AND ALASKA LABOR NEWS
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VOL. 1. NO. 41
ANCHOKAOE, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12. 1!)17.
PRICE TEN CENTS
CHANNEL IS CUT BY WILD WATERS THROUGH CEN
TER OF CITY AND DYNAMITE IS USED IN EFFORT
TO DEFLECT COURSE OF DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENT
—IMMENSE DAMAGE OCCASIONED TO BUSINESS
AND RESIDENCE PROPERTY.
Si'tt ARD, Alaska, St*j>t. 11.—Seward is experiencin'!; the
most destructive storm in her history. Lowell creek is on a
rampage and is sweeping everything in its wake. The city’s
light, telephone and water systems are all out of commission.
Heavy rains, accompanied by a strong wind, caused a flood
in the residence and business house districts. It is impossi
ble to estimate the damage. Railroad tracks and bridges have
been washed out. cutting the city in half. Blasting with dyna
mite was resorted to in order to divert the course of the stream
from the main part of the city.
Hundreds of people have been forced to move out of their j
homes and many families escaped none too soon.
Started Last Thursday.
The stony started with a light rain Thursday of last i
week and became heavier until Sunday noon when a terrific
wind struck the city, driving the water into homes and busi
ness houses. The rain pelted against windows and window
casings and gained admittance until floors were covered with
from two inches to as much as six inches with water. The
glacier stream running through the city which ordinarily is
but a very small stream grew in size until it became a raging
torrent, carrying trees, houses, bridges, in fact everything in
its path.
Schoth House Floats Away.
Last evening the school house was brought down the
stream and lodged against the Jefferson street bridge. Two
hours later the handsome edifice of the community Christian
church was doomed and the pastor. Rev. Mr. Munro. and fam
ily made hasty preparations to move out everything. At 8
o’clock tub morning it had been undermined by the stream
and toppled over. At b o’clock this .morning the handsome
home of L. (>. Sawyer, .jr., was swept away. Nothing is left of
the house but a few splinters. Most of the household goods,
however, were saved by neighbors.
Innumerable other houses have been destroyed.
❖
❖ DAMAGE DONE TO RAILROAD.
❖ -
The Alaskan Engineering commission today re
ccived the following message from Seward:
^ “All wires down at Glacier stream near Seward.
The trestle at Mile .1 is washed out. The water is very
high at Mile «»4. ('amp ears are in danger. Water is
^ running over the railroad track three feet deep at Miles
K) and 17. A train is marooned between these points.
^ Communication with this train is cut off. The railroad
^ line apparently is all right from Mile .‘>4 to Mile 71.
^ All bridges across Glacier stream at and near Seward
^ are gone, including the railroad bridge. The machine
> shop at Seward is in danger, as the stream is changing
^ its channel rapidly. Several houses at Seward have
^ gone down stream.”
❖
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EXPLOSIVES KILL OFFICER OF
UNITED STATES MEDICAL CORPS
AND SEVENTY-TWO PATIENTS
_
LONDON, Sept. 8.—One officer in the medical corps of
the United States army was killed and another officer and five
privates in the corps were wounded yesterday by bombs that
were dropped from German airplanes on American hospitals
In a French village on the English Clwmnel coast, according to
the correspondent of Reuter's News Service with the British
headquarters in France. The hospitals are. in charge of contin
gents from St. Louis and Harvard university.
Besides the American casualties seventy-two patients of
other nationalties were killed and three of nationalities other
than American were wounded by the German bombs.
Reports from Mount Belland, France, state that German}
aviators have dropped to the ground there poisoned candy ini
paper bags and poisoned chocolate cherries in lead coated pa
pei*s. French officers have issued strict orders forbiddening j
soldiers from eating candy or provisions found on the ground.
Reports from Funter bay indicate a1 AYER, Mass., Sept. 11.—A load of
can shortage, only enough tin being b«ef intended for the soldiers at the
on hand to make about 10,000 cases, ' big army camp here, has been con- j
and the management has received demned by Federal Inspector Palmer. *
enough from other sources to put up i -----
about 25,000 more cases. They have, Victor Florez, a Filipino, was re
already packed 100.000 cases and are cently arrested at Juneau charged
receiving all the fish they can handle.! with selling whisky to an Indian.
POWER LAUNCH LEAVES HERE TO
McDougal, the interior mining town, situated on the banks
of the Yentna river, is under two feet of water, and the river
Is rising rapidly.
