WEEKLY EDITION
Cnok knlek II innrer
*
AND KNIK NEWS
VOL. 1
- . -------E—- . =
Anchorage, Alaska, Saturday, February 19, 1916
- 1 . ■ ..— —
NO. 33
my aim
OF MUSHERS SAVES
; MAN FROM DEATH
Editor Pioneer:
Through the columns of the Pio
neer I wish to express my gratitude
to three men from Anchorage for
saving my life. I was walking be
tween Anchorage and Seward, and
got as far as Mile 53, just in front
of the big glacier at that point, when
I was caught in a terrible snow
storm. I was so exhausted, by ef
forts to proceed on my way, that I
could barely get one foot in front of
the other. Finally, I sat down and
could not get up again. I went ofT
into a sleep. I don’t know how long
I slept, but when I awoke three men
were carrying and dragging me.
They got me to an old box car that
was used in the early construction
days of the Alaska Central railroad,
'built a Are from varts of an old
wheelbarrow, and then rubbed me
until I was completely restored. My
fingers, toes and ears are badly frost
bitten, but not seriously frozen.
The three men that saved my life
are:
Dr. Yager,
Doc Sheehan and
Archie Donald.
They carried me three or four
miles, breaking trail through eight
inches of snow. They were all
touched a little by the frost, as the
weather was easily 40 degrees below
zero.
So I wish to tnank all three of
Jhese men, as f don’t think one could
ad three men In one bunch as good
these three. Hardship appeared
to be a pleasure to all three of them
W. R. JACKMAN.
FIXE PROGRAM ARRANGED
FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON
The ladies in charge of the public
tea to be given Saturday afternoon,
February 19, at Robarts’ hall, from
2 to 5, promise the public a splendid
program. Some of the best talent
obtainable in Anchorage have prom
ised to help the Parent Teachers As
sociation to raise funds for the chil
dren’s playground. The public is
cordially invited to attend. The la
dies of Anchorage are interested in
the matter, and it is hoped the gen
tlemen are. The small sum of 23
cents will be charged for refresh
ments. Everybody is welcome. The
program Is as follows:
Piano Duet—Mrs. Foster and Miss
White.
Solo—Mrs. H. L. Manning.
Reading—Mrs. Charles Black.
Solo_Mr McBride.
Reading—Mrs. M. White.
Solo—Mrs. A. J. Walters.
Reading—Mrs. Fred Parsons.
Solo—'Mr. C B. Wark.
Solo—Mrs. H. W. Stoughton.
Accompanists—Mrs. P. J. McDon
ald, Mrs. W. Normlle, Mrs M. Fos
ter.
OLD-TIMER ADJUDGED INSANE.
In a hearing before U. S. Commis
„ijioner David this forenoon and be
ware a jury consisting of Robert Mc
Intosh, R. T. Larson, A. Frodenberg,
Tex Jones, Thomas Dwyer and J. A.
Hesse, Edward Timonen, an old
timer in Alaska, was adjudged in
sane. Drs. Kyvig and Stoughton
were the examining physicians.
NEETOP DANCE ON TONIGHT.
The Neetop Dancing Club will give
its bi-monthly dance tonight at Ro
barts' hall, and all members are
urged to attend and participate in
the light fantastic.
INFORMING TALK ON
ARTS AND CRAFTS
OF ALASKA NATIVES
“Arts and Crafts of Alaskan In
i dians” was the subject of an inter
esting and informing talk made by
Mrs. A. M. McDermott, chairman of
the art and literature committee of
the Anchorage Woman’s Club, at
the regular meeting Thursday after
noon. Mrs. McDermott said, in part:
In former days the Alaskan In
dians were divided into two classes,
| those of the coast and those of the
I interior. There are now popularly
recognized the Tlinkits, of the Sitkan
archipelago; the Aleuts, of the Aleu
tian chain of Islands; the Athabas
; cans, of the interior watersheds of
i the Yukon, Kuskokwlm and Copper
rivers, and the Esquimaux, who in
habit the shores of Bering sea and
the Arctic ocean. In addition to the
above, there are the Metlakatlans,
who migrated from British Colum
bia. The Hi-a-das, part of the Queen
Charlotte Indians, may alar be men
tioned.
