"News oj cAmerica’s Last Frontier”
VOL. 5 NO. 8
KODIAK, ALASKA MARCH 17, 1945
PRICE 10 CENTS
St. Patrick’s
Ball Tonight
Good, old Irish green, lots of
shamrocks at the windows
sad about the hall, and a large
gold harp in the orchestra pit,
vill greet dancers who will gather
tonight at Blinn’s hall for what
promises to be one of the big
dances of the season—the St.
(■^trick’s Griffin Memorial hos
pital benefit ball.
Dancing will start at 9 o’clock
■ad continue until 1 am and the
■usic will be furnished by a 6
piece Navy dance orchestra.
The dance is the first sponsor
id by an informal group of
semen who have been meeting
it the hospital weekly to sew
ind the money raised has been
committed to buying a unit for
the hospitals now unused steril
zer, aud toward obtaining a
Jotbes dryer.
The advance ticket sale has met
vitfa ready response, committee
hairmen report, and the ticket
ale will be continued at the box
iffice tonight. The dance is in
ormal and tickets are $2.00 per
ouple.
The ‘ wearin’ o’ the green” to
lay, with green ties in order for
len and green anything for
romen, will be a good reminder
» all to join the fun tonight.
Sroup Sets
Second Meeting
Olof Olsen was elected tern
(wary chairman, and R. E. |
tawson, temporary secretaiy,
; a meeting held Sunday at the
ty hall for the purpose of form
ig a new civic organization,
ir. Olsen explained that the
oup would Iiave as its object
nty in working for the good of
odiak and invites members
om business, labor, profession
men and all interested parties.
For the purpose of drawing
> a list of political endorse
es a committee was chosen,
nsisting of Olof Olsen, Charlie
>ok, Jacob Blanc, Harvey
tndlach and R. E. Dawson.
Another meeting of the group
a been called for Sunday at 2
a at the city hall, Mr. Olsen
id yesterday.
Two fire hydrants have been
stalled on Mission road.
Prime Minister Winston
lurchill (second from right)
‘Iks among tank barriers dur
l a tour of the Siegfried line
fenses at Aachen. With him,
t to right, are: Field Marshall
r Bernard L. Montgomery;
neral Sir Alan Brooke, and
• Gen. William Simpson
gh t). This i8 a British official
(.P Wirephoto via radio.)
Name Similarity
Causes Suit Error
A confusion in names resulted
in an incorrect filing of a civil
suit at the U.S5. Commissioner’s
court this week. The suit was
brought erroneously against
Tony (Rose) Martin when the
correct party was Tommy Mar
tin, and the error was not discov
ed until the summons was served
on Rose Martin.
The story on the suit, on page
10 of this issue, should therefore
read Tommy Martin, It was al
ready printed when the filing
was corrected.
Wildlife Head Denies
Bears Prevent Cattle
Anchorage—“The bears on
Kodiak island do not prohibit
successful cattle ranching!” said
Jack O’Connor, Wildlife Manage
ment supervisor with the Alaska
Game commission, in answer to
charges made by Amos La Fon,
of New Mexico, who recently
made an exploratory trip on the
island.
‘Tour years ago the Alaska
Game commission investigated
the matter,” O’Connor said.
“Three men made a thorough
study of the question, checking
on the bears in the spring about
the time they came out of hiber
nation. In appioximately 60 cas
es of dead cattle which were in
vestigated, only one was found
to have been killed by a bear.
This one had wandered into a
bear trail in the alders; the oth
ers had died of starvation or had
become mireJ.”
W7ork on installation of a new
concrete foundation for the oven
at Christy’s bakery was complet
ed this week, and the owners an
nounced that they expect to be j
back to baking Tuesday after
their week’s shutdown.
William Castell
Dies Wednesday
William Castell, 61, passed a
way early Wednesday morning
at his residence in the Erskine
Club following several months
illness. Death was ascribed by
Dr. A. Holmes Johnson, attend
ing physician, to coronary arter
ies and gastric cancer.
Mr. Castell, who was known
throughout the Territory as a
fisherman and miner, was born
Nov. 25, 1883 in London, Eng
land.
He mined in the Interior of
Alaska and then came to Uyak
bay on Kodiak island in 1915.
