anchokagk to havk
WIUKIjKSS station
The Commission is installing a
radio station today, in connection
with the telegraph and telephone
system. Coles have been erected in
the'roa r of the towusite manager's
office and the wires are now being;
strung. < |
This station is more of an experi-1
nient than anything else, and if it
works satisfactorily, a well-equipped
plant will be installed early in the
spring. It is for the accommodation
of shipping. It is figured that steam-;
era carrying wireless equipment
may be able to communicate with
Anchorage after they enter Cook
inlet.
t\( HOHAGK-KNIK FAST
DOC HAM FXI’IIHSS
Walter Howard, who has one of
the best and fastest dog team in the
country, and who is himself one of
the most experienced dog musher? in
these parts, has established an ex
press and freighting business be
tween Knik and Anchorage. He will
convey passengers or freight, as the
occasion may demand.
Howard reached here from Knik
yesterday, and departed this morn
ing, taking his brother Harold to
Knik.
SAM W.KiNKK SCI.I S HIS
I.KWIS IHVF.lt PLACKH
Sam Wagner, a sourdough mining
man of this part of the country, who
was among the first to locate ground
on Lewis river .across the inlet from
Anchorage, lias disposed of a part t
of his holdings to the Messrs. Wool-;
ever. Moore and Peoples.
In discussing the Lewis creek sec-1
tion with the Pioneer .man. Wagner\
expresses the belief that there is a
well-defined, rich paystreak some
where there, that is the source of
the gold found on the liars that are
being mined. The gold is coarse
and is of local origin. He believes
there are good prospects for opening
a good camp.
The Lewis river diggings are with
in easy distance from Anchorage.
Launches laden with supplies can
land within seven miles of where the
miners are working.
WANDERERS RKTl'RX HOME
OVER THE WINTER TRAIL
(From Wednesday's Daily. >
“About one hundred people are on
«lie trail on the way to Anchorage,’”
said A!. Chamberlain, who with two
dog teams convoyed Townsite Man
ager Moore, Master Mechanic Locke,
Assistant Superintendent Jones, En
gineer Breck and Bridge Foreman
Mclnnis front Seward to Anchorage,
reaching here last evening.
Trail conditions are not of the
best, says Chamberlain, especially
between Kern creek and Bird creek,
and from Bird creek to Indian river.
The stretch between Bird creek and
Indian river will improve when more
snow falls, but the trail between
Kern creek and Bird creek is as bad
as of yore, despite the work done on
this stretch dur'ng the past season.
Slides have covert*up, in great part,
the new trail cut otn along the side
hilt skirting Turnagain arm.
Chamberlain wishes to warn per
sons with dog teams leaving here for
Seward that there s no dog feed
available at any of the roadhouses
along the tra’I, bent ' they should
make due provision before starting
from this point.
Tlie roadhouses are nightly filled
with travelers, coming and going. He
met about twenty outbound mushers.
Chamberlain, who has speedy dog
teams, and is one of the most ex-!
perienced trail men in Alaska, will
make trips between Seward and An
chorage this winter, convoying pas
sengers, express or freight, as the
opportunity may offer. Immediately|
upon his return (o Seward he will |
turn about, headed for Anchorage. i
Chamberlain will depart enroute
home tliis evening, planning to re-;
main at Bud Whitney’s tonight, j
Charles E. Herron and J. V. A. Smith
will depart with him.
Chamberlain is a member of the
Seward common council, and is a
highly esteemed sourdough of Alas
ka. While here he met many old
time friends from Nome, his former
residence.
WASHINGTON. D. 0„ Nov. 29.—
Delegate James Wickersham of
Alaska reached the national capital
this morning. The delegate says he,
will urge an immediate emergency'
appropriation for the Alaska railway |
system, so that work may be carried'
on without cessation during the win-;
ter. I
The winter schedule on the White
Bass railroad, now In effect, calls for
the dispatch of trains between Skag
wav and Whitehorse on Tuesday*
K and Friday* only of each week.
