m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 127 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1959__Per Copy—15^
Kaiser Steel Corp. Breaks Away, With
Motion for Seperate Union Contract
WASHINGTON, UP) — The Kai- ;
ser Steel Corporation, breaking i
away from industry-wide nego
tiations in the 104-day-old steel
strike, began separate negotiations
with the United Steelworkers
Union today and expressed opti
mism on chances for settlement.
The surprise action breached
the solid front of the basic steel
industry in its long and bitter
contract fight with the United
Steelworkers Union.
While Kaiser said it would bar
gain alone with the union in
Washington, talks between USW
committees and other individual
steel firms got under way in Pitts
burgh and elsewhere.
These sessions were distinct
from a scheduled meeting here of
top union officials and represen
tatives of the biggest companies
led by U. S. Steel Corporation.
A note of urgency was injected
into the peace maneuverings as
the U. S. Third Circuit Court of
Appeals announced it would give
its decision tomorrow in a Taft
Hartley injunction proceeding
against the strike.
Latest American Iron and Steel
Institute statistics rank Kaiser as
the nation’s ninth largest steel
producer, with an annual capacity
of 2,933,000 ingot tons — about
two per cent of the national total.
In announcing the decision to
break away from the big 12 bar
gaining group, Kaiser Steel board
chairman Edgar F. Kaiser said:
“We believe (it) ... is the only
responsible step we can take in
the face of mountaing national
emergency caused by^this 104-day
strike.”
Employing 10,615 persons, Kai
ser is the biggest steel manufac
turer west of the Mississippi Ri
ver. Its main plant is at Fontana,
Calif.
In its statement reporting an
agreement between Kaiser and the
union, the 11 other large produ
cers said Kaiser estimated the
cost to itself at 10 cents per hour
per man in the first year of a
three-year contract. They added
it would cost them 17 cents an
hour the first year.
The statement said:
“In addition to the cost differ
ences, there are matters of prin
ciple with respect to pensions and
insurance which are wholly un
accepable to the other steel
companies.”
Fairbanks Pioneer Elected Grand
President at Closing Session in Nome
Art Lutro of Fairbanks is the'
new President of the Grand Igloo
of Pioneers, being elected yester
day afternoon with the following
other officers: Lester Gore of Ket
cikan, first vice-president; Carl
Lottsfelt of Anchorage, second
vice-president; James Jorgensen
of Fairbanks, chaplain; Dr. Chase
of Cordova, historian (a life term);
Walter Heisel of Juneau, treasur
er; Theo McKenna of Fairbanks,
secretary; C. Shaffer of Fairbanks,
grand recorder; Joe Bernard of
Cordova, Sgt. at Arms. Two trus
tees, with one-year terms, are Ike
Woodman of Valdez and Sol Urie
of Seward; two-year terms, Rob
ert Korn of Cordova and Axel
Edman of Nome; three-year terms,
Howard Stabler of Juneau, and
Max McGilvary of Ketchikan.
Seward will be the host igloo
next year, it was decided, and
the convention will be held on
October 13, 14, 15 and 16.
Saturday evening the Grand
Ball was a big success under the
capable direction of Mrs. A1 West
and her committee, who engin
eered the Grand March, with
Pioneers in gala costumes. Decora
tions planned by Bob Scott set off
the gay affair, and the music of
the Ketchikan Pioneer Ragtime
Band kept everyone on their feet.
Surprise skits by the Women’s
Auxiliary from Ketchikan, headed
by Mr. and Mrs. Lester Gore; An
chorage, headed by Tillie Reeve,
and Juneau, headt by Dora
Sweeney, added to t te merriment
of the evening, as wfell as the
songs by Joe Diamond of the
band. An outstanding highlight
was the rendition of “Alaska’s
Flag,” by Mrs. Wm. Egan, who
sang at the conclusion of the
Juneau women’s skit.
Saturday afternoon, 120 wo
men gathered at the North Star as
guests of the Nome Auxiliary.
The Seaview Room was particu
larly beautiful with the display of
paintings by Jeanne/ Lawrence,
(Continued on Page Two)
►
COLD CASH . . .
HOUSTON, Tex., OP — Thieves
stole $1,300 in cold cash from
Monte Ray Pettitt. He told police
he had hidden the money in a
locker set at 5 degrees below zero
in his frozen food locker company.
Russians Will
Show Photographs
Of Dark Moon
MOSCOW, UP> — The Soviet
Union announced today the first
photographs of the far side of
the moon will be published in
Moscow newspapers Tuesday.
