“News oj oAmericas Last Frontier”
KODIAK ALASKA, NOVEMBER 29, 1941
NO. 39
^ard Asks Aid
After Big Blaze
jeard (j?)—Appeals’forjfed
rrants and loans to rebuild
,rd lia been made an hrst
were taken to clear away
s left as result, of Monday
Jug’s disastrous fire w hich
J out half the business
ict.
nay patrols guarded the re
ing business area as bulldoz
:raped wreckage in the chill
i wind. Permanent residents
n laying plans for a new
iess district. The Governor’s
notified Mayor Benson
direct appeals were made
scleral loans for building,
d Cross workers set to the
of aiding the homeless in
lg sleeping accommodations,
c* halls and homes were filled
pacify
e swept through the two
ipal blocks of Seward Sun
light- destroying two hotels,
tments and business build
leaving hundreds homeless,
damages estimated from
,000 to $750,000.
te blaze started 11:30 p. m.
barber shop when a gasoline
; exploded. Firefighters ap
sd to have the flames under
rol by midnight, but a 30
wind whipped it out of con
a.»d spread it in both direc
The Arcade block with a
naents and buildings wa3
[iletely destroyed, and the
Is to the north containing the
ird and Northern hotels was
ed. The fire stopped at Mc
tin grocery, a concrete build
The Brosius apartments also
: razed, as were the Alaska
rnship office, Gateway pub
tig company, Northern Bar,
leron’s restaurant, Overland
uinal Hotel [cafe and Hol
(contmued on page 4)
KODIAK
k Year Ago This Week
number of violations have
a reported, but nothing can
lone about it until the traf
*rdinance is passed.
'he thermometer is hovering
he neighborhood of freezing.
arrest was reported by
r police for the current week.
t was decided to raise money
subscription for an electric
siren.
E'he first surgical operation in
1 newly-opened Griffin Mem
3U hospital was performed.
^n editorial pointed out that
was the lime to make the
U—the last one before Christ
Federal Officers Place
Two Men Under Arrest
Robert. Hall was arrested this
week by federal officials and is
being held on a charge of vag
rancy.
Thorvald Thompson is being
he (! r investigation. Authorit
ies aid Thompson had signed a
confession of activities which ha
ijeen transmitted to an intellig
ence officer at the naval air sta
t on for investigation.
No Jail Solution
Found By Council
Two honrs of discussion on the
city's jaii problem at the coun
cil meeting Monday night
brought no further solution to
taking care of city prisoners, and
no definite action was taken.
Possibilities for relief are still be
ing investigated in all quartets.
Realizing that construction of
sidewalks in front of new busi
ness houses necessitates the need
of uniform regulation of size and
placement prompted the council
to appoint W. P. Jennings, engi
neer, Hubbell and Waller to con
sult with City Attorney Taylor
in drawing up an ordinance to
cover it.
Contractor Barry asked for
permission to place a sewer from
the new building opposite the
Orpheum theater down Harbor
avenue to the waterfront. Busi
ness houses on the street will be
contacted to see if they would
want to use a facility, with the
possibility in view of building a
larger one than planned and the
city helping in the expense of
construction.
Permission was granted naval
authorities to add another tele
phone outlet to those planned
for Kodiak in the Territorial
Employment office.
The fire problem was discuss
ed and it was voted to match
dollar for dollar the money being
raised by the Rotary club for fire
equipment. The action swells
the fund to over $1500.
Seventy-two arrests were re
ported between November 10
and 24 and $770 collected in
fines.
Police Have Information
For Garibay on Death
Police are trying to locate Sam
Garibay, sa’d to be a member of
a labor union, to inform him
they have received word from
Jess Garibav, Pittsburg, Califor
nia, that his mother died Nov
ember 27.
Anyone knowing his where
abouts please get in touch with
local officers.
The German commander of
the Paris region announced the
city is fined 1,000,000 francs for
bombing a Nazi requisitioned
cafe.
Draft Board Gets j
2 New Members
Governor Gruening has recom
mended to the President the ap
pointment as members of the lo
cal draft board of Merrill Coon
and Hobart Wiseman. Coon, a
gent for Standard Oil company,
will eplace Robert Lunday, man
ager of the Orpeuin theater who
.ecently resigned, and Wiseman,
realtor, wil be an additional
member.
The increase in size of the
board was requested by wire, so
that the draft work would not be
So heavy on individual members.
Three new names have been
released of men inducted Nov
ember 24.
25 Floyd Bruce Nicholson
S-806 George Louis Bowman
445 Bill Karvonen
For induction December 10:
Carl Woche, Kodiak, and Steven
Panamarioff, Ouzinkie.
i
Donations Asked
To Improve Road
The Rotary club heard two
good pieces of news at the regu
lar luncheon at the Brown Bear
cafe Tuesday noon. The first,
that the city council had voted
to match any amount collected
in the Rotary fire equipment
drive. The second, that a public
spirited group was willing to put
up the money for improvements
on the road to the Mission, which
is badly in need of repairs.
