THE
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS _
62nd Year No. 51 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MAY 1, 1161 Per Copy 15£
Weather Permitting, U.S. May Send
First Astronaut Into Space Tomorrow
By John Barbour
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. UP)—
A keenly trained American will
try to get some sleep tonight
knowing that in the morning he
may rocket into space.
Sometime after dawn he may be
strapped into a space capsule
atop a relatively puny rocket.
Perhaps 100 minutes later the
Redstone rocket will fling him
115 miles up and 290 miles south
over the Atlantic. The experts
say the odds are 100 to 1 that he
will come through without harm.
This Redstone is less than a
tenth as powerful as the monster
rocket that shot Yuri Gagarin
on a space trip around the world
in 108 minutes last month.
Still, this is the first relative
ly safe step in a program that
will — before the year is out —
give an American the same
thrilling ride around the globe.
The space pilot himself knows
there is some risk involved, says
a source close to the astronauts.
But for a man with experience
in testing high-powered aircraft,
it is an accustomed risk.
Fabulous steps have been taken
to insure the 9pace pilot’s safety.
Anything that might fail in the
space capsule comes in duplicates,
so that one will always be in
service.
The countdown has begun on
the rocket and men are readying
it for flight.
Two possible space pilots whose
names are still secret are being
prepared for the trip. One of them
will go. One will be on the ready,
should something — even a slight
cold — disqualify the first.
The chosen two were picked
from three known names: John
Herschel Glenn Jr., a Marine
Corps lieutenant colonel from
Concord, Ohio; Alan Bartlett
Shepard Jr., a Navy commander
from East Derry, N. H.; and Virgil
Ivan Grissom, an Air Force cap
tain from Mitchell, Ind.
The day of the shot, two of
these men will get up at 2:30 a. m.,
shower and shave in their se
cluded quarters in Hangar S, 15
minute saway from the waiting
rocket.
It will be a busy morning, with
a physical examination, and the
complicated process of getting in
to the space suit.
Still No Sign of Break-up
Of The Ice at Nenana
NENANA UP) — There are still
no signs of a break-up within the
next few days of the Tanana
River, Carl Haggstrom, manager
of the Ice Classic, reported to
day.
No changes in the ice condition
were seen over the weekend and
cold weather cotninues at night in
the Nenana area.
Haggstrom said the best guess
was that it would be at least
another week before the break-up
takes place.
THE WEATtfER
Continued fair. Little change in
temperature. Low tonight 34, high
tomorrow 50. In the- last 24 hours
as of 7:00 a. m. today: High of
44, low of 32. Maximum wind 29
mph from the northeast. Sunrise
at 3:31 a. m., sunset at 8:29 p. m.
Temperatures a year ago today:
High of 55, low 32. Extremes on
this date since 1907: High of 55
in 1960, low of -6 in 1914.
In Nenana today it was clear
and had a temperature of 43.
The suit itself is ai. example
of the double safety standards
taicon for the astronauts. This suit
will be filled with pure oxygen.
If the space capsule is damaged
and won’t hold air, the space suit
will become the small world of
the astronaut.
There are two radio channels,
two microphones, and if they fail,
a telegraph key. On the ground
there a^e two radio command re
ceivers if one battery system in
the space capsule fails, there is
a 14 hour spare.
The automatic systems that re
lease the parachutes are backed
up by manual systems operated
by the pilot. There is a spare
parachute.
Radio beacons to help ships
: locate the capsule in the water
are backed up by manual systems.
There is a special flashing light,
and dyes to color the water, aid
ing air searchers. If the capsule
should leak, the astronaut can
escape aboard a life raft.
Weather May Cancel Space Trip
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. UP —
There is a 50-50 chance that the
j weather will stop tomorrow’s
1 expected launching of an Ameri
can astronaut, informed sources
1 said today.
A late conference tonight may
bring a decision.
Senate-House Agree
On Minimum Wage Bill
j WASHINGTON UP) — Senate
[ House conferees today agreed on
a .bill which would raise the min
: imum wage from $1 to 1.25 an
hour by 1963 and bring an ad
ditional 3,624,000 workers under
the Wage-Hour Act.
The conferees basically accept
ed the Senate bill, which follow
ed President Kennedy’s recom
mendations. But they made some
concessions to the House in an ef
fort to pick up the votes needed
to get the measure through there.
