This Paper is Controlled, Owned and Operated by Local 240 of the W. F. of M.
Nome, Alaska, Friday, July 9, 1909.
No> 167
Vol. 3
BACK FROM A TRIP
TO ST. PETERSRURG
Billy Thomsen, one of Nome’s old
timers, arrived recently on the Dux
bury, completing an extended trip
from St. Petersburg. He came by way
of the Siberian railroad, making the
trip by rail to the Pacilic coast in
sixteen days. He then went bv one of
the C. P. It. boats to Victoria, B. C.,
and proceeding to Seattle look passage
on the Duxbury for Nome. The Dux
bury did considerable trading along
the Alaskan coast on the way up and
finding the ice would delay them in
reaching Nome, they made a trip to
Siberia, touching at several villages
where they traded witn the natives.
The ice was heavy along the Siberian
coast and at one time they were four
days drifting witii the pack. The
weather was foggy and misty all the
time they were on that coast and
they were surprised to hnd it clear
and sunny as they got closer to Nome.
Thomson reports that when he
reached Victoria he found hundreds of
Russians from the same southern
Russian province their countrymen
here hail from. They wanted to go to
Nome aud Fairbanks, but the Canad
ian government officials herded them
into the immigration sheds and gave
them the option of going to work on
the Grand Trunk Pacific railway con
struction at 82.50 per day with $5.25 a
week deducted for hoard besides com
missary and hospital deductions, or
taking forced passage back to Russia.
The disillusioned victims were bitterly
disappointed as they had counted on
working in the Alaskan placer mines
for ten roubles (85 00) a day and board.
Thomsou acted as interpreter fur them
but the Canadian officials were obdu
rate and when he left they were still
in the detention sheds. It is Thomson’s
opinion that these men started for this
country as the result of letters sent to
them from friends here describing the
high wages and glorious country and
assuring them there was work for all.
j Many of them sold or got rid of
everything they had in order to get
money for the trip.
Conditions in Russia are very much
quieted down, says Thomson. Revolu
tionists are not nearly so active and
widespread discontent at the close of
the Russo-Japanese war hascompletely
died out.
Billy expects to remain in Nome for
the next couple of years, looking af ter
his mining interests.
COUNCIL MINING NOTES
On Ophir creek the Blue Goose com
pany have their dredge working day
and night. Chas. Russel, the super
intendent, has been in personal charge
since June 21st.
The Wild Goose company isemploy
ing a number of men ou 4 and 10 and
later may work on 15. They also have
teams doing assessment work.
On 3 1-2. Black is working a large
crew of men, usipg a derrick and buck
ets to take the dirt from the open cut.
Ed. Cunningham has a gang of men
on 14 where he has a lease. He is
using a nozzle and small lift and seems
to be doing effective work.
On Dutch creek, Reg. Grinnell is
sluiciDg and piping the ground on his
claim and is doing good work. He
built a ditch earlier in the spring
with an intake high on Dutch creek
which gives him a good fall for the
water.
Kimball will work 24 and is at pres
ent getting ready.
F. J. Lease has laymen working on
Balm of Gilead and Albion creeks.
SHIPS COMING
AND GOING
Two whalers, the Karluk and Her
mann anchored in the roadstead last
^Friday. Two of the Karluk’s crew
were ill and were sent ashore to the
Holly Cross hospital.
The Varg, a Norwegian tramp, also
a(rived on Friday, bringing about two
hundred Russian immigrants. After
consultations with the federal authori
ties here, about 120 of the Russians
were allowed to land. A fine of f 1,000
was assessed against the ship which
was paid by the captain. The Russians
were picked up from various Siberian
i points.
The Olympia arrived at Seattle last
week. She was docked for repairs
.having suffered considerably while in
the ice.
The St. Helens sailed for Seattle on
Saturday.
The Montara and Tampico left for
the outside early this week.
The trader’ Duxbury arrived last
Satnrday morning, having made a
trading trip to Siberia before coming
here.
