The ALASKA
SOV'R'DOVGH
Vol. I. No. 8
Douglas, Alaska, Tuesday, October 24, 1911
10c a Copy
MORE YUKON TRAGEDY
With the raw ribbed Wild that ab
hors all life, the Wild that would
crush and rend
I have clinched and closed with the
naked North, I have learned to
defy and defend
Shoulder to shoulder, we have fought
it out—yet the Wild must win
in the end.—Service.
Over near Crhter mountain, on the
trail from Innoko, about 60 miles from
Iditarod, James Walsh, a miner, is dead
in a tent, his death being due to star
vation and exposure.
About three weeks ago Walsh left
Yankee creek, in Innoko district, to
go to Moore creek. He had with him
only sufficient provisions to last three
days, expecting within that time to
reach his destination. He reached the
Ditna river where, instead of continu
ing on across the mountain trail to
Moore creek, he built a raft and float
ed down the river for twrenty-five
miles, when his raft struck a jam and
was wrecked with what grub and out
fit he carried. The weather was wet
and foggy. Walsh found another
wrecked raft n a log jam, and with it
an axe with which he cut the raft
loose, and found a roll of blankets and
a piece of bacon. He tried to find a
way out in the fog and rain, but could
not.
For thirteen days Wash had been
practically without food, being even
unable to find berries. His clothing
was torn to shreds, his boots were
worn off his feet in his seareh for food
and to find a way out to the haunts
of men. In this condition he was
found last Wednesday by Dr. Carter H.
Goerke and E. Erickson. They gave
Walsh a little food and shortly, after
eating it he was seized with violent
cramps. Dr. Goerke and the other man
stayed with him for two days in the
hopes that they would be able to take
him to Moose creek. Walsh, however,
grew worse instead of better and Dr.
Georke went to Moose creek, Erieson
being left with the dying man. At
Moose creek two men naiped Weber
and Bordland were sent back with
food and other supplies and to bring
Walsh in.
Dr. Georke reached Flat on Sunday
night, and on Monday Deputy Marshal
Sheppard sent out Ambrose Van, and
a horse to bring Walsh to town, if he
were still alive. On Monday night,
however, Dr. Gorke received word that
Walsh had died an hour after the doc
tor had eft Carter mountain. ' Walsh
believed that he coaid not recdyer and
he made his will and gave it tb Erick
son. He expressed a Irish to .be .buried
where he died. He was 40 years qI^.
His father lives in Nassau, cotinty, N»
Y.
Walsh told Dr. Gorke that on the
Ditna river he had counted eight or
ten wrecked rafts, and he believed* that
a number of men lost their lives going
down that stream the present season.
At the place where Walsh cut loose
the wrecked raft, there was a fearful
stench, and he believed that the bodies
of drowned men are in the driftwood.
Hans Erickson who arrived from
Moore creek on Monday, brought the
news of Walsh’s death, he says that
Walsh told him that he had $250 in
gold dust in a belt around his body.
Ericson will leave tonight for Carter
mountain, where he will bury the body,
seeure the gold and forward it to
Walsh’s father, John Walsh. Van, who
was started after Walsh, returned
when he heard Walsh was dead.—Idita
rod Nugget.
TO STOP SMUGGLING
J. R, Willis, United States collector
of customs, .will leave about the last of
this month or the first of next, for Wash
ington and will spend two months
there on business connected with the Al
aska customs.
“There are many things that need
adjustment," said Mr. Willis to a rep
resentative of the Sourdough Saturday,
“and a good many conferences with the
department will probably be neces
sarry. ’’
One of the matters which Mr. Willis
will take up at Washington will be the
establishment of means to prevent
smuggling across Portland canal. On
Wales island, in British territory and
there is a cannery which was establish
ed by some Ketchikan men before the
boundary dispute was settled, and ano
ther cannery established since the set
tlement at Hidden inlet when the Wales
cannery was found to be in Canada was
sold to British investors.
“There is more or less smuggling back
and forth between these canneries ’ ’ said
Mr. Willis and steps ought to be taken
by the government to prevent it.
