THE ANCHORAGE WEEKLY TIMES
ANCHORAGE PUBLISHI NG CO., PUBLISHERS.
CHAS. E. HERRON.
President
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DEVELOP THE COAL FIELDS.
Since the government has* withdrawn the Alaska coal
fields from the public domain, thus denying private individu
als the right of location, it is squarely up to it to take the in
itiative in the speedy development ot the coal measures, to tin
end that a determination may he made as to the commercial
importance of these various coal-hearing areas ot the teiii
tory. Of particular interest to Anchorage is the speedy open
ing to development of the Matanuska coal fields. Ot couise.
we all know that private capital may secure leases in certain
prescribed areas in the Alaska coed fields, hut that it is quite
different from location and entry and private ownership. It
is true that some development work is in progress in the Mat
anuska fields, under the auspices ot the Alaskan Fngineeiing
commission, to supply its fuel needs. Hut necessarily such de
velopment is limited in character. \\ hat is needed is com pi e
hensive development of this great coni hearing area. A half
dozen drills should he set at work, determining the extent, tin*
geological condition and gaining other important data with
respect to tin* coal measures.
Those of us who have followed the progress of things in
Alaska know that the government, by* presidential executive
order, in lfiOfi, withdrew ad of the known coal fields of the
territorv from the public domain, thereby effectually barring
private development. Foal claims that had been located prioi
to tht* issuance of this executive order were cancelled by the
wholesale. Indeed, we believe that in but two or three cases only
have any of the original locators been granted patent. Had this
withdrawal order not been issued, the Matanuska coal fields
would have long since been shipping its fuel product to the
waiting outside markets.
Since the government is directly' responsible for the delay
in the development of this important field, it is not too much
to insist that they now get a move on, especially' when tin*
Pacific coast states are in sore need of the product. It is un
necessarv at this time to discuss the question ot government
ownership of these coal fields. The fact is, that the govern
ment has taken over these fields, and such a policy pre-sup
poses that it intends to take the initiative in their develop
ment.
Let us take a look into tin* past history7 ot the Matanuska
coal fields. In the year 1904, A. (’. Frost, a financier of Chi
cago, gained control of the Alaska Central Railroad company,
which had started the present railway line leading out of Sew
ard, and which has now been taken over by the government.
Before Frost would agree to put any money into the railroad
scheme, he sent a coal expert from Pennsylvania to examine
the Matanuska coal fields, which had been discovered two years
previously. The coal expert made a favorable report, declar
ing that the surface indications pointed to large and important
coal measures. Acting through Frank Watson, a well known
Spokane mining man. Frost acquired by* purchase and by loca
tion some sixty coal claims in what is called the Chickaloon dis
trict.
After spending about throe million dollars in construction
work on the Alaska Central railroad, and about $7b,000 in the
Chickaloon. doing development, building roads and trails, etc..
Frost ran short of funds. After diligent effort, a pool was
formed by American, Canadian, Holland, French and British
bankers, the respective banks to put in a million dollars apiece
to raise the necessary money* to complete the railway line, then
in operation as far as Kern (-reek, to the Chickaloon coal dis
trict. Before the foreign bankers would put up the coin, they
had to have another coal (‘Xpert’s report, and a Mr. Van Css.
a Holland coal mining engineer, was sent up to take a look.
He visited the fields in the year 11M>A. His report was as opti
mistic as was the Pennsylvania expert's report. Before the
Frost people got their hands on flu* money, which was tenta
tively raised by the pool, Ilarriman made his famous raid on
Northern Pacific railway stocks and a money' panic followed.
Instead of investing funds in new enterprises bankers began to
draw in their money*, so chaotic wore financial conditions. A
considerable time elapsed before the financial equilibrium was
restored, and by that time, tin* foreign bankers lost all interest
in the Matanuska coal fields.
Being out of funds, the Alaska Central Railroad company
soon drifted into a receivership, and after a year of litigation,
emerged under the name of the Alaska Northern Railway com
pany, with C. <b Labareo as the active head. Labaree made an
effort to interest capital in the completion of the line to the
coal fields. A British coal mining engineer came out from
London, representing big British interests, to make an inspec
tion of these fields. lie also made a highly* favorable report.
But by that time, the presidential order withdrawing all the
coal fields in Alaska from entry and location was effective.
Labaree lingered about, in the hope that tin* congress would
enact legislation reopening the fields, but to no purpose. The
Frost coal claims had been cancelled by* the government, on the
assumption that they had been located, for the most part, by
what are termed “dummy” entrymen, and in course of time
they* automatically* reverted back to the government.
We are all familiar with the present coal leasing law,
passed a year ago last winter.
What we wish to emphasize by a brief recital of the his
tory* of these coal fields, is the fact that three capable, experi
enced coal mining engineers, representing three different
groups of capital at three different intervals of time made sub
stantially the same report, namely, that the coal fields, as
shown by the surface indications, give high hope of developing
into important producing coal mines. These three engineers
advised their respective interests to expend millions of dollars
in the completion of the railway line to the fields, on the the
ory tiiat a good quality of coal was there in commercial quan
tities.
