VOL. I
PETERSBURG, ALASKA DECEMBER 17 1926
NO. 23
GOES LAST
Governor Parks left for Wash
ington Wednesday of this week. He
plans to go to Denver, Colorado,
where he will spend the holidays
with his parents, after which he
plans to continue on his way to
Washington the first week after the
New Year. He will remain in the
east about three weeks, returning
to Alaska about the end of January.
Territorial Secretary Karl Theile
will be acting governor during the
absence of the governor.
The town of Anchorage has got
ten itself a basketball court. Thru
tne efforts of Oscar Gill, one of the
directors of the Fair Assiciation,
a regulation basketball court has
been laid out. The new court is
regulation size and there will be
ample room to acommodate a fair
size crowd.
Practically every town in Alaska
having an accredited high school
now has ample gym facilities for
the boys of the school. EXCEPT
FE1ERSBURG. Unfortunately
lack of place to practice is a han
dicap that does not bespeak for a
winning team.
The Petersburg Public Schools
getting new shingles on the weath
er side of the building. Next year
will see a thousand dollars spent re
tioning of this old building. The
Government is not getting use of
this building free as has been in
past usage, it amounts to almost
We do not believe in the over
emphasis of athletics in school life
but as it has been demonstrated
that athletes in schools average
in their studies higher than non
athletes, it would seem that Pe
tersburg is neglecting a phase of
fchoo life that has its importance,.
When the question What’s the
natter with Petersburg; is fairly
net and the conditions eradicated,
we will have winning basketball
team& and we will see a generally
greater progress in the develop
ment of the town.
DEVELOP NOISE
The Material Division of the Air
Corps of the Army is preparing a
Douglas C-1A Cargo airplane with
a geared Liberty engine whose ex
haust manifolds have the muffler
outlets reversed ot point skyward
• instead of down.
This is for the purpose of con
ducting experiments at the Aber
deen Proving Grounds to deter
mine whether airplanes thus equip
ed would result in decreasing or
eliminating entirely the possibility
of their presence being detected by
sound locator instruments now in
use by the anti-air craft service.
The airplane will also be equipped
with tow target mechanism, land
ing and navigation lights, and air
ways and wing tip flares.
ftecktiee at the Mercantile.
CIIY COUNCIL
The City Council met in regular
meeting on Monday evening with
the mayor presiding and all mem
bens of the Council present with the
exception of Mr. Gribble.
Following the reading of the
minutes of the previous meeting,
communications were read which
it.cluded an application from J. B.
McCain of Juneau for the position
of Electrocal Engineer.
A claim of $376.30 was submit
ted by Hilmar Pederson for expens
es incurred in connection with the
injur> to his son due to the rotten
condition of the street. The Clerk
was instructed to secure an item
ized bill of expense to be taken up
at the next meeting.
A number of bills were read and
approved and a motion wajs made
that they be paid.
The Mayor reported that the
Treasurer of the School Board was
short of funds to pay the teachers’
next monthly salaries. A motion
was carried that the necessary
amount be drawn from the General
Fund.
A claim of $250. by David Paul*
and wife for property that*had been 1
taken for street was discussed and
laid on the table for action at the
next moeting ^
The matter of the improvement
of the Petersburg Harbor, now be
ing acted upon by the Commercial
Club, was brought up for endorse
ment of., thr Council. The Clerk
was instructed to draft a resolu
tion in line with that petition ask
for an appropriation by Congress
made by the Commercial Club.
r! be Mayor reported that the
Clerk of the Court at Juneau had
informed him that the licenses for
the Petersburg Public Docks had
not been paid and wanted to know
if the Council favored the collec
ts r of this license. The motion
that the Court be instructed to
force collection was carried.
FLIRTING WITH “RADICLES”.
. Another step has been taken in
an attempt of the regular Republi
cans to insure Senate control. Sen
ator Gerald P. Nye, insurgent Re
publican, North Dakota, conferred
with President Coolidige recently
for fifteen minutes on a patronage
dispute.
The Regulars want to bring insur
gent Republicans and Senator Ship-;
stead, Farmer-Labor, Minnesota, in
to the administration fold. The
move was threatened with disrup
tion when President Coolidge nom
inated Col. C. F. Mudgett to be U.
S. Marshall for North Dakota, on
recommendation of Hannah, whom
Nyu defeated for the office of sen
ator.
It would appear from the above
clipping from the Seattle Star that
if the Republican ptrty would in
sure control of the Senate they
must give ear to insurgent or pro
gressive demand that certain nom
inations be not made, in Alaska as
well as in the Dakotas. Unless ap
pointments of Alaska judiciary are
made other than present incum
bents in office we may expect some
sessions that will not be conducive
to harmony. In fact it has been
stated that there is even talk of
impeachment proceedings being
started. Such being the case we do
rot see how Senate leaders can hope
for united forces.
