The KLEMM - »
VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, August 1, 1930
NO. 3
“Big Run Due Next
Week”
-X
The Ketchikan Chonicle re
ports that the district of the
First City will have a normal run
of salmon this year. The total
pack in that district, including
Annette Island and Wards Cove,
' last Sunday was 80.982 cases.
This is within ten per cent of
the pack at the same date, last
year and according to one of the
canners “was most pleasing ”
Considerable anxiety is being
felt by the canners about the
“size of the humpies. Last year
the general average to the case
was 12.4 while this year, so far,
the average has been 20.”
In the early 1900’s the aver
age number of humps to the
case at Point Wai’de and Anan
Creek section was 17; on the
Clarence Straits side of Prince
cf Wales Island the salmon av
eraged 24 to the case; the same
was true of the West Coast and
Baranof Island sections.
The independent (if there be
such a bird) are doing better
better than the corporation
traps. It is thought that prob
ably the salmon are more par
ticular this year However since
Monday the Point Sykes trap
caught 40,000 salmon in one day
and things are looking brighter
than last week.
The deliveries by the seiners
has been sporadic and in no
quantities to encourage them|
with the idea that they are go-,
ing to buy automobiles, speed!
boats, radios and pay fat in-1
come taxes.
.. On the West Coast of Prince
of Wales Island the fishing had
hardly started. Libbly, McNeil
and Libby cannery at Klawock
by Tuesday did not have more
than 2,000 cases and other can
neries had packs in proportion.
Petersburg (P. A. F.) cannery
had 24,000 cases by late Thurs
day afternoon. There were noj
salmon deliveries yesterday and1
the entire crew had plenty oh
time to pick berries and write'
letters home. Wrangell Nar
rows Packing Company had ap
proximately 8,000 cases yester
day afternoon. Reports from
the Wrangell district have not
been definite or accurate so the
packing operations of that dis
tiict are left out. The Port Al
thorp cannery will again be the
biggest packer of the Division.
The narrow Cross Sound is like
a river, with all the salmon for
inside waters travelling along
the shores of the Sound. River
traps or traps set across mouths
of streams are reputedly the
most successful. Thlinget Pack
ing Co., Excursion Inlet and
Hawk Inlet are all ahead of their
packs for this year, over that of
last.
Seiners report salmon scarce
in the seining areas (wherever
that might be). Escapement to
spawning areas has been very
poor so far in virtually all the
districts. However the past few
daye the escapement has been a
little better.
CUT IN PASSPORT FEES
-o ■ —
Reduction in passport fees
from $10 to $6 is provided for by
act of Congress of July 5. This
does not affect persons exempted
from payment of passport fee.
Th original period of validity
of a passport isshfed under the
new law, is restricted to twc
years, but such a passport may
be renewed for two periods o>
two years each for a fee of $5
for each renewal.
Al Zuver of Level Island was i
local visitor.
AMEND FISH REGULATIONS
Supplementary fish regula
tjons published by the Depart
ment of Commerce permits th<
use of beach seines in certaii
portions of Kodiak Island area
The original regulations as pub
lished last December prohibit;
the use of beach or drag seine;
in any of the waters of Alaska.
“KiddingUSAIong”
Stewart Edward White, novel
ist, cruising for the summer in
Southeast Alaska aboard his new
j acht “Koru” dropped anchor in
the harbor here Wednesday
[long enough to look us over.
“The Koru,” named for the
African waterbuck, is a 77-foot
cruising yacht provided with al
most every comfort and conven
ience. She is powered with a
135-h. p. Washington Deisel.
The party will probably cruise
as far north as Icy Straits this
summer, but the itinerary is
purely tentative and may be
changed to suit the whim of the
moment. Mr. and Mrs. White
spent four summers cruising the
waters of British Columbia with
their two former yachts “Dawn”
and “Simba.”
