# MINING *<
IS PLACED ON
FIRST SUBSTANTIAL SHIPMEN1
FROM NEW MINE FINDS
IMMEDIATE SALE.
PROPERTY NEAR RAILROAD
John Lofstrom and Escr Wikholm
Owners, Declare They Have Suffi
cient Orders to Insure Continuatior
of Operations All Winter.
The first substantial shipment oi
lignite coal was shipped here frorr
Houston on yesterday’s train and was
disposed of within ten minutes aftei
its arrival in Anchorage, according tc
John Lofstrom, one of the operators
if the mine, who came here on busi
ness connected with the sale of the
fuel.
The mine was discovered about £
half mile west of the staTion at Hous
ton by station contract workers, wht
last summer were grading for the
government railroad.
Associated with Mr. Lofstrom ir
the new enterprise is Eser Wikholm
who for the last two years has beer
practicing his profession as archi
tect. Both Mr. Lofstrom and Mr
Wikholm regard the mining of this
'ignite product as of great import
nee to Anchorage. Owing to the
lose proximity of the mine to the
government railroad, they say a cheap
fuel will be placed on the market.
They are developing their property
- speedily as possible and expect tc
> lake regular and frequent shipments
nto Anchorage and Matanuska.
The coal resembles the product oi
the Bluff Foint Coal company located
rn the east side of Cook inlet neai
Wddovia.
Mr. Lofstrom left on this morning’s
train for the mine. He said that he
has secured sufficient orders to insure
working of the mine steadily for the
remainder of the winter.
STOKES IN AI ASSACHI'SKTTS T(
OPEN AT 8 A. AI. AND TO
CLOSE AT .A P. AI.
THEATRES STOP AT 10 P. AI
Shortage ol ( oal Causes Considerable
Suffering Among Many Poor Fam
ilies So Authorities Take Action ol
Relief.
UOSTON, Mass., Jan. 10.—All busi
ness houses in Massachusetts have
been ordered to open not earlier thar
0 o’clock mornings and to close nol
later than o’clock evenings and all
I’.'iuor bars and theatres have beer
directed to close not later than 1(1
o’clock nights by the New Englanc
fuel administration.
The orders were issued today. They
are effective at once. Their purpose
is to save coal that has been used foi
heating and lighting and that, in the
opinion of the administration, can be
conserved without serious injury oi
great inconvenience to business.
Owing to the shortage of fuel, eon
sielerable suffering is experienced by
many’ poor families.
Orville Hansen, former superin
lendent of the coal mine on Cache
creek which has been operated by the
Cache Creek Ddedging company foi
its own use has purchased a farm al
Port Orchard, Washington and will
make his home there for the future.
Read The Weekly Times.
BETHEL MAN TELLS HOW IN
DIAN, WHO HAS DISCOVERY
CLAIM, MADE STRIKE.
GOLD IS AT GRASS ROOTS
i ^ . -
Creek Which Yielded First Colors Is
Called Watermouse After Native
Who Staked Original Ground and
Town Will be Built Soon.
| Recently word was received here
that rich prospects had been struck
; in the vicinity of Good News bay, ane
there was a stampede in that directior
from some parts of Alaska. Severai
persons from Anchorage have left foi
the scene of the reported strike. rlhe
Nome Industrial Worker prints the
following story about the Good News
bay gold discovery:
“Gus Schaefer, the Ilethel sto?e
keeper and well known in Nome, send.
word to Ira Ranke, of the Unite<
States Mercantile company at Nome
giving all particulars of the Goo(
News Bay strike. The strike was
made by a native who worked for s
while for some men on Bear creek last
winter or fall. He is called crazy b\
the other natives because he won’t
catch and dry fish, but is just erazj
to prospect for gold. He worked a
short time for the white men, but got
tired, and they gave him a pick anc
.hovel and pan and started him out
prospecting.
“Later he came to back to Butch
Smith and showed him a few colors.
They did not pay much attention tc
him and he again returned with a few
grains. Then they sat up and took
. notice. Buck Smith and Frank Lott
started out with him and the native
showed them his discovery. He hah
lost his pick and was using an ice
flick and a frying pan to pan his dirt
with. Smith says that the pan was
all covered with seal oil and it is a
wonder the Indian saved any gold at
“The gold, however, was there fro li
the grass roots down, and pans rur
from 15 cents to $2.50 a foot on bed
rock.