Taking these groups in the order
in which I have stated them, I think
It of interest to relate some things
about their communities, their active
ities, and other bits of general in
formation which will serve towards
a better understanding of their arts
and crafts.
The Tlinkits of Alaska are but
few. in number. Their homes are
widely scattered, principally amoong
the islands of Sooutheastern Alaska,
though many have gone on the main
land as far north as Yakutat. These
Indians are not closely united, but
intertribal relations are well estab
lished, and the limits of the hunting
grounds of each are well understood
and respected. The locality of their
settlements determines the reference
which is made to thejr branches or
tribal unions. The Stikine. Taku,
Chilkoot, Chilcat and Yakutat tribes
live on the mainland, and until re
cent years controlled the fur trade
with the interior natives. The Sitka,
Kake, Auk and Hoonah tribes have
their homes and hunting grounds
among the islands lying between
tl»e mainland and the Pacific oeoean.
The Tlinkits are not the originators
of totem carvings, but they have
shown an aptitude equal to the Hl
a-das in both execution and inter
pretation of what might be called
the hieroglyphics of this northland
,The erection of many totem poles did
not seem to appeal to them as
strongly as did the matter of totem
designs. These designs appear on
their treasure chests, and are
wrought in articles of every-day use:
they are painted on the Interior and
exterior of houses and are woven
into their basketry. The famous
Chilkat blanket is an example of
what they can invent in the matter
of designing. All of their designs
indicate a high order of artistic un
derstanding and execution. Their
work embraces excellent carvings in
wood, stone, metal, bone and horn,
but the price they get is very low
in comparison with the high char
acter of skill demonstrated and the
time it takes to make these articles.
The family which holds the highest
rank among the southern tribes of
the Tlinkits is that of Chief Shakes
of the Stikines. At Wrangell their
totem work has been the center of
interest for the many tourists who
have visited that place. As a key
to an understanding of the forms
and objects used by them on their
totem poles, the following may be
said: The bear is the most power
ful animal known to these Indians,
and when the Shakes family em
Everything In hardware at the
Matanuska Hardware Company’^.
Real estate bought and sold. An
chorage Realty Company, Fourth
avenue, between C and D.
Cabin for rent, partly furnished.
Sixth arl A streets.
Anchorage Laundry under new
management. All work guaranteed.
Fourth and B east.
To celebrate the new water sys
tem, we are giving big hot baths for
35 cents, at' P. O. Sundberg's Bath
House, on C st„ between 4th and 5th.
An old saying made true: Pies
like mother used to make, at The
Two Girls Waffle House.
Merchants Cafe, next door to the
White House, four doors from Hotel
Crist, and one block from the North
ern. A very good place to eat.
ALASKA FRS GOLD CO. PAYS
GOOD DIVIDEND FROM ROYALTIES
The Alaska Free Gold Company, owner of a gold
quartz property in the Willow creek gold camp, has de
clared an annual dividend of 16,2-3 per‘cent, from the
royalties received from William Martin, lessee. Upon the
basis of gold production since Mr. Martin took over the
property, the company, if operating the mine itself, would
be paying an annual dividend of<300 per cent.
ployed that symbol they used it ti
indicate courage, strength and brav
ery as being the distinguishing char
acteristlcs of their forbears, Thi
family aso claimed dominion ove
! the sea. and this power was sym
! bolized by their use of what "is callei
the grampus totem, known as “keet
in their native tongue. A story l
told of how one of their ancestors o
wealth and high rank was overtake!
