The Nome nugget. [volume], October 04, 1963, Image 1

About The Nome nugget. [volume] (Nome, Alaska) 1938-????

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m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
64th Year No. 118
NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1963
Per Copy 150
BARROW SWAMPED BY
WIND, 15-FOOT SURF
BARROW (AP) — This huge Eskimo village, lashed all dav
Thursday by a howling Arctic windstorm, surveyed the damage
today as winds subsided and state and federal agencies moved in
to help.
Only one minor injury was reported. Lawrence Ahmouak re
quired first aid treatment after he was struck by a flying sheet
of metal and knocked unconscious.
The Barrow Village Council estimated damage at $500,000, but
it was not clear whether this estimate included damage to public
property only or included damage
to military and private property
as well.
Other estimates placed the total
damage at several millions of
dollars.
Winds gusting to 80 miles per
hour sent waves 15 feet high
crashing against buildings in this
village of some 1.350, the largest
Eskimo village in the world.
Raging water tore up the land
ing mat at the only operational
air strip at Barrow, an Air Force
landing field adjacent to town.
Officials said repairs will take
three weeks.
An air strip being constructed
by the state was considered only
marginal for air operations and
it was reported to be covered by
a 12-inch sheet of water.
The storm completely destroyed
15 homes and seriously damaged
11 others, according to State Sen.
Eben Hopson, D-Barrow.
One hundred and 43 persons, in
cluding virtually the entire pop
ulation of neighboring Browers
ville, were forced from their
homes. They were cared for by rel
atives and friends and housed in
the Barrow school and churches.
One of the houses washed off its
foundations by the battering water
smashed against a 300-foot trans
Polar flight communications tower
used by Wien Alaska Airlines,
toppling it.
The waves also ruptured a 150,
000 gallon oil tank at the Barrow
airport construction site, saturat
ing the sandy ground with oil.
O. Lewis Fravel, Civil Defense
director for the village, said those
areas where oil fumes and oil might
concentrate would be roped off, to
lessen the danger of fire.
Hopson said at mid-morning to
day that the total fuel loss would
be 300,000 gallons or more.
In addition to the tank which
ruptured, another 60,000 gallon
tank owned by the Golden Valley
Electric Assn, was leaking.
The association lost 6,000 gallons
of fuel oil stored in drums and an
other 1,000 drums of fuel oil was
scattered by the storm.
Hopson said a number of small
NOTICE
Effective October 5. the A.C.S.
Telegraph Office will be closed
Saturdays.
boats owned by the villagers were
destroyed and that three small
airplanes ‘‘had disappeared.”
‘‘There is bad, bad” damage at
the Air Force site and at the
Navy’s Arctic Research Labora
tory, operated by the University
of Alaska, Hopson said.
Hopson said the stonn also de
stroyed four or five warehouses
and caused irreparable damage to
a cafe.
In Juneau, Gov. William A.
Egan said the state had notified
the U S. Office of Emergency Plan
ning that there was a possibility
that disaster funds would be re
quested to help Barrow rebuild.
Although there are many white
residents among Barrow’s 1,350
people, the nation’s northernmost
settlement has been called the
world’s largest Eskimo community.
Northwest Alaska Is
Feature in U-A Art Show j
Fairbanks artist Claire Fejes
will present a series of watercolors
and oils of the Point Hope, Noatak,
Kotzebue and Koyukuk people in
a one-man show opening Saturday,
Oct. 5, at the University of Alaska.
The show, sponsored by the Uni
versity Art Department, will be
held in the lounge on the upper
floor of the new University Com
mons through October 12.
Featured in the show will be a
series of paintings from a one
month visit Mrs. Fejes made this
summer with the Noatak people.
During the visit she lived with the
Eskimos and traveled with them
as they went by boat from Kotze
bue up the Noatak River. Many of
the paintings from this trip are
watercolors painted during the vis
it to record first impressions of
the people. Others are oils she did
after returning to Fairbanks.
On Patrol with Nome's Finest
“Nome’s Finest” reports that
Patrolman Carter was called out to
investigate a smoking stack at
Sophie Swanson’s house last
night. The smoke resulted from
an overheated stove.
Douglas Cabinboy reported to
police yesterday that someone had
broken into his house on Wednes
day and, after breaking down his
stove-pipe, removed a dozen eggs.
Cabinboy lives on the sand spit.
Governor Names
Firms, Alaska
Men to Road Study
(Special to the Nugget) — Gov.
William Egan announced today
that the consulting engineering
firms of Transportation Consult
ants, Inc. Wash. D.C. and Wilbur
Smith and Associates, San Fran
cisco, Calif., have been retained by
the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S.
Department of Commerce, to con
duct the Alaska Highway needs
study authorized y the Federal-Aid
Highway Act of 1962. Mr. Rex
Whitten, Federal Highway Admin
istrator, advised of the selection
of the consulting firms today.
Governor Egan said the study
will be directed by William J.
Niemi. regional engineer Bureau
of Public Roads Juneau and High
ways Commissioner D. A. Mc
Kinnon.
The Governor said he has ap
pointed a citizen’s advisory com
mittee at the request of Mr. Whit
ten. The members of the commit
tee are: State Sen. Howard Brad
shaw, Sitka; State Rep Harold
Strandberg, Anchorage; Frank
Chapados, Fairbanks, an actfve
member of the Alaska Carriers As
sociation; Jim O’Sullivan, Nome,
Publisher of the Nome Nugget,
and William Mendenhall, College,
President, Alaska Section, Amer
ican Society of Civil Engineers.
