m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 114 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1959_Per Copy—15?
Reeve P?ane Crash
On Aleutian Island
Kills 16 Persons
ANCHORAGE, UP—A commer
cial airliner with 16 persons on
boafd crashed on an Aleutian is
land last night and a search pilot
reported seeing no sign of life at
the crash scene.
The plane, a DC4 of Reeve
Aleutian Airlines, crashed at the
2,000-foot level of a mountain on
Great Sitkin Island at about 5:25
p.m.
A Navy pilot who sighted the
wreckage 40 minutes after the
crash reported the plane was on
fire but that the tail section ap
peared to be intact.
The Navy tug Apache reached
the island with a ground party
this morning. The Coast guard
dispatched the Cutter Clover from
Adak.
The DC-4, enroute from An
chorage on a flight that serves
communities and military bases
along the Aleutian Island chain,
carried five crewmen, two civil
ians, and nine military men —
seven Air Force, one Army, and
one Navy.
The crew members, all of An
chorage, were Eugene Strouse,
pilot; Robert Pollom, copilot;
Bryan Green', flight engineer; and
Lorraine Henderson and Betty
Burke.
Great Sitkin is a small island
about 30 miles northeast of Adak.
Maps shows a 5,033-peak there.
Small Seattle Military
Academy Operator
In Bad Trouble
SEATTLE, Iff)—The operator of
a small-time suburban military
academy, already in trouble on a
charge of mistreating a cadet, was
accused Thursday of threatening
the father of another student with
a gun.
Thomas Hopkins was arrested
on a complaint which said he
waved a gun at Richard Braittin
of Lake Stevens, Wash., Sept. 5
and ordered him off the property
of the Hopkins Military Academy
near Redmond.
Braittin said he had given
notice he was withdrawing his
son from the school.
Hopkins was charged Monday
with third degree assault for al
legedly using a judo hold on a 14
year-old cadet and ordering him
fed only bread and water while
being kept under guard for five
days.
Stabbed Steel President
Suffers Paralytic Stroke
HYANNIS, Mass., Iff) — Walter
F. Mumford, 59, president of U.S.
Steel Corp., suffered a cerebral
thrombosis which partially para
lyzed him Thursday, after sur
gery for an accidental knife
wound in his abdomen.
He had suffered a stroke late
Thursday and has been under the
care of Boston specialists.
His condition was described as
not critical, but he has a para
lysis of his right arm and diffi
culty .in speaking.
A report said Mumford is pro
gressing satisfactorily in his re
covery from surgery on Wednes
day for a deep knife wound in his
abdomen.
A district attorney’s report said
he appeared to have slipped and
fallen on a knife he was putting
away in the kitchen of his home
Wednesday.
STATE PLANNING !
COMMISSION MEETS
N NOME TODAY
The State Planning Commission
ipehed hearings here this after
noon at 1:30 in the Grand Jury
Room of the Federal Building.
They were presented briefs
prepared by local groups on sug
gestions and needs for capital im
provements such as airports,
highways, buildings, housing de
velopment, health necessities
and other problems confronting
the new state.
Heading the commission is
Charles Tryck of Anchorage, with
Walt Welch of Fairbanks, Bjarne
Olsen of Juneau, John Shaw of
Palmer, and Pearse Walsh of
Nome. Mrs. Joe Alexander of Ju
neau is the commission secretary.
If necessary the hearings will
be continued this evening at 7:30.
The statements are not con
fined to organization findings but |
individuals are encouraged to |
submit their suggestions' as well. |
Their findings and recommen
dations will be turned over to
the legislature.
Air Force Attempts
Launch Ballistic
Missile from Plane
WASHINGTON, UP) — The Air
Force was reported today to have
been blocked by technical trouble
in an attempt to launch a ballistic
missile from a bomber in flight
and put it close to the orbit of
the paddle wheel satellite Ex
plorer VI.
A source close to the experi
ment said the missile was carried
high over Florida during the early
morning hours but the launching
was called off after half an hour’s
flight.
