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VOLUME NO. 5.
PETERSBURG, ALASKA, January 23, 1931
NUMBER 27
News Briefs of
National interest
More than 4,000 enumerators
rre busy in twenty cities again
counting the unemployed. Se
attle, Los Angeles and San
Francisco are included in the
census which is being taken at
the request of the Emergency
Employment Committee of the
Senate. Which is another way
of adding to the list of employed.
Ihe American Red Cross is
now caring for 403,000 drought
sufferers in twenty-one states.
Red Cross drought relief is ex
pected to reach a total of at
least $15,000,000.
An emergency appropriation
cf $15,000,000 for seed loans to
drought stricken farmers has
passed both houses of Congress
and is before the President for
nis signature.
The House Naval Committee
has approved a naval construc
tion bill providing for the con
struction of one 13,800-ton air
plane carrier to cost $27,780,000;
one flying-deck cruiser with a
complement of 36 planes to cos.
$20,780,000; four submarines to
cost $17,600,000; and 130 air
fanes to cost $5,000,000. Se
cretary of Navy Adams recom
mended a building program to
cost $126,330,000. which was re
duced by the committee to a to
tal of $74,030,000. The bill has
not yet been passed.
The coldest weather of the
winter has been reported from
many communities during the
past week. A temperature of
21 degrees below zero is report
ed from Tupper Lake, in the Ad
jrondacks in New York, with
meezing temperatures at Nor
folk, Va., Jacksonville, Fla., and
New Orleans.
In a plebscite taken in Vic
toria, B. C., a proposition to per
nrit the sale of beer by the glass
was defeated 5,048 to 3,335.
x
How Moon Effects Static
-X
Whatever else you may have
blamed heretofore for the static
in your radio. Dr. Harlan T.
Stetson, director of the Wesley
an University Observatory, de
clares the moon has something
to do with it After many tests
and a long period of study, Dr.
Stetson has come to the con
clusion that whenever the moon
is directly over a broadcasting
station, programs from that
station are clearest. As the moon
moves away the reception be
comes poorer.
“The effect of the moon can
be explained,” Dr. Stetson de
clares, “on the basis that it is
electrified negatively with re
spect to the earth. When the
moon is over a station its elec
trical effect is to raise the layer
of electrified air over the sta
tion. The lifting of this electri
cal ceiling permits the broad
casting station to get its radio
waves out with greater strength
and for greater distances.”
-x
Henry Klapiscfi, former her
ring choker and fertilizer manu
facturer of Killisnoo. is held un
der arrest in New York City on
a charge of issuing worthless
checks approximating about p!
thousand dollars while in Alas-j
ka. He will be given a hearing'
on the above charge in an ef-|
fort to have him returned to the ‘
Territory. He was arrested in
the state of Washington recently
on the same charge but at that;
time Governor Hartley refused -
to permit the extradition to be,
made.
-x
Whenever you see H. B. Crow
son think “Schillings.” Peters
burg people have been thus re
minded to “think Schilling’s
this week.
j Grand Jury Makes
Final Report
x
The Federal Grand Jury re
cently dismissed by the District1
j Court made the following re
i commendations: In ten days
they considered 25 matters and
returned 15 true bills and 7 not
true during which time 91 wit
nesses were examined. It re
commended that additional ap
propriations be asked of the leg- j
islature for juvenile delinquents!
and their care; commends the
use of federal prisoners on pub
lic projects; recommends the
appointment of a permanent de
puty United States Marshal at
Hoonah; calls attention to the
use of punch boards by concerns;
not licensed to do a merchandis
ng business and commends U.
3. Marshal Albert White for his <
painstaking performance of his
duties.
-x
Old Ship Burned Up
-x
An old windjammer, for j
many years used as a barge by ^
the George T. Myers Company
f Sitkoh Bay, was recently sold i
y the New England Fish Com- ‘
any to a salvaging concern .
which will burn the old craft up
to get metals out of her.
The Elwell was built in Da-'
mariscotta, Me., in 1875 and she
had the distinction of establish- '
«ng a sailing record between San .