“They then staked the ground
Charley Thorsen, Vernon Wilkins
Swan Everson, Lott and Smith and the
native, who has discovery, getting the
first seven claims.
“Seventeen were staked wher
Schaefer was writing, and pay hae
been found on all of them, but how
rich he could not say. The creek i?
called Watermouse creek from the
native who staked it, that being the
aborigine’s name. It flows into Good
News river about thirty miles from
where the river flows into Good Newt
bay. It is about 150 miles from Beth
el. Schaefer says it is a genuine
strike. It will prove a blessing tr
the whole lvuskokwim section and will
bring lots of miners and prospectors
there.
“Butch Smith avers that the whole
country tributary thereto is a good
looking country from a placer miner’s
point of view. There is, however, nc
timber around except cottonwood, and
abler and willows. Hence lumber will
have to be imported there, probably
from the outside or from timbered
sections of the upper Kuskokwim.
“They will probably start a town
on Good News bay or on Good News
river, and developments are expected
this winter.”
Andrew Taylor who spent last sum
j mer in the Cache creek country en
gaged in mining is now in Seattle
awaiting action on his application tc
join the army, according to word re
ceived here by his friends.
The city of Lyon has opened a
professional training school for the
higher technical and scientific devel
opment of French women.
PLATINI FAKE
IS EXPOSED
BK GOVERNMENT
CLAIMS ON DESCHUTES AND
CROOKED RIVERS ARE THOR
OUGHLY INVESTIGATED.
NO VALUES ARE DISCOVERED.
Federal Authorities Warn Public
Against Being Deluded by State
ments Not Supported by Findings
of Reputable Assayers.
I
I
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 12.—
The present shortage of platinum
and the consequent greatly increased
price of the metal bid fair to result
in a considerable increase in the do
mestic production of platinum during
the coming yeai\ At the same time,
while legitimate miners are increasing
their production and to some extent
relieving the country’s shortage, other
persons are using the interest aroused
by the present nation-wide search for
the metal to make extravagant claims
for utterly worthless deposits, and
some honest prospectors are led by
false assays, made inefficient or
venal assayers, to believe mistakenly
that they have valuable platinum de
posits.
Reports of platinum in some myth
ical combination—“violate platinum”
or “colloidal platinum”—should be re
garded as sufficient evidence of the
incompentenee or dishonesty of the
assayer.
Example in Oregon.
During the season of 11)17 the geo
logists of the United States geological
survey, department of the interior,
spent much time in visiting platinum
deposits that proved to be worthless.
A notable example is seen in the sup
posed platiniferous sands of the Des
chutes river, near Terrebone, Oregon,
which were examined by H. G. Fer
guson in October, 1917. Claims have
been staked for several miles along
the Deschutes and Crooked rivers, and
as certain volcanic sands along these
rivers had been said to contain large
percentages of golo and rare metals,
particularly metals of the platinum
group, Mr. Ferguson visited the local
ities at which the sands were obtain
ed and took samples for test and
analysis.
The material collected, which is ex
posed in the canyon of the Deschutes
river north of Low Bridge in sec 15,
T. 14 S., R. 12 E., consists of loosely
cemented dark volcanic sand and con
glomerate interbedded with basalt and
volcanic tuff.
No Trace of Value.
The black basaltic sand is supposed
to have the richest content of gold
and platinum, but neither in panning
the material in the field nor in the
chemical tests made by the geological
survey could any trace of platinum or
other metals of the platinum group be
found. Neither was any gold found
in the concentrates, and it is conclud
ed that material of this type is very
unlikely to contain workable amounts
of gold.
In conclusion, the geological survey
desires to warn prospectors and in
vestors against accepting at their face
value any statements in regard to
” platinum-bearing ores and sands that
do not show native platinum when
panned. Such material should always
be sent to assayers whose reputation
is above reproach.
—
AIDS DISABLED MEN.
Titled Briton Turns Over Estate for
Industrial Village.
LANCASTER, England, Jan. 14.—
The first industrial village for dis
abled soldiers and sailors is to be
constructed here on a large estate giv
en by Sir Thomas Storey. It is to be
laid out with workshops, houses for
married men and hotels of fraternal
! homes for others.
There will be a new church recre
I ation ground, garden, public park and
the existing mansion will be used as a
club house. There will also be accom
modation for about 300 disabled men
in the village.
PROPERTY TAKEN UP ADJOINS
GROUND WHICH IS BEING
DEVELOPED NOW.