An Air Force spokesman said
the firing may prove the feasibil
ity of using air-launched ballistic
missiles to intercept any enemy
satellite that might spy on this
country.
The satellite would be traveling
at its highest speed—26,000 mph
— and the likelihood of getting
the much slower supersonic mis
sile near it seemed small. The
satellite slows down at the top
of its orbit, and its average speed
for the complete circuit is 18,000
miles per hour.
Appeal Gets Results:
Youth Auto Mechanics
Classes Start Soon
The most impressive result of
the appeal in last Friday’s Nugget
for helping our young people, was
a call from Mr. George Keeling
who is willing, interested and
capable of teaching classes in
automobile mechanics.
Mr. Keeling, and Mayor Steffen
Andersen ask all interested men
and boys to come to the City
Hall at 7 p.m. on Tuesday when
plans will be made for the class
schedule.
Here is your chance to learn
whether you like auto mechanics
and whether it' will like you. As
soon as a shop can be found the
class will begin actual work. Mr.
Keeling has the necessary tools,
books—all he needs is a place to
teach in. So, if you have such a
place, or know of one—please let
Mr. Keeling or Mayor Andersen
know.
Guess he would let the girls
come too. If you’re interested, be
at the City Hall at 7 on Tuesday,
Sept. 29.
Steel Strike
Will Unbalance
Federal Budget
WASHINGTON, UP—'The Eisen
hower administration had a new
and urgent reason today for pos
sible intervention in the 10-week
steel strike. If it is not settled
soon, it will unbalance the fed
eral budget.
Budget Director Maurice Stans
Thursday unveiled a new and
higher estimate of federal spend
ing for this 1960 fiscal year. It
carries a 95 million dollar sur
plus, a 25 million increase over
previous estimates, built on the
assumption of prosperity and ris
ing tax collections.
Government revenues will suf
fer quickly, Stans told reporters,
if the mighty steel industry fails
to resume production in time to
prevent a spreading industrial
paralysis, dropping income, and
declining profits.
“If the strike is not settled in
two or three weeks—or if there
is no Taft-Hartley injunctions or
some other action to get the men
back to work—the surplus would
be rather quickly wiped out,” he
said.
Chances of a quick settlement
of the strike remained uncertain.
Negotiators have been meeting
spasmodically in New York with
no apparent progress.
Rotary Sponsors
Dr. Kit, Hypnotist,
On Oct. 6, 7, and 8
The Rotary Club announce they
have Obtained the Great Dr. Kit—
one of the world’s great hypno
tists for three nightly perform
ances, starting on Tuesday, Oct.
6 at the School Auditorium.
His show is said to be one of
the most amazing sensations ever
seen. ■
Herb Jenks has been appointed
general chairman.
Tickets are on sale at the U.S.
Commissioner’s office, at the City
Clerk’s office and by Boy Scouts.
There are three types of tickets:
for students, general admission,
and reserved seats.
FHA Interest Rates Go Up
WASHINGTON, i#)—A boost in
the top interest rate on Federal
Housing Administration loans has
followed President Eisenhower’s
signing of a third - try housing
bill.
The FHA announced the in
crease from 5V4 to 5% per cent
in the permissible interest rate on
home mortgages it insures. It
means higher monthly payments
for home purchasers, but is ex
pected to make it easier for them
to obtain the loans.
Eisenhower and Khrushchev Start
Fateful Talks For Easing Tensions
By WILLIAM L. RYAN
WASHINGTON, (# — Soviet
Premier Khrushchev said today
he thinks tensions between the
United States and the Soviet
Union will be lessened to some
extent as a result of his visit to
this country.
Only hours ahead of the start
of his fateful talks on cold war
affairs with President Eisenhower
on a Maryland mountain top,
Khrushchev spoke briefly with
newsmen at the entrance to the
Soviet embassy.
Asked what he thinks is the
outstanding difficulty that ought
to be settled, Khrushchev chuck
led and replied: “It would be
better to ask that question of your
President.”
The encounter with reporters
came at the heels of separate mor
ning sesions in which Khrushchev
and Eisenhower went over with
aides the final details for their
meeting.