Another matter that will receive at
tention this winter relates to the re
moval of dredges from Dawson to Fair
banks. At Dawson there are several
dredges, with hulls built at Dawson,
but W’ith machinery in them which came
from the United States, The owners of
them would like to move to Fairbanks
to operate, but are stopped by the cus
toms regulations. Mr. Willis believes
that inasmuch as the machinery was
manufactured in the United States,
there is no very good reason why the
dredges should not be allowed to oper
ate at Fairbanks.
These with a number of other matters
of less importance wrhich will probably
keep the collector busy for a couple of
months. When his business at the capi
tal is concluded, he will leave for Ore
gon, where he will spend his annual va
cation of a month.
BIO MOOSE LODGE
The first class of a big Moose lodge
was initiated at Douglas Friday night.
The following are the members of the
Douglas lodge up to date:
Niek Dubiznovich, Louis Sakulich,F.
Gins, Nick Vacich, Emilon Pusich, Ar
thuB Prather, George Olson, Ed. Ring
uette, George E. Brown, L M. Peters,
A. Robertson, Sam Keist, J. Gunn, H.
Dorum, George Sagnon, J. (Sunn, H.
son, Holger Berg, Peter Brant, Peter
Viriciek, George Ramstad, Andrew Pai
tik, Walter Eggan, John Olson, F. G.
Sanford, Gorge Plieke, J. E. Tucker,
R. M. Brannen, W. E. Andrews, C. F.
Anderson, Harold Opsal, Charles Sten
son, L. W. Seabloom, John Magnuson,
Paul KaMer, Albert Snell, Joseph Ad
ams, Cheater George, A. Johnson, J.
^lozivade, Sam Stuen, Jack Do we, Wnu
Lutz, Knute Durhom, Bob Laughlin^ A.
Brown, Joseph Robertson, Mike Rudilo
vtfh. Vide Sasovieh, Marko Boskovieh,
Terry Gilligan, J. I. Neilson, Sam Mil
ler.
THE WETNESS
No^ less than 4.78 inches of rain fell
on the shores of Gastineau channel dur
ing last week, according to the records
of Weather Observer Sharrick.
During the week the thermometer did
not vary but six degrees. It was down
as low onee or twice'as 42, and ranged
as high as 48. While they are having
freezing weathe ars far south as Flag
staff, Arizona, flowers are still bloom
ing on the hills near Douglas.
Weekly Sourdough, $3.00 a year.
TREADWELL EMPLOYEES
The report of David Kinzis, labor
commissioner in charge of the employ
ment office of the Treadwell company
presents some interesting statictics.
The total number of men employed
on May 15, 1910, was 1401, and the to
tal employed in the year following was
1519. This includes those only who are
taken on through the employment office.
It does not include the employees in
the boarding house, at the club, nor the
“outside" work.
Ninety-five per cent of the applicants
for work have had experience in other
mines before applying at Treadwell.
Sixty per cent of the employes of
Treadwell are of the English speaking
races—American, English, Irish Scotch
and Welch.
The percentage of Indians employed
has fallen off nearly half during the
year. In 1909-1910 there were 66 In
dians employed. During the last year,
but 33.
Thirty per cent of those who receive
time cheeks are re-employed during the
year by “O. K." from the foreman, or
by making a satisfactory explanation
at the office.
In the last four months fewer men
have quit than during any other period
of four months in the history of the em
ployment office.
The Scotch show greater gains during
the year than any other nationality.
Seventeen per eent are of that national
ity.
The Treadwell employment office is
conducted without favoritism, all ap
plicants being required to stand on their
own merits. It is probably this which
accounts for the popularity of the care
ful official who has charge of it.
SHIPPING REINDEER MEAT
The Elihu Thompson, which called at
Juneau on her way south last week, car
ried 200 reindeer earcasses, consigned
to the Pacific Cold Storage company at
Tacoma. It is the first consignment of
reindeer meat which has ever been ship
ped out of Alaska, but it is expected
that all the boats bound from Nome to
the states will earry more or less rein
deer meat hereafter, if the meat meets
with the anticipated sale on the sound.