Tbe St. Croix arrived on Tuesday
with passengers, mail and freight. She
left for St. Michael OB Tuesday night,
returned yesterday morning and Bailed
for Seattle by tbe inside paaaage last
sight. : 1
Tbe Ohio arrived at Seattle on Tues
day. It la not expected that she will
make 'any more tripe on the Nome run
i this season. *■ V V
I Tbe Corwin lehfor Candle with pas
L wengers and' freight 6Uk Tuesday, after
1 returning from a trip to the aid of tbe
■ Mackinaw.
ft The Jeanie tailed from Seattle for
■ Nome last Sunday, with a thousand
|j| tooe^bf obalabd 200 bnndred-dollar
sucker* for Nemo.
k
Gillbert & Williams are working on
No. 6 Crooked creek.
Fred. Bittner, Stockberger and part
ners are operating on No. -5 Crooked
creek and Stitch Bros, are using a
nozzle with good effect on Albion.
On tlie Mukluek, Roycroft and Ion
are operating extensively. Prospeet
orsarecontinuing their work searching
for the old channel on the tundra op
posite the mouth of Opliir.
Leroy is working on Mystery and
operators are making preparations
to install a dredge on Gold Bottom.
Bittner and Waltham are mining
extensively on Melsing.
Lowdeu is working on the same
creek.
Council is very quiet and the Pac
ific Cold Storage company not having
sent over their usual supply of live
stock, fresh meat is a minus quantity,
and when it comes famine prices pre
vail.
Joe De Rose now runs the Rigley
House, and Fred Sedele has taken the
Kane House and makes everyone wel
come.
The Mackinaw arrived from St.
Michael Wednesday night, having suf
fered no damage from being aground
on the mud flats.
The Victoria arrived from Seattle
yesterday, with a good passenger list
and freight and mail. She will pro
bably leave for the outside about Sun
day.
SPARKS FROM THE
WIRE
Congressman Cushman, of the state
of Washington, died in New York on
Tuesday evening.
A lone bandit robbed a bank at
Everett, Wash., got |3,000 shot the
cashier and got away.
The Yucatan sailed from Beattie for
Cordova yesterday with J. Pierpont
Morgan, Bimon Guggenheim and
other millionaires, who will investigate
some of their Alaskan holdings.
Riplinger, formerly city comptroller
of Seattle, accused of embezzlement,
was brought back to Seattle on Tues
day, and will stand trial. He has been
a fugitive from justice for nearly two
years.
Count Zeppelin, the German airship
man, says that be will make a try for
the north pole by the airship route.
The mining town of Cobalt, Ont.,
has suffered from a disastrous fire.
The packing plant at Tacoma, owned
by the Carstens Packing Company,
was completely destroyed by fire, en
tailing a loss of $400,000.
^•r Fruits *nd. Perishables call at
the Alaska Fruit Iteta Phene Black
101 Next Fire Department.
Board of Trade
Opposite A. B. Hall
LET US WATCH THE
OPERATORS
It is hard to believe that the Russians who have come in this
spring are here merely as the result of letters sent home by a
few of their countrymen who have been workinghere for a couple
of years. The large number that has come in here besides many
who have shipped to Fairbanks, makes any other theory unten
able outside of the one that operators here and in other parts of
Alaska, assured these people through agents that they could get
work here the year round at wages that would seem fabulous to
these unfortunates.
The presence of this number of Russians in the country, most
of them arriving on the first boats of the season, and information
received from various sources, makes it practically certain that a
movement has been on foot since last summer to establish cheap
labor in Nome. It is well known by anyone at all acquainted with
the situation that it is the dearest wish of certain operators to
chase the union men from the country and chop the wage scale in
half. It is also a safe guess that these particular operators are
backed in this effort by stronger interests who are using them as
tools. Their common object is the establishment of the lowest
possible wage scale.
Every effort to get definite information from the Russians
themselves as to who induced them to come to Nome, has failed.
