m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOlTlIX No789 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1957 Per Copy—15*
STATEHOOD STOCK SOARS AS
RAYBURN VOICES SUPPORT
By FRANK W. VAILLE
WASHINGTON, (^—Reported
support by Speaker Sam Rayburn
sent Alaska statehood stock soar
ing in the House today despite a
decision to postpone floor action
cm the bill until next January.
Rayburn previously has opposed
admission of both Alaska and Ha
waii. His backing of Alaska state
hood was reported by Alaska’s
provisional congressional delega
tion late yesterday after a confer
ence in his office.
Would Add 20 Votes
Rep. O’Brien (D-NY), House
Territories subcommittee chair
man, predicted the speaker’s sup
port would add “at least 20 votes”
for the bill when it reaches the
house floor.
The unofficial Alaska delega
ticn and Delegate Bartlett also
saw the new development as im
proving the bill’s chances, altho
they previously had been hoping
for consideration at this session
i of Congress/
“Sens.” William Egan of Val
dez and Ernest Gruening, a for
mer Alaska governor, and “Rep.”
Ralph Rivers of Fairbanks con
ferred with Rayburn for some 19
minutes after yesterday’s House
session.
Fretting To Go Home
Upon emerging, they said they
had been authorized by him to
announce his support for the bill.
They said it was Rayburn’s rec
ommendation that the legislation
not be taken up by the House
until January because .of possible
dangers involved in the consider
ation of bills near the end of a
session when members are fret
ting to get home.
On the basis of this, Bartlett
I predicted the Alaska bill would
be “probably the first major leg
islation” considered in January.
2 to 1 In Favor
A recent poll of House Demo
j crats showed nearly a 2-f major
1 ity in favor of the Alaska bill. No
comparable count has been taken
among House Republicans, but
private tallies, plus administra
tion backing for both Alaska and
Hawaii, have encuoraged state
I hood advocates.
I
Rayburn’s influence was ex
pected to increase the bill’s
strength, particularly among the
southern House Democrats large
ly opposed to Alaska’s admission.
—
BUILDING FALLS
ON 200 AT WEDDING
KILLING 63 PERSONS
CAIRO, W)—A five-story build
ing collapsed last night on 200
persons celebrating a wedding,
killing 63 persons and injuring 32.
Fatima, the veiled bride in a
white wedding dress, was among
those killed. Her bridegroom,
Mansour Abdel Hamid, was seri
ously injured.
Police said the two lower floors
of the house were more than 70
years old and the government or
dered them pulled down two
years ago. Instead the owner
challenged the order and added
three more stories.
The building was located on a
lane six yards wide in the popu
lar Dab el Amhar residential dis
trict. Women and children were
among the dead and injured.
GIRL, 20, SLAIN
WITH FLATIRON;
ROOMMATE HELD
BURLINGAME, California Iffn—
Catherine 'Kit' Marie Elvins, 20,
daughter of a prominent Seattle
physician, was beaten to death
with a flatiron Wednesday morn
ing, and her young girl roommate
was held in custody today.
Dist. Atty. Kenith Sorenson
said the roommate, 19-year-old
Elaine Soule of Freeport, Long
Island, New York, admitted the
killing and sobbed, “I’m sorry ...
I’m sorry.”
The district attorney said Miss
Soule, a typist clerk, told him
Miss Elvins had received a $160
check from her family, that that
Miss Soule needed money to meet
pressing bills.
I =
Fairbanks Chamber
Members Arrive
$128,045 of Textile
Union Funds
Found ‘Misused’
WASHINGTON, UPV—Senate in- i
vestigators testified today that !
$128,045 of United Textile Work- '
ers funds was “misused” by top
union officials. They cited expen
ditures for lavish theater parties
and cqstly gifts, including a $25.20
corkscrew.
Staff investigators for the Sen
ate Rackets Committee said their
audit showed secretary-treasurer
Lloyd Klenert charged $11,411
worth of New York theater tick
ets to his union. These included
tickets for 24 $100-a-night theater
parties to see the broadway hit
“My Fair Lady.”
Klenert blushed heavily and
bowed his head as he heard in
vestigators give the testimony.
Among Klenert’s allegedly union
union-paid purchases were such
items as girdles, brassieres and
pettycoats at $18.44; sports cane
$15; golfer’s lamp $49.50; milk i
stool $5.50; Magnavox TV set |
$277.59; RCA Victor color TV set j
$566.50; men’s suits, for both eve- I
ning and street wear ranging
from $142.40 to $149.43 in cost, I
and children’s dresses and games j
and a $40 course of “trampoline |
lessons.”
-!
: The Fairbanks Chamber of Com
merce party are scheduled to ar
rive this afternoon about three
o’clock with Wien Airlines and
arrangements have been com
pleted to house them at all three
hotels and private homes.
The group will be guests at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Dewey
Goodrich for a social hour from
5:00 to 6:00 and a smorgesbord is
being sponsored at the North Star
at 7:30 by the Nome Chamber of
Commerce.
Following the dinner there will
be dancing at the Bering Sea
Club.
At nine Saturday morning all
guests who wish to see the prog
ress on Highway 97 will meet at
the Polaris Hotel, where trans
portation will be provided.