Francisco and Nanaimo in 1896
•hat has never been equaled by
any other sailing craft. Her
Lime both ways was just five:'
lays each. I ‘
-x
Favors Old Age Pension
-x
Senator Caraway of Arkansas
I presented a bill in the Senate
“to encourage and assist the
states in providing pensions to
the aged.” Senator Caraway
would have the states and feder
al government share a propor
! tionate cost of the system and
the states would determine how
much the beneficiaries would
receive.
Under this bill, pensioners
must be 65 years or over and not
possessed of. property of more'
than $4,000 value. Initial ap
propriation under this bill by the
federal government is estimated
at $12,000,000.
} In introducing the bill, Sen
lator Caraway said: “It is not in
tended to encourage idleness or
a wanton dissipation of one’s as
sets, but where one has been a
creator of wealth and has been
a good citizen, the fear of old
age depressed by poverty and
want should be removed.”
-x
Muscle Shoals Power
-x
Major General Brown, chief
cf Army Engineers, recently
testified before a conference
committee of Congress that the
Alabama Power Company, which
is paying two-tenths of a cent
per kilowatt for the power from
Muscle Shoals is re-selling this
power to private consumers for
about 8 cents per kilowatt.
The fight of Senator Norris of
Nebraska to save this public
utility for the people as against
private operation for profit at
public expense, continues.
-x
STRIKERS RESTRAINED
-x
The strikers of Danville, V«..
have been restrained by tem
porary injunction from inter
fering with the free movement
of strike-breaking employees
through the gates of the textile
mills. The sixteenth week of
the strike ended on Saturday
| last.
TO INVESTIGATE PRICES
-X
The Senate Investigating com
mittee will look into the prices
of bread, wheat and sugar. The
investigation arises out of the
fact that despite the decline in
price of Hour and wheat there
is no corresponding decline in
bread—on the American side of
the boundary. In Canada there
is a decided difference in t ie
size of bread which can be pu
chased for one dime. A peek w'.i
also be taken at sugar pricer
-x
Eighteenth Amendment
Is Constitutional
-X
Judge Clarke of New Jersey
created a lot of excitement and
editorial fuss when recently hel
ruled that the 18th Amendment'
! o the Constitution was un-'
constitutional by virtue of the
fact that it had not been ratified
by the state assembles in con
tention.
Now Judges Manton, Hand and
Chase of New York hand down
an opinion wherein they affirm
;he conviction of Louis E. Thi
aault, who had appealed from
he United States District Court
m Vermont. Judge Chase is
:rom Vermont and the two other
udges are from New York. Their
decision was unanimous.
Thibault was convicted in Ver-,
mont for violation of the 18th!
''mendment and was sentenced
"o one year and one day in jail.
His case, chosen purely as a test:
case, was taken up by a group of
iawyefs who argued, as before
Judge Clarke, that the 18th
amendment was unconstitu
tional because it had never been
■dopted by the people “in con
ventions assembled in their
several states.” Thibault’s
c ounsel claimed that the Tenth
Amendment limits the power of
Article 5 of the Constitution.
Article 6 provides for Amend
ments by ratification by the le
gislatures of three-fourths of thej
states. But, under the limiting
power of the Tenth Amendment, i
it was claimed, the 18th Amend
ment, to be adopted legally,:
should have been presented to
the people of the states through
conventions.
-x
War Gama Was Serious
Jimmie and Bobby Cawthon,
aged 10 and 7, sons of Hal E.
Cawthon, manager of the Coli
seum Theatre, are lying today
suffering from serious burns as
the result of somebody’s care
lessness. Last Sunday, while
playing with other boys of their
own age, they found sixteen old
snotgun shells handloaded with
black powder which had been
thrown away. Boyish inventive
imagination at once suggested a
new turn to the game. All six
teen shells were emptied into a
tomato can and a match was put
to the powder. Both boys were
leaning over the can to see what
would happen. The explosion
was terrific, driving particles of
burned powder into their faces
and eyes. After several days the
doctor was able to assure the
| anxious parents that both boys
will probably retain their sight
unimpaired.