While Mr. White has publish
ed a long list of best sellers, in- j
eluding “The Westerners,” “The
lent Places,” “The Riverman,”
and several more, he is perhaps
better known to the rank and
file of Alaskans as the author of i
certain articles published in Thej
Saturday Exening Post last fall
under the caption of “Kidding
Ourselves Along,” having to do
with our salmon fisheries and
big game, particularly the brown
and grizzly bear.
As to the brown bear Mr. White
will find all Alaskans up on their
hind legs ready to bite chunks
off his pants to prove that the
brown and grizzly bear are not
the little kittenish pets one cares
to meet in the woods except at
a time the bear could not be in
position to more than bite him
self and tear up saplings, shrubs
and so forth if the first bullet
fails to have his number on it.'
Mr. White already has received!
a bit of “Kidding * * * Along,”
and probably before the summer
is over he will be ready to send
in to The Post a story entitled
“No Kidding.”
FLYING MISSIONARY COMES j
NORTH
The Rev. George J. Feltes, fly- j
ing Jesuit missionary is on his
way to Alaska. He has for pi
lot George Pickenpeck a fu’l
blood Indian. When Rev. Feltes
arrives in Seattle he will place
his plane on board the Alaska S.
S. “Alaska.”. He plans to use the
craft to help him cover the re
mote mission stations in his ter
ritory.
trade with home town mer
chants. Just a straight out busi
nees request. If after you have
tried at home and found you can
do better elsewhere, which we
very much doubt, for our mer
chants are ever on their toes to
resident millmen; they hire Wash
homes, meaning more cutting of
you employ resident labor you
spending a little with them in
the way of wages. ’Tis surpris
, ng how far a fair turn will go.
FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING
r OUT
i The federal grand jury of I^ing
) County, heard evidence last week
r against R. W. Dobell, former dis
bursing clerk at McNeil Islanc
l j penitentiary, accused of embez
j zlement. After being on the im
mediate outside looking in, Do
i bell faces the possibility of being
Jonthe inside looking out
O’Malley s Excuse - Capt. Hunters Affidavit - The
Log of the U. S. B. F. S. “Brant”
WILL STUDY ESKIMO SONGS
. Juliette Gaultier, French-Can
, adian of Ontario and New Yorl
left Seattle last week, on thi
reindeer ship Arthur J. Baldwii
for Nome where she will stud?
the folk songs of the Eskimos
She will also go along the Cop
per River to make a study of the
j songs of the Indians along that
river. She spent seven years ir
Europe studying folk songs, par
ticularly Hungarian, and has
similar investigations in Arcadia
and other parts of Canada. She
is a concert singer and expects
to make an extended tour of the
United States in October.
Improvements to be
Recommended
-X
Mayor Earl. N Ohmer, Coun
cilman Robert Allen and Sup
erintendent MacKecknie, made
an inspection of the city hy
dro-electric plant and pipe line
at Crystal Lake, Blind Slough,
Monday of this week. The pur
pose of the inspection being to
find the most practical and eco
nomical way to improve the
capacity and service of the plant.
Their recommendation to the
City Council at its next regular
meeting will be that they found
the dam in excellent condition
but recommend that more fac
ing be done to prevent a recur
lence of difficulties experienced
last winter. Mr. Ohmer says
that it is his opinion it would
probably be an economy to drive
a tunnel through a part of the
mountain to tap the waters of
Crystal Lake and thus do away
with the siphon flume now in
operation. This would necessi
tate a tunnel of about 900 feet
through solid rock but the econ
omy would more than justify
the increased capitalization.
While it would not be possible to
do the work this year, it should
be adopted as the eventual pol
icy of the plant management
and dependable estimates on the
cost of such an improvement
should be secured. The present
fliftne line, constructed partly on
Limber work and trestles, with
its many kinks and humps and
short bends, will always be an
expensive proposition to main
tain. This was fully appreciat
ed when the plant was built but
the additional expense of the
tunnel could not be considered
at that time. However, the tun
nel can be driven far more
cheaply now, using power from
the plant for drilling and the
change would not occasioh any
loss of service.