by a terrible storm at sea While h
and his slaves were battling with th
waves there appeared out of th
waves a huge figure shaped like
man, which arose slowly, steadiei
itself and then disappeared. He hai
been taught by the legends of hi
forefathers that he who gazed upoi
this object of good omen, which b
presumed this to be, would find re
lief and safety from his trouble. H<
had ample faith, and he firmly be
liered that he would be saved. Afte
• hours of being dashed about on th'
.turbulent waters, the boat and crev
were washed on a rocky shore. Somi
food had been saved from their boat
but only a small supply. » They ex
.plored the land upon which they ha<
been cast, but found that it wai
small, densely wooded and would no
furnish them with any food. Thi
chief of this party dreamed eacl
night that his salvation would be ef
fected if ne could give shape to somi
hideous creature which, when set ii
the water, would drive all livini
things in the water to the shore fo
safety. He worked hard by day an(
by night for a long time until hi
had made eight images of “keet,’
the figure on their totem poles o
which T have already spoken, am
which had been suggested to him it
his dreams. He grew very hungry
hut never gave up hope. Each da:
the seals would come within sight o
his party, but never close enough to
them to be speared. When the im
ages were finished they were cast ii
the sea and disappeared. The:
watched anxiously for the efleet o
these images upon the seals, and ii
a short while were rewarded by see
ing the seals clafnbering over thi
rocks to escape the attack of thi
new enemy of the ocean depths
When the tide went out. many fisl
were left on the shore, and thesi
soon dried in the sun made food fo
the hungry castaways. Some day:
later they made, out of a cedar log
a great canoe, and by this means wen
enabled to return home and onci
more be with their friends. Side b;
side they erect, the bear and grampu:
totems, and each have the same sym
bolic value. To this day these In
dians believe that the seals ar<
driven ashore by the sight of thi
keet. There is to be keen in Wran
g^ll today a fine example of thi
totem carver’s art in a totem whicl
shows the union of the Kad-a-shan
and Shakes families, showing t
raven’s head, the sun-box, a ravet
and child, and above all shows thi
sea gull, the recorder of their triba
history. As you perhaps know, thi
totem poles are crests or coar.3-of
arms of the various families. Thi
grampus totem, to which I have al
ready referred, is the emblem o
many high-class families of both thi
1 Tlijikits and Hi-a-daa tribes. The
ajmj&stors of Chief Kad-a-sham were
■ Hi-a-da people of high degree who
' intermarried with the Tlinkits. This
family is the acknowledged authority
■ on totem designing, as well as of the
I i traditions of the Tlinkits. Accord
ing to their tradition, the raven was
1 once white. At the base if a Kad-a
c sham totem in Wrangell, which tells
1 the story of the raven, is the figure
s of an eagle. Between the raven and
* the eagle the story is told. The es
! I cutcheons below the eagle indicate
i wealth. The next figure is that of a
I 1 chief, which is always indicated by
1 the characteristic hat. The chief
> holt's a shield on which is shown the
1 ; sign of wealth. Below that is the
> j heal of a wolf, a smaller branch of
* ; the family. Next comes the figures
*; of the frog and sea-gull, which com
bine to make the story. The last
figure is that of the gunah-kah-dat.
> .the good omen of the sea. shown to
' indicate the intermarriage jf the
> families of Kad-a-sham and the
■ Shakes. The Kake branch of the
’ Tlinkits bore an unsavory reputation
1 among the people of Alaska. It is
1 thought that many prospectors and
■ hunters suffered death at their
* hands. It is a custom with the
1 Tlii^tits to take the life of one or
■! two white men when a native has
! been killed For that reason the top
1 most figure on some of their grave
’ totems is that of a white man. This
is shown to remind the members of
1 the raven clan that the life of a
1 white man is due and must be for
feited. You know, of course, that
totem poles are used for two pur
1 poses—one for marking the graves
or tne departed, and the other ror
use outside of their houses to show
j their rank and to tell their family
history. The graves of their medi
cine men are placed a distance away
from the graves of their tribesmen,
and with them are buried their at
tire, images and other ceremonial ar
ticles used in their craft. Their
graves are placed on a high blufT.
overlooking the water, and the canoe
j which belonged to them is placed at
j the base of their grave. A distinct
type of carvings found among the
I Tlinkits are those of the medicine
man, who is perhaps better known
by the Russian name of shaman,
which means a wizard or conjurer.