The compromise bill is expect
ed to come up in the Senate Wed
nesday morning, and in the House
that afternoon. It is high on the
list of Kenedy’s major 1961 leg
islative proposals.
Holger Jergensen Makes
“Miracle Landing” with
Heavily Loaded C-82
FAIRBANKS UP) — Wien Alaska
Airlines pilots Holger Jorgensen
and Clyde Rudd made a “miracle
landing” on what it known as 12
Mile Lake, near Fort Yukon Fri
day.
They were flying a C-82 un
der charter to Wien carrying a
tractor, jeep and other equipment
enroute to Fort Yukon when one
of the two engines went out.
They cut and feathered that
engine, landing the heavy craft
with the good engine and taxied
to the lake shore. There was no
damage. Unloading the tractor,
the crew bulldozed out a runway
before starting overland for Fort
Yukon with the tractor and the
jeep about 17 miles away.
Yesterday a Wien plane landed
on the emergency runway with
a replacement engine and me
chanics.
Now the race is to replace the
engine and take off before the
ice melts dropping the plane to
the botttom of the lake.
Iko Says Congress
Should Not Probe
Cuban Fiasco Now
By George Bell
GETTYSBURG, Pa. UP — Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said today
the last thing Congress should do
at this time is conduct a “witch
hunt” investigation of U. S. in
volvement in the Cuban invasion
fiasco.
The former President spoke at
a news conference after a meet
ing with Republican leaders. Ei
senhower said he believes the
country stands firmly behind
President Kenedy “in his effort
to prevent the solidifying of a
Communist stronghold in the
Western Hemisphere.”
Eisenhower conceded it was his
, administration that decided the
United States should train and
equip the refugees who staged the
abortive invasion of Cuba.
The decision was reached, he
said, after demands by refugees
that something be done about
Prime Minister Fidel Castro. Ei
| senhower described the Cuban
Prime Minister as a “dictator
| worse than his predecessor,” Ful
gencio Batista.
After the decision, Eisenhower
j said, nothing more was done whik
he was in office.
In a wide ranging discussior
| of world and domestic problems
Eisenhower made these othe
I points:
j He has conceded his projecte<
October trip to Japan because o
State Department advice that ten
sions are such that it would be
best for him not to go.
He is not going to compare the
first 100 days of the Kennedy Ad
ministration with any other simi
lar era because the new President
has been too occupied with inter
national affairs.
Eisenhower avoided any en
dorsement of a contention by
House Republican leader Charles
A.A. Halleck of Indiana that the
Kennedy program had “laid a
big egg” in Congress.
Halleck reported that he had
told Eisenhower “the American
people certainly missed his wis
dom and sure hand in Washing
ton, and if he ran for President
tomorrow he would win by the
biggest landslide in history.”
Military Construction in
Alaska Totals $1.25 Billion
In the Past 15 Years
ANCHORAGE UP) — Military
construction in Alaska in the past
15 years has totaled nearly $1.25
billion, the District Army Engi
neers office reported today on its
15th anniversary.
Major projects in that period
included completion of the $40
million Alcango pipeline linking
Interior Alaska military bases
with the ice-free port of Haines,
construction of the DEW radar
warning line and conversion of
temporary bases in the Anchorage
and Fairbanks areas into per
manent establishments.
Nearing completion are the
mammoth Clear Ballistic Missile
Early Warning Station and the
nuclear power plant at Fort
Greely.
The district also has done about
$10 million worth of harbor im
provement work at Petersburg,
Pelican, Seward, Kodiak, Ketchi
kan, and Valdez and has built a
seawall at Nome since 1949 as
part of a small civil works pro
gram.
Sec. of State Rusk
Assures U. S. \\ ill
Not Invade Cuba
j WASHINGTON l/P1 — Secretary
: of State Dean Rusk assured in
vestigating senators today the
United States has no plans for
armed intervention in Cuba.
Sen. Wayne Morse, <D-Ore.),
said Rusk made this clear during
three hours of closed door inter
rogation by the Latin-American
Affairs subcommittee of the Sen
ate Relations Committee.
Morse, the subcommittee chair
; man, reported Rusk made an able,
factual “and open-breasted state
j ment” concerning this country’s
role in the ill-fated invasion of
Cuba.
Morse quoted Rusk as saying
the invasion was made by the
Cuban refugees themselves, but
that they did have arms, finan
cial and training assistance from
! the United States.