-x
! YEAST KING COMING NORTH
Max C. Fleischman, chairman
of the board of directors of the
Fleischmann Company, manu
facturers of yeast left Seattle last
week for a tour of Alaska on his
yacht, the Haida, the tour to last
about four weeks. Fleischmann
has been to Alaska before this.
Wednesday, hs $2,500,000 yacht,
the “Haida” passed through the
narrows going north.
WIFE OF SEC. OF INTERIOR TO
VISIT ALASKA
Mrs. Ray Lyman Wilbur and
son Ray Lyman Wilbur, Jr., will
'eave Seattle on the 16th of
August for a tour of Alaska that
will take them almost to the Arc
tic Circle. E. K. Burlew, admin
■ istrative assistant to Secretary
; j Wilbur will accompany Mrs. Wil
bur and her son.
From The Alaska Fisherman
Ketchikan, Alaska,
May 13, 1930
c Hon. Robert P. Lament,
2 Secretary of Commerce,
i Washington, D. C.,
! Dear Sir: In Re: O’Mallev’s
Excuse for not attending Na
tives’ meeting to protest hook
> off rule, July 3, 1929.
; My contention is this: that
i Henry O’Malley, in line with his
j long established practice of
treating the Natives of Alaska
Iwith contempt and refusing to
'give them a hearing although
graciously granting the same to
big operators, did not wish to
attend the meeting of native
seiners gathered for the express
purpose of conferring with
, O’Malley one and one-half hours
after O'Malley left town; that
O’Malley deceived the Secretary
by saying that he was compelled
to leave Ketchikan when he did
because he had to go to An an
Creek to inspect the weir irvJ I
then catch the tide at Wrangell
Narrows We charge that this
ret son was a mer- excuse con
cocted after O’Malley saw that
his violation of our constitution- '
al rights had aroused the inter- j
I est of his superior.
J I have just received the so-!
■called copy of the log book of1
jthe U. S. Bureau of Fisheries
vessel “Brant” from June 29th j
11929 to 11 p.m. July 7, 1929, and
i certified to by E. L. Hunter, Mas
Iter U. S. F. S. “Brant,” this being
I the boat upon which Mr. O’Mai-1
! ley was travelling.
, I cannot believe that this is a,
COMPLETE copy of the Brant’s |
. log although I am willing to be
lieve that it is CORRECT in what
is given therein. I
I cannot believe that Hunter,
or any other captain could be as
careless in navigating a ship asj
this log indicates. My belief an<
conviction is that Capt. Hunte
has concealed the facts tha
would pr°ve that Henry O’Ms.
falsified when he told the Secre
tary he (O’Malley) could not at
tend the meeting of seiners ii
Ketchikan because he had to g<
to Anan Creek and thence t(
catch the tide at Wrangell Nar
rows.
Allow me to state my reason;
for so believing.
The log is complete, all point;
involving changes of course be
ing noted, up to Ship Island, 2E
knots west of Ketchikan. From
-Ship Island no entries appear ir
this purported copy of the log
book until the Brant reached An
an Creek at 7.05 p.m., four hours
later. Why did the Captain omit
Lemesurier Pt., on entering Ern
est Sound?
After the Brant left Anan
Creek, what channel did he fol
low? Blake Channel, Zimovia
Straits, or back to Clarence
Straits?
When did the Brant enter
Wrangell Narrows?
Why didn’t the captain note
the time when he passed Pt.
Alexander light to enter the
Narrows?
There are 22 lights in Wran
gell Narrows. Why did the cap
:ain fail to note any one of
them?
His first course entry after
ieaving Anan Creek (7 p.m. of
July 3rd) was 5:43 a.m., July 4th,
Mitkoff Point, the most norther
ly Point of Mitkoff Island, at the
upper end of Wrangell Narrows,
a period of 10 and % hours.
After this point, please note
that the captain again makes his
frequent entries of point after
point, every few miles.
O’Malley says he had to leave
Continued on page 2
Sailor saw Bombing;
Clears Mooney
-X
A man who claims to have wit
nessed the Preparedness Day Pa
rade bombing in San Francisco,
and who described the disaster
in detail, was found in Cleveland
last Friday. He h^s signed an
affidavit swearing to the truth
of his story. He is Henry Krum
esc, ex-sailor and globe trotter. I
He believes that Warren K.
