ANCHORAGE WEEKLY TIMES
AND COOK INLET PIONEER
COOK INLET PUBLISHING 00.
Aachorage, Alaska.
Charles E. Demin. ‘Publisher.
Harry G. Steel. Editor.
Subscription Rate: |3 Per Year.
Entered in tbe Anchorage Postofflce June 5, 1916, as second class matter
under the Act of of March 3. 1873.
For President—Charles Evans Hughes.
For Delegate to Congress—James Wickersham
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1916.
CONGRESS PASSES RAILROAD APPROPRIATION.
There was a more optimistic feeling among Anchorage
ites after reading in Saturday’s Daily Times that congress had
passed the sundry civil bill, carrying with it an appropriation
of $6,000,000 for continuing construction work on the govern
ment railroad in Alaska. Not that they doubted for a moment
this money would be available for the work now under way
from here, but it is always a source of satisfaction to know that
it is assured and will soon be available.
The Alaskan Engineering commission has been working
on a permanent basis, with over 2,500 men on the payroll and
more will necessarily be employed now that the appropriation
has passed. The commission desires it to be understood that
outside labor is not needed, as there are a sufficient number of
men here to fulfill all the positions, from laborer to clerk, that
will be available .
The house committee on appropriations reduced the $8,
247,000 requested by Secretary Lane for this work, to $6,247,
000, deducting the $2,000,000 of the emergency appropriation
last January. While Senators Chamberlain and Jones, mem
bers of the .-euate committee on appropriations and a number
of good friends of Alaska who are in Washington, ottered their
services to have the original $8,247,000 restored in the bill,
with an excellent prospect of having this amount appropriated,
it was finally decided that it was not advisable to make the
light for it. This was largely because it is too late this year to
do much work from the Fairbanks end of the line, so nearly
all the money can now be used on the coast.
It is believed that provision can be made in the sundry
civil bill, next spring, for sufficient money immediately avail
able to carry on the railroad work for another year from that
date. Next winter there will be a short session, adjourning
March 3, 1017, before which time the sundry civil bill will have
passed, 'l'liis means that the $6,247,000 can practically all be
used on the coast end and before congress adjourns for the in
auguration on March 4 next.
\yhat tins means to Anchorage may not be tully appreci
ated by our residents, but the fact remains that an era of pros
perity is dawning, in which this entire section will be the ben
eficiary, thanks to Secretary Lane and the members of the
Alaskan Engineering commission, whose labors in connection
with thi> work is entitled to the hearty support and co-opera
tion of the people of Anchorage, the terminal of the govern
ment railroad.
SEASON OF STRAW HATS IS NOW HERE.
Strangers in town yesterday might have thought them
selves at Palm Beach, Florida, or some other tropical resort,
judging from the array of straw hats in evidence on the streets.
A more ideal day could not have been desired, and the balmy
sunshine is only a forerunner of the kind of weather Anchor
ageites always enjoy at this season of the year;
And while we speak of summer why not the summer girl
without whom no summer is complete? Nor do they all live
at popular summer resorts, to prove which one only need walk
about on any of these sunny afternoons and evenings. We
have them, dozens of them, pretty and charming girls Of all
description, but all glowing with the perfect health and beau
ty which can only come from long hours in the out doors under
just such blue skies as we have here. When she isn’t hiking
along some of the roads and trails surrounding the city, she
is playing tennis, boating, shopping, calling or dancing. Any
way, she is an active, happy sort of a young lady, this sum
mer girl of ours. Long life to her!
A VERY LAME EXCUSE.
Villa’s lieutenant, Lopez, in prison, gives a purported rea
son for Vilia’s invasion of American territory; that Villa be
lieving Americans would not tight, but that the American gov
ernment was playing one Mexican chief against another to
have them kill each other off, and then take in all Mexico, is
but a sorry subterfuge for a thief who never has any respect
for law “until he feels the halter drawn.” Mexican bandits
have been dragon’s teeth in that distressed country for a hun
dred years. To wait until they all kill each other off would be
an impossible job. Villa delighted in posing as a valiant hero
and patriot, but all the time he was ready to assassinate a sick
woman or little child if necessary in order to steal a horse
without being suspected.
His countrymen were growing very tired of him and he
needed some fresh horses, hence his raid, with accompanying
murders.
The suggestion of The Daily times that our merchants
close their places of business on Sunday afternoon and thus al
low their clerks to enjoy at least a part of this “day of rest”
was adopted by some of our merchants and it is hoped that
the movement will become general. While the restaurants and
drug stores would not necessarily be included among those ex
pected to close, it must be said to the credit of Mr. Reilly that
his cafe was not only closed but that he and his entire force
attended the ball game in a body.