Only six more days in which to
do your Christmas shopping.
“ACCIDENTAL”
Peter Knutesen who was drown
ed at Chomondelay recently was
declared to have m6t death acci
dently while boarding his wkiffff, ac
cording to the findings of the coro
iior’s jury which met at Ketchikan
to decide as to the cause of his
death.
The body was found early Sunday
morning and brought to Ketchi
kan Monday night.
From Sweden comes
PLUG
the an
r.ouncment that the burdens of the
gas man has been eliminated by the
invention of a self-cleansing spark
plug, which is claimed to do away
with faulty operation caused by
soot collection.
The inventor claims to have pre
vented the collection of soot on the
metal electrodes of the plug by in
troducing into the plug a chamber
which is connected with the com
bustion chamber of the cylinders
through an opening immediately in
front of the spark gap. When the
motor is in operation every cylinder
strike sends gas into the chambers
which is immediately sucked out
again taking with it all soot par
ticles.
Under many tests, the new “Vik
ingite” spark plug is said to have
operated flawlessly and to have
kept itself perfectly clean regard
less amount of oil used.
The invention will be exploited
by a Hugo Tillquist of Stockholm,
wno has given over the manufactur
ing rights to A. B. Lidkopings Vik
ingsagar, a subsidiary of the Sand
vikens Steel Works. This factory
has previously had a large produc
tion of spark plugs, but will drop
the manufacture of the old types to
produce "Viking-it” plugs.
A sales organization for the
marketing of the new plug is now
being formed, it is reported. The
price of the article is said to be
greater than that of an ordinary
plugT
COLLEGE TEAM COMING SOUTH
. . President BunneLUand Coach Abel
are travelling with the Alaska Col
lege basketball team. The team is
planning to play about seventeen
games with teams in this Division.
GOLD AT HOLLIS
It is reported that the Kasaan
gold mine will be put in opera
tion very shorty. Experimental work
gold mine will be in active opera
is being carried on and a crew ot
10 men carried with the expecta
tion of adding more men in the near
Extension of training in safety
work, demonstrations that voice
agnate can be transmitted in and
out of mines through more than
400 feet of strata and Federal ex
periments! which have resulted in
the production of shale oil are de
tailed in the annual report of
Scott Turner, Director of the Bur
eau of Commerce, which was made
rublic on November 22.
HE. RELIEF
To MY ALASKA NEIGHBORS: . .
For many years the words “Near
Ea*t Relief” have meant little to me
and probably they have meant no
more to you. This winter I have
learned something of what the
words really mean and I want to
share my discovery with you.
More than 100,000 orphans sav
ed from starvation and trained for
future usefulness—that's part of
it. And 42,000 saved from blind
ress—that’s some more.
Nine thousand orphans, rushbd
out of earthquake wrecked build
ings by relief workers at the risk
of their own lives so that not a
child's life wais lost. Children sleep
ing out in a blizzard, yet giving
their blankets to others less for
tunate—thats still more. Thirty
thousand children ask our care only
until they are 16 when they go out
able to support themselves.
I’ve learned all this and more
this winter in Seattle from people
who have seen it with their own
eyes. “There’s no place in the
world where money is needed more
and where it goes farther,” says
Fred Everett, a Seattle business
man, just back from the Near
East. You can learn more from the
enclosed leaflet.
My wife and I have decided that
we must do more than we have for
Near East Relief. I believe you
will to. I am enclosing a blank
check for your generous Christmas
gift.
Yours Truly,
J. R. HECKMAN
ONLY ONE HEAVEN
Jews. Protestants, and Catholics
joined in a meeting in the cathed
ral of St. Joseph The Divine, New
York, recently. The meeting con
concerns the American Christian
fund for Jewish relief.
Commissiontr’s Court at Sitka
has been busy of late. Manuel Diaz
and Mrs. Anna Nelson were bound
nvev to the grand jury for violation
of Section 2001 of the Compiled
Laws of Alaska.
Mike Bailey was given a fine of
$30 and sentenced to 30 days in jail
lor violating the Bont Dry Law. For
being an alien and having guns in
bis possession, he was sentenced to
30 days in jail and $25 and cos^a?
Tony Hermandazi was fined $100
and 30 days in jail for giving liquor
to girls under age.
Mike Bedal Jr. was bound over to
the Alaska Territorial Board of
Children Guardians at Juneau.
People coming from Sitka report
that the council and mayor of the
town had taken possession of the
new school house and were order
ed out by the school board. The
oifiicials have certain rights but so
doe^ the school board.
Arthur Gould, senator elect from
Maine was allowed to be sworn in
by the Senate during the past week.
Objection was made to his election
on the ground that he had purchas
ed his way into the Senate^
I
ALASKA 5.5.