The flood is due to an unprecedented amount of rain in the
hills. All the smaller streams emptying into the Yentna, in
cluding the Skwentna. Kahlitna and Lake river, are bank full,
with the waters continuing to increase in volume.
Floods and extremely high water are also reported on the
Susitna rivers and other interior streams. Kroto is inundated
and several small placer camps located along the different
streams have been washed away.
No Report of Loss of Life.
No report of any loss of life as the result of the flood has
reached Ajichorage. Four men are marooned on an island
above McDougal. The launch Clymax, under command of Cap
tain Max Nelson, has left here to rescue the four men and will
aid any other persons needing assistance. It is not thought
that it will be necessary to send out further relief from Anchor
age as the government boats plying on the rivers are expected
to be able to handle the situation unless it becomes much more
serious. However, the government boats here will be kept in
readiness to send out .on a moment’s notice.
The Alaska legislature enacted a
law providing that surveys made on
mining ground, as preparatory work
for perfecting patents might apply as
annual assessment work. Duke E.
Stubbs, who has charge of the Mcll
hennv interests, is said to have re
corded as assessment work on several
claims surveying work, which is de
scribed in detail.
Because of lack of communication
with the district no further details
can be learned, but future develop
ments will be awaited with much in
terest.
The City Council chambers at
Ketchikan nave the distinction of fly
ing one of the largest flags in the
country over their rooms. The flag,
at least twenty feet long, was pres
ented to them by the heirs of the late
Mike Martin.
“The Lumber Industry” tells the
public that the average selling price
of lumber in Tacoma is $13.50 to
$14.50, but it is charging the govern
: ment $15 to $18. The higher price
| to the government is presumably to
| show the “patriotism” of the lumber
I barons. The wonder is that the
gouging gang doesn’t die of enlarge
l ment of heart on account of its love
■ of country.—Evereti Labor Journal.
Ren Ivlegman, who has operated a
clothing store in Juneau, under the
name of th Alaska Clothing Com
pany, has filed papers in voluntary
bankruptcy. Klegman places his
debts at 53783.84 and his assets at
$2366.90. He claims exemption of
31310.
MASS MEETING TO PROMOTE PO
TATO MARKETING CAMPAIGN
TO BE HELD SATURDAY.
In order to create a permanent mar
ket for local potatoes the Chamber of
Commerce will inaugurate a selling
campaign in Anchorage. To this end
and to further arrange the details of
the movement, James E. O’Reilly,
president of the Chamber of Com
merce, has called a public meeting for
8 o’clock Saturday evening at the
Chamber of Commerce.
An invitation has been extended to \
representatives of the Matanuskaj
Farmers’ association to be present.
They have promised to co-operate with
the movement, which will be of mutual
benefit to merchants and farmers.
The movement will not be confined
strictly to potatoes but will include all
home grown products.
UNIFORM MAKERS
TRADE ON LOYALTY
NEW YORK, Sept. 11.—Small chil
dren are being exploited in New
York city under the guise of patriot
ism. Federal investigators of the uni
form industry here are prepared to
make this report to Secretary of War
Newton 1). Raker.
Roys and girls have been forced in
to factories to work long hours for
small pay, under the appeal of ‘alo
your bit,” the report states. It is
charged manufacturers are taking ad
vantage of the high tide of patriotism
to lower the standard of labor in the
manufacture of army and navy uni
forms.
That the special committee of rail
way presidents and managers ap
pointed by President Wilson to ad
vise the administration in regard to
railroad matters during the war
might suggest to congress curtail
ment in the plans for the construc
tion of the Alaska government rail
road, was the statement of Franklin
K. Lane, secretary of the interior, be
fore the house appropriation com
mittee. Secretary Lane, according
to a new dispatch received by the
Daily Times from Washington city,
explained the constantly increasing
cost of labor and supplies might for
the remainder of this year and for
next year, limit construction work to
onnecting Chickaloon with Anchor
age, to laying rails to Talkeetna and
to connecting Seward with Anchor
age, all of which work is on the
coast end of the system; and to con
necting Fairbanks with the Nenana
coal fields on the interior end of the
line. This would leave for future con
sideration main line construction be
tween Talkeetna and Nenana, which
constitutes about one-third of tiie en
tire route of the railway project.
Completed to Chickaloon
The road between Anchorage and
Chickaloon is practically completed,
the end of steel being only about a
mile from Chickaloon. Completion of
work to Chickaloon makes accessible
the coal of the Matanuska fields.
The grading of the route to Tal
keetna has been virtually completed.