Billings and Thomas Mooney,
now serving life sentences for the
bombing, are innocent.
The California State Supreme
Court was scheduled to hear the
evidence of John McDonald, star
l witness against Billings and Tom
Mooney, but McDonald will be in
a reversed role. Ths time he will
seek to prove that he perjured
himself when he identified the
two men as the ones who had
planted a suitcase containing
dynamite at the scene of the
explosion.
Charles “Windy” Fickert, the
prosecuting attorney whose voice
roared throughout that infamous
persecution will direct his effort
to destroy McDonald’s story in
stead of trying to assist in the
carriage of justice.
PORTLAND MAN FOR GOV.
-X
Phil Metschan of Portland
Oregon, was named candidate
> by the Republican Central Com
; mittee to succeed the late George
. W. Joseph, who died after hi:
■ nomination.
i Metschan was nominated or
- the fourteenth ballot over Ton
Kay, State Treasurer.
RAILMAN MAKING PICTURES
-x
William Bull, St. Paul photo
grapher whe represents the G.
N. Railway, is in the Territory
taking photographs of Alaska
tcenery and industrial enter
prises for the use of his company
in its publicity campaign next
year. He is making the trip over
the Alaska Railroad. While in
Ketchikan, Mr. Bull took a num
ber of pictures in and around
that city.
-x
NEW PULP MILL READY TO
START
For the past ten years the
Forest Service officials and the
Juneau -umpire nave Deen miu
wifing the birth of a pulp mill
industry in Alaska. The “imme
diate future” development of the
contemplated projects seems not
any closer than the much adver
tised pulp mill project in Thomas
Bay more than ten years ago.
News items from the States
read: Puget Sound Pulp and
Timber Company, which began
pulp production last month at its
newly completed Everett plant,
is expected to put its bleaching
iplant into operation this month.
First production was centered on
unbleached sulphite. The com
pleted mill represents an invest
ment of approximately $4,000,000.
Two other sulphite pulp mills, at
Anacortes and Bellingham, which
have been in operation for sev
eral years, are now units of Pu
get Sound Pulp and Timber Co
Concurrently with construc
1 tion of the mill to which it h
1 planned to add other units latei
on, the City of Everett built i
v $2,000,000 water line to supply
tjthe new industry. The line wa:
completed July 1.
TWO PARTIES TO SURVEY
ALASKA HIGHWAY ROUTE
Two survey parties are to b
placed in the field by the Pro
vincial Government very shari.1
*; to locate a possible route for th
rj proposed Alaska highway am
^determine its cost. One part;
working north from Hazelton t
' Telegraph Creek, and the othe
north from the Yukon t
1 the Yukon boundary. At tin
* same time surveyors of the Alas
’ ka government will commend
to determine the location of tin
load in Alaska Territory an<
^similar work will be undertakei
by the federal government thn
; the Yukon.
Alaskan is in Race
-o
Charles H. Miller filed for Re
publican nomination for prose
cuting attorney in Seatte Iasi
week.
Miller will be remembered foi
his effort to clean up Ketchikan
along about 1922 and 1923 after
he was appointed by President
Harding for the specific purpose.
He created considerable of a po
litical stir down there and incur
red the enmity and opposition
of the district attorney and U. S.
marshal, both in office at that
time.
Rev. Van Marter of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church, since re
signed, preached a stirring ser
one Sunday morning touching
on the unspeakable conditions in
the First City. Editor Morrissey
of the Chronicle gave the sermon
front page and it created so
much interest that Miller, re
presenting the district attorney’s
office, started a grand clean-up
When under the full load of the
work, Miller was forsaken by the
reverend bellweather and the
United States Commissioner ed
itor of the Chronicle. The pres
sure of prominent business men,
and others, was exerted upon the
weak links of the Department of
Justice with the result that Mill
, er was frustrated in his effort to
| perform his duty. More pressure
jwas exerted to have him fired.