-x
POWER PLANT FOR HYDER
An application to construct
a dam, reservoir and power
plant on the Davis River, Hyder
rt a cost of $3,000,000, was filed
with the Federal Power Com
mission by the Commercial Min
ing and Exploration Company
of Seattle. The plant would
have an initial production of
25,000 horsepower and an ulti
mate capacity of 50,000 horse
power. The power is to be used
to supply the towns of Hydei
and Stewart and several indus
I trial concerns.
Red Cross Makes
Appeal for Funds
j Henry Hasbroucke, command
er ol' the local post of the Am oi
lcan Legion received the follow
ing telegram from C. T. Gardner
of Juneau, chairman of the
Emergency Relief Committee c;
the Alaska Red Cross:
“Foil-vring te’egram receive 1
quote B. M. Behrends, Juneau
chapter ARC greatly increase .1
demands during last ten days
have made imperative immed*
ate campa gn f- r Red Cross R
lief Fund o meet emergenc
situa ;on thru parts twenty-o . *
states in ’ ought stricken arc.,
stop minim :m ten milli m dri
lars need to prevent, untold suf
fering and actual starvation by
thousands of families stop pollu
tion water supply caused by dy
ing cattle added to winter hard
ships in same sections. President
Hoover in proclamation urges
immediate and generous re
sponse stop Our quota one thou
sand dollars unquote Peters
burg quota estimated seventy
five dollars stop Your partici
pation approved bv Legion offi
cials stop Appreciate your par
ticipation.
'Signed) C. T. Gardner
Chairman Emergency Relief.
The above telegram is suffi
ciently clear for every Alaskan
to understand. The appeal is
for an especially worthy cause.
To meet and prevent further
starvation and sickness in 21
_ tales effected by the drought.
Alaskans have always re
sponded generously heretofore
to all such appeals.
-35
Alaska Is Vital Spot
-x
Aviation squadrons at Fair
banks and Seward; a coaling
station at Seward, supplied by'
the Alaska Railway, and connec-;
tion of Seattle with Fairbanks
Through British Columbia by an
automobile highway are the
hopes and recommendations of
Ernest Walker Sawyer, member
rf the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific
Highway Commission, made at
Washington recently when he
explained a special map publish- *
ed by the Commission.
This map, which is a great
Circle projection, centers around*
Fairbanks and pictures Alaska
as the dominant strategic point
of the Pacific Ocean for mili
tary purposes. Mr. Sawyer point
jcd out that steamship travel
| from San Francisco to Manila
would be shorter by 400 miles if
routed via Alaska instead of
Hawaii, the distance being 7,700
miles on the southern route,
while the northern route is 400
miles shorter. The map shows
che tentative route of the pro
posed 2,000-mile highway, also
recommended, and also gives the
distances between Fairbanks and
many of the world’s great cities.
i BIG MASQUERADE COMING
Firemen’s Annual Ball
Watch for announcements.
-x
Ernest Gomoll brought in four
i fine wolf pelts today from Alvin
Bay, Kuiu Island. The territorial
bounty is now $10 per wolf.
-x
PIGGLY WIGGLY MAN STEPS
UP AGAiN
-x
Earle Hauseman, forme;, w lo
cal manager of tVo Piggly Wig
gly store last yeui transfer:' • 1
to Cordova has again been
promoted by being transferred
to Anchorage where he will man
age the Piggly Wiggly store. He
was relieved of his duties in
Cordova by Fred Gilman of An
chorage.
--x
Ernest Kirberger of Kake, is s
visitor in town.
THEY YELL FOR HELP
-x
Tom Gaffney erstwhile can
didate for Territorial Auditor, is
jquoted as follows:
“One thing remains and that
is to open the Yukon River for
commercial fishing. Give the
natives and white men a chance
to live; if this is not done with
the steady diminution of the
fur catch, the natives of . the
lower Yukon will be extermin
ated by hunger. This is no wild
statement and the Bureau of
Fisheries through its officials
should have this drawn to their
attention at once.”
