"News oj ^Americas Last Frontier”
TOL. 3 NO. 26
KODIAK, ALASKA. AUGUST 28, 1943
PRICE 10 CENTS
Will List
Projects
To prepare a list of projects
that Kodiak needs, for submis
sion to Governor Grueniug, is
the function of a committee con
sisting of Bill Lewis, chairman,
Charles Skinner and Ben Sholl,
appointed by Mayor Nick Miell
at the regular council meeting
Monday night.
The list was asked for in a let
ter from the Governor, who ex
plained that while many pro
jects are an impossibility in war
time that plans are being made
now for peace time and that it is
desired to have such projects as
a matter of record for all Alaskan
communities. He asked that the
projects be listed as to location,
justification and approximate
cost.
Mayor Miell mentioned a jail,
fire hall, boat harbor, cold stor
age plant and streets as possible
inclusions on the list and urged
that action should be taken at
once on the matter.
Part of the council meeting
was spent in a discussion, in
which some of the public attend
ing the meeting participated, on
the police force, with some crit
icism directed lo the size of the
force and its payroll. Although
the discussion was quite extend
ed it resulted in no action.
The following evening a group
of about 25 met at the Union
hall for the purpose of getting
some action on the same subject,
will be made to have the Cent- J
ral Labor council ask for chang-1
es in the personnel of both the
police force and the police com
mittee. The police committee is
composed of Councilmen Smith,
Sholl and Pearson,
The council also:
Heard that the Volunteer
Firemen needed additional mem
bers.
Appropiiated $4000 fo! road
to new garbage dump on Mission
property at end of Mission road.
The committee also announc
ed that anyone dumping gar
bage along any roads or streets
■neide the city limits will be
prosecuted by the city, and any
Jne doing so outside the limits
will answer to military authority.
Heard City Health Officer Dr.
4. Bates Jones report that 4
sanitary inspections had been
nade of eating establishments
by Army health inspectors, that
a number of recommendations
were made and that in two cases
iiastic action was taken, but
Jiat all were satisfactory now.
He also reported that venereal
iisease had shown a recent
;hree fold increase.
Granted taxi business per
nit to A1 Nixon.
News Highlights
Quebec military conferences
ended with general statements
by leaders to the effect that re
sults of the decisions will be seen
in weeks and months to come by
new operations on new battle
fields of the world.
Australian & American jungle
Iroops advanced to within a mile
of the Salamaua airdrome of New
Guinea in the South Pacific.
Chinese Central News agency re
ported Admiral Mineichi Kova,
who succeeded Admiral Yama
moto as supreme commander of
the Japanese fleet, was killed last
month during Allied bombing of
his flagship in the Southwest
Pacific.
Flying Fortresses crippled 30
per cent of Nazi fighter plane
production in a raid on the Mes
serschmitt works at Regensburg,
South Germany. RAF crews
dumped bombs on Leverkusen,
Germany, site of important
chemical works, after a raid on
Berlin airmen pictured the Nazi
capital city a red chaos of fire,
explosions & smoke.
Red Army forces threaten Pol
tava railroad center 77 miles
southwest of Kharkov, recaptur
ed from the Germans. Army
newspaper Red Star said that
Russians are advancing against]
stiff resistance over terrain where
Germans for 9 months have been
building defenses.
Anglo-American general com
mand announced the appoint
(continued on page 4)
Dispose Of Cases
The following disposition of
complaints, charging various
fishing violations, were made by
U. S. Commissioner C. C.
Naughton this week:
Birger Hansen, John Rudick,
charged with commercial fishing
in a closed area: pled guilty,
fined $25 each. With using more
than one seine: pled guilty, fined
$50 each, suspended.
Turvo Ivey, John Rudick,
C arence George, Jacob Strand,
fishing in a closed area. Jury
trial, found not guilty.
Theodore Sargent, Steve Kat
elnikoff, Edward Gardner, fish
ing closed area: pled guilty,
fined $25 each. With using more
than one seine: pled guilty, fined
$50 each, suspended.
Paul Gilloth, Sam Sharp, Tom
Ellis, more than one seine: pled
guilty, fined $50 each.
Alex Panamaroff, Chas. Reft,
Jacob Simeonoff, fishing in a
closed area: Jury trial, found
not guilty.