Rusk was the leadoff witness in
the subcommittee’s effort to pin
down the extent of U. S. involve
ment in the Cuban invasion fiasco.
He will be followed later this
week by Allen W. Dulles, director
of the Central Intelligence Agen
cy.
Morse said in advance he would
I ask Rusk and CIA officials foi
“a candid and thorough briefing’
1 | on everything that has happenec
’ | concerning Cuba “since this ad
! ministration assumed office.”
! Menominee Indian
Tribe Acliieves
Its Independence
KESHENA, Wis. (m — The
Menominee Indian nation t >day
became the first American tribe
to achieve independence as a
political unit. It held out both
great hope and great problems.
At 12:01 a. m. the federal gov
ernment gave up its stewardship
of the Menominees and turned
over its multimillion-dollar as
sets to corporate representatives
of the tribe.
The 365-square mile reserva
tion was welcomed into full citi
zenship as Wisconsin’s 72nd coun
ty 107 years after it was first
carved out in negotiations be
tween Chief Oshkosh and the
U. S. government.
Some Indians as well as whites
feel independence has come too
soon.
About 80 per cent of the tribe’s
3,720 members make their living i
from the operations of the Indian
nation’s 200,000 acres of timber
and the famed mills of Menominee
Enterprises Inc., the tribe’s oper
ating corporation.
But signs of declining revenue
from sales, due largely to in
creased demand for veneers, have
contributed to fears of financial
difficulties ahead.
Menominee leaders, state of
ficials and U. S. Sens. William
Proxmire, and Alexander Wiley
of Wisconsin pleaded unsuccess
fully for postponement of inde
pendence.
George W. Kenote, a Menominee
who left the U. S. Bureau of In
dian Affairs to work with his
people said:
“We need federal help for
health. We need this help des
perately. We’re not afraid of the
future, but after 107 years you
can’t just change everything in
only a few years. We have to look
b "'’’’ashington until we’re able
and alone.
Two Bullet-Pierced
School Girl Bodies
f ound in Ravine
HOLLAND, Mich. W — The
bullet-pierced bodies of two
school girls, missing since Sat
urday. were found today covered
with leaves in a wooded ravine
a short distance from their home.
Police intensified their hunt
for a neighbor boy, James Scott
Stephens, 16, for whom a warrant
was obtained asking his arrest
on a charge of investigation of
murder.
The hunt for the girls, Carol
Gee. 11, and Margaret Chambers,
12, began Sunday. More than 500
I police and volunteers took part.
It ended today in a sandy dune
area, a quarter a of mile from
Lake Michigan.
Dr. Peter Brack-man said pre
liminary examination showed
| Margaret had two gunshot wounds
in her chest and two others in
I her back. Carol was shot twice
behind the right ear and once in
I the right thigh. The wounds ap
1 peared to have been caused by
a small-caliber rifle bullets.
The girls had been missing early
Saturday afternoon when they
left their homes to pick flowers.
Stephens, a high school sopho
more, works after school and on
l weekends as a general handy
' boy for a nearby restaurant. He
disappeared from his home Sun
I day morning.
L I His stepfather and mother, Mr.
and Mrs. Kenneth Kerb, told po
lice a note was found on a dress
j er in which he told of the acci
dental shooting of two persons
I and he plans to head for New
Mexico or Arizona.
Cubans March and
Sing in May Day
Celebration
KEY WEST, Ela. UP—A smiling
Fidel Castro looked on with ob
vious pleasure today while masses
of Cubans marched and sang in
what was described as the first
May Day celebration in the West
ern Hemispheie “with the work
ing class in power.”
The beared Cuban Prime Minis
ter watched thousands of his
countrymen troop through an
“arch of triumph” topped with a
big white peace dove and the
legend:
“Toward the union of all the
workers of the world.”
A Havana telecast picked up
here showed Castro scaning the
throng with a pair of field glass
es, smoking his ever present
cigar and chatting and smiling
with others on the reviewing
stand.
Castro, like many others at the
gigantic rally, wore a big red
kerchief around his neck.
The parade, scheduled from
early morning till late at night,
included marching militiamen,
anti-aircraft guns, children with
balloons, workers and farmers.
Few military weapons were
seen in the parade. It had been
announced that troops were being
kept on the alert against the pos
sibility of another invasion such
as the one Castro’s regime crush
ed last week.
Thought for Today . . .
Do right and fear no man. Don’t
put it in writing and fear no
woman.