The photographs were taken by
the moon-circling Soviet Lunik
III. The news agency Tass said the
rocket took pictures of the moon’s
hitherto unseen dark side for 40
minutes.
“A considerable number of pho
tographs of the moon were ob
tained,” the agency said. ‘The
processing of the films — expo
sure and fixing — was automatic
ally carried out on board the in
terplanetary station.”
Interplanetary station is the
name the Soviets have given to
Lunik III from the start, even
though it does not fit Western
ideas of such a station.
Tass said Lunik televised the
photos back to earth on October 7.
TEXAS FAIR DRAWS
BIGGEST YEAR'S CROWD
DALLAS, Tex., — The State
Fair of Texas closed Sunday, with
a total attendance of 2,801,305 for
its 17-day run. Officials said only
a National Canadian Exposition
drew more people in North Amer
ica in 1959.
WADE TO SPEAK IN SEATTLE
SEATTLE, t/P — Hugh J. Wade,
Secretary of State for Alaska, will
speak to the Alaska Division of
the Seattle Chamber of Com
merce at a noon luncheon No
vember 2.
Members of the International
North Pacific Fisheries Commis
sion will be honor guests.
A RESOLUTION
The 43rd Annual Convention, Pioneers of Alaska, in session at
Nome, Alaska, October 22-23-24-25, 1959, will go down in the history
of the Grand Igloo as one of the most delightful and memorable
conventions it has ever held.
The large number of delegates and visitors from every part of
Alaska who came to Nome, the birthplace of the Grand Igloo, to
attend this session; the truly Alaskan hospitality and friendliness
of all the people of Nome, which was shown in the wonderful pro
gram of entertainment to accompany the business sessions; the har
monious spirit of the convention; the beautiful weather which was
enjoyed diming the convention; and the cooperation of the many
groups taking part in the convention as a whole, have made it an
outstanding success, and, whereas:
Those in attendance at this convention of the Grand Igloo wish
to express their appreciation and thanks to all who had a part
in this historical event,
NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that a vote of thanks be
and is hereby given to the members of Nome Igloo No. 1 and
Auxiliary No. 1 Pioneers of Alaska, who planned and carried out
the convention; the business people of Nome for their excellent
cooperation; the people of Nome and especially those who opened
their homes to supplement the fine housing arrangements of the
hotels to take care of the unexpectedly large number of visitors;
the Nome Public Schools for the use of their facilities; the Boy
Scouts of America, Troop 666, and Explorer Scout Troop 766 color
guard; the Eskimo dancers who delighted their large audience;
Reeve Aleutian Airlines, Wien Alaska Airlines, Cordova Airlines,
and Pan American World Airways, for their excellent transportation
arrangements; Pioneer Igloo No. 19 of Cordova for the delectable
crab which was served at the marvelous smorgasbord; the Pioneer
Ragtime Band of Igloo No. 16 and Auxiliary No. 7 of Ketchikan
for their fine music.
Also, that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Nome Nugget
and to Nome TV station for dissemination through their facilities;
and copies be sent to Nome Igloo No. 1 and Auxiliary No. 1, Pio
neers of Alaska; Cordova Igloo No. 19; Pioneer Igloo No. 16 and
Auxiliary No. 7 of Ketchikan; Reeve Aleutian Airlines, Wien Alaska
Airlines, Cordova Airlines and Pan American World Airways; and
a copy be spread upon the minutes of this 43rd Annual Convention,
the first convention of this Grand Igloo to be held under Statehood.
Dated at Nome, Alaska, this 25th day of October 1959.
Respectfully submitted, Resolutions Committee of 43rd Conven
tion, T. A. Loftus, chairman; Hertha N. Baker, secretary; Clara Mc
Cutoheon, Max McGillvary, M.J. Walsh, Peter Tonstad, Oscar Anderson
OTTO KOPPEN, Grand President
Attest: THEO J. McKANNA, Grand Secretary
Russian Engineer Completes Plans for
Gigantic Bering Strait Pontoon Dam
Egan Suggests
U.S. Lend Shoulder
To Link Continents
At Nome, Governor Egan, when
informed of this development,
made the following statement to
The Nugget:
“Some might view reported
Russian plans for a huge dam in
Bering Strait between Alaska and
Siberia as being a tongue-in-cheek
dream. I do not take that view.
“A joint scientific research
venture conducted by engineers
designated by the governments of
the United States and the Soviet
Union could well result in this
proposal of Birisov’s becoming a
reality. ,
“The United States, the Soviet
Union and other nations are
presently spending tens of bil
lions of dollars annually on de
fensive and offensive weapons of
war.
