"News of ^Americas Last Frontier”
fOL. 6 NO. 6
KODIAK, ALASKA APRIL 6 , 1946
PRICE 10 CENTS
Kodiak Escapes Destructive Tidal Wave
A 1 nail A
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« *» /!*■
Voters OK
Dock Action
Tbe city will undertake nego
tiations toward acquistion of the
Amy dock as the result of che
vote in the city election Tues
day, in which 150 expressed
themselves in favor of the action,
with 73 voting no.
The dock was formerly owned
igr Ben Kraft, local merchant,
Men over by the Army, and is
at present unused although it
ftas not been declared surplus.
The voters also expressed fav
or on 2 referendums. The one
providing for combination of the
oty clerk and treasurer into one
•See, appointive as the '"city
eferk has been, was carried by
173 votes to 30.
The referendum providing
that a portion of an alley to
Brooklyn be condemned also ear
ned by 131 votes to 73. As a re
sult, a portion of the alley will
go to Ben Kraft, owner of prop
erty on b >th sides, who is plan
ning a new store building on the
land, which will take in the cor
ner of Alaska Way and Brook
lyn.
A. A. Owen was high man for
council with 119 votes, followed
by Leo Sears with 92 and Harry
Christopherson with 90, to win
the 3 vacancies. Next highest
was the lone woman candidate,
Viola Sipprell, followed by M. D
Gunderson, W. A. Cannon, A L.
(continued on page 4,
Shotgun Shell In Fire
Injures Boy
EdwiD Anderson was brought
in on Saturday evening from the
Baptist Mission at Ouzinkie fol
lowing a rather unusual accident.
He had thrown a shell into a
bonfire and was badly burned a
bout the face. It was thought at
first that his eyes were injured,
but after a day or so of complete
rest they were found to be in
tact.
Smallpox Care
Urged Locally
There are a number of small
pox cases in Seattle and several
deaths from that disease, local
Public Health Nurse Marion
Curtis reports, and points out
that there is a possibility that
the infection may be brought to
Kodiak.
Dr. A. Holmes Johnson advises
that it would be a wise precau
tion for all persons to be vaccin
ated now who have not had a
successful vaccination within the
Past 7 years.
Fishermen Voting, Workers To Strike
Kodiak—A strike vote was
started locally this week by the
United Fishermen of Alaska, fob
lowing receipt of word from
Glen Robinson, their representa
tive in Seattle, that the Alaska
Salmon Industry, Inc. had offer
sd the same contract and prices
as last year. Cannery workers
liave been offered a 10 per cent
increase above last year on the
same structure and contract
Ballots will not be counted
here until votes from outlying
areas are in, but it was learned
that the local vote so far is un
animously for the strike.
Seattle {JP)—Alaska Cannery
Workers announced they have
voted in favor of a strike April
20, although ballots from Alaska
locals have not yet been receiv
ed.
Prudencio Mori, publicity dir
ector for the Cannery Workers,
said votes from Seattle, Port
land, San Francisco and Stock
ton are unanimously in favor of
the strike. Action came after a
wage dispute.
At the same time, the CIO
Longshoremen’s strike in Alaska
(Seward, Sitka, Juneau, Ketchi-|
kan—AFL Longshoremen at Ko-1
diak not involved) was reflected
in Seattle when loading was halt
ed on the Tongas, due to carry
freight to Alaska.
Army Advertisement
An advertisement of the U. S.
Army Recruiting Service appears
on page 3 of this issue. Of inter
est to all young men 17 and ov
er, we recommend you turn to it
now.
First Pictures! Wave Damage!
Sea Frontier—Only five men
were lost when the Scotch Cap
light at Unimak island was de
molished Monday by a tidal
wave due to changes in person
nel which reduced the normal
staff of 10 to that number.
Light tremors were continuing
Thursday in the island area with
out tidal disturbances.
A 20-ft. tidal wave hit Sanak
island on Monday, apparently
the same which struck the light
house, and at lkatan village on
Unimak several houses were
swept into the sea but no lives
were lost.
On Monday a "minor” tidal
wave was reported at Dutch
Harbor, which entered tde har
bor and did damage to several
small boat landings and pilings.
A tide 20 feet above normal was
also reported at Cold Bay
One life was lost in California
when a man was drowned in the
wave, and more than 100 bodies
have been recovered in the Ha
waiian islands, with manv more
still reported missing Estimate
of the wave height there was 10
feet.
A half nnle from fecotcn ^>ap
the wave struck a Coast Guard
direction finder station and flood
ed i lie power supply but the sta
tion resumed with emergency po
wer supply and reported no loss
of life. Survivors at that station
estimated the Scotch Cap wave
as 100 feet in height.
Tuesday morning Seattle re
ported 45 earthquakes had oc
curred in the 24-hour period, 5
or them of major intensity, all
of them centering on the south
eastern side of the Aleutians,
Scotch Cap, Sanak, Ikatan
and Dutch Harbor were the
main areas suffering damage al
though rumors at the time listed
practically every village between
Dutch Harbor and Kodiak as
being affected.
Warnings were issued at Kod
iak, where the effects of the dis
turbance were visible in tidal
fluctuations, and precautions
were taken for the wave that did
not reach this area. (For details,
see Kodiak Diary.)
Top
Debris from wrecked small
boats and piers on Ala Wai can
al, near Honolulu, fill the canal
just after the tidal wave hit the
Bottom
I umber and debris litter a
section ot downtown Hilo, Ha
waii, which felt the full effect of
•v *idal wave which hit the Ha
< l nds, Alaska and the
in Hilo
area.
(See page 9)
>t Almost 100 bo