The rails are here for this part of
the line and the work of laying them,
weather permitting, may be accom
plished this fall. When Talkeetna
shall have been connected with An
chorage, the Cache creek, the Kash
; witna and other gold mining districts
and the Talkeetna copper district will
have easy transportation to tidewatei
here.
Anchorage and Seward Gap
Closing the gap between Anchor
i age and Seward cannot be accomp
j lished before the end of next season,
and with the original plan for the
hastening of this work, as with the
Anchorage-Chickaloon, the Anchor
Taikeetna and the Nenana-Fairbanks
connections, the special committee of
railway officials, according to Sec
retary Lane, would recommend no
change.
The text of the news dispatch from
Washington follows:
“On account of the rapidly rising
costs of labor and material, the gov
eminent may be compelled either tc
curtail work on the Alaska railroad
or increase the estimate of its cost
which was originally figured at $05.
000,000, declared Secretary Lane be
fore the house appropriation com
l iitte. The secretary said that i
special committee was now investi
gating the subject and that it wouJc
i prepare a report for submission t<
congress He stated that it might
come down to a business question
vhether it was advisable, with the
high cost of labor, rails and other
supplies, to push the railroad through
he Susitna valley immediately or
nerely to connect the Matanuska
valley with Anchorage and Seward
and to connect the Nenana field with
airbanks so coal would be available
cor the Fairbanks mining district.
Railroad construction, the secretary
>aid, is now costing 22 per cent in ex
cess of the original estimate.”
Harbor Work Begins at Once
In order to afford easy transfer
facilities from cars to ships for
Matanuska coal, which will be
brought here over the Chickaloon ex
tension, now completed, and for the
ore from the gold and copper mining
districts, which will be conveyed
here over the Talkeetna extension, to
e completed next fall, work on har
>or improvements will be prosecuted
without delay. ,
Harbor work, said Captain Fred
erick K. Mears, commissioner in
charge of the Anchorage division of
the Alaskan Engineering commis
sion, will be taken up vigorously Sep
ember 20. The big dredge, he de
clared is here now, and the news
story the other day to the effect
that the machine was in Seattle
and that it would be shipped on
:he next northbound voyage of the
rmy transport Crook was incorrect.
j There are in Seattle only some ac
cessory parts for the dredge and
j these will be brought on the next trip
, of the Crook, but they ur■? "ot es
j sential to the ordinary operation of
j the machine and it will b? ready for
work on the twentieth.
Not Effected fw Long Time
Any recommendation by the special
committee will not affect the govern
ment’s railway project here for an
other year or eighteen months at
This fall, the Chicfcaloon extension
will be in operation and by next sea
j son at the latest steel will be laid on
the grade to Talkeetna and connection
will be made with Seward.
The special committee’s report, ac
cording to Mr. Edes, is likely to deal
with only those plans that involve
construction between Talkeetna and
Nenana.
Essential as War Policy
i Actual prosecution of this work
was scarcely contemplated next year,
: although when Assistant Secretary of
the Interior Herbert A. Meyer was
here early in August he and the gov
ernment officials with him, concluded
that completion of the entire system
at the earliest possible date was es
sential as a war policy.
As Mr. Myer’s opinion is the re
sult of personal, first hand investiga
tion on the ground, it is cretain to
carry weight with the national law
makers.
COMMERCIAL WORK AND NIGHT
CLASSES WILL BE INSTITUT
ED HERE IMMEDIATELY.
Following the sunnier vacation,
classes were resumed this morning in
the Anchorage pub’ c school. About
300 pupils were enrolled today. Of
these about 260 are in the grades and
10 in the high school department.
In addition to the extension of the
high school work to the regular four
year course this year, a commercal
course and a night school will be add
ed immediately to the school work.
In order to arrange for these new
courses some changes have to be made
in the teaching staff so as to provide
against the incurring of monetary ob
ligations that the school board feels
may not be warranted by the treasury.
Another teacher will be employed
for the commercial course and the
night school at $75 a month. The
name of this instructor will be an
nounced in a'few days.
The night school will be held four
nights every week and will be avail
able without charge to any regular
public school pupil and at a moderate
fee to any other pei’son.
The amount of this fee has not yet
been determined. The board hopes
there will be a sufficient attendance of
persons outside regular school pupils
to make the night school pay its own
expenses.
Seventy-five members of the Alaska
Loyal league responded to the call for
drill held on the terminal baseball
grounds last evening between the
hours of 6 and 7 o’clock. These mem
bers are employes of the Alaskan En
gineering commission, although mem
bership is not confined to government
employes, but is open to all other per
son^