Wild flowers grow in profusion on the hills adjacent to
Anchorage and many people spent yesterday in the woods
gathering them.
Two river excursions, a baseball game and a special trip
over the railroad to the end of steel were among the attrac
tions offered for yesterday, and they all resulted in passing
the day very pleasantly.
Forest fires are getting dangerously close, as was evi
denced by the dense smoke which hung over the town last
TINGA-LING-ALING. “HELLO?”
Instead of a bewildering jangle of eode ringing, the Com
mission offices are experiencing a soothing quietude since the
telephone exchange has been placed in operation. The unex
pected sound of a feminine “Number, please,” in the receivers
is causing a more or less general readjustment of neckties and
vocabularies in the offices around the terminal yards. An
other improvement just being completed is the addition of
another wire to a part of the Matanuska liue which is expect
ed to do away with a'part of the cross-talk, an unavoidable
accompaniment to paralleled grounded telephone wires.
As fast as material and equipment can be had Anchorage
telephone users will be excused from performing some impos
sible stunts. Some folks who have turned the crank of a mag
neto or read an advertisement of a correspondence school elec
trical course, and other electrical engineers, agree that it is
impossible to talk from a grounded wire to a metallic* circuit,
and vice versa, without a repeating coil. Previous to yester
day, though, had anyone had occasion to call up the steamship
offices from Matanuska Landing, for instance, he would have
had a fairly comfortable conversation, sans “central,” sans
repeating coil. Some accommodating office in the yards would
have given the connection with a freakish arrangement of im
provised switches, or perhaps through the medium of a
straightened gem paper clip. Although there ain’t no such
thing, the gab-fest would have been an accomplished fact.
The Commission has sent an experienced man to Seattle to
do everything possible to expedite delivery of the most mod
ern equipment, after receipt of which the system will be rap
idly extended to business and private houses in Anchorage.
Long lines of substantially built poles may now be noticed on
some of the streets and alleys, bare of cross-arms, cable and
wires, ready for this equipment.
Other technically impossible feats are being performed
daily over the Anchorage-Seward line. Contrary to the gen
eral impression, there is but one precariously and temporarily
hung wire of assorted guages and composition between these
two points. A telephone conversation over a single wire cir
cuit one hundred miles long is simply out of the question. The
telegraph and telephone department does not know that, how
ever, so this wire, 12G miles of it, is talked over whenever
there is a hiatus in the record of falling trees, forest fires,
wind storms, snow slides, timber cutting, blasting, and a few
other minor causes for interruption. Besides, a great amount
of public and private telephone correspondence, this one little
lonesome scrapped wire is handling a top-heavy load of offi
cial business and private telegrams, night letters, press and
other matter by telegraph. It is also used by numbers of
construction camps, maintenance men and mail carriers. The
Alaska Northern railway is also using it for train dispatching
between Seward and Mile 52. If a patron should ask an oper
ator to transmit a piece of business while the wire is not
•‘busy,” that employee might be too well-trained to say any
thing; it would be best not to expect him to say what he
thinks.
But there is a halo of hope surrounding the head of the
business-like-looking cross-armed line poking its nose over
the summit beyond Turnagain Arm. That halo will not melt
away like nimbus around the morning sun. Then there will
be phantoms, composites and radios; gadgets, gewgaws and
aimicks.
THE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION.
Everybody is looking forward to the Fourth of July cele
bration as an event that will afford considerable pleasure and
entertainment to the spectators. Anchorage is preparing for
an old-fashioned blowout, which will not only interest the
“kiddies” but the grown-ups as well. In order to pull off
such an event it is both laborious and costly. The contribu
tions have been liberal and there are ample funds to defray
all the expenses, including the prizes to be awarded in the
various contests.
While numerous committees have been appointed, the bulk
of the work has thus far fallen on the general chairman, Ray
C. Larson. As everybody knows, he is is a live wire and al
ways ready and willing to do his part. But the responsibility
should not be shifted to one person, no matter how competent
he may be to perform the work. All should labor to make the
celebration a memorable one, and as there remains but an
other week in which to complete the arrangements for the
Fourth let every member of the committee get busy, and with
those on the side lines boosting, Anchorage will pull off an
affair that will not only be a credit to the city, but make all
of our neighbors feel that they are missing something if they
do not spend next Tuesday with us.