Representatives of the consulting
firms and the Citizen’s Advisory
Committee will meet Mr. Niemi
and Mr. McKinnon in the near fu
ture for an organizational meet
ing. The committee will act as an
advisory to the directors of the
study.
Redevelopment Reports
Since March, 1963, new com
mercial and industrial projects
from throughout the state totaling
$6,505,941 have been authorized
by the Area Redevelopment Ad
ministration. Pending projects are
in excess of $3,054,377. These pro
jects were developed with the aid
of the various Local Development
Committees from Unalaska in the
Aleutian Island Group to Ketchi
kan in Southeastern. They include
such facilities as cold storages, a
marine repair station, lumber
mills, municipal water and elec
trical systems, canneries as well as
a rail port and bonded warehouse.
Technical assistance and employes
training have been added where
necessary.
Pending projects involve a log
ging operation, mining, housing
prefabrication, air transportation,
and other facilities. Tom Bichscl,
Field Co-ordinator for Area Re
development Administration stated
that it is anticipated that the
state’s eighteen Local Development
Groups will approve industrial and
commercial applications in the
next twelve months, in excess of
$10,000,000.
JNome Council Okays Popular Choice
T THE SPECIAL Council meeting held in the City Hall last
night, the City Council voted to accept the write-in votes
appearing on the ballots in Tuesday’s election, thereby disregarding
an opinion of the City Attorney.
A Council, which found the Mayor weather-bound in Moses
Point, and Councilman Daniel Karmun also absent, elected Council
Member Keith Hedreen mayor
pro tern. The first and only order
of business was to decide the legal
ity of the election as pertaining to
the write-in vote. Hedreen called
for an opinion from City Attor
ney Tom Balone. Balone stated
that in his opinion the write-in
votes were illegal.
A telegram, addressed to the se
nior Councilman from George N.
Hayes, was read. It follows:
“In your request as to whether
state statutes prohibit election of
a write in. Chapter 29, Article 2
Alaska Statutes defines steps to
be taken by candidate desiring
his name to appear on the ballot.
Such person must follow required
statutory procedure in order tc
obtain position on ballot. Purpose
of these statutes is to provide for
preparation of ballot. See 72 ALE
290.
“However declaration of candi
dacy by filing is not exclusive
method of election to public of
fice. A declaration of candidacy is
not a qualification or prerequisite
for public office. Chapter 29, Ar
ticle 2 prescribes steps to be taken
by a formally declared candidate,
but these laws do not limit the
right of the electorate to elect by
write-in votes a qualified person
who has not filed as a candidate.
“In my opinion Alaska laws per
mit election of a municipal or
other officer by write-in votes pro
vided only that all other statutory
qualifications are met. Full opinion
OAG No. 30 to follow by mail,'’
George N. Hayes, Attorney Gen
eral.
Following the reading of this
wire, attorney Balone reiterated
that in his opinion the write-in
votes were invalid. It was agreed
by the Council that this has never
been an issue before, as write-ins
have never before been questioned.
Councilman Hdreen thn asked the
Council if they wished to follow
the opinion of Hayes or that of
WEATHER REPORT
Cloudy today, tonight and to
morrow. Chance of scattered show
ers this afternoon and late to
night. Low tonight 37, high to
morrow 43.
Nome data last 24 hours, as of
7 a.m. today: Precipitation .01
inch. Month total 2.9 inches. Tem
peratures: highest 42, lowest 37.
Maximum wind 30 miles an hour
from the West-Northwest. Sun
rise at 6:22 a.m., sunset at 5:20 p.m.
Comparative Data — Tempera
tures year ago today: high 41, low
12. Extremes on this date since
1907: Highest 53 in 1950, lowest
12 in 1919.
--———<
Balone. Balone asserted that in
any event, the election can not be
declared invalid as this question
affects only the parties involved.
Hedreen stated that this must be
resolved at the present meeting
and that the Council must accept
or reject the write-in.
Councilman Bob Harwood raised
several points relative to the write
in, “Are there any other cases in
Alaska which we can follow?” and
“Is Hayes’ opinion the law?” He
was advised by the City Attorney
that there are no court decisions of
a comparable nature, and the only
way to get a decision is to take
the matter before a court. “The
court will not follow either the
opinion of Hayes or my own,”
stated Balone.
The ballot count was read in
its entirety, including all write
ins. Councilman Hedreen moved
and it was seconded, that the reso
lution accepting the ballots be
adopted. This was passed with
only one Councilman, Frazier, dis
senting.
This then results in Robert Scott
! being returned to his duties as
j City Clerk. Frazier, who chose to
I run for City Clerk rather than
I the City Council, now has no
j City post.
(Continued on Page 2)
Maritime Comission Will
Probe Alaska Steam Hike
The Federal Maritime Commis
sion informed Sen. Bartlett this
week that oral argument would
be heard by the commission on Nov.
13 on the Alaska Steamship Com
pany rate increase which was filed
to increase the freight rates pri
marily to ports served in the
Aleutians and Bering Sea areas.
In selected commodities, rates
would also be increased south
bound. The State has opposed the
increase and it is understood that
Attorney General George Hayes
will be in Washington for the
hearing before the commission.
GLADYS WALKER, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Walker, ar
rived in Nome on Thursday. Miss
Walker is on a three-week vaca
tion from her job on the staff of
Congressman Ralph J. Rivers in
Washington. D. C.