The Presi
dent has said the Allies are will
ing to negotiate, but on the other
hand won’t budge a single inch
in determination to preserve the
rights of the West.
The Congressional leaders made
it plain Eisenhower has not asked
for any resolution by Congress to
support his German policy, com
parable to the Middle East reso
lution two years ago.
Canadian Government
v Asked by Legislators To
Work With U. S. on Hiway
EDMONTON, Alta., UP) — Two
Alberta legislators criticized the
federal government yesterday for
refusing to accept an offer of the
U. S. assistance to complete the
paving of the Alaska Highway.
Ira McLaughlin, from Grande
Prairie, introduced a motion ask
ing the Alberta Legislature to re
quest the federal government to
agree with the United States to
complete the 1,200-mile unpaved
section of the highway, with the
United States paying half the cost.
The motion was seconded by
A. O. Fimrite of Spirit River.
J. Hamper Prowse, Edmontoh;
introduced an amendment strik
ing out the reference to the United
States paying half the cost. The
amendment was passed on a voice
vote to make the motion ask only
that Canada and the United States
reach an agreement to complete
the road.
Referring to a bill before the
U. S- Senate which would permit
this country’s participation in the
Alaska Highway work, McLaugh
lin said Canada’s shade of the cost
would he 66 million dollars over
a six-year period.
8>—
No Operation Required;
Bob Hope Will Rest To
Relieve Eye Trouble
HOLLYWOOD, UPL-Back home
from New York, where physicians
assured him that he would not
have to submit to eye surgery,
comedian Bob Hope says he is
quitting the movies for awhile.
, Hope, who appeared tired, said
the medics told him he’d have to
stay out of the kleig lights until
a blood clot in his left eye clears.
The doctors said the clot was
caused by high blood pressure.
‘I’ve had to knock out a couple
of personal appearances,” said
Hope. He is going to complete a
television film within a few days,
then rest for a while.
Pioneer IV Is
‘Lost Forever’
In Solar Climb
WASHINGTON, (ft—Pioneer IV
vanished into space today and
may never be heard from again.
The space prove tracking sta
tion at Goldstone, Calif., lost con
tact at 7:15 a.m. today when the
probe’s transmitting signals be
came very weak.
At that time the probe was trav
eling toward the sun at about
3,960 miles an hour, 412,080 miles
from the earth.
Asked if there was any likeli
hood of further contact with Pio
neer IV a spokesman for the Na
tional Aeronautics and Space Ad
ministration said it was unlikely.
He added that since the probe’s
battery apparently had gone dead,
it was unlikely that the Goldstone
station would make any further
search for it.
“We think that this is it,” he
said.
“Pioneer IV is gone forever.”
Earlier the gold plated cone had
been sending clear signals from
more than 400,000 miles out.
They came from a point deeper
in the great void than any trans
mission ever before recorded.
NASA scientists calculated the
distance at 403,000 miles and the
gold-plated cone’s speed at 3,960
miles an hour.
At that time the Pioneer had
been under radio observation for
about 60 hours, longer than any
other such space traveler.
Low Bid Made by Seattle
Firm for Construction of
Foundations at Clear
SEATTLE, tf) — A Bellingham
firm, Baker and Ford, was ap
parent low at $836,475 yesterday
at opening of bids for construction
of surveillance radar antenna
foundations for a section of towers
at the Air Force installation at
Clear.
The District Army Engineers’
office, Alaska section, said the gov
ernment estimate for the work on
the ballistic missile early warn
ing service job was $2,163,840. All
15 bidders were below the gov
ernment estimate.
The second low was Morrison
Xnudsen Construction Co. and
Patti MacDonald Construction Co.,
both at Anchorage, $1,216,485, and
the third low, the M. B. Contrac
tors, Seattle, $1,349,360.
The bids were forwarded to the
Anchorage office for study and
award.