Speridon Agick. Frank Noyce,
more than one seine: pled guilty,
fined $25 each.
O S. Campbell, more than
one seine: pled guilty, fined $50,
suspended
W. C. Anderson, more than
one seine: pled guilty, fined $50.
Two cases filed by Mark Lo
gan, Bureau of Fisheries, again
st Frederick Jenkins, charging
destruction of government pro
perty and with barricading a
sn'mon stream were dismissed
at the request of the plaintiff.
Local Business Woman
Meets Tragic Death
Florence Helsel, wife of Cecil
Helsel, and with her husband
owner and operator of the Hel
sel Photo Company and Kodiak
Library, was a victim of an ac
cident in an inlet of Island Lake,3
miles north of Kodiak, last Sun
day evening
The tragedy, which came as a
terrible shock to all her many
friends and business associates,
occurred following an outing
with six friends. During the
afternoon members of the party
swam in the lake and Mrs. Hel
sel, a good swimmer, had swam
across one portion of the lake.
Because of the suddenness of
the tragedy accounts of the var
ious witnesses vary in detail, but
as reported to the U.S. Marshal’s
office the group, consisting of
Mrs. Helsel, Doris Landin, Sue
Scranton, Lt. Wiley, U. S. Navy,
Sgts Gribble, Adams, Mott ;and
Stan Krolick, were on the shore
of the south branch of Island
Lake which connects with the
larger lake by a small inlet
Erie Blankenburg. with George
Hedge, US Navy, entered the
small lake in Blankenburg’s boat
with outboard motor and were
hailed by the groun and asked
for a tow Two of the men got in
Blankenburg’s boat and the Jest
in the second rowboat A short
rope fastened to the second boat
was used as a towline.
One bomb burst hurls clouds of earth upward at Kiska, and another skipping bond) tarrow) is in
the air after striking the ground. Note Louib ciutcie, especially large < ne in lower center.
Anti aircraft position is at left and underground entrances 10 tunnels (arrow) lie btyond bomb
burst. Bombing attacks and shelling for 14 days preceded landings by our troops on Kiska.
Mrs Helsel, in the very bow
of the second boat, suddenly fell
overboard and disappeared Grib*
ble dived at the spot and Sue
Scranton jumped from the boat
and joined in a vain effort to
find her. Blankenburg also jump
ed from his boat which had trav
eled some distance farther, and
joined in the futile search. Grib
ble caught his clothing on a snag
on his second dive and had some
difficulty getting lose, and the
water in the vicinity became bad
ly riled. That, coupled with the
wind-roughened surface of the
lake, limited visibility in the
water to about 4 feet. None of
the party saw Mrs. Helsel again.
After searching and diving for
half an hour some of the party
came to town for help and noti
fied the Marshal’s office. The
search continued until shortly
before midnight. The wind had
died down then and the body
was discovered with a light in a
bout \2 feet of water approxi
mately 15 feet from where the
accident happened.
The body was removed to the
base. On the death certificate
death was ascribed as being
“probably due to heart attack ’
and contained the information
that there was no water on the
deceased’s lungs. 1 here were no
marks on the bouy. Time of the
accident was placed at 7:55 pm.
Mr. Helsel, who was at Homer
on their homestead, having re
turned there only two weeks a
go, was notified immediately and
arrived here Thursday afternoon
after the Navy arranged special
transportation.
Funeral sei vices were held
Friday at 2 pm at the Commun
ity Baptist Church with Kev.
Gregory S. Morouy officiating,
assisted by Chaplain K. E Gil
more. James King sang "Abide
With Me”, accompanied by Mrs.
Mona Long.
The deceased was born b lor
ence Lucille Hogan, July 10,
1908, in Meadowdale, Wash. Be
cause of her Irish ancestry she
acquired the nickname ‘ Pai”, by
which she was known the rest of
her life. On February 18, 1933,
she married Cecil Helsel at Riv
erside, Calif. Four years later
she came to Alaska with her hus
band and made their home
north of Anchorage. In 1939 they
moved to Kodiak and since made
their home here. The Helsel’s
purchased the former Becker
photo company in February 1941
Mrs. Helsel had recently re
turned lieie after an extended
trip in the States, during which
she was quite ill. On her return
she rented the Charles Rutkow
(continued on page 4)