AND KNIK NEWS
VOL. 1
Anchorage, Alaska, Saturday, July 31, 1915
NO. 9
Drilling Tests Under Way
Prove Easy Material for
the Harbor Improvements
Drill tests to determine the
character of the material to be
handled in making contemplated
harbor improvements are pro
gressing with highly satisfactory
results. The formation encoun
tered in a number of holes sunk
to a depth of nearly 150 feet is
silt, sands and stratas of loose
gravel. No better material could
be desired and Commissioner
Mears expresses his satisfaction
at the results obtained. The tests
will be continued until the entire
area to be dredged has been given
a test so that an intelligent idea
may be gained as to the work in
view. An effort will be made to
obtain one of the dredgers from
the Pcnam ■ Ccinal wo k, failing
in which the harbor improvement
will be let out on contract to pri
vate parties.
A temporary dock is being
built along Ship creek for the re
ception of vast quantities of rail
way material due to arrive here
early in August. The shipments
will include locomotives, cars,
steam shovels, another crane, etc.,
now enroute from the canal zone,
a switch engine from the east,
steel rails, lumber, supplies, etc.
In all, the shipments will aggre
gate some 25,000 tons. To fa
cilitate the handling of this vast
amount of freight, a temporary
track will be laid to the new
wharf being constructed.
Due to the necessity for largely
increased yardage facilities, no
tice was issued this week to all
private parties to move from the
tent city not later than August
16. In some cases, to accommo
date spurs now being construct
ed, business places or residences
in the way of the work have been
or will be obliged to move with
out extended notice.
RAILWAY WORK
Within six days, in the opinion
of General Supt. O’Reilly, the
grade will be completed to Camp
No. 1, or to mile four, ready for
the steel. Early in October rails
will be laid as far as Eagle river.
By the end of the season, the
steel will be laid to the Matanu
ska river, a distance of thirty
miles. Bridges necessary to be
constructed will be completed be
fore that time, according to the
present progress. All the ma
terial for this portion of the
work has been contracted for.
Due to the scarcity of availa
ble timber along the line of the
work now under construction, a
big tie camp has been established
on Turnagain arm, where quite a
force of men is employed.
The installation of a tempora
ry water system for the new
town is progressing under the
auspices of the Commission. Wa
ter will be taken from springs at
the base of the hill on the south
side of Ship creek, pumped into
a receiving tank erected on C
street, between Fourth and Fifth
avenues, and from thence a pipe
line will extend along the alley
between Fourth and Fifth ave
nues as far as K street. Stand
pipes are being installed at each
cross street.
Wprk on the installation of a
telephone service to connect with
the Sewrard line, completed as far
as Kern creek, is well in hand,
under the capable direction of L.
G. Jackson. Within three weeks
as it now appears, the line will
be completed and through com
munication established.
NEW CONTRACTS
The following rail road contracts
were let during the past week:
C. E. Herron & Co., 600 posts.
Eagle river landing.
C. E. Herron & Co., 25,000
ties. Eagle river landing.
J. Plowman, station 87x4 to
51x50. Grading.
Morgan & Co., grubbing fede
ral block, Anchorage townsite.
C. Hagnell & Co., station 4820
to 4830. Grading.
G. Gianinm & Co., station 4830
to 4870. Grading.
JohnPecaric& Co., grubbing
Secretary Lane
to Visit Anchorage
at an Early Date
Secretary of the Interior Lane
will visit Anchorage in August,
according to reliable information
received by the Pioneer. The Sec
retary is desirous of taking a
a look at the government railway
project,starting from this point,
in which he takes such a deep in
terest. It is up to Anchorage
to give the secretary a big recep
tion.
school reserve, Anchorage town
site.
Louis Bican & Co., grubbing
municipal block, Anchorage town
| site.
Axel Hendrickson & Co., sta
tion 4870 to 4895. Grading.
A. S. Allen & Co., clearing and
grubbing, fire bre^y>;'JGo
sion’s residence district.
Frank Moquist & Co., station
4990 to 5006. Grading.
Ed Anderson & Co., station
4499x50 to 4530. Grading.
O. Sundberg & Co., station
4972x80 to 4990. Grading.
Harlow & Co., station 5010x50
to 5023x50.
NEW TOWN SPRINGS UP
Matanuska Landing, July 28. —
The commission is building a large
log structure at this point. At
Matanuska station, nearby, there
is quite a thriving community.
We have three stores, four res
taurants, five lodging houses, two
cigar stores, one barbershop, etc.
Three boats arrived last night.
The Tyconda brought 30 passeng
gers and 24 tons of freight; the
Beluga ten passengers and freight
and the Wilhelmina 10 passeng
ers and freight.
An urgent need here is a post
office. A petition has been circu
lated, containing some 60 names,
and will be presented to Commis
sioner Mears by Captain Mangon
of the Tyconda.
Notice to All Masons
There will be a special meeting
of the Anchorage Masonic club
on Sunday evening at Lasky’s
tailor shop, opposite the whole
sale house at 8:30. Every Mas
ter Mason should be present
as this meeting is of importance.
Tex Jones, Secretary.
Judge Brown s
Decision in the
T. H. Jeter Case
The following is the opinion, in
part, delivered by Federal Judge
Brown in the Jeter case. An ap
peal was taken and 60 days’ time
given the defendant to perfect it:
The Chugach Forest Reserve,
covering the land in controversy
in this case, was created the 23d
day of Feb., 1909. On May 8,
1010, defendant Jeter, according
to his own testimony, first went
upon this land. On Oct. 20, 1910,
he put up a small cabin, since
which time he claims to have re
sided upon the land, leaving at
intervals to earn money to enable
him to continue to live thereon.
He also claims to have done some
clearing and cultivated a small
area of the land, and that the
value of all improvements placed
by him on said premises is $1000.
He testifies that he had inter
views at different times with
as'3n ‘--i111)t Interior Do
partment and the Forestry Serv
ice and that he applied to the
District Forester to locate said
land asahomestead; thatinMay.
1913, he applied to the U. S. Land
Office at Juneau to file upon said
tract as a homestead, but was in
formed that the same had not
been listed or platted or elimin
ated from said forest reserve and
they could not accept any filing
thereon. He claims that some of
the agents of the Land Depart
ment with whom he talked here
in Alaska assured them of their
willingness to see him acquire
said land as a homestead; one of
them, afte- investigation, saying
that he “now passed him up to
the Secretary of the Interior.”
The situation is clearly set
forth in the letter from the Dist
rict Forester to defendant’s attor
ney, dated Nov. 12, 1914. as fol
lows:
“I have carefully examined the
additional report and map trans
mitted in this case and find no
thing in the statement of facts
which will now justify listing the
tract sought by Mr. Jeter.
“It appears that Mr. Jeter set
tled thereon without due auth
ority and subsequent to creation
of the National Forest. Such set
tlement created no valid claim.
His continued occupancy and im
provement of the land illegally
appropriated conveyed no valid
right therein, even though such
occupancy and improvement were
condoned by the forest officer in
consideration of the possibility of
its being listed to Mr. Jeter under
Continued on page 5