ASSOCIATED PRESS SERVICE.
. Realizing that the best is none too good for the readers
of the Daily Times, arrangements have been completed for the
Associated Press telegraphic news service to begin on July 1,
which is a guarantee that the people of Anchorage will receive
the best, quickest and most accurate press dispatches obtain
able. To be a member of this association is an honor, which
only one other afternoon newspaper in Alaska enjoys, and we
naturally take a pardonable pride in announcing that here
after the Times will be the daily recipient of this superior ser
vice.
The Associated Press is generally recognized as the most
dependable news-gatherer in the United States, with a staff
of correspondents in every important news center in the for
eign countries. The present European war, the greatest in
history, will be reflected in the columns of this paper, as well
as authentic information on the Mexican situation, what is
doing throughout the United States, and in fact all the events
of the world that are worth printing. The flashing of this im
portant news to the farthermost corners of the earth is the
marvelous achievement of the Associated Press.
GARDEN CONTEST A HAPPY THOUGHT.
Through the efforts of the Woman’s Club Anchorage has
the distinction of being the only town in Alaska that is con
ducting a garden contest for the children. The movement is
one which is expected to do much toward the development of
the child and the improvement of the whole community. A
number of prizes have been offered to create an interest and
friendly rivalry in the care of the gardens, which is to be done
entirely by the children.
This novel educational feature could be followed with profit
by all of the towns in the territory. It is pointed out that such
a garden brings living principles home to the children and
enables them to solve for themselves, under the law of neces
sity, some of the most difficult problems which confront the
boys and girls in their every-day school life.
NEWS HAPPENINGS
Wood is reported to be worth from
$20 to $23 per cord in the Iditarod
district.
Trappers report a good season in
the vicinity of the headwaters of the
Nenana.
Deputy Marshal Jack McCormick
at Nulato has resigned to engage in
the mining game.
Bids are being called for the con
struction of 1100 feet of sewer by
the city council of Seward.
J. B, Barnes, former mayor of
Iditarod was married at Visalia,
Cal., to Mrs. A. Muir.
A rousing vaudeville entertain
ment is promised as one of the fea
tures of the Seward Fourth of July
celebration.
Dan Dunlap, the city engineer, and
F. E. Bean have, purchased the Sew
ard Soda Works from Robert Ash
land.
John Tiley was recently brought
to Nome from IJnalakleet on the
charge of obtaining money under
false pretenses.
There are very few idle, men in
and around Long at present.
Haines went wet at the recent
election by a yote of 78 to 27.
The first run of salmon was re
cently reported from Icy straits.
Seward, Cordova and Valdez will
each celebrate the Fourth of July.
.Coal raised f>0 cents per ton in
Valdez, selling at $13 delivered.
H. G Heacock, of Douglas, has
made a miniature stamp mill, ten
inches in height, carved out of ivory,
and it is a perfect working model.
A letter received recently from
Sergeant Zwink, formerly of the
local signal corps staff, states that
he is now at Columbus, N. M.
Cliing Heng, a Solomon Chinaman,
is reported to have frozen to death
in a storm in March, having wan
dered off the trail and perished.
Miners on Klery creek, in the
Kobuk district report the spring
cleanup will be the largest ever pro
duced in that district.
The Tenmile roadhouse near Ruby
has been closed for the season, and
its proprietor, Alex. Nichols, re
turned to town.
Whitehorse acted as host to 500
visitors who gathered there June 3d
to attend the celebration tit' the
king’s birthday.
E. N. Bradshaw, pastor of the
church at Ruby has announced that
he will quit that field and leave for
the outside.
Seward will build a $0,000 addi
tion to her school buildings Her
teachers have already been engaged
for the coming year.
About eighty persons from Doug
las, Treadwell and Juneau attended
the celebration at Whitehorse on the
king’s birthday.
The wets won the recent ejection
at Ketchikan by a clear majority.
Out of a registration of 762 persons,
451 voted for license.
G. L Bliven, general manager of
the Empire Tin Mining Company ol
New York, declared recently that
the only extensive tin deposits in
all th«* United States are located be
tween Cape, Prince of Wales and
Lost river. He expresses the belief
that all the tin used in the United
States will be eventually mined in
the place mentioned.
Residents of the Berney Bay sec
tion of Southern Alaska have sent
in a protest to the postottice depart
ment against the discontinuance of
the Juneau-Skagway mail service,
which leaves that section entirely
without a service.