The fact that the American soldier in France is usually
called “Buddy” rather than “Sammy” or “Annex,” the
names that writers have tried to fasten on him, causes one to
recall that nicknames are usually spontaneous rather than
coined. And why not “Buddy”? It means brother, and that
is the office of Americans with their allies. We are their
brothers.—E xcli a n ge.
If the oft-predicted hard times should follow that read
justment that will take place after the war Juneau will find
herself very fortunate in the circumstance that she has a flock
of big gold mines at her front door! And those who stay with
Juneau now will be on the ground floor when that time comes.
—Empire.
The Swiss newspaper that claims to have discovered that
the kaiser is the victim of hallucinations has a queer idea of
news.—Pittsburg Gazette Times.
TIMES’ SEATTLE CORRESPOND
ENT SENDS BUDGET OF NEWS
CONCERN ING A L ASK AN S.
GAFFNEY HAS A WINNER
Invents War-Like Deck of Cards That
Will Largely Supplant Those in
Present Use—Some Alaska Boys
Having Hard Time Entering Serv
ice of United States.
SEATTLE, Wash., May 24.—(Spe
cial Correspondence of The Times) —
A1 Shyman, of the Bolte Hardware
Company at Anchorage, will join the
ordnance department of the United
States army. The company to which
he has been assigned will be muster
ed in May 29. At present, he is a
guest at the Frye hotel.
Walter Stoeser and Y’oung Taylor
of Anchorage are not meeting with
much encouragement in joining the
army. Being within the draft age,
they are finding it much more diffi
cult than they supposed to be break
ing into the war game.
Billie Leake, for many years a
prominent mining man of the north
land, is in the big money in the oil
game at Kemmerer, Wyoming.
The concrete ship Faith, making
her maiden voyage from San Fran
cisco will arrive with a cargo of salt
from San Francisco Saturday. All
the natives here and steamship men
particularly are anxious to see the
new craft.
Old Cy Youn, of the pitching staff
of the Seattle team, pitched a ‘‘no
hit” game and won by a score of 3
to 0 at Portland last Sunday. Cy is
giving a good account of himself.
J. C. Tolman. the old boy who took
some of our Anchorage coin in the
Anchorage-Seward baseball games
last season, is in town, on his way
north. J. C. spent the winter at Hon
olulu. His son Crit is an instructor
in the aviation service at San Diego, I
while his son Chet is attending an
aviation school at the same place.
Both will go to France in the near fu
ture.
Jimmie Gaffney, who spent last
summer in Anchorage, has departed
for Washington, in connection with
his latest patent, which promises to be
a winner. Jim says the days have
gone by for kings, queens and jacks,
and has gotten out a new deck of
cards with an American swattie pri
vate soldier as his king, a beautiful
Red Cross nurse as the queen and a
jolly tar boy with his middie and
white cap as the jack. The back of
the cards, instead of being covered
with bicycles, are done in big guns,
planes, and a dandy likeness of the
fighting tanks. Seattle money is in
the venture. Everyone who has seen
his cards predicts a huge sale.
John DeBuhr, who was one of the
trail blazers in the early development
of the Seward peninsula, arrived here
yesterday. John has been in South
America on a prospecting trip and is
more recently from Arizona oil fields.
He has heard the call of the north
and will sail for Nome on the S. S.
Victoria. He will go to the Imma-^
chuk, where he still holds a valuable
property.
Ernest Schumaker, a prosperous
mining operator of Candle, Alaska,
was found dead in his cabin on Can
dle creek, March 24 last. Although
Ernie apparently had everything to
live for, he hung himself, leaving a
letter saying any man that had lived
54 years and who had not been a
greater success than he, should be
dead. He appointed Elmer Rydeen,
better known as “Slim” Rydeen, as
his administrator. Schumaker had
for many years operated in the Can
dle creek section; had many friends
through the north and in Seattle, and
is known to have a substantial bal
ance in the Scandinavian-American
Bank of this city.
Mrs. Vincent Browne, mother of
Mrs. Gustav Seiffert, died here May
1(5, at the home of her son A. G.
Browne, after a lingering illness.
George Irving, attorney of Juneau,
and the first mayor of Ketchikan,
some power in that section in repub
lican politics, is in the city. He has
been drilling for oil at Kemmerer,
Wyoming, for the past five months.
Kemmerer fields are shallow. Wells
at from 350 to 550 feet have been lo
cated. This section is a live camp.
Among the many old-timers from
Alaska who are now at Moclips,
Wvoming, a new oil town, are Fred
Daniels, formerly of Nome. Fred has
opened an up-to-date restaurant and
is enjoying a fine business.
Charles Dankert, of Keewalik,
Alaska, who has for many years con
ducted a lighterage plant at that
place, and who spent the entire win
ter at Rochester, Minn., where his
wife has been a patient at the Mayo
Bros, hospital, is in the city, waiting
for a sailing date north. Mrs. Dank
ert is convalescing and will spend the
summer in Southern California.
Capt. I.athrop is still here buying
supplies for his new theatre at Cor
dova. He expects to sail north June 1.
Jimmie O’Reilly has just returned
from his farm in the Walla Walla
valley and is attending to business
here.
