January 4: 1917: Wrangell, which has for years had the name of being the original one-horse town, now has a greater dignity, according to William G. Thomas, United States commissioner at Wrangell, who is at the Frye. The town already has two horses, one does the community’s dray work and the other, which is attached to the mill, in its spare time carries the residents their wood and coal. So great is the prosperity of Wrangell that in the spring there will be need of a motor truck. Mr. Thomas, whose duties include many of those performed by county officials in the states, came to Seattle a few weeks ago to spend the winter. The change was far from beneficial, however, as both he and Mrs. Thomas have recovered from the grippe. Although Wrangell has its own storage plant, it will never get the entire fish business of the locality. Mr. Thomas believes, as at Prince Rupert, B.C., the fishermen are enabled to unload their catch and have it put immediately into cars and started toward the market.
January 2, 1942: Rationing of tires is now in effect, according to a wire received this week by Mayor E.J. Wheeler from Gov. Ernest Gruening. The Governor’s wire follows: “Owing to interruption of rubber supply from far east immediate tire rationing is required under presidential order conferred upon office of price administration at Washington which requests me to appoint tire rationing officials throughout Territory. Until January 5 no new tires may be sold. Thereafter tires may be sold only to those engaged in defense work or whose services are indispensable to community and upon certificates granted by local tire rationing official. I hereby appoint you tire rationing officer for Wrangell area. The power you may delegate to an official of preferably a board which will serve without pay and be enrolled as federal officials with franking privilege for official business and which must not include any tire dealers. Blanks and instructions will be mailed as soon as received from Washington. As there may be some delay I request that tire sales be frozen until arrival of instructions. Please give immediate publication to this communication and wire me government collect name of official or board whom you designate.” The Mayor named Lew M. Williams to handle the tire rationing duties here.
January 6, 1967: Gov. Walker J. Hickel predicted today Alaska will soon become the great storehouse of raw materials from which the nations of the Pacific Rim will draw. Speaking at ceremonies marking the opening of Alaska’s purchase centennial celebration, Hickel devoted most of his remarks to Alaska’s past and future economics. He said two thirds of the world’s population lives on the Pacific Rim adding: “Many of these people, from South America to Southeast Asia, are people in need. Their needs are basic, they are the people who will use the resources of this great land.”
January 2, 1992: For a local tugboat outfit, a routine towing operation to Seattle turned into a 45-day trip to Japan. The Mogul, a “daring class” tug owned by Campbell Towing, was enlisted to tow the Alaska Voyager, a disabled fish processing vessel, from Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians, south to Seattle for repairs. A need for timely repairs, however, called for the Alaska Voyager to be delivered instead of Shimizu, Japan. The Fishing Company of Alaska, owners of the Alaska Voyager were told by their insurance company the processor had to be back on the fishing grounds by Jan. 15. According to Carl Campbell of Campbell Towing, taking the vessel to Japan instead of Seattle was the only way they could “guarantee repairs in timely fashion for the opening in the Bering Sea.” Wrangellite Sig Torgramsen captained the Mogul as far as Dutch Harbor. Campbell said Torgramsen does relief work for Campbell Towing, and he’s one of the few capable of taking the tug that great a distance. A person recommended by one of Campbell Towing’s subsidiary companies guided the tug the rest of the way.
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