The Petersburg light plant, re
cently installed by the city, has
more than .paid its way and bids
fair to produce a little revenue for
the city on the side. The plant is
operated by a DeiseJ engine at a
fuel cost of but 7 0 cents a day.
A letter received in Nome states
that Dr. Bauer, who formerly occu
pied the pulpit of a church there,
has discarded the cloth for the more
lucrative business of selling sewing
machines. The field of his labor is
said to be Portland.
A 22-calibre rifle in the hands of
a little native gin at Koyukuk sta
tion seriously wounded a native
known as the “Dummy.” The bul
let entered the buttock and passed
up into the abdominal cavity, punc
. turing the peritoneum.
Harry Sheppard, former deputy
marshal at Iditarod, is in the retail
meat business at Mount Vernon,
Wash., in partnership with Bill
Acheson, former manager of the
Cold Storage Company’s buisness at
Iditarod. They are said to be doing
well.
Hugh McCarthy and C. K. Snow
are reported to be doing consider
able prospecting on their claims on
Fourth of July creek, in the Ruby
district. After bedrocking two pros
pect shafts which they have started
they will commence to take out a
dump.
A man and his wife running a
roadhouse at Happy river had a nar
row escape from death recently
when the boat in which they were
attempting to cross the river cap
sized. They succeeded in reaching
shore, but lost seven fine malamute
pups by drowning.
Word has been received in Cor
dova that Calvin C. Hazelet, eldest
son of George C. Hazelet, will be
married at Omaha on July 17 to
Miss Nancy Dermont, of that city.
They will leave for Cordova tmmedl.
ately after the wedding ard will
make their home there.
The United State* authorities
have issued orders for the removal
of all fish traps from the waters ad
jacent to Annette Island, which have
been reserved for the exclusive use
of the natives of the island.
Jick Buttles, of Dublin gulch,
Dawson, has enlisted in the British
army and is off to the front. He Is
the author of the famous old ballad
whose refrain is “Life along the
Yukon is good enough for me.”
An exchange tells the story of Ed.
.N. Clark, who walked all the way
from Ketchikan, Alaska, to New Or
leans, La. It appears that he was
carrying no business side line, but
was solely bent on “dogging” it.
Ole Hoem, a miner from Dime
creek, died recently while being
brought to Nome for medical treat
ment. He was suffering from some
form of kidney trouble and was un
conscious when he left the camp.
RAILROAD APPROPRIATION
IS FOR $6,225,000
Mayor Moore received the. follow
ing telegram today from Delegate
Wickersham, in answer to a query
as to whether or not the additional
$2,000,000 asked for by the Alaskan
Engineering commission had beeji
tacked on to the railroad appropria
tion in the sundry civl bill:
“Amount appropriated for rail
roads in Alaska was $6,225,000.
Mistake in former telegram.”
WILLOW CREEK CLAIMS
HAVE CHANGED OWNERS
Geo. E. Hallock and wife will
leave for Seattle on the Admiral
Farragut tonight after spending sev
eral weeks in Anchorage. Mr. Hal
lock has disposed of most of his An
chorage real estate but has left his
business in charge of his partner,
Mr. Summy, who will continue to
snap any bargains in city property.
Messrs. Hallock and Summy recent
ly made a deal with Wm. Martin for
a group of claims in the Willow
creek district and in the immediate
neighborhood of the Alaska and
Free Gold and Independence prop
erties and will do development work
this summer.
The new floor in Ifhe Elks’ club
room has been laid and all members
are requested to be present at the
regular weekly meeting tomorrow
night at the club rooms.
■
VALDEZ PHYSICIAN WILL
LOCATE IN ANCHORAGE
Dr. F. M. Boyle will return to
Valdez on the steamer Admiral Far
ragut, after having spent a week or
ten days here. The doctor is so fav
orably impressed with the growth of
Anchorage, its climate, the resources
of the country, and in fact has be
come so wedded to this section that
he will shortly come back to Anchor
age, build himself a home and settle
down to the practice of his profes
sion.
ANCHORAGE PARK
BEING FinED OP
Manager A. Christensen hopes to
be. able to dedicate the south half
of the municipal block as the An
chorage city park, before leaving
the city for Nenana and judging
from the amount of work accom
plished by a large force of men anl
teams within the past few days, his
dreams may come true. The plans
of the administration are to make
City Park blossom like a rose, in
fact a veritable Garden of Eden,
however devoid of apple trees and
their fruit, but full of flowers, roses,
shrubbery and real green grass.
They will also lay out tennis courts
and provide other sources of amuse
ment to make this an atractive spot,
unequaled in Alaska, but in keep
ing with other civic improvements,
under advisement, by the present ef
ficient management.