The power of these wizards among
their people was even greater than
that of the chiefs. Sickness was sup
posed to be due to evil spirits, and
no one but the medicine man could
conquer the illness. The Chilkats
.were very warlike, and frequently
encroached upon the rights of other
Tlinkit tribes. Frequently they ex
tended their depredations as far as
the land of the Hi-a-das, gathering
valuable trophies as they made their
.raids. Upon one occasion they raid
• ed the house of a Hi-a-da chief while
p. feast was in progress. Among the
‘ .things they secured was a leathern
apron, which had been worn by the
i chief as a symbol of his rank. The
design of this trophy so appealed to
! the Chilkat people that some of the
women of the tribe in seeking to re
produce it developed a proficiency
(Continued on Page 4.)
ROMEMBER,
The Two Girls Cafe still excels in
those famous Sunday dinners. Try
them.
The Motion Picture Co. received
with the mail arriving yesterday one
hundred reels of film, requiring a
separate dog team to haul them.
Some fine features will soon be an
nounced. The program for tonight
and Saturday is particularly good.
■sjeerja a pun qjanoa in apas joj ‘p[o
sics/C omj paniif jsnf ';aeq qseaa
*■ / vu " «u i iu iucci uni, iiain,
Sam or Harry, call at tho Robarts
Billiard and Bowling Parlors. Cour
tesy. my motto.
You can’t forget Robarts’, the
house of clean sports. Courtesy, my
motto.
Wanted—Direct from owner, one
or two lots. No Inflated prises. Will
pay lash. Inquire A. ,E. Reed, Sixth
and K street.
Ftfrnished rooms for rent, over
Merchants Cafe.
RESULT OF GAME
IS NOT KNOWN
In the bowling contest last night,
the second game of the series, the
Seward team gained a lead of 75 pins
at the end of the first frame, at
which time the telephone wires went
down, and no further reports were
obtainable.
The local team's score of the even
ing was ag follows:
First Frame.
'Wagner.151
Blanton .*.. 188
Moore . 172
Davis.149
Bush . Ill
‘ Total. 771
Second Frame,
Wagner.170
Blanton . 169
Moore . 184
Davis.168
Bush . 169
Total . 860
Third Frame.
Wagner . 174
Blantou . 154
Moore . 189
Davis .. 152
Bush . 184
Total . 853
Grand total . 2484
Wagner's average, 165.
Blanton's average, 170 1-3.
Moore’s average, 181 2-3.
Davis’ average, 156 1-3.
Bush’s average, 151 1-3.
Seward—First Game.
A. Johnson . 178
H. Haasch . 177
G. Johnson. 135
G. Kosmos. 170
G. Manthey . 186
Total.846
The remaining game in the series
will be played tonight.
NORTHERN LIGHT WHIST
(Til'll HOLDS SESSION
A novel situation developed at last
night's session of tne Anchorage
Whist Club, when scores were being
canvassed for the awarding of the
second prize to gentlemen Four of
the second-raters were tied at 32,
and when they cut the cards to set
tle the question of near champion
ship, V, F. Fischer and M. L. Pat-rt
each cut a king, the prize going to
Carl Christenson, who cut an ace.
Tom Hughes was the fourth of th"
quartet. Mrs. F. L. Dixon had the
high score of 38 for women, Mrs A.
Leibscher second with 35, and the
consolation prize went to Miss Alice
Sheehan. H. Molen had the high
score for men, getttng 41.
A CHALLENGE.
t hereby challenge Marvella
Jones, driving the Maihison-Jensen
bird dogs, to a race from Anchorage
to Ragle river and return, for a
purse of $100 a side. The condition
being that each contestant shall have
as many dogs in the team as they
may wish.
