Li"b rary-M us euxa
"News oj cAmerica’s Last Frontier”
?0L 5 NO. 42
KODIAK, ALASKA — DECEMBER 15, 1945
PRICE 10 CENTS
CivicfCenter Ordinance
Passed; Fund Drive Due
An ordinance providing for
the operation of the American
Legion building as a civic center
with a library was passed at
the council meeting Monday,
predicated on the desire of the
people to pledge funds for its op
eration in a drive to be conduct
by the board of directors provid
ed for.
The ordinance requires that a
budget be drawn up,that a drive
be conducted to see what funds
can be raised, and if the deficit
would appear to be moderate
enough for the city to absorb,
that the center and library be
then undertaken.
It provides that a board of 11
persons operate the center, con
sisting of 2 appointed by the
council and 9 representing vari
ous organizations, and that a
qualified director be hired full
time to manage the center. Or
ganizations to provide member
ship on the boaid are: American
Legion, Russian Orocbodox
church, Catholic church, Com
munity Baptist church, Praise
chapel, American Red Cross,
Federated Unions, Chamber of
Commerce and Rotary club.
The lease for 1 year will be
drawn up and signed on the com
pletion of the pledge drive. It is
estimated it will take about
$.5000 yearly to operate the cen
for
As the two city representa
tives, Mayor O. A. Torgerson i
announced the appointment ofj
Dr. A. Holmes Johnson and
Walter Sipprell.
The door prize at the Fire
men’s Annual New Year’s Eve
Ball will be a $25 Victory BoDd,
C. J. ltuch, dance chairman, re
ported today.
Maj. Ray Craft
Dies In Crash
Billings, Mont. (JP)—Major
Ray Craft wa3 one of 19 persons
killed Saturday in the crash of a
twin-engined transport plane in
a landing attempt. Four others
were critioa’ly hurt.
Like most of the other vic
tims, Major Craft was an over
seas veteran bound for tiome, to
Raymond, Wash., for a planned
reunion with his father, Dale
I Craft, mill superintendent, and
2 sisters and 6 brothers.
The victim was an identical
twin brother of Major Roy D.
Craft, and both served in Alaska.
Major Roy Craft the surviv
ing brother, is well-known in
Kodiak, where ne was General
Corlett’s aide and publisher of
the famed service newspaper,
the Kodiak Bear.
Correspondent
Tells Of Kodiak
Kodiak will probably retain the
commanding admiral and his
staff for some time and is now es
tablished as a permanent base,
Al Newman, correspondent for
Newsweek magazine, one of a
party of correspondent who vis
ited here recently, reported in
the Nov. 26 issue of the period
ical.
Describing the local base, he
said: ‘There are no quonsethuts;
personnel live in well-insulated
white buildings which are cen
trally heated. Some of the pres
ent officers’ quarters are w ell-de
signed flats for families, which
will arrive when the present sit
uation finally shakes down. Kod
iak’s present population (the
base) is about 2000 men and of
ficers plus 130 women—nurses,
Red Cross and civilian workers.
The peacetime quota will be cut
to about one-auarter of this.”
Pleads Not Guilty
Arraigned at Anchorage Wed
nesday on an indictment charg
ing embezzlement of income tax
funds entrusted to her while op
erating a bookkeeping office in
Kodiak in 1942, Mrs. Louise
Williams Allred pled not guilty
to all 12 counts.
Long delayed wedding and
birth forms arrived here the first
of this week and are now availa
b'e at the U. S. Commissioner’s
office.
Hospitalization
Follows Pill Use
Dan Craker, a newcomer to
Kodiak and a dischargee from
the armed services, was admitted
to tbe GM hospital Tuesday aft
jer he was discovered by B. L.
Sherman in a comatose condi
tion in his apartment in the Fel
der building.
First reported to local police
and Public Health Nurse Marion
Curtis he was revived and left by
the officials, only to be reported
in the same condition the next
day.
it was then discovered he had
hidden a bottle of phenobarbital
in the toe of one of his shoes and
had been taking the sleeping’
tablets. Police said 38 of 100
in the bottle were gone.
Police Chief George Magnusen
traced the bottle to the GM hos
pital, where Mr. Craker had been
employed in the drug room doing
cabinet woik.
Police said he gave no reason
for his use of the tablets.
Ship Collision
Damage Light
The S. S. Cordova had to have
new plates put in it at the base
this week when it was rammed
high in the stern by a small Na
vy tanker. The collision caused a
hole in the ship’s side and dam
aged part of the decking.
The Cordova is expected baek
in Kodiak Sunday en route to
Seattle. It will load some freight
here.
‘Buddy’ Skeet
Shoot On 2 Days
Tom Nachand, local skeet pro
moter, announced for today and
Sunday, from 10 am to 2 pm, a
“get-aquaiuted'1 Buddy Skeet
Shoot, to be held in the valley
on Brooklyn at the end of the
military parking lot
Everyone is invited, and each
is asked to bring a buddy. If
either one wins both get duplic
ate prizes.
Everyone will be given a
chance to see how many Blue
Rock targets he can break out of i
10, and Mr. Nachand said guns I
will be furnished, participants
paying for ammunition only.
Following this weekend’s get
acquainted affair, a Turkey and
Chicken shoot will be held next
Friday and Saturday, Dec. 21
and 22.
