The Kusko times., 1937-08-06
AIR FIELD IS
 BADLY NEEDED
 AT NAPAMuTE

Sam Voich, who operates rran- Ing post at Napamute, is a business visitor in Takotna and Ophir, coming over from McGrath with Pilot Dom Goodman yesterday noon
 Mir. Voich made the trip up from Napamute on the steamer Langley in five days. The Langley. carried O. ree- ord cargo of 600 tons, mostly fueE oil and machinery, cleaning Ul all the upriver freight left in Bethel 5y the steamer Tupper with the excep- tion of POO barrels of fuel oil
 Sam stopped of long enough in Sleetmute to raid Nick MellIck's greenhouse and clean 1t bare of ripe tomatoes.
 Tells Activities Along KuskSkwim
 When asked about the activities along the KuskokwIrn River, Sam said:
 a0ur part of the Kuskokwim is looking up Fishing this year was unusually. good, lots of fish and of a fine quality. The lower kuskogwim Is starting to come to the front in mining. Gus Wilson. on Marvel creek IS going places with his hydraulieIng, and has taken out considerable pay @8 TAT LL4AS SEeAStAA b s4NA --AAAs draulieing on Bear creek, has also been doing fine
 Jack Handley Dies
 asYou know those two fellows that ! sent out last spring to prospect on the Holina? We'll, made Q trip up here the 14th of July and found ] only one of the partners, Jim Kvam- 1 ne alive and on.the- job. His partner Jack Handley had been dead since the 17th Of May and Of course Jln1i had been unable to do much prospect i ing alone. Both men were old-timers 1 in Napamute, having lived along the river since the early days.
 SchoolhOuse Remodeiled
 sNSpamute can nog-boast of hsy-3 ing g fine schooInbUse since ar ex- tensive remodelling job was complet- cd recently. Nine hundred and fifty ! dollars was spent by the Territory . in the 0verhauling ard rebuilding the [ old school. The work was done by Paddy Marshall, and he certainly did l very fine job" Sam added.
 Oldest Trading Post
 Nzpamute has the oldest trading 1 post on the Kuskokwirn, the first post ! to be established between TakotHa and Bethel. The Post was built there by George Hoffman in 1887. Mir. Yoich has owned and operated he store for the last five years, supply ] ing Marvel creek, besides a number of natives and whites up and down the river
 Need Good Landing Field
 S'We are very much in need of a. good landing held," Mir. Voich in- formed the Times. At present, the only landing field we have is large bar out in the middle of the river. ! This time of the: year. for four or five weeks, we have very fine field, ] but as soon as the rivert starts to rise, our field becomes flooded Ice piles up on it in the win ter. making 1t too rough to land on
 <'The ice starts rnnning early ins the fall and the current Is strong here thus preventing the landing on pontoons in the fall. Of course, it is even worse in the spring, thereby leaving us without a, landing deid about II months ont of the year ex- cept al certain rare times. We have an ideal spot for g landing field on the same side of the river as the town which can be made ready for use with very little work" said the trader "Ft Is large; natural field drained by creek on either side and the river in front. All Il needs IS the clearing of small brush and going over and smoothing down, and then we would have field large enough 10 land on from any direction and surpassed by none on the river. More freight goes out of Napamute 1han7 out of any other port along the riv- CT, I am informed. During the time planes are able 10 land on the haz- ardous field, we keep the air full of ships out to the surrounding mining country said Voich.
 Mir Voich expects to remain here several days taking orders for dog fish He plans on making a. trip to Ophir today and see if he can str up few orders as well as meet few old friends.
 This is Sam's first trip to Takotna and vicinity in-26 yes<.