SEVENTEEN MEN ARE AT WORK
—
Big Mining and Milling Company at
Juneau, Just Before Close of Old
'iear, Filed Over 100 Non-Assess
ment Notices.
The Treadwell Mining and Milling
company, of Juneau, the other day
filed location notices for nearly forty
claims adjacent to the property' now
being developed under bond at Auk
bay, which is an indication the com
pany is encountering promising ore
with the cross-cut tunnel now Deing
driven on the property'.
The Auk property, controlled by
Territorial Senators Sutherland and
Aldrich and Mayor Valentine, of Ju
neau, was bonded by the Treadwell
company last summer. The company
engineers immediately outlined a de
velopment plan, which has been car
ried on ever since. At present a crew
of seventeen men is on the property.
The Treadwell company' just be
fore the close of the old year filer
under the assessment suspension ad
more than 100 affidavits for the yeai
1918, covering lode claims in the Har
ris mining district.
OVERLAM) H O S T E L R Y IN
NEIGHBORING TOWN TAKEN
OVER BY H. WHITTEMORE.
FATHER IS ONE OF OWNERS.
New Manager Is Energetic and Cap
able and Thoroughly Alive to the
Needs and Requirements of Trav
eling Public.
Hurry Whittemore is now the man
ager of the Overland hotel at Seward,
having leased the establishment from
Whittemore and Margules, the papers
having been signed the other day, ac
cording to the Seward Gateway. One
of the former proprietors is the fath
er of the new manager.
Harry Whittemore, says the Gate
way, is as popular with the traveling
public as his hotel has been and will
make a decidedly good impression
with all his new patrone Mr. Whitte
more is well known in Seward, also in
Anchorage where for the past yeai
he had been engaged in business, re
turning to Seward about a month ago.
The manager is energetic and thor
oughly alive to the needs of the trav
eling public.”
RETAIN POUND AS UNIT.
English Bankers and Business Men
Agree on Monetary Plan.
LONDON, Jan. 14.—Retention oi
the pound sterling as the monetary
unit and its divsion into 1,000 parts
or mills has been agreed upon by the
Institute of Bankers, the Association
of Chambers of Commerce and the
Decimal association. This would per
mit the retention of the existing gold
and silver coins down to and includ
ing the sixpenny piece, without any
alteration in their respective values.
For example, the sixpence is repre
sented exactly by 25 mills.
In regard to coins of lower denomi
nation, it was unanimously agreed
that they shall consist of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and 10 mill pieces, of which the lat
ter two would be of nickel.
For the use of bow legged men a
light, flexible frame has been in
vented to be strapped to a leg by a
garter to make trousers hang
straight.
NUMEROUS POOLS YIELD BOIL
ING WATER AND REMAIN
UNFROZEN YEAR ROUND.
KNOWN TO EARLY RUSSIANS.
Agent of United States Geological
Survey Makes Investigation and
Submits Interesting Report of His
Work.
Hot springs are widely distributed
in Alaska, many of them yielding
water that is near the boiling point
and remaining unfrozen the year
round, says Gerald A. Waring, of the
United States Geological survey, in a
report he has just made to the gov
ernment. During the Russian occupa
tion of the territory primitive bathing
houses were built at several hot
springs, notably near Sitka, and the
hygienic value of the springs was
i recognized. In recent years more
j elaborate bathing establishments have
j been constructed at several accessible
I hot springs, but some that are more
; difficult of access are occasionally
! visited by prospectors. The demand
! for more accurate information about
| the qualities of the thermal waters
; led to an investigation.
To obtain material for his report
Mr. Waring spent the field season oi
1915 in Alaska. He examined twenty
three springs and obtained notes or
thirty-seven others whose existence
was not before known to the survey
Among the springs described by Mi
Waring are a number that yield car
bonated water and others whose wat
| er is strongly sulphureted or salty
More hot springs have been found ir
southeastern Alaska than in the in
[ terior, perhaps because the southeast
1 ern part of the territory is best
known, and relatively few have beer
found in northern Alaska. Neverthe
less, the report describes hot springs
I at twenty-one places in the Yukon ba
; sin and at five in Seward peninsula.
The report is illustrated by sketch
maps that show the location of many
i
of the springs.
Quality of Waters.
The quality of the spring waters
was determined by analyzing samples
j collected by Mr. Waring and is dis
cussed in connection with their man
ner of occurrence and source.