The only way in which we can get a line on this is to watch the
various camps and note which of them employ the Russians.
Public sentiment has so far been against the importation of these
men, and, the operators responsible for their being here have
naturally let them go hungry for a while until this antagonistic
sentiment could be given a chance to simmer down. From now on,
however, the operators interested in getting in cheap labor, will
begin to put the Russians to work, and it will be well worth while
to watch developments closely. At one camp which was worked
by scabs all last winter, a number of the Russians are now at work
under a Russian foreman and although they are supposed to be
getting §5 per day and board, it is extremely doubtful if they are
getting over $3.
Othet camps in the district are also mixing in a few Russians
among the other workers and if a compact exists among some of
the operators, it. will not be long before many more will be put to
work. The fact that these operators are putting the Russians to
work will not afford sufficient proof that they were responsible for
the importation of such cheap it-ooi to warrant the government in
taking up the matter, but to the people of the community it will
serve as sufficient proof that these operators are prepared to go to
any length in order to inaugurate cheap and intolerable working
conditions.
These operators will bear watching. They are of a class
devoid of honor, who, to accomplish their own selfish ends, will
break any agreement, and think far less of their employes than
they do of their horses and dogs.
PERSONAL
AND GENERAL
A telegram received by one of the
parlies in the Bon Voyage case, an
nounces that the circuit court of appe
als at San Francisco has affirmed the
decision of Judge Moore which gave
J. J. Chambers a judgment for $21,
000 and a half interest in the property
It is believed that the hundred
dollar suckers induced to come to
Nome by the Alaska Investment and
Development company, A. H. Moore,
president, have been getting somewhat
suspicious of the good intentions of
the company. Before the Jeanie sail
ed they were threatening riot. They
gathered at Seattle with the expecta
tion of being shipped to Nome imme
diately and when they were delayed
day after day, getting no explanation
from Moore of his plans, they became
very uneasy. It is now reported that
these men are to build a ditch near
Cape Nome which will make it pos
sible to work a big deposit of pay
owned by the company. The men are
to take half their wages iu company’s
stock, after paying *100 each for their
jobs.
Letters received by the secretary
from Dave Burton and Terence Cas
sidy give the news that considerable
work is in progress around Council,
and that quite a number of union
members are there. Black, on 3 1-2
Qphir, has about seventy men at work.
The Wild Goose company is working
No. 4 Ophir and has a number of men
enfployed.
Before the last bunch of Russians
landed from the Varg, one of the ope
rators whose long suit is pocketing the
royalty received from laymen, was
heard to remark that he was quite In
favor of having Russians In the count
ry for lie bad a gang of them working
hfs ground all last winter,for nothing.
Another operator' whose attitude to
wards' onion miners is well known ib
tbs community, made himself very,
pjreminent the day the Roasans were
Jedding from the Varg, and seemed to
'be' Vitally interested in tbelr pretence
here.
•
It would be foolish indeed to believe
that these Russians came here entirely
on their owe hook without having
received assurances of work through
agents, from operators in this part ol
the country.
An inquiry made at the office of the
Schuback-Hamilton company brought
out the information that a number of
Russians were trying to negotiate for
passage to the outside on the St.
Croix yesterday. The office staff .was
too busy to say whether they were
successful or not.
A JOKE ON
THE MARSHAL
Quite a sensation was caused at Sol
omou early this month by the playing
of a practical joke on the marshal.
According to accounts the joke was
well planned and well carried out,
and the marshal was unsuspecting to
the last.
Someone got two empty dynamite
boxes and filled them neatly with mud
carefully spreading on top the greased
paper and sawdust usually found pack*
ed around the genuine article. These
two boxes were “planted,” and one of
the conspirators gave the marshal the
tip that some black hand work was
being planned. He immediately got
busy and it wai pot long before he
located the “plant,” and rising man*
fully to the occasion, bent all his
faculties to the solution of the my
stery.