(MISS) JAN V. PICHETTE.
I,AltOR UNION MEETING
Tomorrow (Saturday), 2 p. m., in
Union hall, lot Seventh avenue and
G street.
GET IN THE PARADE.
Drop in and see a real game to
night. Robarts.
The biggest bath tubs and the most
comfortable bath rooms can be found
at the Richter House, on Third near
E. Baths at all hours.
CHOICE BUY.
Full lot on Fourth avenue, with
two good cabins, sale price $350. See
this. J. H. SMITH & CO.
Ridgeway's Teas at Brown & Haw.
kins’. “Quality First.”
Libby’s pure tomato catsup, full
pint, 25c. Brown & Hawkins.
"Quality First.”
SEM PLEASED
WITH CONDITIONS
UNDER DRV LAW
hen the prohibition law went
I into effect in Seattle on the first of
the year,” said a commercial traveler
who is now in Anchorage, "the busi
ness people generally were very du
, bious and disheartened over the out
j look. All of the saloons closed their
j doors, and the saloon men and their
employes made a small army of un
employed, walking about the city and
discussing the calamity of the situa
tion. which had been brought about
by the agitation of temperance
cranks.
"And for a time the situation was
not encouraging,” continued the
traveling man. “But conditions
adjusted themselves to the new order
of things, until now the people of
Seattle, as a whole, would not think
of returning to a 'wet' city. As an
example of the better business now
prevalent, the case of the meat mar
kets may be given. Under the old
order, meat markets used to keep
open until 12 o'clock midnight Sat
urday nights. Now they close at 10
o'clock, because by that time they
are all sold out. It is particularly
noticeable among the wage-earning
class, that on Saturday nights they
return to their homes with market
baskets filled to overflowing with
edibles. These people now have
money to enjoy the necessities of
life. Their families have plenty.
The money earned is not dissipated
away ”
What ig true of Seattle under the
dry law ig likewise true of other
communities. The writer recalls
very vividly the time when gambling
waa closed at Nome by official order.
Some of the business people almost
had a fit when this order became ef
fective. They figured that the town
would go to the dogs, in a business
way. because the gambling element
composed a comnnnv
ers and they numbered quite a popu
lation among themselves. The gam
blers, thrown out. of occupations,
wandered about the town like lost
souls, ind participated in the agita
tion of business men for a re-open
ing of the games of chance. All to
no effect. The business men did not
take into consideration the fact that
gamblers are not producers of
wealth; that there would be just as
much money in circulation without
them as with them. Only, it would
be expended in a different way by the
man who earned it. rt would reach
trie business man directly, instead of
through a few middle-men. Business
men would be paid in cash, rather
than in "stand-offs.” And today, U
it were put to a vote in Nome, the
business people would take the lead
in opposing a return to the old con
ditions Not on any moral ground,
but purely as a business proposition.
Miss Gladys Austin was married
to Mr. C W. Carlson, of Mineral,
Wash., at the Presbyterian parson
age Monday last, the Rev. Mr. Mc
Bride performing the ceremony. A
dainty wedding supper was served at
the home of the bride, Mr. and Mrs.
James Austin, Third avenue and Bast
C street. Mr. and Mrs. Carlson will
leave for the outside in a few days,
where Mr. Carlson is engaged in the
lumber business
Pictures of Ladles’ Dog Race at
The Model. Fourth and E street.
Modern cabin for rent; everything
furnished; summer rates; every con
venience for lady. Between Third
and Fourth. on K street; block 3!,
lot 3; sound view.
Good warm rooms for rent; spring
beds. Fourth avenue and East B St.
Clothes cleaned and pressed at
The Model, corner Foourth and E st.
Just arrived, 500 rolls post card
size dims. "That Man Logemann,”
Fifth and D.
They are off in a bunch—the big
game tonight. Robarts