LOSES SUII
In the case of Katzeek vs. Alas
ka Steamship company for personal
injuries, the Circuit Court of Ap
peals has notified R. E. Robert
son, counsel for the company, that
judgement of the district court had
been aflirmed and the sum of
$5,000 awarded plaintiff. Attorney
for Katzeek in this case was Wil
liam L. Paul.
The cause of action being injuries
received by Katzeek at Haines
when a flying ships tackle broke
while a boiler was being unloaded
from the company’s steamer on to
the wharf.
. .The stockholders of the Wran
5«'ll Mill and Power Company in a
recent meeting elected John Grant,
['resident, J. P. Van Orsdel, vice
[.resident and A. E. Gurr, secretary.
J. E. Beck, recently of Seattle was
appointed to succeed the late Harry
Bartley as manager.
Maurice Healy, pioneer of pio
neers in Alaska, left for eastern
n.arkets with a bunch of furs re
cent.y. Healy is ninety years old,
one of the first soldiers to come to
Alaska and a veteran of the Civil
War.
Commissioner Henry 0’Valley,
Bureau of Fisheries, left for the
West Coast where he will meet
-vith Commissionr Ri B. Sv field
ot the International Fishery Com
mision in the United State*-Me*i
co, for the purpose of developing
i he investigative program i jsp-'. t
ing the fisheries and carrying ont
the provision of the treaty with
Mexico.
Commissioners O’Malley au-1 Sco
field are the American members
of the International Fishery Com
mission. While on the Pacific
Joast, Mr. O’Malley will also in
spect the work of the Bureau of
fisheries in Los Angeles a no San
Francisco.
P. Kendall, Carl D. Shoemaker and
U. C. Mitchell, Fish dealers of
Portand, Ore.; Stephen H. Gray of
the Pacific Fisherman; Dr. Willis
Rich, Director of the Seattle La
boratory of Fisheries, and his as
sistants, Harold B. Holmes, Dennis
Wmn and J. R. Russell.
For once O’Malley got started on
the right track. We are wondering
however will he stay put in this
tight, between organizers of huge
power projects and the canning in
dustry. The question is an im
portant one and elimination of big
dams necessary for the free escape
ment of salmon.
A CHRISTMAS FLING
Frank Booth, of Kake, manager
of the Eureka Trading Company,
came to Petersburg on business in
connection with the store. Several
other Indians from Kake were in
town buying Christmas cheer for
their families. They left about
fourteen hundred dollars in Peters
burg. "They don’t pay a cent of
taxes in Petersburg” but the money
they leave here, does. Simple eco
aomics.
SETTLE SCHOOL
QUESTION
Peter Sing of Sitka, through his
attorney, William L. Paul has ask
ed the District Court for an order
compelling the Sitka Public School
hoard to admit to Sing’s child the
lights and privileges enjoyed by
other pupils of the school.
After reading the petition, the
Court issued an alternative writ of
mandamus giving the Sitka Board
until the 5th of January to show
cause why it should not be made
permanent.
Last October Sing applied to
Mrs. Peterson, member of the Sitka
School Board for permission to put
his boy in school. She asked him if
the boy “had any Indian blood in
him.” Upon being informed that he
had, she said she would take it
up with the Board. She later noti
fied Sing that his appication had
been denied.
For many years the question of
Indian children to attend the pub
lic schools has been a political foot
ball. Whenever there was any dan
ger of its being settled the matter
v/ould be settled out of court and
the child admitted. Now the mat
ter is up for final answer. May the
best man win.
Contrary to general belief it is
rot the desire of the Indian chil
dren or their parents to force their
way wholesale into the public
schools but they do insist upon the
rights of the child when it has been
piepared for the more advanced
g'sides or wh^re environment has
fitted the child for immediate en
trance to those schools.
In the case of Sing now before
the court, it is well to Remember
that Sing himself saw service dur
ing the late Word War and is cer
tainly entitled to better considera
tion than has been given him.
Mr James Truitt, engineer in
charge of the dredging operations
in the Narrws during the past sum
mer and Mr. Ross, draughtsman in
the same line of work, stopped over
visiting friends while their boat was
in port.
They expect to look into the mat
ter of dredging Thomas Basin at
Ketchikan.
They are looking forward to the
early spring when they will return
to Petersburg to continue their
work on the Narrows. They state
that work on the Narrow's will be
much more extensive than the past
year.
i
KEEP “POl
Would you like to spread more
Christmas cheer? The Salvation
Army girls are going to put a
Christmas Pot on the street corner.
You can help keep the Pot boiling
and assist them in giving their chil
dren a real happy Christmas.
The work of Capt. Kenny and
Lieut. McEchern speaks for itself
and should receive the whole heart
ed support of every man in Peter*
burg.