He was asked first what he
thinks of his trip through this
country. With Ambassador Mik
hail Menshikov acting as inter
preter, he replied: “Wonderful!”
The White House announced
that Eisenhower and his guest
had decided to go by helicopter
rather than by automobile to
Camp David, Md., the presidential
retreat in the Catoctin Mountains
where they will meet until Sun
day. They planned to fly together
taking off from the White House
grounds at 5:15 p.m. on the 45
minute trip of about 65 miles.
Starting tonight, the visiting
Communist chief and the Presi
dent will try to persuade each
other to shift government policy
in the interest of peace.
Has Not Retreated An Inch
Khrushchev, newly returned
from a remarkable and hectic
tour of America, indicates he has
not retreated an inch from his
persistent accusation that U. S.
policy created and preserved the
cold war.
President Eisenhower, after II
days of startling headlines about
the boss of world Communism, is
pictured as hopeful the tour had
some impact upon the visitor
which might induce him to listen
more receptively to the U.S. gov
ernment’s arguments.
Khrushchev ended his United
States tour with the same note of
persistent challenge he sounded at
the outset: The burden of proof
of good intentions is upon the
United States.
This was his theme at the final
non - diplomatic gathering of his
tour, a dinner .in Washington at
tended by 'a group of leading U.S.
businessmen Thursday night.
Those present quoted Khrushchev
as saying:
“If the United States renounces
disarmament, one would doubt
its sincerity. It would not appear
to be mature.”
This, for Khrushchev, is one
test of American intentions. An
other, he made plain, will be will- •
ingness of the United States to
sell the USSR anything or every
thing, regardless of any item’s
usefulness for building a war
I machine.
U.S. Moon Shot
Rocket Blows Up
On Launching Pad
CAPE CANAVERAL, Uf) — An
Atlas-Able rocket being readied
for a U.S. shot at the moon ex
ploded on its pad during a test
of its engines Thursday. .
Flames spurted from the base
of the towering rocket as the
count-down reached zero in the
static engine test. Suddenly the
missile erupted in a flash of fire.
A mass of boiling flames and
black smoke engulfed the launch
ing pad for more than a minute.
None of the approximately 40
members of the test crew in the
blockhouse 50 yards away was
hurt.
The Atlas-Able was to have
been launched sometime between
Oct. 3 and 6 when the moon was
to be at its closest point to the
earth.
The shot would have been an
attempt to put a 735-pound satel
lite in orbit around the moon.
It is doubtful that the United
States can ready another Atlas
Able rocket in time for an early
October launching. This means it
will be at least early November
before such a launching can be
attempted.
The explosion of the more than
100-foot tall rocket was a bitter
blow to U.S. hopes for leveling
the moon score with the Russians.
Earlier this month the Soviets
recorded a spectacular space feat
by hitting the moon with one of
their big rockets.
Fifty-Three Perish In
Crash of Airliner In
Forest Near Bordeaux
BORDEAUX, France, Iff) — A
four-engine French airliner crash
ed and exploded in a pine forest
near Bordeaux last night after
struggling aloft with some diffi
culty for a flight to Africa. Fifty
three persons were killed. Twelve
lived through it.
The plane, at DC-7, smashed
into the woods, exploded and
burst into flames. Most of the 12
survivors were burned seriously.
Some were thrown clear. Others
were saved by rescue teams fight
ing flames from the plane’s fully
loaded gasoline tanks.
The crash snuffed out the lives
of several entire families, return
ing to Africa from vacations in
France.
Steel Negotiators Find
No Meeting Ground
NEW YORK, (JV-Steel strike
negotiations adjourned today
without any date being set for a
resumption of talks.
Industry bargainers suggested
another meeting Monday to dis
cuss contract clauses, but David
J. McDonald, Steelworkers Union
president, said s uch a session
would be futile if industry in
sisted on its earlier demands.
Newsmen asked Joseph F. Fin
negan, chief federal mediator,
whether he considered the union
position a breakoff in negotia
tions.
“I’d rather not characterize it
that way,” he said.