The first use the fire fund
money will be put to will be the
purchase of a fire truck chassis,
which has already been ordered.
Additional funds, yet to be col
lected, will go for more equip
ment and fire fighting supplies.
Wayne Waldrip was appointed
to collect money for the imp
rovements to the roads. He has
already been offered the free use
of trucks and men and money
has been pledged by merchants
in town, various taxi drivers and
people living on Mission road. A
complete list of donors will be
published later.
The Rotarians also discussed
plans for decorating the com
munity Christmas tree to be
erected on the corner lot of the
Ben Kraft residence. Anyone
willing to donate any spare deco
rations suitable for an outdoor
tree may do so. R. L. Clifton,
school superintendent, volunteer
ed the services of the school in
making some of the ornaments.
One guest was present a new
arrival to Kodiak, Lt. Downing.,
in charge of the signal corps.
Vichy (JP)—The German con
trolled Paris newspapers reported
a new s^r'cs of terrorist attacks
in the occupied territory, includ
ing derailment of a train and
dynamite attacks near the capi
tal.
Cab Skids on icy Road,
Goes Over Beacb bluff
A Radio Cab driven by Ro
bert Christenson slipped on the
icy lunuway of the Beach road
Sundav and went over the 20
foot bluff and lit on its side on
the narrow beach next to a boat.
The driver escaped injury b\
jumping from the car as it went
over. There were no passengers
in the car.
Poison Used In
Suicide Attempt
A man who police said gave
his name as Bailee Basen, alias
Henry Basheim, age 33, attempt
ed suicide Wednesday night in
his room in the Bay view hotel
by taking internally the contents
of a 2 ounso bottle of poison.
His cries for help brought aid
and he was rushed to the hos
pital where he responded to em
ergency treatment. He has since
been released.
Police said he was from Brook
lyn, New York, and has arrived
here about ten days ago from
Seward where he worked as a
laborer, and that desponency
and lack of food for two days
had been the reason for his act
His was the second of two
such cases reported within the
last few weeks, and previously
there had been none over a per-'
iod of a year.
Williwaws And Ice
Mark Continuation
Of Cold Spell Here
Kodiak’s unusual cold spell
continued unabated this week.
We are informed by usually re
liable sourses that the most auth
entic unofficial temperature read
ing at its coldest point was 10
degrees above zero. There are
plenty who would bet it was a
lot colder, but they just felt
that way because they got in the
way of the wind, which has been
doing its bit.
Students were moved from
there usual rooms at the Amer
ican Legion hall to the basement
of the Baptist church when wa
ter lines froze there. Icy streets
have caused a number of bad
falls and put cars and trucks in
the ditch. There has been no
stoppage of work at the base al
though there have been a few in
dividual voluntary vacations.
Three restaurants were forced
for a short time to close up be
cause of lack of water. Mukluks,
parkas, ski suits, scarfs, mittens,
ear muffs, fur hats, long under
wear, flannel pajamas, 3 sweat
ers, 2 jackets, 1 overcoat and 7
blankets are being worn this sea
son.
No relief from the cold weath
er is in sight.
Two Companies
After Mail Route
Af ter announcement last week
that the Star Airways company
would offer mail service to Kod
iak by plane from the mainland
if facilities could be provided
here for landing, it has developed
that a second company has been
laying plans for some time fo^
similar service.
The second company is known
to be one of the largest in A ask a
and while they do not seek a pri -
vate landing field because 0/ the
size of their planes, they are
knowm to be negotiating with ^of
ficials at the naval air station
for use of the landplane runway
there It is reported but uncon ■
firmed that plans have reached
the stage where authority has
been obtained from Washington,
D. C. for the use of the base
fields by a private company.
With such authority granted
the final steps would include de
tails in connection with a gov
ernment contract, the working
;i"7 of schedules and the assign
ing of personnel and eouipment.
In the meantime a committee
from the Rotary club is investi
gating local fields' for Star Air
ways. Another one under consid
eration is on land belonging to
Ernest Bryan past Sprucehaven
lake at the end of Mission road.
An attempt is being made to find
out if the land adjacent to the
Mission can be obtained by lease
or otherwise for a landing field.
Supply Boat And Plane
Unable to Reach Tartana
Juneau (JP)—The Indian Af
fairs office is concerned by the
needs of the isolated village of
Tanana. A supply boat with 25
tons of supplies is frozen in the
Tanana<'fiver, and bad dying
weather is preventing planes
from landing. The situation is
serious because of a store there
burning recently.
Postal Inspector
Collecting Data
L. D. Wasson, government
postal inspector, is in town yna
king a complete survey of local
conditions in relation to the^post
office service.
While here he will collect data
on population, permanency of
mail needs, and other factors.
The congeste j condition at the
post office and previous lack of
adequate staff, since remedied,
first caused concern and the Ro
tary club wired Washington,VD
C. for assistance. Wasson’s visit
is partly a result, and is an effort
of the post office department to
determine the true needs in the
way of postal service here.