"News oj oAmericas Last Frontier”
VOL. 3 NO 38
KODIAK, ALASKA NOVEMBER 20, 1943
PRICE 1QPCENT8
70-Mile Gale
Batters Cordova
(Special)—The fiercest storm
since 1934 6truek Cordova
yesterday and literally tore
the town apart.. Seventy-mile
an-hour wind gusts blew down 2
warehouses, the Mitumura build
ing, the 12 room O'Neil house
and broke windows all over
town. Damage to small boats in
the harbor was reported severe.
Only one electric circuit remain
ed in operation at the end of the
day, when the tempest appeared
calming. There were no casual
ies.
Kodiak received a share of
heavy winds but the only da
maged reported has been the
roof lifted off the new KEA
power building.
Water System
Plans Confirmed
After a two week business trip
to Seattle and Portland, M. E.
Cole, construction superintend
ent of the Kodiak Water System,
returned recently with official
confirmation for the construction
of storage reservoirs provided in
connection with the water system
to insure reserves to carry the
water supply through dry and
cold spells.
He said that fifty per cent of
(he materials for the tanKs have
already been delivered here
Plans call for two points of stor
age developed in natural depres
sions, with the principal supply
to run from R-25 creek.
Mike Gustitis, of the Cheecha
ko club recent y returned from a
trip to Anchorage.
Fire Nearly Takes
Kraft Island Home
Discovered by Mrs. Pete Mag
nuson, a fire was extinguished in
Kraft’s Holiday island home, 3
o’clock Wednesday afternoon be
fore serious damage was done.
Origin of the fire is not known.
No one had been in the house
since 8 o’clock that morning at
which time George Thompson,
who has been staying there, left
to work elsewhere on the island.
When Mrs. Magnuson reached
the scene of the fire smoke filled
the house and flames were rising
behind the stove. The men, fall
ing trees nearby, camte to her aid
and put out the fire with water
from the rain barrels outside the
door.
The damage, which was parti
ally covered by insurance, was
mostly done by the smoke al
though the wall, ceiling, floor and
built in cabinets adjacent to the
stove were charred.
Coi.'truction of the home was
just completed last spring by the
Sears brothers.
Thanksgiving Day
No one will forget to eat a
good filling of Thanksgiving
food, but as a reminder for tardy
buyers this is a note that most
business houses will be closed for
that day.
The Mirror extends best
wishes for Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Edwin Browning, nee
Marshon Kessler, and infant
daughter, returned this week
from an extended business and
plea ure trip to the states. Mr$,
Browning was formerly employ
ed at the Kodiak Mercantile
Co.
World News Highlights
Pacific Front
Heavy bombers of the 7th US
Airforce smashed at the Marshall
& Gilbert islands in Japan’s east
ern defense ring with 3 raids
within 48 hours. Pacific fleet
headquarters announced that
seaplane facilities, shops & dump
areas were battered at Jaluit a
toll in the Marshall group, while
files were started at Mili atoll,
east of Jaluit. Makin island in
the Gilberts felt the fury of US
bombers. No enemy interceptors
were met on either of the raids.
American warships vemured
within 200 miles of the Japanese
fortress at Rabaul, New Britain
island for the second time this
month to shell enemy Buka air
bases at the north t p of Boug
ainville. While warding off
damaging blows from continually
harassing Jap planes, the ships
poured shells into Buka for 45
minutes.
Russian Front
Soviet forces continued to
surge toward the Polish frontier,
after capturing Korosten & Re
chitsa Fightnig raged in the out
skirtsof Gomel as the Nazis
threw in heavy reserves In the
south Russian troops pushed
forward in the first, gain in
weeks in the Zaporozhe.
European Front
American Liberator bombers,
unescorted over the North sea
in zero wea'her, smashed Ger
many’s biggest Norwegian air
plane repair depot located out
side of Oslo. Liberator gunners
shot down 88 German fighters;
9 bombers failed to complete the
1200 mile round trip flight & 3
landed safely in neutral Sweden
Stockholm radio said thnt Oslo
went under a 90 minute air mid
alarm, though no aircraft were
seen there. The greatest armada
Mediterranean Front
British Eighth Army forces
secured new positions on high
ground northwest of Atessa, in
land from the Adriatic sea.
Illness Delayes
District Court
Scheduled to convene Nov. 15. i
the District Court session in An
chorage was postponed until Jan.
10 because of Judge Hellenthal
being called to Juneau to be with
his seriously ill wife.
When the grand jury retired
Nov. 6, the petty jury was to
have opened session Nov. 15.
Walton Ends Payless
Water Chlorination
Since September 3 James Wal
ton has taken care of the chlor
ination of both the Benson and
Erskine water systems. He re
signed this week because of non
payment of his salary
The work was ordered done by
the city at military request, but
has not been decided whether the
city or the private water systems
must stand the expense.
2 Stolen Cars Found
Parked in front of Christy’s
Bakery, a Model-A Ford belong
ing to Carl Rextrue was taken
this week and found later at Mill
bay with two windows broken.
A taxi driven by Bob Travers
was parked in front of the Mont
martre dub when it was stolen
but found 20 minutes later near
the site of the Russian church.
