Juneau,
a
"News of ^Americas Last Frontier”
OL. 5 NO. 2
KODIAK, ALASKA MARCH 10, 1945
PRICE 10 CENTS
Governor Rules
kgainst Closing
The Governor’s decision re
ading 12 o’clock closing in
laska is explained in the fol
ding wire received yesterday:
“This midnight curfew is
eemed necessary in the States
) conserve coal and alleviate
ie manpower shortage and bur
ens upon transportation and
ther facilities. After consuita
on with various agencies to
msider what savings might be
fected by application of the
irfew to Alaska I have deter
mined that the benefits derived
ould be negligible and there
>re decree that no change in
losing hours will be ordered for
laska at present, and determin
tion of such will be left to re
active city governments.”
Organization
Meeting Called
A meeting described as for the
urpose of organizing a new civic
rganization has been called for
unday at 2 pm at the city hall,
t was reported the group wel
omes all members interested in
inity in affairs affecting Kodiak.
Indorsements of candidates for
he coming election may also be
lade, it was reported, but that
onew nominations were planned
>r the meeting.
iirds, Animals
taught For Kodiak
Pin tail and spruce grouse, red I
ree squirrels, blue grouse,
iheasant, and mountain goat
nay one day soon be familar
ights on the island of Kodiak a3
he result of the endeavors of
he Kodiak Sportmen’s club.
Tie Alaska Game commission,
n a recent letter to Charles VV.
fettle, club president, said:
“For your information we will
adeavor to get Agent Ray
Voolford at Fairbanks to try to
ocate some pin tail and spruce
[rouse eggs for your hatchery at
Kodiak.
“Agent Larsen at Anchorage
■ill be requested to try to locate
ipruce grouse eggs and arrange
!o capture some red tree squir
rels for stocking Kodiak.
“Agent Sarber at Petersburg
»ad James Leekley, Biologist in
sharge of the experimental fur
station there, are being request
*d to try to gather a few squir
rels and blue grouse, commonly
known as “hooters.”
“The Califoinia State Game
■ssociation may possibly have
chukor, ring neck and Hungar
**n pheasant eggs”
Frank Beals, Aleutian wildlife
refuge agent, has been in Juneau
for the Alaska Game commission
Woman Hiker’s Death
Accidental, Inquest Finds
A verdict of “accidental death
while mountain climbing” was
returned by the coroner’s jury
Saturday at the inquest which
followed the discovery Friday of
the body of Dorothy Iske, 27, a
bout 1500 feet up the slopes of
Barometer mountain.
The inquest was in charge of
Coroner C C Naughton, assist
ed by Mary Gregoroff, and the
coroner’s jury consisted of Fred
Jordan, Walter Steilberg, Tom
Styles, Billy Poland, M F. Stew
art and Irwin Bowman.
Miss Iske’s body was discover
ed about noon last Friday after a
2-day search that had military
personnel scouring the hills on
Thursday and Friday.
She had not reported to work
Monday but it had been assumed
she was working in another de
partment and only the fact that
it was noted she had not picked
up her mail led to the discovery
she was missing.
An experienced Inker, it is be
lieved she left the base alone the
Sunday before for a climb up the
slopes of Barometer. None of the
testimony at the inquest provid
ed any positive information that
she had been seen alive after
Sunday.
Friends and associates of Miss
Iske were questioned during the
investigation, conducted by nav.
al authorities and deputy U. S.
Marshall Paul Herring, but no
evidence pointing to other than
an accidental death was discover,
ed.
The body was found in a small
ravine in a spot that could not
have been reached in a fall, and
it is assumed she wandered
some distance after receiving her
injuries. Her clothing gave no in
dication of crawling and it would
have been possible for her to
walk, although probably painful
Because of the coldness of the
season and the altitude medical,
authorities were unable to esti
mate the time of her death. One
of her wrists was broken as was
the opposite arm, which would
have made crawling impossible.
She also suffered five fractured
ribs, a fractured collar bone and
several cuts and scratches about
the head.
Her gloves and hat were mis
sing when she was discovered by
the two sailors who entered the
ravine to get a drink, and a thor
ough but futile search was madei
for them as it was felt their dis* j
covery might indicate the spot
where she had fallen.
Miss Iske had a dinner engage
ment for the Sunday it is believ
edjshe left on her fatal hike. Her
escort called at her apartment
where she lived alone and after
waiting briefly went on to the
dinner. She had also made an ap
pointment with a hairdresser in
town for the following Wednes
day
Following the inquest the in
vestigation was continued at the
behest of naval authorities who
insisted that every possibility of
investigation be exhausted before
the case was considered closed.
If anyone not already contacted
believes he has any information
on Miss Iske’s movements sub
sequent to the Sunday she left
on the hike, he should inform na
val authorities or Marshal Her
ring.
Funeral services for Miss Iske
were held at the base Wednes
day afternoon, with interment in
I the naval cemetery.
convention, and he outlined the
club’s program there and spoke
at length on its wishes concern
ing game animals, birds, and
sport fish.
On Mr. Beal’s return he will
confer with the club on the pos
sibility of some members of the
armed forces on Resurection Bay
near Seward obtaining a few
mountain goats. A few years ago
the boys there had a particular
goat which they raised to ma
turity and 6 or 8 are desired to
be brought to Kodiak island.