Nome High Team
Gobbles Cordova In First j
Of Tourney Basketball
The Nome High School basket
ball team played their first game
last evening against Cordova, win
ning with a score of 58-45. They
left here Tuesday for Valdez, to
participate in the Class B tourna
ment.
Rod Boucher, manager for the
team, reported by phone this
morning that Ed Maloney was
high, with 30 points, and Chuck
Fagerstrom scored 16. The Nome
team was ahead all the way.
Tonight the team plays Valdez.
Rod reported the team drove
from Anchorage to Valdez in 9Vf>
hours, in two new 1959 Chevro
lets, hitting a snowstorm at the
pass, but getting through without
any trouble.
—
Diane Lee Takes
Div. Honors In Jr.
Miss America Fete
MOBILE, Ala., UP) — Thirty-six
pretty high school seniors are
competing for top honors in the
America’s Junior Miss Pageant.
In the first round, Diane Eleanor
Lee of Nome, won in evening dress
division, Shirlee Parker of Fort
Smith, Ark., was chosen best in
the sports attire division, and
pianist Sandra Lee Searle of Oak
Park, 111., took the talent honors.
The outcome of the three pre
liminary rounds, plus what the
five judges think of the girls’
poise, character and personality,
will determine who is chosen
America’s Junior Miss Saturday
night.
The winner will receive a $5,000
scholarship. Other scholarships of
$3,000, $1,000, and two for $500,
will go to the four runners-up.
The pageant, sponsored by the
Mobile Junior Chamber of Com
merce,, is held in connection with
the city’s Azalea Trail.
The 36 contestants will switch
categories again tonight in the
final preliminary judging.
In last night’s competition, the
winners were ballerina Patti
Patterson of Birmingham, Ala.,
in the talent division; Sara Jane
Banks of Newton, Miss., in sports
attire, and Judie Smith of Las
Vegas, Nev., in evening dress
modeling.
U. S. Senate Considers
Bill Requiring Notice For
Mineral Rights Leasing
WASHINGTON, UP) — Three
senators have introduced a bill to
require notice to states when pri
vate interests seek to lease min
eral rights o state-owned land.
The sponsors were Chairman
James Murray (D-Mont) of the In
terior Committee, and Senators
Pat McNamara and Philip Hart,
Michigan Democrats.
The bill would require the Sec
retary of the Initerior to give
prompt written notice to the
states when oeffrs to lease min
eral rights are received.
McNamara said the need for the
bill was brought up recently by
oil drilling in the Swan Creek
Wildlife Refuge in southwestern
Michigan. The federal government
owns the oil and mineral rights,
while the state owns surface rights
at the refuge.
State and federal agencies
should work together to protect
parks and game refuges from any
drilling that might possibly de
stroy their attractiveness, McNa
mara said.
Debate on Reorganization Offers Hope
Of House 0-K With Slight Alteration
Rep. Kendall Disqualifies
Self On ‘Unconstitutional’
Reorganization Measure
JUNEAU, (ff) — The Republican
minority leader in the House,
Rep. Bruce Kendall of Valdez,
disqualified himself yesterday
during House debate on the Alas
ka government reorganization bill.
Kendall said the reorganization
measure as now drafted was un
constitutional because its title
does not reflect the different as
pects of legislation covered in
the bill.
He said it was a violation of the
Constitution, which provides that
each piece of legislation cover
only one subject.
Tripod Set For
Nenana River
Break-up Classic
By DON KETZLER
Manager of Nenana Ice Classic
NENANA — With the relaxing
of the extreme cold weather at
Nenana, the days are becoming
warmer, the ' sun is shining for
longer periods of time, and inter
est is picking up as to the time
of the ice movement of the Tan
ana River.
It will be an unusual breakup
this' year. There is three feet
more water beneath the ice than
at the same time last year and
there is about 30 inches of snow
out in the brush.
After 42 years of this annual
event, there is still a great deal
of excitement as to the breakup.
Some of the old timers, who
have witnessed them all, still be
lieve in the signs of the moon or
a certain patch of melting snow
on the hillside across the river
from town. But all of them are
still guesses.