Offenders were not apprehend
ed in either case.
3 New Additions
Although the opening date is
still uncertain, work is being com
pleted for the new night club, the
Town Club, in the backroom of
Pierce's Fountain.
Vera Pierce, owner announced
that the club will be organized on
a membeiship basis and will fea
ture dancing and Sue Scranton
at the piano. Beer and wine will
be served.
The Kodiak Candy Co. open
ed a candy making shop Mon
day under the management ot
Lillian Morris, with location in
the Kodiak Bottling Works
plant
As yet the candy is being
made only for Armv orders, but
capacity to handle the civilian
demand is expected soon. Mixed
candies in half pound cellophane
packages and one pound boxes
are being made under the pre
sent schedule.
Redecorated and remodeled,
the new Oheechako Club grdl
opened Tuesday for 21-hour ser
vice.
Sfan Austermann recently
bought the grill fro • Mrs. Nor
man Fjeldheim He is also owner
of the Cheechako club. Mrs.
Geoigia Sumerlin, Edith Mul
ford, Esther Riep and Florence
Freeman are the waitre ses.
The grill was enlarged with a
horseshoe shaped counter.
Council Appoints New
Hospital Board Head
At a special council meeting
Friday evening, Harry Christ
opherson ~vas officially appointed
as chairman of the Griffin Mem
orial hospital’s Board of Trus
tees and Wesley Rhoades was;
made a member of the Board.
Rhoades will fill in a vacancy
created by the recent resignation
of Charles Madsen.
Proof of the effectiveness of
the article, informing the pub
lic that derelict vehicles were to
be impounded by the city
police, was apparent this week
when all the old cars at the
Russian Church intersection
miraculously disappeared.
These vehicles have for some
time been an eye-sore and a
thorn in the side of the city
officials
City Attorney Visits
City Attorney J. W. Kehoe ar
rived here Thursday for a brief
business trip. Coincidenta ly he
arrived in time to defend the city
Friday in the case involving Leo
Tyler
This trip is his second since he
was appointed city attorney, the
first visit having been last July.
With his business concluded in a
few days, he plans to return to
Seward, where he conducts his
practice.
William Schultz, owner of the
Ship’s Tavern, has just returned
from an extended business trip
to Anchorage.
Jury Dismissed
On Tyler Case
After an hour’s deliberation
without reaching a decision, the
jury was excused in the trial
Friday at the City Hall in which
Leo Tyler contested the present
legality of an ordinance prohibit
ing driving after midnight.
The case arose when Tyler re
ceived two tickets November
from George Slawson, night
patrolman, for violation of the
ordinance which the city defend
ed as still in effect. On that
night Tyler was give» a ticket
for parking his car on a main
street after midnight. A few min
utes later Patrolman Slawcon
gave him another ticket when he
found him driving down the
street.
In the court session Slawson
testified that Tyler told him on
the occasion of the second arrest
that he would make it a “test
case”. Tyler charged that there
no longer was a law prohibiting
driving after midnight.
Tyler’s lawyer, Lawerence
Seltzer, sought to prove thia
charge by an interpretation of
Proclamation No. 7 from the
Alaska Dept, which he alleged
relinguished the emergency mea
sures as contained in Ordinance
No. 41, the law in question. He
sought to prove that by practice
and fact the ordinance had be
come void.
City Attorney J. W. Kehoe
defended the city’s action in the
(continued on page 4
Baring The Current Bear Stories
Bears appear to be becoming
frequent trail mates between
Kodiak and Monashka bay, ex
cept probably for those who are
out to find one. To judge from
the numerous stories, just about
every one has seen one of the
furry rascals, it is virtually a
social error not to have seen
one
One story has it that two
schoolboys, while on a hike, saw
a bear. They were too high in a
tree to take a second look. An
other tale in current circulation
is that someone was practicing
on a 22 rifle when he met a bear
at a friendly distance, which
can’t be too far. The hero of the
story is s aid to have braced
himself against the trunk of a
tree while firing volleys at the
bear, who became bored and
ambled away.
A rumor relates that a woman
wascranbeiry picking when she
caught a glimpse of a bear crash
ing through the brush. She de
cided it. .was just as well to buy j
cranberries in town anyway
As a truth seeker, the Miiror
decided to uncover the truth. It
was heard that someone with
the water system construction
crew had encountered a bear re
cently. So this story is not a
rumor:
While working on the reser
voir site between Kodiak and
Monashka bay last week, S. C.
Spencer and Floyd Chase saw a
bear about 100 to 150 yards a
way. Although Chase guessed
that the bear was a 14 mon h-old
yearling, Spencer remarked, “He
may be a yearling Kod ak, but
he made grizzly bears I’ve seen,
look like weasles.”
The bear apparently had u
busy day ahead for hte wan
dered away. It was the sec
ond meeting the two have had
with a bear in the iast month,
for it was about that long ago
when at the same location, they
saw a bear about, the same size.
Spencer said that Chase literally
ran up a tree Several years rgo>
Ch.tte barely escappd with his
life and wasn’t taking any
chances this time In the pre
vious experience he had fallen
help'ess before a cha ging bear
when a companion hunter drop
ped the would-be killer in time
to save Chase’s life.