COURT WILL MEET HERE
AGAIN ON AUGUST 22
The district court has adjourned
until August 22, when a jury terra
will likely be held at Anchorage.
Among the business transacted yes
terday was the granting of an order
for the publication of a summons in
the case of Annie Gleason vs. John
Gleason.
MOOSE CREEK RESIDENTS
WILL BE HERE ON FOURTH
Walter Howard, who has charge
of the commission’s store at Moose
creek, came down last evening and
left for Knik this morning. Mr.
Howard is very much pleased with,
his positon and is loud in his praise
of the work that is being done by
the Alaskan Engineering commis
sion and says while it will be im
possible for himself to attend the
Fourth of July celebration in An
chorage that a large number of the
boys are planning on making the
trip and help Anchorage in the cel
ebration. Hrs. Howard will accom
pany him on his return trip and
spend the balance of the summer at
Moose creek.
The splendid Idea oi co-opwation
between the farmer and business
man has reached Alaska and Mana
ger A. Christensen, of the land and
industrial department of the Alas
kan Engineering commission, has
been working on a concise plan for
some time that is about to be put
into action. The co-operation plan
is being successfully carried out in
many of the states and has worked
to the mutual benefit of the farmer
and business man. This can be done,
here and the meeting of the trus
tees of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce and the committee of the
Matanuska farmers, held last we.ek
in Anchorage, resulted favorably and
a general plan of co-operation was
decided upon at this meeting. How
ever, Manager Christensen plans to
go more into detail and' show the re
sult of earnest attention to the mat
ter and, with the assistance of the
farmer and local business man will
be a great advantage to all parties
concerned.
The slogan of this campaign will
be to use the products “Grown in
Alaska,” and deserves the considera
tion of the. people, mor,e especially
the business man, the prospector
and the mine operator. Mr. Chris
tensen calls upon these people for
assistance and asks them to purchase
the Alaska products in preference to
the. produce of the states, everything
being equal. There is no reason
why this should not be done and no
doubt will meet with the hearty co
operation of the Anchorage business
man and the mining operator.
Mr. Christensen has sent the mer
chants a list of products indigenous
to this climate and soil and desires
to get the average price of what they
are now paying for same together
with an idea of what the local mar
ket will de.mand, together with the
amount that it might be possible to
ship to surrounding towns and min
ing camps. His queries to the
farmer, naturally, go more into de
tail and with the required informa
tion will materially help matters.
He has asked the farmer to set a
price on his products, bearing in
mind that they will have to meet
competitive prices, what crops he
expects to raise and what proportion
he will sell to the merchant and the
probable date of marketing.
With a more thorough knowledge
from the merchant of the probable
market and more definite informa
tion from the farmer as to the
amount of the various products
that can be raised, it will give Mr.
Christensen some definite basis to
work on and will unquestionably be
the successful culmination of his
splendid idea—co-operation between
the farmer of the great Matanuska
valley and surrounding country and
the Anchorage merchant.
JUNEAU, June 27.—There is a
movement on foot to organize a bar
association in this division and en
deavor to secure the appointment of
another judge, owing to the inabil
ity of one judge to keep the docket
clear. It is also alleged that attor
neys disbarred in the states have
been admitted to practice in Alaska,
and this could be corrected by such
an association.
TRAVELING MAN SEES
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR HERE
Gus Gilles, who covers the whole
of Alaska for the National Grocery
company, will leave on the Admiral
Farragut after a very successful vis
it with the Anchorage, merchants.
Mr. Gilles has headquarters at Ju
neau and while he is loyal to his
home town, says that unquestionably
Anchorage shows more activity and
greater development than any city
of his experience, and Gus is a
much-travejed man.
Gus is anything but Gloomy and
with a spirit bubbling over with
enthusiasm and optimism spoke of
the exceptionally bright future in
store for this city and that he would
look forward with pleasure to the
time of hIS next visit, some time in
September.
ARCH GROUP OF CLAIMS
TO BE DEVELOPED
Fred Laubner and William Bar
tholf, who have recently secured
control of the Good^l-Fern property
on Archangel, in the Willow creek
district, are planning on extensive
development work this summer. The
work will be done on the Arch
group, and present indications are
very favorable, and they will prob
ably put on more men as the worl;
advances.
Mr. Laubnex is in Anchorage at
present looking after a delayed
shipment of cattle in connection
with his meat market, which sup
plies the mine operators and pros
pectors in this district.