AN OPEN LETTER
Editor:
Some few months ago you printed
an editorial about the abuse the
Willow Creek fishing camp was ■
receiving from the colonists.
The Willow Creek camp is owned
by the Alaska. Railroad for' use
of its patrons. Believing you
a.cted in good faith when you
printed this editorial'upon re
ports you had received, I wish
to tell the other side of the
story, 11 used these cabins from
the first day of May, 1938 to • -
the tenth day of May as a'base
from which to trap beaver. Many
others had used them' that year
for beaver trapping before I
arrived. There were three other
trappers there with mo. We all
left camp and returned on the
freight on the tenth day of May,
which was the last day of the
trapping season. T was the last
man tb leave the cabins’ and I
spent two or three hours cleaning
up the cabin I and my partener
had been using, I left it with
all floor 3pace swept, all dishes
* and cooking utensils clean and
dry, ■ nd a supply of dry wood
in the cabin.
A week after leaving I war, in
forced by Mr.O(*.OonhOr, the game
warden that he had a report
that y'g had left" everything
dirty in camp, had 1 jft beaver
carcasses - to rot in camp and
distroyed bunks and mattresses ■
for fuel. He had received such
a report from Mr.J.Hides, the
Willow agent for the'Alaska rail
roed. It was untrue.
On the seventh day of October,
this ypar Claire: Fatten and my
self wont to Willow to hunt
moose and used these same cabins
They are now kept locked and wo
obtained the key from the section”
foreman with whom I registered,
the'following night Mr, and Mrs,
J.Q.Adams and Vic Morgan of
l.iatanuska and Gust Scliicbcl of
the Colony arrived on the freight,
The Adams and Morgan party used
another cabin and Scliicbcl came
In with ^attqn and myself, L
• *
The Adams party left frn the
freight on Wednesday Oct. 18th.
and Patten, Schicbel and I came
back by truck the following day.
Hr.Adams had been using the key
I had got from the section
foreman and when he left he lock
ed hi3 cabin and returned .the
key to me, I went into this
cabin after he had left and
found everything neat and clean
with a supply of dry wood piled
ready for the next arrival. I
rclockcd the cabin. When our
party left we spent three hours
cleaning up the cabin, scrubbed
all tables, benches and shelves,
washed and wiped all dishes and
cooking utensils and left a. .
pile of wood. After all our
s4tuff was out I mi.de a final
tour of inspection to see that
we had neglected nothing. Mr,
Patton returned .the key to the
depot.
JIow, Mr,Hines, of the only rail
road in the United States that
allows its employees to insult
its patrons, has called up
Mat anus kc. and reported to hr.
Gill that v/e broke up the locks
and failed to return the key.
This is not a mistake on the part
of Mr.Hines. It is- a deliberate
falsehood intended to reflect
on Colonifcts, whom hr,Hines con
temptibly refers to as Colonitcs.
We Colonists realise that we
do not rate very high with many
old timers but by the same token
some certain old timers, don't
rate so dog-^oned high with me
either, a man who will deliber
ately lie to injure another will
do worse. .. Can it be that the
Alaska Railroad encourages these
things?
Signed:
J.V.Xirsch
(Others have sworn to these facts)
YOUR- LAUNDRY WO YC IS GUARANTEED
DAILY DLLS VS.. Y
SLRVICL
RUSTY* IAUirDRY
CREAMERY BUILDING
PATmiER,