He indignantly refused the services
of one individual who wanted to open
the boxes then and there with an axe,
for that individual bore all the ear
marks of a desperate black band artist
who would have only been too glad to
take a trip to the nether regions provi
ded ha could have the company of
others on the way.
The boxes were Anally carefully con
veyed across the river where the mar
shall himself opened the min a workman
like manner. Tber emainder ofi t he story
is now of no particular interest to the
marshal or anyone else.
Vv*.'
Oat aur rates an Mb Werfc.
NEWS OF THE DAY
WITH COMMENT
Recently the tax limit on personal
property in the city of Chicago was
placed of the low figure of $250 in or
der that more names could be added to
the tax roll. But this served to add
only 0,000 names to the list. The esti
mated population of Chicago is about
2.500,000 and with the tax limit at $250
only a total of about 111,000, a ratio of
less thau 1 to 20, have sutllcient pro
perty on which to pay taxes. This
means there are 620,750 families liv
ing in the city who have not enough
furniture for the valuators of the
board of assessors to value at $250.
As the wealth of the country becomes I
more concentrated, the concentration ;
must necessarily proceed yet more!
swiftly. Of the 111,000 who are taxed
on personal property and the 120.000
who pay real estate taxes, there is a
very small percentage, mostly made
up of corporations, who succeed in
dodging most of the taxes levied
against them, who own by far the
greater precentage of the personal and
real property of the city.
The system which has given capital
ism the firmest kind of a clutch upon
the workers, is rapidly getting a death
grip upon the middle class also. The
vast majority of the workers have
long since cessed to be home and pro
perty owners, and in the cities the
i small traders are now mostly submitt
' iug to exploitation by the landlord. In
j a few years the number on the tax roll
will be much smaller, in spite of in
crease in the population.
We wonder if capitalism can be
breaking up the home when it forces
U5 per cent, of our families to live in
rented roosts, with less than $250 worth
of furniture’:1
The following from the Sau Fran
cisco Btar will trow a little light on
the recent strike of Italian lumber
workers at McCloud, Cal.:
WAITING FOR RIOT.
Sheriff Howard of Hiskivou county
is evidently a man who takes time by
the forelock, as nsav be seen by this
paragraph published in a San Fran
cisco paper last Saturday morning in
the report from McCloud:
“No effort to serve the warrants se
cured yesterday by Sheriff Charles
Howard for the arrest of six leading
strikers was made today, as the offi
cials awaited in vain for the Italians
to commit some act that would warrant
■their arrest on the charges specified in
the warrants—inciting a riot and dis
turbing the peace.”
It seems, then, that the warrants
were obtained under false pretenses.
They were issued for the arrest of six
men because the sheriff suspected that
they would commit the acts named in
the warrant. Wouldn’t it save time
for each sheriff in the state to obtain
warrants for the arrest of every man
in his county!'
“The Farley forces already have
been made deputies,” said a dispatch
last Friday night from McCloud. The
“Farley forces” are men hired in San
Francisco, some of them detectives,
some strike breakers. Why were non
residents of the county made deputy
Sheriffs of the county? Is President
Que^l of the McCloud Lumber com
pany the real sheriff of Siskiyou
county ?
It was also shown that native Ameri
cans were first employed by the lumber
companies and in order to lower the
wage scale Finns and Swedes were
imported. It was not Jong before the
company found that Finns and Swedes
would not stand for everything, so Ita
lians and Other southern Europeans
were imported to replace them. It was
these Italians, who, without being
affiliated with any kind of a union,
recently went on strike and were de
feated by hired murderers in the form
of the state militia and Farleyites
illegally sworn in as deputy sheriffs.
The Star tells of one striker who re
ceived a bayonet wound in the back
four inches deep because he did not
run fast enough when told to move on.
We wonder if some of the Nome ope
rators are trying to emulate the ex
ample of President Queal of the Mc
Cloud Lumber company?
Socialism will break up the home.
So says Roosevelt and other anti-social
ist bowlers. Wonder if capitalism is
not the cause of a little home break
ing?
