The Daily Alaska empire., 1939-06-26
 Colonel Lee Lands Sunday Evening-0fher Am- phibidn Today LANDING FIELD
 MAY GO IN HERE loedI Officials Conferred with as 10 Channel
 Dredging

Possibilities of an Army air base or auxiliary landing field on the Mendenhall Flats on Gastineau Channel were aired here last night by Col. John c. H. Lee, Division Engineer of the War Department who arrived here at 6 pm. yesterday on a flight from Seattle via Ketchi- kan in an S-43 twin-engined Army amphibian.
 Lee said that while in Juneau he would confer with Mayor Harry I. Lucas as to small boat harbor dredging plans and the petitioned- for Gastineau Channel project which would mean dredging of the chan nel to permit small boats an access to Juneau's harbor from the north.
 Col Lee said that Col H. J. Wild, who is making the report on this project, has not yet submitted his findings, and that Lee will make his decision on receipt of wild's report.
 Whus suggestion
 With respect to the dredging of the channel, Wild has been quoted as saying that the only logical sys- tenn of disposal of dredging from such a channel would be to employ them in building up an airbase.
 Col. Louis Johnson. Assistant Sec- retay of War, who was in Juneau last summer, made the statement that in the event of an air base being built at Fairbanks, which project Col. Lee will also investi- gate, a supplementary base or bases, would have to built somewhere along the Fairbanks-Seattle route.
 This morning, Col. Lee flew to i. Sitka to investigate the harbor irn- provement project there, and was to return here this afternoon, to be joined by the second amphibian of the Army Engineers Board party making a circuit of Army projects in Alaska, which spent the night at Ketchikan.
 Inspection at Ketchikan
 The two imphibians arrived in ketchikan yesterday afternoon and flew about the area for a half hour making an aerial survey before landing.
 Col. Lee and his plane took off for Juneau, while the party aboard the second plane spent the day sur- veying for possible army landing site, taking pictures from the air and hiking in the region north of the First City.
 This morning the engineers at Ketchikan made cruise aboard the cutter Alert to further survey pos- sible landing field sites.
 Aboard the plane which arrived here yesterday eevning with Col. Lee, were Major P. M. Connell crack Mitchell Field pilot who pilot- ed the two Colonel Johnsons of the Departments of War and Commerca to Alaska last year; It. H. L. Smith. neteorologist; Capt. w. A. Merrick, navigator, who was also aboard the Col. Johnson plane; Cadet John Lee, Jr, son of Col. Lee. who is on fur- ough from West Point Academy md serving as recorder; Crew Chief Sergeant w. Lipscomb, and Private John w. Fox, Radio Operator.
 The party spent the night at the 3aranof.
 Flight Record
 The flight to Ketchikan from Seattle was made in approximately our hours, and the flight from xetchikan to Juneau in about two tours.
 At Ketchikan, Col. Lee made an lttempt to go to Bell Island for a 'isit with Gov. John w. Troy. who S resting there, but bad weather prevented.
 The itinerary of the Army En- 'ineers' flight includes survey of Var Department work. principally n harbor work and flood control projects at Ketchikan, Wranqell. Nrangell Narrows. Juneau small 'oat harbor and Gastineau Channel 'roject, Sitka harbor work, Valdez 'oat harbor, Seward flood control york on Lowell Creek, Kodiak har- or improvement. Unalaska harbor