A noon luncheon is planned at
12:00 at the Polaris Coffee Shop.
All those in the Chamber party
are expected to be at the airport
at 1:30 p.m. to check in for the
return flight.
Beta Sigma Phi Sorority will
entertain the women of the
Chamber group with a no-host
luncheon at the Bering Sea Club
Saturday noon.
The party, who are guests of
! Wien Airlines, includes Sig Wien,
president of Wien Airlines, Mr.
and Mrs. Jerry Nerland, presi
dent of the Fairbanks chamber,
Mr. and Mrs. Stimple, Dr. and
Mrs. Joseph Ribar, Mr. and Mrs.
Don Pearson, Mr. and Mrs. Dick
Webb, Mr. and Mrs. James A.
Messer, Mr. and Mrs. George
Nehrbas, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Rusing
(National Bank of Fairbanks);
Mr. and Mrs. Noel Wien (Wiens),
Mr. and Mrs. R. A. (Dutch) Derr
(AVA), Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Lo
men, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Kohler,
Mrs. Kathey Rogers (secretary of
Fairbanks chamber), Mrs. Eva
McGown (Fairbanks’ official host
ess), Mr. Matt Slankard (Fair
| banks city manager), Mrs. Velma
! Trafton, Mr. George Sundborg
■ (News-Miner editor), Mr. Jack
Gourley, Mr. Wilbur Walker, Mr.
Bissoff, Mrs. Mildred Lomen, Mr.
Frank Sweeney, Mr. Ross Simp
son, Mr. Don Royer, Mr. and Mrs.
Ed Philleo, Mr. Henry Darwin.
The cre.w of the flight will be
veteran pilots Bob Murphy and
! Cliff Everts. The stewardess will
be Kay Peterson.
Water Hauled by Truck
For Car Wash Business
HOLYOKE, Mass., UP)—Because
of the prolonged drought Clarence
Hubbard can’t use ’any local wa
ter in his car wash business. So
he imports it from nearby Chico
pee where it is more plentiful.
Each day Hubbard carts 500
gallons in 50-gallon drums—
enough to wash 100 cars a week.
Two Alaska Teen-Agers
Sailing Boat to Seattle
BELLINGHAM, W—1Two Alas
ka teenagers were on their way
to Seattle Friday on the last leg
of a 1,400-mile trip from Sitka in
a 14-foot sailboat.
Lester Radacfe, 19, and Don
Noreen, 18, who left the Alaska
port June 9, told interviewers
here the toughest part of the voy
age was crossing Queen Charlotte
Sound.
The youths said they made
three tries at the sound, and final
ly got a tow by tug.
*1
Couple Blasted
In Parked Car
Suicide-Murder
PITTSBURGH, (£>—An explo
sives expert blasted himself and
his estranged wife to death in
their parked auto last night. The
explosion also claimed the life of
a nearby 8-year-old girl.
Seven other passersby were in
jured in the blast which rocked
the northside business section
about one mile from midtown.
The dead are Arthur DePew,
29, his wife Elaine, 18, and Linda
Kraus.
Linda’s 11-year-old sister, Joan
Kraus, who was hurled thru a
window of a nearby store, suf
fered multiple lacerations.
Depew, who had been a blaster
for a construction firm on a sew
age tunnel project here, parked
his 1954 model car in front of the
restaurant just a few minutes be
fore he met his wife in a pre-ar
ranged reconciliation attempt.
The couple talked a few min
utes, entered the car, and then
came the blast which many per
sons thought was a bomb.
Asst. Police Supt. Lawrence
Maloney, after viewing the shat
tered car and interviewing rela
tives of the couple, said:
“There’s no question about it—
it’s a clear case of murder and
suicide.”
! Gunman, Sought in 16-Day Manhunt,
| Captured in Gun Fight After Holdup
NEW YORK, (#>—George Lar
ned, a gunman sought for days in
one of Long Island’s greatest
manhunts, was shot down and
critically wounded by two offi
cers in a running gun fight today
after he staged a $93 cafe holdup
in Manhattan.
The desperate fugitive, who had
been shot in the back in an ex
change of fire with Long Island
police 16 days ago, was felled by
bullets which apparently para
lyzed him from the waist down
and fractured ribs.
“Please put one (bullet) thru
my head and end it all,” the 32
year-old desperado begged offi
cers as he lay in a gutter.
Nevertheless, the officers said,
Larned still tried several times to
grab their guns. ’
Even after he had been brought
I
down in the street by the first
shot to hit him, officers said, Lar
ned struggled to his feet but was
brought down again by another
bullet.
Larned was hit in the back by
a police bullet July 10 when he
fought a gun duel with police
after being surprised in a house
burglary at Baldwin on Long Is
land.
He had been sought over a
wide area since then*
So far as is known he had no
medical treatment for the wound.
Posses of hundreds of heavily
l armed state troopers, local police,
| sheriffs,’ deputies and district at
j troney’s men had combed the
I countryside of Suffolk County on
| Long Island for the wounded
j gunman. Bloodhounds were used,
^ but they lost the scent.
I TO THE VISITING MEMBERS OF
1 THE FAIRBANKS CHAMBER .
I FROM THE PEOPLE OF NOME