The Alaska Game commission
has already contacted the Cali
fornia fish and game division for
information on pheasants’ eggs.
The Kodiak Sportmen’s club
is composed of residents of the
island and some military person
nel and has approximately $1000
available for purchasing and
shipping birds, eggs and game
animals. The work of the club is
done by donation and the mon
ey is collected through popular
I subscription.
—
Gemmill Trial
On In Seattle
Seattle (.T)—Lynn J. Gem
mill, U. S. District Attorney at
Juneau, on trial for soliciting and
accepting a bribe from a former
Sitka prostitute, maintains he
received $1500 from the woman
and accepted it in part restit u
tion by her for $10,000 stolen
from a trunk in Sitka.
The government charged Gem
mill intended to keep the money
himself, and poin ed out no re
ceipt had been given. However,
Ruel Griffin, Fairbanks OPA
field representative and Robert
Tollefson, Gemmill’s assistant at
Juneau, both testified they had
accepted money for restitution in
Stork Wins Race With
Car Driven By Father
A race with the Stork ended
with the Stork the victor in a
photo finish Tuesday afternoon,
after T T Jackson, who was do
ing carperter work on Amanda’s
place on the Beach Road, return
ed home just in time to get Mrs.
Jackson in the car to rush her to
tne hospital.
The rush was not quick
enough, however, and the hospi
tal entry book recorded the ad
mission of two patients, Mrs.
Jackson, and the very newly ar
rived son, Dell Delano Jackson(
weight 3 pounds and a half. The
new infant was installed in the
hospital’s improvised incubator
and is being fed with an eye
dropper.
Hospital attendants reported
yesterday that mother and baby
were both getting along nicely.
Dance Tomorrow
To Aid Red Cross
A benefit dance for the cur
rent Red Cross drive will beheld
! tomorrow, Sunday, March 11, at
Blinn’s hall, with dancing from
8 pm to 1 am.
The community affair was de
cided on just, this week as an
added feature to raise funds for
the Red Cross War Fund. Tick
ets will be II for men and 50
cenisfor ladies and a local or
chestra will furnibh the music.
The Belmont Bar, which is
closed Sunday, will be the scene
of a special luncheon to be ser
ved during the dance. The food
will be served at 50 cents a
plate.
other cases and delayed issuance
of the receipt until the transac
tion was complete.
Laughter swept the courl room
when Tollefson, under cross ex
amination, said he “wouldn’t do
it’’ since Gemmill’s arrest.
While Dr. Frank Carroll, for
mer Seattle health commissioner
was on the stand, Will Beardslee,
defense attorney, asked Dr.
Carroll if he had ever had Mrs.
Cleo Patricia Wilkins, the wom
an in the case and chief govern
ment witness, under quarantine
for venereal disease. When an ob
jection was entered Judge Bow
en asked Beardslee the reason
for the query. He replied "Yes
terday Mrs. Wilkins said she
couldn’t remember being quar
antined and it is the intent to
show she is an incompetent wit
ness in that she was unable to
remember an event that import
ant in her life.”
Passengers arriving on the
Denali are recounting their ex
perience when the ship ran
aground near Juneau and de
layed them slightly on their
way to Kodiak.
First Political
Candidates File
First political candidates
threw their hats in the ring
yesterday with filing of a Citi
zens Ticket nominated at a
caucus held Monday evening
at the Red Cross center follow
ing the KEA meeting. Ben Sholl
presided at the meeting. 1
O. A. Torgerson, president of
the Bank of Kodiak and city
treasurer since incorporation of
Kodiak, was chosen as candidate
for the mayor’s post.
With 4 councilmen to be elect
ed, the caucus went overboard
with a list of 8 candidates for
the positions. The council manic
choices were:
Merrill Coon, Stanley Nelson,
Walter Muller, Charles Nettle,
I.ee Bettinger, Lawrence Wod
linger, A. A. Sumerlin, and
Charles Madsen.
For city treasurer the caucus
put up Nellie Melin, employee
of the Bank of Kodiak.
No nominations were made
for Bchool board, for which one
member must be elected.
Following the official filing
yesterday with the city clerk
any nominee not desiring to run
must file his withdrawal with
the city clerk in writing.
Holdover councilmcn this year
are James Martz and James
Pierce and the 4 outgoing coun
ciltnen are Lee Bettinger, Stan
ley Nelson, Lawrence Wodlinger
and Jack Delane.
The school board consists of 3
members, with one being elected
this year. Jan Beukers now out
of town, is the outgoing board
member Tor which a replacement
must be chosen, and the two
remaining members are Mrs.
Louise Coon and Mrs. Catherine
Blankenburg.
Yesterday a count of registra
tion showed that 143 voters have
complied with that requirement
for voting. Registration closes
the Saturday before the election,
March 31, at 4 pm.
Senate Passes
Gasoline Tax
Juneau (Special)—The bill
taxing motor fuel for autos us
ing highways in Alaska, and
also aircraft, at 3 cents a gallon,
was passed by the Senate. The
tax for seaplanes was cut to a
cent and a half.
The Senate also passed the
joint Memorial requesting the
Alaska Itoad commission for
roads to airfields in various sec
tions of Alaska.
The juvenile delinquency
measure, designed to include
Indian, Eskimo and Aleut chil
dren as well as white, also pass
ed. Don Foster, head of the
(continued on page 4)