Library—^us arum
Juneau, Alaska
"News oj oAmericas Last Frontier”
VOL. 5 NO. 51
KODIAK, ALASKA FEBRUARY 23, 1946
PRICE 10 CENTS
Ship Breaks
Near Adak
Washington (.P)—The Navy
said Adak reported that an un
lamed Russian tanker with men
Sind women aboard had broken
up about 300 miles southeast oi
shat Aleutian h ise
The after half of the vessel is
■eported still afl .at, sighted by
in American tanker which is at
tempting to tow the wreck to
>oit. It was not learned if the
ither half of the tanker was a
loat.
The Navy sent out searching
Janes and the tug Sarsi in diffi
ult weather.
{us Line Coming
P. J. Watkinson, vice-presi
ent of the W. J. Erskine com
any, who is now Outside, is
aking arrangements for pur
lase of 1940 Fords to be used
i that company’s new bus line.
The new line, the Tagura
ransit company, will oper
■e from Mission road to the
we, Mr Watkinson said.
>il Prices Up
The price of oil, including
esel, stove, and kerosene, was
ised three-fourlhs of a cent a
Hon as of February 20 by the
:andard Oil company, local dis
ibutors.
Merrill Coon, agent, was ad
sed of the raise by wire.
A special meeting of the city
uncil was called Wednesday
srnoon at the Bank of Kodiak
consider an application from
c W. J. Erskine Co. for a
mlesale liquor license. Lacking
quorum, approval of the li
»8e will be made at the next
uncil meeting.
The company now has a whole
e malt and wine license.
Margie McCormick, Tom Jen
», and Walter Cosgrove, in
Btigators for the OPA, left by
me this week, having complet
their survey into OPA price
aervance in Kodiak.
A release is promised from Ju
»u soon on the results of their
restigation.
rojects Cut
IVashington (/P)—Because of
•astic cuts” in requested ap
ipriatious, Delegate Bartlett
i work on 12 rivers and har
' projects in Alaska cannot be
rted in the fiscal year begin
K July 1.
iodiak was not among the 12
►jects, which had been approv
but was listed in a group
harbors to be surveyed in
iparation for project approva
Military Insists On
OPA Liquor Prices
Local liquor dealers have re
ceived a letter from Lt. Col.
Henry Massie, U. S. Marines,
p uv . aarshal, informing them
cha an . lealer selling liquor at
above UP \ i.riees will be subject.!
t > being placed out of bounds by
the military.
The Liquor Dealers’ associa
tion has since met and discussed
the letter but whatever action
was taken was not divulged by
association officials.
GM Fund Listed
Returns have been made on 6
of the bottles posted in various
business houses throughout the
city for the benefit of the Griffin
Memorial Hospital. The follow
ing amounts were received at the
hospital during the week:
Club Liquor Store $21.00
Idle Hour Bar 73 50
Knudsen’s 5.00
Kraft Meat Market 7.25
Ship’s Tavern 14.00
making a total of $135.75. Dur
ing the month of January the
Ship’s Tavern turned in $45.20
and the Idle Hour Bar $174 00.
The Grey Nuns of the Sacred
Heart wish to express their deep
appreciation to Mr. Archie Dav
is, who sponsored this drive, and
to the merchants who so kindly
permitted the jars to be placed
in their stores. The money is be
ing used to furnish a two-bed
children’s room, and to apply on
some extensive painting work
now being completed on the hos
pital floor. Any remaining a
mounts may be turned in during
the week, so that the campaign
may be closed.
Living Together Or |
Apart-Both Cost More
has risen more than 33 and aj
third percent in Kodiak, with
the announcement by the Kodiak
Bar Association that the legal fee
for divorce ca-es will hereafter
oe $200, not including costs, as
against the p evious usual $15P,
which included costs.
The new rate for divorce cases,
and a number of increases in
other legal fees, is announced
as going into effect as of Feb. 13.
The new list of fees is signed by
Talmage L. Smith, local at
torney, and William H. Olsen, a
new attorney recently arrived
from Ketchikan.
‘Characters' A Problem
The large grouns of men a.liv
ing at the base after being hired
in other Alaska towns contained
a number of “characters” that
have proved a problem
Many have appeared on local
police blotters on drunk and dis
orderly charges and some have
required disciplining at the base
A number have a so been dis
charged and have been furnished
transportation by the Navy out
of Kodiak.
George Magnusen, local police
chief, said he conferred with base
officials this week and they have
promised that they will cooper-,
ate in keeping terminated prob
lem employes from being dump-!
ed on the town, and will provide
transportation out wherever pos
sible.
Mrs. Jack Delane was admit
ted to the hospital on Monday
for medical treatment.
The high cost of not
Seattle Feels
Strike Certain
Opinion from Seattle, from
various sources, tends to a feel
ing that there will definitely be a
strike of longshoremen after the
April 1 strike vote, and local
merchants have been stocking up
for that eventuality.