“'The intense desire of citizens of
all nations is for a lasting and
realistic world peace. The Bering
Straits dam proposal is one which
would involve the expenditure of
less than twenty billion dollars in
the direction of this end.
“A sincere dedicated approach
to this project with the obvious
benefits that would accrue to
mankind in many nations of the
world, could provide the break we
are all praying for in easing world
tensions.
“I am convinced that the United
States Department of State
should immediately commence ex
ploratory negotiations with the
Soviet government in this matter.
“Let not the people of Alaska or
of the other states of our Amer
ican union underestimate the ulti
mate possibilities of the veritable
dam bridging of he Strait.
“United States Senator Warren
Magnuson, of Washington State,
has for years seriously advocated
an under the-ocean highway
across Bering Strait, to link the
North American continent with a
land route to Asia.
“Borisov’s plans would accom
plish the Washington Senator’s
objective as an incidental feature
of the overall construction.
“I say let us urge our United
States government to exert every
possible effort to effectuate this
great engineering and human
challenge.
“If the two great powers, the
United States and the Soviet
Union, lend their shoulders to
gether to this great task, then
men everywhere will know that
international suspicious, envies
and fears are rapidly disappear
ing from the face of the earth.”
Nine Parachute to Safety
From Tanker Crash
ALEXANDRIA, La., UP) — All
nine men aboard a crippled KBlO
tanker parachuted to safety be
fore the big plane crashed and
exploded 12 miles northwest of
here Friday night.
The men, who bailed out at
1,500 feet, escaped uninjured.
The tanker was en route to its
home base at England Air Force
Base here from George AFB, Calif.
The crash came as the plane was
coming in for a final approach
for a landing.
} MOSCOW, UP) — The Russians
Saturday reported plans for a
huge dam in Bering Strait be
tween Alaska and Siberia — a
dam which they said could trans
form Arctic wastes into fertile
fields. Close Soviet-American co
i operation would be needed for the
project.
Tass, the Soviet news agency,
said the idea is for a 46 mile bar
rier of reinforced concrete pon
toons between the western tip of
Alaska and the Chukchi Penin
sula. Designs for the dam have
been completed by a Soviet engin
eer called Pyotry Borisov and de
tails have been published in Lit
erary Gazette.
Exactly how the dam would be
positioned was not disclosed. For
ty-six miles would not be enough
to bridge the 55-mile gap be
tween Chukchi Peninsula and
Alaska.
A Tass translation of the Liter
ary Gazette article said:
“Borisov maintains that the
dam, which would be 74 kilome
ters (46 miles) wide and would
separate the Chukchi Peninsula
from Alaska, must be sectional,
consisting of ferro-concrete pon
toons with pumps.
“Such pontoons could be built
on the Soviet and American
coasts, floated down to the Bering
Strait and installed there.”
Borisov claimed that his dam
“will make it possible to change
frozen ground on the territory of
the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A., and
Canada, into fertile fields.”
He said it would work this way:
“The dam across the Bering
Strait should neutralize the effect
of the Labrador, East Greenland
and other cold currents on the
powerful and warm Gulf Stream.”
Water pumped from the Arctic
“Water pumped from the Arctic
tralize cold currents which would
be unable to meet and mix with
the Gulf Stream,” Borisov said.
“Simultaneously these pumps
would step up the influx of the
warm Gulf Stream waters. The
Gulf Stream would pass unham
pered through the Arctic Ocean,
giving off its heat.”
As a result, Borisov said, “a
direct flow of warm Atlantic wa
ters through the Arctic into the
Pacific would be created instead
of the present confused cross cur
rent of warm and cold waters
which maintains and renews the
ocean’s ice cover. This straight
flow would destroy the ice.”
Preliminary estimates put the
cost of the dam at about 70 bil
lion rubles, amounting, at the offi
cial exchange rate, to more than
17 billion dollars.
Borisov said the scheme would
benefit not only the northern ter
ritories of Canada and America,
but also Scandinavia, Germany,
Poland, China and northern
Japan.
“However,” the engineer said,
“it is mainly the concern of the
two most powerful states — the
U.S.S.R. and the United States —
the closest neighbors in the Ber-,
ing Strait area.”
_
FAMILY ANNIVERSARY
PHILADELPHIA, OP — Three
generations of the Metz family
celebrated their birthdays today.
Mae Metz is 73, her son, Wil
liam, 43, and her granddaughter,
Pamela Ann, 9.