In the Sentinel 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago.
February 4, 1915: The big wrecking tug Salvor, of the Canadian Salvage Company of Victoria, was in port last Friday night, coming in from the wreck of the Delhi for fresh water and also took 25 sacks of sawdust from the saw mill which will be in the raising of the Delhi. The captain of the Salvor and also the head diver, in speaking of the Delhi are confident that they will be able to float the vessel within a few days and after a few minor repairs to her engines and boilers she will be able to proceed to Seattle for the necessary dry docking. The wrecking tug Salvor arrived in port this afternoon with the news that the steamer Delhi has gone to pieces, having broke in two yesterday when a heavy westerly swell came on, and went to the bottom. According to the statements of the crew of the Salvor all hope of saving the vessel is now at an end, but it is believed that part of the cargo in her hold can be salvaged by divers. The Salvor will wait here for orders.
February 2, 1940: Giving Wrangell an opportunity for representation in the next Territorial House of Representatives, Van H. Fisk, Mayor of Wrangell, this week filed his candidacy for the House on the Democratic ticket with Deputy District Clerk Richard J. Suratt. The Mayor is entering a race in which there are 15 other candidates, four of which are to be nominated at the April 30 primary. It will be the Mayor's first step into Territorial affairs as a candidate. He is widely known throughout the division, living at Ketchikan before coming to Wrangell where he has taken a leading part in the civic affairs for many years. During the recent Democratic Territorial Convention in Juneau, Fisk proved to be one of the outstanding figures of the convention, revealing a broad knowledge and keen insight of Territorial matters.
January 29, 1965: Sale of Alaska's oldest continuously published newspaper - The Wrangell Sentinel - was announced this week by its owners, Lew M. Sr. and Winifred E. Williams. The paper is being sold to their son, Lew M. William Jr., and his wife, Dorothy, of the Petersburg Press. The senior Williamses are retiring after operating the paper since November 1, 1939, when they purchased it from Mrs. Sadie Pritchett. The paper has been continuously published since November 20, 1902, when it was started as a community effort. The new owners take over the Sentinel February 1st. They said the plant will be completely re-equipped with the most modern offset weekly newspaper equipment available. The equipment is on order and will be installed and operating within 60 days.
February 1, 1990: A Trans Provincial Airlines freighter landed without incident Monday despite concerns that the brakes could fail on landing. State and federal officials said the Bristol freighter circled the airport for about 45 minutes as airport crews moved to build snow berms at the end of the runway and along the sides. The berms were built in hopes of stopping the aircraft in the event its brakes failed on landing. Alaska Department of Transportation Airport Manager Jon Keso said he called in city road maintenance crews along with employees from Ritchie Transportation Inc. to help expedite building of the snow berms. “We accomplished this task in about 40 to 45 minutes,” Keso said in a written incident report. “TPA Flight 171 circled the runway burning off fuel. The fire department was notified and emergency staff was standing by.” “TPA Flight 171 landed, everything worked quite well and came off without a hitch.” No damage was reported as a result of the incident. A series of snow berms four to six feet high were built at the end of the runway and 500 feet up the runway. Additional berms were built along both sides of the runway for approximately 1,000 feet, according to a sketch in Keso's report. The Bristol stopped without ever coming in contact with the berms, however. Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Mary Lou Wojtalik in Anchorage praised Keso and his crew for working quickly to avoid what could have been a disaster. “Jon Keso did one fine job preparing,” she said. Keso, in turn, praised the pilot. “I might add that this was an excellent landing by Capt. Wayne LaBuae,” Keso's report said. The aircraft was towed back to the airport apron for repairs.
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