Jack Allman, local representa
tive of Alaska Distributors, le
ceived a wire this week from
them saying that “there is not
the least doubt” there will be a
strike, and suggesting orders be
placed 60 days ahead. The wire
pointed out that shipping space
will be crowded in March
Alaska Steam said at present
there will definitely be one more
boat to Kodiak before April 1
with a bare possibility of a sec
ond trip being made before that
time.5
KEA To Have Movies
Members who attend the an
nual meeting of the KEA, to be
held March 4 at the Kodiak
Community Center building, will
be treated to an 80 minute mov
ie, entitled 'The True Glory”
Shown through the courtesy
of the Navy, the film is an auth
entic record of the invasion ol
Europe. Walter Muller, program
chairman, made arrangements
for showing the film
The picture will be shown at
the end of the business session.
Mrs. Louise Warren, a new
teacher, arrived by plane this
week from Pasadena, Calif., to
join the locfl school staff. She
replaces Mrs. Harold Pratt, who
has resigned.
Ice Pool Time Nears; History Varied
The Nenana Ice Pool, starting
I as a community pool in the-dull
winter of 1917, has developed in
to a big business that reaches all
over Alaska and the Yukon Ter
ritory and runs now around
$100,000 annually.
The first pool was about $600,
limited to NeDana. After a couple
years elapsed a mass meeting
was called and it was decided to
send tickets to Fairbanks and
Anchorage. Keen interest was
shown, and in 1928 reliable busi
ness establishments were lined
up and supplied with tickets.
Many problems arose. At first
a pole was stuck up and frozen
in a hole in the ice, which had a
connection with a clock high up
on the stiff leg on the dock. The
pole was uncertain and the stiff
leg was used for other purposes,
so eventually the present meth
od of a tripod frozen in the ice
and three deadmen anchored un
der 53 inches of solid ice connect
ed to the tripod with heavy wire,
was adopted.
The clock has a glass cover
which is set in another glass case
and can be seen through the
window of the watchman’s house
by the public at all times.
Tickets are sorted into months,
days, hours, in numerical order,
then a list is mimeographed and
made into books which are sent
out for reference purposes.
In the early years there used
to be considerable slack in the
wire, raising the question if the
line fouled whether it should be
loosened or not. To pi event ar.
guments, a block and tackle ar
rangement was adopted with a
heavy weight attached which
takes care of the slack.
Uncle Sam cast coveteous eyes
on the prize plum, and although
outwardly frownine upon it, in
recent years through nigh income
tax has taken the major portion
of the winnings.
In 1935 there were two win
ning tickets, one getting $32,384
and the other half being divided
among 44 on a company ticket
In 1937 M. E. Anderson of
Fairbanks won the entire $76,
600.
In 1938 $88 899 was divided
between 5 individuals and 3
pools.
In 1939 seven people divided
$90,000. Lila Palm and Clara
Hansen of Anchorage won the
$83,127.68 of the 1940 pool. In
1941 $9?,993 92 was divided be
tween 8 mine s at Kantishna.
In the year 1942 Kodiak saw
its first winner when a sheet
metal workers helper at the base
shared $74,400. He got $7,440
with 5 other men and 5 company
tickets divided the rest.
In 1943 the pool was sharer
by 21 men from Ladd Field, t
| men in Anchorage and 1 in Fair
I banks.
I (continued on page 9)
SafeCaseTo
Be Re-tried
Anchorage—After the longest
deliberation in any trial this term
of the district court, a panel of
1*L jurors reported Monday
morning that they were unable
to reach a verdict in the Kodiak
safe robbery trial,
j The 12th juror was excused by
j the court because of illness and
the prosecution and defense stip
ulated willingness to accept the
verdict of the remaining 11.
The court declared a mistrial,
and a new trial has been set for
next Tuesday.
James Pierce and Jorgen Fred
erickson, Kodiak witnesses in the
case, returned by plane here
this week, and Mr. Pierce will be
required to appear at the next
trial. Mr. Fredrickson, who is
leaving for a trip to Norway,was
excused for the second trial.
Under the indictment Gus
Kovich, Harry Barber and Eddie
Kubillus were charged with bur
glary and theft of the safe con
taining $32,000 in cash and jew
els from the apartment of Mr.
and Mrs. William Schultz i»
Kodiak in 1942.
Mr. Pierce spent 13 days at
the trial but was never called te
testify, and being a witness did
not even get to hear t he testi
mony of others.
Collector Here
A. Verle Collar, deputy collec
tor of Internal Revenue, from
the Anchorage office, arrived
here yesterday by plane and will
remain until after March 15.
To aid in income tax and other
I matters he will be in his usual
I office, Room 9 of the Sunbeam
hotel. Customers should bring
their withholding tax receipts
and all other information with
them.
Still Missing
No trace has yet been found of
Carl Martin, missing aviator,
according to reports from An
chorage.
Mr. Martin has visited Kodi
ak, and at one time interested
some local business men in pur
chasing a plane for an airline.
Juil Eaton, 2, spent four days
this week at the hospital, receiv
ing medical treatment.
Man Held
A civilian base employe, pre
viously in the toils of the law,
was picked up by local police
; yesterday after it was alleged he
he bad rifled a purse belonging
1 to Sue Scranton, in the Ships’
! Tavern.