-x
Normanna Chorus Gets
Fine Welcome
-X
The two boats, the “McKinley”
Capt. Bernard Hansen, and the
‘ Attu,” Capt. Peter Hansen,
which were chartered by the
members of the Normanna Male
Chorus of Ketchikan for their
concert tour to Juneau and Pe
tersburg, upon receipt of the j
news of the disabling of the j
steamer Northland, arrived in1
r-etersburg a little too late for;
the concert which had been an
nounced for Sunday afternoon.
The concert, however, was given
iater in the evening at the Mc
Gregor Theatre and was well at
tended notwithstanding the
short notice of the change in
time, proving again that the Pe
fersburg music lovers know a
good thing when they hear it
and they have heard the Nor
manna Chorus here on previous
occasions.
Thirty-nine members of the
(horus, including its honorary
members, Mrs. L. A. Berglund.
pianist, and Miss Florence Tobin
violinist, and the wives of some
cf the members, spent the after
noon and evening in Petersburg,
leaving early Monday morning
cor their homes in Ketchikan.
The concert here was spon
sored by the Sons of Norway and
after the concert the members
of the chorus were taken to the
odge hall for a banquet and so
cial evening.
The concert given on Friday
evening at the Coliseum Theatre
in Juneau, was attended by
more than nine hundred people.
The tour has been a profitable
one and it is hoped that more
nay be seen and heard of this
chorus in the future.
. -X--_
Council Meeting
-x
The city council held its re
gular meeting Monday evening.
The clerk reported that the
proposed rate of insurance on
the power house at Blind Slough
is $35 per $1000.00 of insurance
for three years. It was deemed
more economical to install a fire
hydrant and other fire fighting
apparatus and the expense of
this installation was authorized
Rev. W. J. Maakestad was em
powered to act in all matters
coming under the regulations of
the Harrison Narcotic Act in
making purchases for the hos
pital.
The clerk was ordered to pub
lish notice of the proposed im
orovement of that part or Vista
Avenue extending from the
Heimdahl property to and in
cluding the mill pond bridge and
that part of Indian Street be
tween the two bridges. The street
to be planked to a width of
eighteen feet, owners of abut
ting property to be assessed for
the proportionate cost of the two
feet additional width.
-x
The Camp Fire Girls are spon
soring a St. Valentines Dance
at the Sons of Norway Hall or
the evening of February 14th
J unch will be served. Save the
cate.
Petersburg Hi Goes
To Play Kayhi
The Petersburg High School
Basketball team will leave for
Ketchikan where it will play a
series of games with Ketchikan
High School and Metlakatla
■ chool teams. The first game to
he played will be against the
Kayhi on Monday and the fol
lowing day they conclude that
series. They expect to play in
Metlakatla on Thursday.
The local team will probably
he made up as follows: Harris,
Hess, Brown, McGiltin, Gordon,
Martens, Tveten and Enge. A
question of grades was raised in
two instances but it was expect
ed the boys would get squared
away before time to climb on
board the Zarembo, Capt. Pete
father’s new halibut boat.
Leo Walther will go along as
referee.
Arsenal for Alaska
-x
A raid by police in the Hoge
Building, Seattle, disclosed an
arsenal of machine guns and
other “hard ware” which was
confiscated by the police. De
tectives Williams and Stanley
Head were arrested as a result;
of the raid and discovery. Wil
liams it is said declared that he
oumha' ed the guns at sales and
was re-selling them, principally
to parties in Alaska.
The question is immediately
as^ed Are the sales a result of
the recent homicide in Ketchi
ktan or is Alaska again being
made the goat by Seattleites.
-X
Northland Damage Slight
The M. S. Northland, after
having flirted too close to
Helmcken Island,last week,
north of Seymour Narrows, ne
cessitating the beaching of the
vessel and the transfer of her
passengers to the S. S. Farragut.
was floated successfully and con
tinued her way to Alaska port
with only minor damages to tin
hull and cargo. Some plates ant
rivets were sprung allowing tht
vessel to take water in her for
ward hold. Fortunately all bulk
heads proved water tight an l
the balance of her cargo was
undamaged. The boat accept
ed passengers and freight south
bound and will make a return
trip from Prince Rupert to Ket
chikan before preceeding on to
Seattle. The sailing scheduled
for January 26th has been can
celled in order that proper re
pairs may be made.