He and John Bmdtkorb, local
resident, mined in the Red River
district and Castell engaged in
cod fishing in Uyak bay and at
Ouzinkie. From Ouzinkie he went
to Three Saint’s bay, where he
engaged in the herring industry
for 8 years.
Before his recent illness he
was employed as guard at the
federal jail. t
Funeral services were held at
2 pm Thursday at the Commun
ity Baptist church, with Rev.
Gregory S. Morony officiating.
Interment was in the local cem
etery.
Acquitted
Seattle—Lynn J. Gemmill,
U. S. District Attorney, charged
with soliciting and accepting a
bribe, was acquitted. He is here
awaiting reappointment as feder
al attorney at Juneau.
Mrs. Cleo Wilkins, the woman
in the case, will be arraigned at
Juneau March 20 on a grand lar
ceny charge involving theft of a
trunk containing m mey, ,|ewelry
and clothing.
Seven arrests were made in
February, with $87 collected in ;
hues.
Poisonous Roots
Caused Death
Frank "Buck” James, former
Kodiak resident, who died Feb.
28 in the Chickaloon area, met
his death from eating the poison
ous roots of hemlock, sometimes
called wild celery.
Samples of the root were tak
en to Anchorage and identified
by Frank Beals, Aleutian refuge
manager, ot Kodiak, and others.
James was said by friends to
have used some of the root in a
stew.
The plant grows along edges of
streams, has hollow stalks of
blue green and yellow green hue,
splotched with dark purple, 3 to
6 feet in height, and the root re
sembles a sweet potato.
Fire Averted
What might have been a seri
ous fire was averted early Friday
[evening when Paul Fretzs, man
ager of the Kodiak Mercantile,
discovered smoke coming into
the buildiDg and on investigating
saw the vacant restaurant build
ing next door full of smoke.
Fire extinguishers were obtain
ed and George Magnusen got the
Ue3's to the building and on en
tering it was found a small oil
stove in the front was pouring
smoke into the place. The fire in
the stove was put out with an
extinguisher and by pouring
water in from the top of the
chimney.
Holly wood (A*)— Academy a
wards this yeai go to:
Best actor—Bing Crosby
Best actress—Ingrid Bergman
Picture of the year—“Going
My Way”
Best supporting actor—Barry
Fitzgerald
Best supporting actress—Eth
el Barrymore
Warn Liquor
Violators
Violation of liquor laws, in
cluding selling of liquor after
closing hours and of restaurants
selling drinks without food, were
reported at the city council
Monday and the council went on
record for strict enforcement of
the law and George Magnusen,
chief of police, was instructed
by the police committee to crack
down on violators.
One violation reported con- -
cerned a beverage dispensary
that closed its doors at 2 am
(closing time set by haw) and
then sold drinks to those remain
ing inside. It was pointed out
that the law provides i hat no li
quor be in sight or sold after 2
am.
It was also reported that rest
aurants with beer and wine lic
ences were selling drinks without
food, in violation of the law.
The city derives the money
from the liquor licenses and is
charged with the enforcement of
the law and council members a
greed that past laxuess of en
forcement must be remedied.
Hiring Dispute
Involves Soldier
Hiring of a soldier to drive a
jituey on the dock held up un
loading of the Lakina briefly last
Saturday when longeshoremen
refused to v/ork unless the soldier
was discharged.
The jitney driver was Mack
Owen, eon of Mr. and Mrs. A. A.
Owen, who is visiting on furlough
and who formerly worked on the
dock. He was hired a week earli
er by Jim Travi , YV. J. Erskine
Co. warehouseman, who said he
•‘wanted to he sure of having a
driver on hand”
When Owen appeared Jake
Blanc, longshore boss, told Tra
vis his men were quitting until
Owen was removed and a long
shoreman was assigned to the jit
ney. Owen was removed, the
longshoremen went back to
work and Travis put Owen to
work in his warehouse gang.
Fined $10
A complaint charging assault
and battery was filed. Saturday
in the city magistrate’s court by
A.J. Fenner against Jay Tol
bert, and on Monday Tolbert
was fined $10 by City Magis
trate George Slawson.
The difficulty occurred on
the street near the Oheechako
and was reported due to a dis
agreement over a car battery
A marriage license was issued
Thursday to Audrey Brobet,
waitress, and Clifford Stevena,
bartender.