The report contains also a brief
chapter on the chemical character of
some of the surface waters, by Rich
ard B. Dole and Alfred A. Chambers,
who have brought together all the
available analyses. Most of the an
alyses represent samples collected by
' exploring parties in 1914 and 1915.
The discussion of the quality of the
waters of the Yukon is based on sam
; pies collected daily at Anvik from
August 23, 1915, to April 19, 1916,
and from June 14 to August 16, 1916
i Analyses of these samples will form
j part of a special report on the quality
j of the surface waters of Alaska.
WOMEN WORK LONG HOURS.
Many Labor at Night in Packing
Houses After Day’s Task.
CHICAGO, Jan. 14.—The heaviest
food contracts in the history of the
; world have been let within recent
. days to fourteen of the great packing
: houses of the United States. These
large orders have necessitated night
work as well as the increased em
ployment of woman labor.
Miss Mary MacDowell, director of
the university settlement work at the
Chicago stockyards, also chairman of
the committee on foreign-born women
of the committee on women in indus
try, of the advisory commission of the
Council of National Defense, found
on investigation that many women
were accepting employment in the
packing houses for night work after
their day of labor at home, with the
consequence that some of them ob
tained one hour of sleep in the twen
ty-four. As a result of her efforts to
correct this situation the packers
have promised not to employ women
with children under six years of age
for night work.
BUSINESS MAN OF SOUTHEAST
ERN ALASKA TOWN ADVO
CATES CONSERVATION
ADVICE GIVEN COMMUNITY.
Canneries Do Not Expect to Be Tak
en Over by Government, But Look
for Price to Be Established for
Buying and Selling Fish.
i Fremont King, a prominent business
man and canner of the Ketchikan sec
tion, jolted that community into a
listening mood recently when he se
verely criticised it for its failure to
observe any regulations regarding the
saving of food.
“Ketchikan has got to wake up,
and get down to business, and obey
conservation demands or she will get
! a jolt soon,” he said. “Every day is
j some special prohibition day, now out
j side, there are wheatless days, meat
less days, and in California ice ci*eam
less days, and these days are strictly
enforced by the government and any
one caught selling these items on the
forbidden days are dealt with severe
ly, and that’s what has to happen to
Ketchikan, it’s got to be systema
tized.”
; _ _
^transportation rroniem.
Continuing on the same line, Mr.
King said:
“Transportation will be one matter
| against us, in the north, as it has been
a great difficulty in the states. The
government has been classifying all
commodities and those for the gov
ernment and the soldiers take first
place with the necessities after.
1 Troops are now taking up most of the
: rolling stock, but nevertheless, we
must make as many sacrifices as are
necessary. It is not the policy of the
government to force matters but deal
ers are notified as to the line of ac
tion they are expected to follow, in
default of which their licenses are
promptly cancelled, after due warn
ing, of course.”
In Regard to Canneries.
Asked about the policy of the gov
i ernment in regard to canneries, Mr.
■ King denied the report that the gov
ernment intended to take over the
canneries and operate them for the
government, as was being done in the
case of the steamers.
“This is exactly what the canner
ies would like to have the government
! do, as the present method of taxation
is so exorbitant that it is almost pro
j hibitive for small concerns and very
hard for even larger companies to
do business. All the government will
| do in this matter will be to make a
price schedule for the buying and
selling of fish, it is believed by the
I cannerymen of Alaska,” Mr. King
added.
LATEST IX TORPEDOES.
! A torpedo with a corkscrew course
lias been observed. If it misses the
port side it turns and strikes the star
board; sometimes on missing there it
i even turns again, striking the port
side, 'ihc ship’s officer unaccounta
1 blv omitted to add that after the ex
plosion the fragments reunite and re
turn to the submarine as a complete
missile ready to be fired anew.—New
York Sun.
MANEUVERS IN JAPAN.
Meet Modern Conditions.
TOKIO, Jan. 14.—The annual army
maneuvers this season differed from
those of preceding years in two re
j spects. First, there was some at
j tempt at air fighting, although only a
: few machines were used the work was
| sharply done and for the first time in
Japan. The other departure was the
adoption of German tactics for the
concentration of troops by railways.
The attacking arm, too, was larger
than the army of defense, and this
was an unusual feature. The emperor
in his address to the troops pointed
out the necessity for new tactics to
meet changed conditions in Europe.