“Pickles” - 58th Variety
A cast of about sixty high
school and eighth grade stu
dents have commenced rehears
als for a school play called
“tickles” which is to be given in
the near future for the benefit
of the gymnasium fund.
-x
TWO LOCAL MEN
STILL MISSING
L. C. Davis and A1 Farrow re
ported missing some days ago
are still unaccounted for. The
two men left Petersburg some
time in November with a gas
boat belonging to Mr. Farrow
; and Clarence Langton, with ap
proximately two weeks grub sup
ply on board. The boat is report
ed to have been found by Lang
ton outside Exchange Cove near
Salmon Bay on December 28. A
searching party which left here
January 13 aboard the gasboat.
“Sunrise” returned after cruis
ing for six days in the Salmon
Bay Clarence Straits section and
around Brush Island where Mr.
Davis planned to start a fox
farm. They reported that nc
trace of the missing men could
be found.
Recapitulation of
Alaska’s Census
-x
The Anal tabulation of the
fifteenth Census, taken in Alas
ka as of October 1, 1929, shows
a population of 59,278, an in
crease of 4,242 or 7.7 per cent
since 1920. The gross area of
territory is 586,400 square miles,
or an average of approximately
ten square miles per inhabitant.
The present population of the
Territory is 5,078 less than was
shown in the census of 1900 and
4,134 less than in 1910. The
first census, which was taken in
1880, consisted of a canvas of ail
accessible settlements supple
mented by records and personal
knowledge of missionary priests.
The population at that time was
given as 33,426. The greatest
population shown in any census
was 64,.356.
In the First Division the fol
lowing figures are taken from
the latest report of the Census
Bureau: 1930 1920
Juneau District 6,174 5,893
Juneau town inc 4.043 3.058
Ketchikan Dist. 6,468 5.67.1
Ketchikan, inc. 3,796 2,458
Petersburg Dist. 2,004 1,406
Petersburg town 1,252 879
Sitka Dist. 2,092 2.350
Sitka town, inc. 1,056 1,175
Skagway. District 1,251 1,219
Skagway town, inc. 492 494
Wrangell District 1,002 861
Wrangell town, inc. 948 821
The first ten cities in point of
population are as follows:
Juneau.4.043
Ketchikan.3,798
Anchorage.2,277
Fairbanks.2,101
Petersburg.1,252
Nome.1,213
Sitka.1.056
Cordova.980
Wrangell. 948
Seward. 835
First Division (Juneau) 19,301
Second Division (Nome) 10,127
Third Division (Valdez) 16,309
Fourth Division Fairbanks 13,533
-X
■ii Team Takes Drubbing
In a hard fought battle at the
Sons of Norway hall last Satur
day night the Petersburg Mer
chants took the High School
quintette down the line for a
real basket ball score and the
school boys are still wondering
how it ever happened. To a spec
tator it appeared that the Mer
chants’ victory was purely
psychological. Three baskets in
quick succession early in the
game seemed to bewilder the
school team somewhat. They
fought doggedly and determin
edly but the old ball just rolled
outside the hoop time after
time. We do not pose as tactical
experts but we suspect the
school team’s defense play was
also a little off. The final score
stood 43-28. Each team now has
one game to its credit and a big
house may be expected the next
time these teams clash.
-x
T-610 SOLD
-x
A gasboat, T-610, belonging
to the estate of Jess Anton
Claussen, deceased, was offered
for sale at public auction last
Monday by the U. S. Commis
'rioner but all bids were refused.
Later the boat was disposed of
at a private sale to Mrs. L. A.
Willard who will use it as a
tender for her fox ranch in Port
Beauclerc.
-x
Mrs. Hugh Jones (nee Evan
geline Swanson) is visiting with
her parents at Point Agassiz.
-x- .
' Mr. Sverre Johanson was a
[ passenger for Seattle on the
Northland, Tuesday evening.