Vol. 9.
Weekly: Rampart, Alaska, Saturday, December 23, 1905.
No. 26
Nor’west Passage
- - >' •' 4 ;■ .' r >• ■
Found by Swede
From the Fairbanks Sunday Times
DAWSON, Dec. 9.—The Northwest
Passage from the Atlantic to the Paci
fic, sought for years by explorers of all
nations, has at last been found.
Capt. Roald _ Amundsen, who made
the passage, left Christiana June 17,
1903, under the patronage of King Os
car and several geographical societies.
His purpose was to locate the magnetic
pole and seek a water passage around
the northern part of the American con
tinent.
On December 5th Amundsen, in com
pany with Capt, Moggs, of the whaler
Bonanza, arrived at Eagle after a long
weary mush overland from Hershel
Island. The two men lived on the
"me thev were able to kill while en
%0
te, of which they found plenty.
Amundsen’s feat in making the wat
er trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific
places him ip the list of the world’s
greatest Arctic explorers. The route
has been searched for since the days of
Columbus and was, in fact, the very
thing of which he was in search when
he discovered America. Millions of
dollars and many lives have been lost
in the effort to discover this passage.
Amundsen also located the magnetic
pole near where Ross had discovered it
many years ago. He camped there for
two years making observations, which,
he says, will be of great value to
science., He also declares that the true
pole is not over ninety miles from where
he located. His crew of seven men is
r■* at Hershel Island. Amundsen is
\ ^ proud of the crew and says that
they are the best men that could possi
bly be had.
Amundsen expects to return to his
crew by land and finish his journey on
his ship, coming out by way of the
Behring Sea.
Shortest Day in Year
—~—., _- *. . >
By Bentley Colinette
i
t
i
The winter soltice of 1905 occurred at
11:59 a m on the 21st inst. the time
when the earth was nearest the sun
was 40 minutes later. This marked the
period of the shortest daylight in these
Northern latitudes and the longest day
in the Southern hemisphere.
The winter soltice, and the perihelion
or the time the earth is nearest to the
sun, were simultaneous in the year A.
D. 1250, but since then there has been
a gradual separation, the period is now
10 degrees. This degree of separation
will slowly increase, until in a period
estimated at 10,425 years the circle will
be completed and the present conditions
be reversed.
This change, thought it wil^ occur at
a far distant time, would lead us to be
lieve that Alaska is destined to again
experience another glacial period, or,
tha} the transference of Antarctic con
ditions to our present north, might de
stroy the balance of the terrestrial dis
tribution of water areas, and Alaska
be submerged. ,
Either condition is possible, and it
might appear the dictates of wisdom to
leave its consideration to future ages,
when it will in all probability be taken
up with better means of information
than we how possess.
Witte Calls For Help
ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 4.-Witte
is appealing to the zemstovists to come
to his rescue, and of the government
authority in the crisis. They make no
effective response.
City of Moscow Burning
MOSCOW, Dec. 3.—Incendiary fires
have been raging for three days. The
burned area is very extensive and the
fire still rages. Hundreds of buildings
have been destroyed.
• Miners' meeting: What Cheer Bar!!!
From the Fairbanks News.
SEATTLE, Dec. 6.—Secret service
men have been taxing advantage of the
full possession of the property of Geo.
Adams', late cashier of the Seattle as
say office. They have; been exploring
every part of the grounds of the hand
some residence of Adams, and with re
sults that have literally astonished the
natives of Seattle. Under three tons
of coal in the basement of ther'house a
strong box was found which, upon be
ing broken open, was found to contain
gold dust to the value of $10,000.
Under the floor of the garage, where
was stored the handsome and* costly au
tomobile of the embezzler, was found
another strong box containing another
$10,000. In the house was found elab
orate paraphernalia for the execution
of this thief’s plans. Every day brings
forth some revelation of this scheme of
thievery that adds to the amazement of
the people, and especially to the friends '
of Adams, who. in spite of the splen
dor of his style of living, seems to have
been wholly above suspicion. Friends
speaK of his air of dignity and reserve
and confidence as the very personifica
tion of a man of probity. Now that the
real condition has been revealed these
friends wonder the more that they were
deceived, seeing that the man’s expen
ses so greatly outran his income, tho
of course he accounted for that in var
ious apparently legitimate ways. The
sum embezzled is now said to exceed
$2b0,000.
Mail Arrives Both Ways
Mail carrier Palm arrived with mai
from lower river points and Fairbanks
this forenoon. The outside mail in
charge of Carrier Shultz arrived this
afternoon. Mail will leave both ways
tomorrow morning.