The best shots in town will be
instructors for those wanting
assistance and beginners will
have as good a chauoe as advanc
ed shooters, as there will be a
separate group of each.
Those wishing to sign up for
the latter shoot should contact
Tommy Clanipffer or Tommy
Nachand.
These skeet shoots will be the
first for Kodiak, and everyone
interested in this new sport is
asked to turn out.
Garbage Contract Let
The garbage contract for 1946
was re-awarded by the council
this week to Patrick Lynch &
Co., with the same rates to ap
ply, with the city doing the bil
ling and receiving 10 per cent of
the revenue.
Lynch’s was one of two bids,
the other being from M. H.
Smith of Smitty’s Transfer com
pany, which also bid at the same
rates.
Just 8 Shopping Days
Until Christmas
Do your Christmas Shopping
now and avoid the last-minute
rush! Stocks of local stores are
more complete, offering wider
selection, easier purchasing and
more time for gift packaging.
Beunhuriied and unharried.
I Shop now!
Base Liquor Smuggling
Brings Dealer Ultimatum
I
Harry Allen
Passes Monday
Harry Kern Allen, 70, resident
of Alaska for the past 10 years,
passed away at the Griffin Mem
orial hospital Monday after a
brief illness. He had been hospi
talized about 24 hours when
death came from a gastric hem
orrhage.
Funeral services were held
Thursday at 2 pm at the home of
his daughter, Mrs Lorena Kizer,
with Harold Palmer, Christian
Science reader, conducting the
services. Interment was in the
local cemetery, and pallbearers
weie Walter Kizer, Harold Pratt,
Einie Bryan, Donald Clark, Wil
liam Bailey, Jr., and l.eon Les
ter.
Mr. Allen was born in Bakers
field, Calif., and moved to an
early age to New Mexico, where
he later engaged in mining and
contracting business. His wife
died while his four children were
quite young. He is survived by
two daughters, Mrs. Lorena Kiz
er and Mrs. Frances Patterson,
both of Kodiak; two sons, Ly
man Allen, Seldovia school tea
cher, who flew here for the fun
eral, and Elvin Allen, formerly
of Kodiak, who is in the Mer
chant Marine and at present is
somewhere in France; and by 4
grandchildren.
For the past 10 vears the de
ceased spent his time between
Kodiak and Homer, having a
homestead at the latter place.
Last year he made a trip to the
States with members of his fami
ly- _
Christmas Seal sales as of yes
terday totaled $344.75, Mis. Vi
ola Sipprell, drive chairman, an-^
nounced. Returns on seals out
for sale ate still incomplete,
however, and the sale will con
tinue until next Friday.
The chairman and Bonnie
Nielsen will sell again this week
at both theatres on Saturday f
and Sunday.
Bond Drive
Ends Up Short
Total Victory Loan sales to
Dec. 8, as reported by the Jun
eau office, showed Kodiak to be
short of its goal of $35,000 by al
most $12,000.
Total sales were $23,425.
Kodiak was 7th in Alaska
towns, followed by Cordova,
Wrangell, Sitka and Skagway.
Leaders were Fairbanks, An
chorage, Ketchikan, Juneau, Pet
ersburg and Seward, in that or
der.
Claiming that “liquor is get
ting onto the naval base in large
quantities” with lesulting “liots
and racial trouble”, Col. H. S.
Massie, USMC, provost marshal
for the Kodiak Aleutian area,
appeared at the city council
meeting Monday to present an
ultimatum issued to local liquor
dealers.
Declaring that the action was'
the result “of fights every night”'
caused by drinking of liquor that
is being smuggled onto the base
“by the case”, Col. Massie said
the ultimatum was drawn up af
ter consultation with Captain R.
R Lyons, commandant of ihe
naval operating base It provides:
1. No liquor shall be sold to
any intoxicated person, either
by bottle or drink.
2. Only 1 bottle shall be sold
in any one day to any service
man.
3. Where more than 1 bottle
is sold to any civilian, that per
son’s name is to be taken and
reported to the military police.
The rule regarding civilians is
necessary, he explained, in order
to get names to check in an at
tempt to stop the smuggling
that is going on. Col. Massie
said he was aware that a limited
amount of the liquor is being
smuggled through the guard gate,
but that it is expected that the
greater amount is arriving on the
base by boat. Guards have been
posted on all military docks, he
said.
If any dea’er does not cooper
ate in these rules, Col. Massie
said, he will be closed down by
being posted out of bounds or
by removal of his license. Col.
Massie asked the council for co
operation in the latter aotion
and Mayor 0 A. Torgerson,
speaking for the group, said the
council would be behind any
proper liquor enforcement.
Whiskey belling,
6 Cases, Charged
Yesterday a complaint, signed
by Col. H. S. Massie, was filed at
the U. S. Commissioner’s office,
charging J. W. Martin, taxi dri
ver, with selling on Dec. 12, in
toxicating liquor in the amount
of “6 crises of unstamped whiskey
to Potts and Wilson wnhont a
license to do so ” Potts and Wil
son are said to be sailors station
ed here.
Martin posted $500 appear
ance bond and trial ha* been set
for 1:30pm today, U S. Commis
sioner G. W. Bubendorf raid.
Russell Ruyle was admitted to
the GM hospital traturdav with
influenza.