"News of oAmericd’s Last Frontier’
VOL 11 NO 24
KODIAK, ALASKA AUGUST T8, 1951
PRICE 10 CENTS
12 Killed When Navy Bomber Crashes
Two Bond Issues Slated For October
City, ISO To Ask For $1,115,000
Kodiak residents will be
asked to vote • on two bond
issues when they go to the
polls in October to elect a
mayor, councilmen and a
representative for the Inde
dendent School District
Board.
The voters will decide
whether the city will receive
permission to negotiate the
purchase of the new water
and sewer system which is to
be built and the ISD to pur
chase the proposed new grade
school, which is also to be
built.
Bonds in the amount of
$750,003 must be posted by'
the city as collateral and
$400,000 worth must be posted
by the ISD.
It was explained that the
cost of the first unit of the
water and sewer system will
be $637,000. Through a con
tract with the federal govern
ment the city may purchase
the system for i that amount
or 50 cents on the dollar.
Bonds in the amount of $318,
000 must be offered. The re
maining bonds will be used to
insure the second and third
units on the improvement and
extension of the water and
sewer system.
The estimated cost of the
grade school is $800,000. The
IDS may purchase the build
ing from the goverment under
the same terms and agree
ment as the city purchases
the utilities system.
The bonds must be amortiz
ed in 20 years at 2% interest.
The revenue received by the
city for the water and sewer
system will be used for this
purpose, providing the ma
jority of voters cast their
toallots in the affirmative.
There are two stipulations
for those voting on the bond
issue. They must have the
territorial and municipal re
quirement s of a voter and “of
those whose name appears on
the 1951 tax roll, 65% must
vote in the affirmative to
authorize the city to enter
into a contract to purchase
utilities.”
The city council, under a
suspension of the rules where
by the first reading is con
sidered the second, passed an
ordinance Wednesday night
during a special council meet
ing authorizing the election.
Boat Harbor Plans
Approved By Council
A letter to the U. S. Corps
of Engineers approving the
plans shown members of the
Chamber of Commerce, United
Fishermen of Alaska and the
City Council was sent to An
chorage this week.
The letter was signed for
the city by Mayor Lee C.
Bettinger. The council un
animously approved the action
during a special meeting Wed
nesday night.
Elks Picnic Set
For Tomorrow
More than 400 children are
expected to attend the Elk’s
annual children’s picnic to
morrow at Holiday Beach on
the Kodiak Naval Station. The
picnic is scheduled to begin at
1 pm.
A full program of games,
races, horse back riding and
competitive events have been
arranged. Sam Serrell of the
Naval Station is in charge of
the program.
In anticipating the tre
mendous appetites of the
children and grown ups, Ray
Boggs, Elk’s Club chef, has
barbecued a whole steer.
Transportation will be pro
vided for those who do not
own cars. Persons wishing
transportation should be at
the Elk’s Club on Brooklyn
avenue at 11:30 am. Buses will
leave the Naval base at the
bus terminal at 12 noon.
The Elks have invited all
children of school age and
under to be their guests at
the picnic.
In the event of rain the
picnic will be held at the
Elk’s Club.
Christofterson Case
Postponed
The case of Alfred J. Chris
tofferson, charged with reck
less driving, will be heard in
U. S. Commissioner A. M.
Vokacek’s court when Tal
mageL. Smith, attorney, re
turns from Anchorage.
A Ford Tudor, owned by
Ben Rice, driven by Christo
fferson crashed into a cab
driven by Earl Graves last
week. The suit against Chris
tofferson was filed by Henry
Haag, owner of the cab.
The case was scheduled to
be heard on Monday.
Report Given
On Blood Tests
Blood tests of 37 Kodiak
dogs for Leptospirosis (Weil’s
Disease) reveal that 48.6/£ of
them are infected with the
disease, Dr. W. H. Gaub,
chief, bacteriology and para
sitology for the Arctic Health
Research Center in Anchor
age, wrote John Gibbons,
president Kodiak Health and
Welfare council.
Dr. Gaub spent several
weeks in Kodiak conducting
test of animals and obtaining
blood samples to determine
the cause of what he described
as an “epidemic of Weil’s
disease.”
He earlier explained that
there were several known
animal strains of the disease
which could be transmitted to
humans.
A tabulation of the results
of the blood test are as fol
lows: 37 dogs were bled. Of
this number 10 showed positive
for the dog strain; 7 positive
for the rat strain, 2 tests were
unsatisfactory and 18 ot the
animals had a negative re
action.
Reports of the results have
been mailed to the dog own
ers, Dr. Gaub wrote Gibbons.
Some of the dog owners,
whose pets showed positive
reactions, have had the
animals destroyed.
A tabulation of the results
of the cat blood tests will be
mailed to Gibbons upon com
pletion of the tests.