Loe Angeles county, Cal., baa estab
lished a divorce record for the first
five months of 1909. Figures indicate
that one divorce has been granted
since Jan. 1 for every four marriages
that have been oelebi'ated. This is ah
crease over the ratio during 1906,
when it was oue to six. In San FJtev*
cisco it was oue to seven. In ths
whole United States it was one tv>
twelve. Four hundred and sixty-swa*
interlocutory and two imndred and
final decrees have been granted in Los*
Angeles in the five months of the pres -
ent year.
Do you think this ratio could he in
creased at all under socialism ?
A little book on the servant question;
has recently been issued by the New
York Legal Aid Society. In the intro
duction the writer says:
‘•1 know of no better calling, of noat*'
more apt to elevate the mind andjia—
prove the health, and to'add to the -
experience and knowledge of a yee*g-.
woman, than the privilege of assistin&u'
in the affairs of the home of culturac'ii
men and women. In snch ahomesh&e
is enabled to enjoy home comfort?.
peaceful and respectable surrounding-;
reasonable pleasures, good and whole
some food, and a joyous coin >MJi€>fi>
shin with men and women, of, he*;
own kind, and true and satire-free
dom.”
The lot of the domestic servant; hs-'
considers, is by far better than that »*.
the poor factory girl.
“I have frequently met former ser
vants,” he says, “who had laid up sev
eral hundred dollars per year, and who
afterwards entered married life witfcj
capital sufficient to open their ewa
homes and employ, in turn, their own.
servants. Such a boon is not extended,
to their misguided sisters, who rejects
for inadequate reasons, the higher
plane, in order to lead an inferior
existance on a lower plane.”
The paper from which this is reprin
ted is the Warcry, the organ of the
Salvation Army, the branehes-of whi-cl.
are the recruiting agents for many
who desire the services of docile flua
keys. This enlightened sheet add*.
naively. “After reading this,
| c»ay well wonder why there is such, im
dearth of servants.”
If the writer of this amusing bit o '
nonsense had served but two days-a*->
flunkey in an average private family .
he would have a fair different stover
to tell. The average private family ,
who have the means to employ serv
ants, look upon them as something s«»
far below them in the social, plane that
such service becomes at onoe degrad
ing and abhorrent, to foreign borr.tass.
well as to American born. But wha's
better can be expected from asysteaiij
which makes corporation flunkeys- of
even our diguiiied senators’?
The Spokane Labor World says:. “It
was very fitting that editor Durham
of the Review, who was expelled from
the typographical union for scabbing,,,
should be one of the sponsors for James*
W. Van Cleave during the latter’s;
visit here. It is not surprising that,
the Review is such a labor union anta
gonist with such an editor at the
helm.”
But it must be remembered thai
type of editor is just what the interests*
who control the policy of the Reviews
desire. The fiercely bitter attacks*
made upon the membership of the*
Western Federation of Miners, espe -
cially during the trials at Boise of
Moyer. Haywood and Pettibone,.indi
cate plainly that the policy of th&*
Review ib controlled mainly by the*
mine owners who so strenuously ee -
deavored to railroad these men to, tie;
gallows.
It is no wonder the Review ha&ia
warm welcome for Van Cleave
A BIG ORDER
L. R. Kemter, of Nome, received *
clipping from an Austrian paper**
centlv. The clipping was to the effect,
that a company has been organised!
with a capital of 960,000,000' iTanev
(912,000,000) for the purpose of build
ing a trans-Alaska-Sibenan raffway. It
says that the country the road is go
ing through will not only be gce&fbff
mineral but also contains good land'for
farming purposes; The road will stscrt
in Northwestern Canada, will proceed
from there to the Tanana riwesvthenee
through the Norton Bay country- to
Caye Prince of Wales. It is expected
that a big bridge will be built at this
point to connect with the continent o£
Asia. Various branches will also bn
built, including one to Valdez, Alaska
City Bath House. Moonlight Sprang
water.
flat owe rates cn Jab Worla. |