Iver Johnson, of the Candle Creek
Dredging company, arrived in the
city last night, preparing to leave
for the north.
Dutch Ferbert, many years in the
Nome section and who has been oper
ating in Cripple Creek, Colo., with
some success, is in Seattle.
Shorty Seibert, who ran a road
house at Mile 10 on the Willow creek
wagon road, was mustered into serv
ice, quartermaster’s department. May
10, and left last night for Camp Jo
sephine, Yukon Florida.
John Reichart has met with all
kinds of obstacles, but has a line-up
and expects to be inducted into the
service with the 316th Ammunition
Train, Company D.
Tom Parker was in town yesterday.
He is employed at the navy yard as
an engine erector. Tom was engineer
on the Clymax.
Andy Taylor, formerly of the Cache
Creek Dredging company, is employ
ed as hoisting engineer for the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad.
John Ormbreck, of Cache creek
game, is doing his bit riveting ship
for Uncle Sam at the Seattle Con
struction plant.
Curley Lovell and his brother De
Loss Lovell, who have spent most of
their lives north mining, have decided
to extract a living from the soil and
have taken to farming, having pur
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BANK
WITH
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| chased a big ranch at Toppenish, Wn.
| Wheat will be the major part of the
J crop.
George McAdams and wife sail on
| the Alaska. Mr. McAdams, one of
j the best-informed and practical min
ing men who ever operated in Alaska,
! will be connected with the Willow
Creek Development company this
I summer.
Tommy McLaughlin, who had the
! only exclusive shoe store in Anchor
age, is doing service with the sec
ond Com. Field Artillery, Camp Fre
mont, California.
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT
IS CALLED TO REST
(Continued from page 1)
1888 and later labored industriously
for Benjamin Harrison’s nomination.
It has been stated many times that
Mr. Fairbanks did more tt> commit the
republican party in Indiana to the
gold standard in 1806 than any other
man and that he wrote the money
plank in the national platform adopted
at the St. Louis convention, over
which he presided as temporary chair
man. When William McKinley was
nominated for the presidency Mr.
Fairbanks toured the country in his
interests.
In January 1897 Mr. Fairbanks was
elected to the United States senate.
He took his seat on March 4 the day
on which McKinley became president.
He became a close adviser of the
president in the trying times before
and during the Spanish-American
War.
Among Mr. Fairbanks’ greatest
services to his country were those per
formed while he was a member of
the United States and British joint
commission, which dealt with the
American boundary, lake fishing and
other questions.
Mr. Fairbanks was recognized as
one of the national leaders of the re
publican party and as such was made
chairmen of the committee on resolu
tions at the Philadelphia national con
vention in 1900. He resigned from the
senate March 4, 1905, having been
elected vice-president on the republi
can ticket with Theodore Roosevelt.
While he was vice-president, Mr.
Fairbanks, ini 1908, became a candi
date for the nomination for president.
He was defeated by Wm. H. Taft and
after his term as vice-president ended,
he went back to the practice of law.
DOLLARS
AND
SENSE
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YOU MAY apply this combination
in many ways. In this instance
let it mean the application of
SENSE, as you use it to spend your
DOLLARS to improve your HEALTH
There is spent annually in this
city (as everywhere else) for useless
and worthless drugs, medicines, drug
store knick-knacks, a sum of money
so great in comparison to other neces
sities of living, that the amount were
I to mention it, would seem unbeliev
able.
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Do a little figuring for yourself. Add to this amount the money
spent for bad or indifferent treatment and medical services for which
the public has absolutely no returns and you have a sum in six figures
of which by far the greater per cent was spent by people who could
least afford it.
All of which constitutes an important factor in the High Cost of
Living, or the Cost of High Living (whichever you prefer). ..TO BE
BRIEF,—If your health requires attention, give it the best. You
stand a better chance to get what you want with the least injury to
your purse, because you are not paying for experiments. Experi
ments are costly and often lead nowhere. A Dollar spent here and
there does not seem much at the time, but when the year is up, you
will have contributed your share to the six figures.
A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT.
I treat but a few ailments. These I understand. The treatment
for these has a value. And you will know exactly what that value
is before you begin. There is no guess work about that, nor what
the result of the treatment will be. You may be sure of a cure if I
do so promise.
I WANT YOUR BUSINESS; YOU WANT MY HELP.
Proper attention and persistent treatment will cure. If you have
met with failure in previous treatments elsewhere, you're the man or
woman I want to meet. My time and practice are devoted entirely to
the treatment of SPECIAL ..AILMENTS OF MEN AND WOMEN,
CONTRACTED and CHRONIC DISEASES, BLADDER AND KID
NEY COMPLICATIONS, BLOOD POISON and SKIN DISORDERS.
I make it mv VERY SPECIAL BUSINESS TO BUILD UP MEN
WHO ARE NOT UP TO THE MARK PHYSICALLY*.
DR. A. W. Lueders
SPECIALIST
HOURS 11 A. M.-8 P. M.; SUNDAYS TILL 7 P. M.
626 4th Ave., Opp. T. and T. Office. Anchorage, Alaska