In the letter Dr. Gaub ex
pressed his thanks and ap
preciation for the “many
kindnesses extended to me
during my recent visit to Ko
diak. ’ ’
He added that it was the
cooperation of Kodiak resi
dents that made his investi
gation possible. Prior to leav
ing he urged residents to con
tinue the baiting program
against rats and to enact an
ordinance making it manda
tory for all future builders to
provide for rat proofing in all
buildings.
Mr. and Mrs. John Spring
hill and daughter returned to
Kodiak this week after a
vacation in the states.
They drove along the Paci
fic coast states and visited
Comrado and New Mexico.
Bulletin
The bodies of all 12 victims
of the crashed Privateer were
found and identified by a
search party from the LlSS
Tillamook. Kodiak based Navy
tug, late yesterday.
The search party arrived at
Amak Island at 7:25 am and
climed to the 900 foot level of
the mountain where the plane
crashed.
It is probable that the
bodies will be brought to Ko
diak for shipment to the next
of kin in the states for burial.
Asks Privateers
Be Grounded
Washington (A3) — The
Navy was asked yesterday by
Rep. Hugh Mitchell, ID
Wash.) to immediately ground
its Privateer bombers pend
ing a complete safety investi
gation.
In a letter to Navy Secre
tary Dan Kimball the repre
sentative declared the planes
were obsolete. He pointed out
four which have crashed with
in recent months with the
first three resulting in the
loss of 23 lives.
The fourth was the ill-fated
Kodiak based Privateer which
took 12 lives when it crashed
on Amak Island.
Optician Coming
To Kodiak
Dr. J. A. Altmaier, optician,
will arrive on the Denali next
week to open a practice in
Kodiak.
Dr. Altmaier, who is from
Billings, Mont., will lease
space in Lee C. Bettinger’s
building at the corner of Har
bor Ave. and Marine Way.
He will be accompanied here
by his wife and two children.
He is bringing with him all
the equipment necessary for
his practice.
Dr. Altmaier comes here at
the suggestion of Bill Kreiner,
with whose brother he has
worked in Billings.
1 Kreiner suggested an A
laskan practice to him, and
Dr. Altmaier visited Anchor
age and other cities after a
drive up the Alcan this sum
mer. He then decided to set
tle in Kodiak.
Anyone knowing of any
possible housing for the Alt
maiers is asked to contact
Kreiner.
! William Randolph Hearst,
publisher, died this week at
his California home.
uurnea h’/ane touna
By Kodiak PBY
Twelve Kodiak Naval air
J men were killed Sunday when
their 4-engine Privateer
crashed on the mountains of
Amak Island in the Aleutian
Chain.
The missing PBY4-2 was
sighted Wednesday at 1:21
pm by the pilot of a Kodiak
based PBY which was one of
several Naval and 10th Air
Rescue planes searching for
the big bomber.
The wreckage of the Priva
teer, on a routine operational
mission from Kodiak to Adak,
was sighted on the northeast
side of the island between the
eight and nine hundred foot
levels of the mountains.
Amak Island is in Bristol
Bay approximately 15 miles
northwest of Cold Bay in the
the Aleutian Chain.
Crew members of the ill
fated plane were the follow
ing: pilot, Lt. Roy E. Park,
31, Columbus, Ohio; co-pilot,
Lt. jg Robert W. Conklin, 24,
South Great Falls, Mont.;
navigator, Ens. Henry H.
Wood, 21, Denver, Colo.;
Joseph D. Witherspoon, air
man, 22, Fordtown, Tenn.;
William S. Wagener, airman,
21, San Francisco; Bobby En
loe, airman, 21, Houston,
Texas; Elnord E. Flinkfelt,
airman, 20, Pawtucket, R. I.;
Leonard W. Sexton, aviation
mate first class, 30, San Jose,
Calif.; Edwin F. Busby, avia
tion electronics technician,
third class, 22, Lowell, Mass.;
Ronald L. Hunt, aviation
structural mechanic, third
class, 21, Black View, Ore.;
Brooks A. Williams, aviation
electronics man, first class,
30, Chicago: Charles W. El
kins, aviation ordnance man,
third class, 28, Linton, Ind.
Since the squadron to which
the men belonged is here for
only a few months, no fami
lies of the fliers are in Kodiak,
the navy said.
The crew of 12 took off from
Kodiak Naval Station at 7:35
am Sunday and at 10:14 am a
Navy pilot flying in the area
relayed a position report from
the Privateer. This was the
last message received.
When no further reports
were received a search was
started by Commander George
Koch, commanding officer of
KNS. Reports of green flares
40 miles northeast of Adak
were received at the base.
The USS Tillamook from the
Kodiak Naval Base went to
the area to investigate. When
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