District Attorney Arthur George
Shoup did fire Miller but Mill
er refused to be fired. He went
to the national capitol where he
was appointed a special attorney
in the department. Some time
after his return to Alaska, he re
signed and left for Seattle where
he has been practicing law. The
other principals—George Beau
mont, U. S. Marshal was given a
job on the S. P. as a “bull” and
Little Arthur George Shoup was
taken care of by his cousin
President Shoup of the S. P. line
-x
JUNEAU
R E. Robertson has received j
his appointment to membership ^
I on the reception committee of
the American Bar Association
for its fifty-fifth annual meeting
,of that organization which will
held in Chicago August 20 and
22nd.
CORDOVA
Contract for the new Bureau
of Education school to be built
near Lake Eyak was let to Chas
Miller. The contract for clear
ing the tract was secured by G.
Bystedt. The building will cost
approximately $7, 000 and will be
| ready by fall. The building is
to be 80 by 30 feet, with an in
crease to 47 feet at one end. This
building will contain living quar
ters for the teachers, manual
training room and two large
classrooms.
; -x
Reports from the Anchorage
l section, dated the 22nd of July
i state that a run of salmon as has
never been seen before in that
section was in full swing.
e
Two Boats Capsize
Nearly Fatal
A very serious and near fatal
accident occurred in the Narrows
^ ast Monday evening when six
young people of Petersburg were
1 aved from drowning by heroic
1 measures.
A party of four, consisting of
Art Peterson, Nets Evans, Miss
Frances Miller and Miss Mungy
Larson, were out for a spin in
* Peterson’s new outboard speed
‘ ster when some kelp in the bay
1 near the Union Oil Company’s
wharf, somehow deflected the
engine and capsized the boat.
None of the four were good
swimmers but all managed some
measure of* safety, except Miss
Larsen who, it seems, had sunk
beneath the surface but drifted
with the tide against Evans who
was able to keep her up tempor
arily.
. .At this juncture, a second boat
occupied by John Johanson and
Keith Young came to give as
sistance but somehow they wore
upset after Miss Larsen had
been taken aboard.
Mr. Gene Torkelson, manager
of the Union Oil Company’s
olant, had witnessed the acci
dent from shore and succeeded
in reaching the unfortunate
group, but since the rowboat
could not carry so many, there
was grave danger of swamping it
also. The two girls were taken
on board and the boys held to
the gunwales of the craft. On
the dock, Miss Larson was reviv
ed somewhat and rushed by car
to the doctor’s office. She had
i taken considerable water in her
lungs which kept her confined
to her room for two or three
days but she is able to be out
again. None of the others suf
fered any after effects excepting
Johanson whose hand was cut
by glass from the windshield of
I the boat.
HUSTON TO RESIGN AUG. 7
Claudius H. Huston, chairman of
the Republican National Com
mittee last week announced that
he will resign his office on the
7th of August at a meeting of
the party’s executive committee.
A number have been groomed
for the office and indications
point to Senator Simon D. Fess,
of Ohio, to serve at least tem
porarily in spite of considerable
opposition. It is said that Presi
dent Hoover is reluctant to make
a personal choice.
Huston’s announcement of his
resignation was made after he
had met with President Hoover a
second time,
X
NEW LOCKHEED PLANE PAST
THRU YESTERDAY
-x
Don S. Phillips arrived in Se
attle last week with a new
Lockheed Vega plane, from Bryn
Mawr airport, Burbank Calif.
The plane was converted into
a seaplane and took off for the
north.
Anscel C. Eckman veteran pi
lot of the North brought the
new craft north. Three of the
passengers on the first trip were
H. B. Friele, vice-president and
general manager of the Nakat
Packing Corporation; M. M.
Houcke and Lafe Buschmann,
prominent cannerymen.
| Charles Rector, pilot of the
Alaska Washington Airways left
for California to bring north a .
second plane which will be used
between Seattle and British Co
lumbia ports.
The Judge of Juneau, tug for
(the Juneau Mills was in port on
Tuesday.