We at Nenana are hoping that
the weather does not warm up
too fast or there will be more
than the Ice Classic tripod going
down the river.
The tripod has been set, painted
and an appropriate sign put upon
it. It will make a fine picture for
camera fans—a memento of the
greatest annual event in Alaska.
The million dollar clock is
being inspected and regulated by
Heinz Borchard, Fairbanks
watchmaker. This famous clock
can be seen at his establishment
at Third and Lacey.
Watch for our next week’s
writeup when we will have some
comments from a few of the old
timers of Nenana so you may be
able to pinpoint the time of the
breakup from some of their
methods.
Midwest Passenger Plane
Makes Sudden Dive,
Injuring Many Aboard
CHICAGO, UP> — A Chicago
bound Northwest Airlines plane,
carrying 76 passengers, went into
an unexpected 4,000-foot dive in
turbulent air as it near Chicago
last night.
The sudden drop tossed passen
gers around the cabin of the four
engined DC6B craft. At least 12
persons were injured, most of
them slightly. Two stewardesses
and one passenger were hospital
ized. Nine passengers were treated
for iAinor injuries when the plane,
from Minneapolis, landed at Mid
way Airport in a rainstorm.
p JUNEAU, (#> — The State House
of Representatives spent yester
day afternoon debating the gov
ernment reorganization bill, but
it appeared the measure would be
■ approved largely as it stands.
The bill, regarded as the most
important piece of legislation be
fore Alaska’s first state lawmak
ers, would take more than 100
territorial agencies, cpmmissions
and offices and put them into 11
executive departments under con
trol of the Governor.
Scores of amendments were of
fered yesterday, mostly by Rep
resentatives Donald Harris (R
McGrath) and Dora Sweeney (D
Juneau). Most of the proposals
were rejected.
However, two of the amend
ments were adopted unanimous
ly. One would permit the Board
of Education to call for the remov
al of the Commissioner of Edu
cation, appointed b> the Governor.
The other was a technical change
to bring medical facilities under »
the Department of Health and
Welfare.
The House also voted, 30-10, to
reject a proposal by Donald Harris
under which the Commissioner of
Education would be appointed by
the Board of Education.
The reorganization bill stipu
lates the commissioner will be ap
pointed by the Governor from a
list of candidates submitted by
the board.
A separate bill calling for a five
member Board of Education was
introduced in the Senate by Sen.
John Coghill, Republican minority
leader.
Coghill’s measure, which he ad
mitted faces probable defeat, was
aimed at providing more indepen
dent authority for the board than
is provided in the reorganization
bill. Under Coghill’s bill, the board
members would be appointed by
the Governor for specific terms
and the appointments would go
to persons nominated by the Asso
ciation of Alaska School Boards.
March Rumhles ‘In
Like A Lion,’ To
Blast Midwest U.S.
A vast March storm today
spread into new territory with
driving snow and smashing winds.
The storm that had dumped up
to IV2 feet of snow on eight mid
western states was centered in
Michigan this morning.
A squall that resembled a small
tornado ripped out a 60-foot sec
tion of a wall of the Ford Motor
Co. parts plant in Monroe, Mich.
None of the 250 workers were hurt
and operations continued.
A Greyhound bus was stranded
on U. S. 27, about 12 miles south
of Cheboygan, Mich. A snowplow
was sent to the rescue but condi
tions were so bad it had to turn
back.
Iowa, staggering from the im
pact of the worst blizzard in 10
years, struggled to throw off its
snowy straitjacket.
Strong winds drifted highways
in southeastern Minnesota faster
than crews could open them.
Among the heaviest snowfalls
in the Midv^esfr were 18 inches in
Wausau, Wis., and 17 in Ottumwa,
Iowa, and La Crosse, Wis.
Another major storm hit the
southeast. A record 9.87 inches
of rain deluged the Charleston,
S. C. airport in a 24-hour period.
Apalachicola, Fla., was drenched
by 7.51 inches of rain.