The Way We Were

May 23, 1912: The Mirene, the new tender for the Lake Bay cannery, is an almost entirely new departure from the speedy and rakish craft brought up for service in Alaska waters. The Mirene, built by Cruise and Banks at Coos Bay, Ore., is a staunch 64-ft boat with 20 ft. beam built to withstand the hardest service. She is powered by an 80 hp Standard motor that drives her 8 knots per hour with a consumption of 8 gallons of oil. Her equipment of modern conveniences includes anchor and cargo handling donkey, Dayton lighting outfit and wireless outfit. Her cargo capacity is 90 tons. Capt. J.J. Reynolds reports the trip from Seattle to Ketchikan in 82 hours with a cargo of 74 tons of which 40 drums of oil was a part. The Mirene will be used during the canning season and will engage in the coast trade the remaining months of the year.

May 21, 1937: According to plans made yesterday by the Hospital Auxiliary, which consists of representatives from the women's organizations of Wrangell, the annual hospital silver tea will be given on the Sunday nearest National Hospital Day, which is May 12, but with so many events usually scheduled for the May calendar, it was found advisable last year to have the event as late in the month as possible and the Memorial Day tea held then in the Legion dugout was very successful. Those who met yesterday to plan the tea event were Mrs. Josephine Mason, Aid Society; Mrs. B.Y. Grant, Altar Society; Mrs. DeRemer, Civic Club; Mrs. E. C. Anderson, Eastern Star; Mrs. Wheeler, Guild; Mrs. S. D. Grant, Legion Auxiliary; Mrs. Carruthers, Salvation Army; and Mrs. M. O. Johnson, secretary of the Hospital Auxiliary.

May 25, 1962: At a visit here Wednesday, Major Leland Wamstead, Sector Commander for the Alaska Communications System, presented local station chief, Sgt. Sam Corwin, with a Safety Award. He received a Green Cross Deluxe ballpoint pen for the third quarter of fiscal year 1962. In making the award, Major Wamstead said: “This award is presented to individuals who have displayed safety consciousness in their work. You are to be commended for you excellent safety record and your day to day alertness to possible safety hazards.”

May 21, 1987: Sale of the old downtown fire hall is on hold temporarily while city officials work out a 40-year old problem with the legal description of land on which the historic structure was built. City Engineer John Cannon said officials 46 years ago wrote a legal description of the parcel. But when the structure was built, a 3-foot wide easement that was supposed to run along the side of the fire hall instead was located through a corner of the building. The Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. June 11 to consider a petition from the city and neighboring property owner Fred Angerman to vacate the old easement. Once that easement is vacated, Canon said, officials can move ahead to create a new easement along the side of the property. And once the easement dilemma is resolved the property can go back on the auction block for sale to the highest bidder, he said. Cannon said that when the old fire hall went out to bid earlier this year, he was asked to write the legal description on the property. He said he got about two sentences into the description when he realized the easement in question ran about four feet into the building along one corner.