The government imported six or seven
hundred h'^ad of the deer into northern
Alaska six or seven years ago and
taught the Eskimos to care for them.
The herds in northern Alaska now num
ber about 30,000 and an out side market
is very mueh desired.
DOUGLAS THE METROPOLIS
"Douglas is the metropolis of south
eastern Alaska, according to the United
States eenus of 1910, The population
of the city of Douglas «■ 1722. Ju
neau comes next with 1044, Ketchikan
third with 1613, .Petersburg fourth with
1200, Treadwell fifth with 1200, Skag
way sixth with 900, Sitka seventh with
400. Sitka has, however, the largest
Indian population of any city in south
east Alaska.
These figures, said to be from the
census of 1910 are taken from Polk’s
directory of Alaska. The official figu
res, according to the directory, give
Fairbanks 8541.
RANCHES GETS POUR MONTHS
Pter Pelton, a homesteader at Ank
bay, was sentenced to four months in
the jail last Friday for wife beating.
Pelton, so his wife and two small
sons say, is in the habit of coming to
town with vegetables, and then going
home drnnk. On numerous occasions, so
the family say, he has beaten Mrs.
Pelton white intoxicated.
EQUAL TO BANK OF ENGLAND
‘ ‘The Treadwell mine, ’ ’ says the last
Polk’s Alaska directory, “ is considered
the best paying mine in the wrorld. It
has demonstrated that low grade ore
propositions, may, by judicious handl
ing, be made to pay large profits. Day
after day, night after night, operations
continue unceasingly in the big mine,
and thousands of people are sharing in
directly in the big profits which are
obtained. Since John Treadwell com
menced work in 1882, the management
has been entirely honest, and the own
ers of the property have gained for
themselves a standing equaled by that
held by the Bank of England in the
British empire. The mine employs near
ly 2,000 men and is the biggest thing
in the community, proving that the low
grade proposition s after all the best
thing for the community, more men be
ing employed in the operations.”
WIN TEE SPORTS
An interesting meeting of the Winter
Sports Association was held at the Sour
dough office in the old Methodist church
building last Friday night. Another
meeting will be held next Thursday
evening, and a large attendance is ex
pected.
CRIME IN ALASKA
In last weeks issue of the Sourdough
there appeared an item which had been
going around the Alaska press on
“Crime in Alaska.’’ The Sourdough
has since discovered that it contained
a great many errors. While Alaska is
unquestionably a law abiding commun
ity, especially as pioneer countries
go, the figures used in the article were
not correct, nor was the relative numb
er of accusations and convictions fair.
In southeastern Alaska last year, there
were 41 convictions in the district
court. This does not include the con
victions in the commissioner’s court..
DAHLBELLGARDT MARRIAGE'
Henry Adolph Dahl of Treadwell and'
Elsie Bellgardt, of Seattle, were mar
ried October 21st, at 9:30 p. m., at the
hom of Judge John G. Heid, by the
Rev. L. F. Jones.
The best man was R. A. Coughlin,
and the bridesmaid was Miss Alice M.
Bach.
Following the wedding ceremony, a
delightful collation was served by
Mrs. Heid, assisted by her daughters,
and enjoyed by those in attendance at,
the wedding.
After the happy wedding Bupper, the*
bride and groom, accompanied by the
best man and the bridesmaid, took the
ferry for Treadwell, where the newly
married eouple will make their future
home.
GOLD STRIKE ON PERIL STRAITS
Considerable excitement prevails at
Sitka oyer what is believed to be a
rich gold strike made by a party of In
dians somewhere on Peril Straits last
week, rhe Indians, among whom wan
Rudolph Walden, who owns a curio
store at Sitka, attempted to keep the
matter a secret, but rumors of a strike
became rife, and when the Indians left
in a gas boat with Superintendent
Bridgman, of the Sheldon Jackson Mis
sion, a number of other gas boats fol
lowed.
At the time the Ella Rohllfs left
Sitka, none of the gas boats had re
tained.
We have the only $25 hornless talk
ing machine. Alaska Drug Co.
For thin and falling hair, try Arch
Hair Tonic. Alaska Drug Co.