\IA\V Ot'TSIOKRM AUK
SKKKI\<J I.VFORMATIOS
As Indicating the prospective
stampede to Anchorage and the
country contiguous when spring
comes, the Pioneer is receiving, on
every mail, requests for information
concerning this town and the region
generally. These requests come from
every state in the Union, and show
tl.e widespread interest in Alaska.
Hilaries M. Brady, of Barbours
ville, W. Va.. writes that he has been
reading of Anchorage and wants to
know move about it with respect to
business openings.
Dr. G. It. Taylor, of Cameron.
Texas, writes that he has been
reading much about Alaska and the
railway project, and says he has
about decid'd to take a run up here
and see for himself.
tv. T. Hogden, of Campbellvllle,
Ky, a dealer in wild animals, wants
to know about that business in this
part of Alaska.
Dr. \V. .1 10. Brice, of Little Rock,
Ark . writes that he has an eye on
this part of Alaska and wants more
Information about it.
Scoval H. Johnson, of Custer, S.
D.. of the Scoval Johnson Mineral
Company, seeks information about
the mineral possibilities of the coun
try.
R. L. Taff, of Portland, Ore.,
writes that himself and several
friends plan to come to Anchorage
next spring and wishes all informa
tion possible to obtain.
Charles G. Braley. of the town
clerk and treasurer’s office in Ft.
Johnsbury, Va.. is a seeker after in
formation about Anchorage and
Alaska generally.
Edmund Verney, of Ketchikan.
Alaska, wishes to know if there is
an opening for a sawmill plant in
Anchorage and if there are anv can
nery sites in the locality.
C. E. Beavert, of Fort Worth,
Texas, writes: “I would like to get
information with reference to the,
crazing, agricultural and timber
lauds tributary to Anchorage. The
amount of each that can he filed on.
the climatic conditions, the distance
from trade centers the location o'
packing plants for cattle, and market
conditions for cattle and agricultural
products.”
l am niucn liiteresieo m Aiassa
and may take a tri'i :o Anehorage
next spring,” writes G. O Morton, of
’Miser. Mont.
A. R. Moore, of Pittsburg. Pa .
wishes to know about business op
opportunities here.
Xev.ton Bennington, of Chica o,
writes that he read in the Chicago
News about Anchorage and wishes to
come.
.1. Fred Henderson, of Carrollton,
.do., seeks information about An
chorage. and Alaska generally.
John McFarlane, of Was!' ngton
1). C., wishes to know how he can
secure a lot in Anchorage.
Julius Williams, of Shelbyville,
Tenn.. says he’s a barber and a good
one, too. and is possessed with |i>e
call of the wild. He wishes inform*
tion about Anchorage and p’nnu on
coming in the spring.
NOTCH KNGINKF.K IS
ASSISTANT COMMISSION Kit
II. P. Warren, a railway engineer,
:s a recent arrival in Anchorage, to
assume the position of chief assistant
;o Commissioner Mears. During tlie
absence of Commissioner Mears Mr.
Warn a i in charge of all matters
connected with the re. Iv.ay construc
tion.
Mr. Warren comes t > Anchorage
v. itli a record of achievement in rail
way construction, having had ex
tended experience in thifc line of
work, and his acquisition .to the con
.1 ruction forces is highly desirable.
Te -ag formerly connected, in a re
sponsible way, with the Panama
" ii"! construction work, and is but
recently from the national capital.
Commissioner Mears and Superin
tendent O’Reilly are making an ex
tended trip up the Matanuska valley.
Mr. Warren is in charge of the Com
mission’s affairs here.
[). M. Lynch. who has inaugurated
an expfess line between Anchorage
• lid Knik, reached here last evening,
bringing to town Jack Olson, whom
he picked up at Kagle river, and
whose feet and hands are frozen. Dr.
<’armiehael is in attendance.
Olson was moose hunting Sunday,
when he accidentally fell into a
-reek. flis feet and hands were
rozen. He was ten .miles from his
camp at tile time, but managed to
get home. Mr. Lynch came along
’■esterday and conveyed him to An
horage. Olson's hands were not
'■pat'- frozen, but his feet were quite
’ udiv nipped, but not seriously in
jured.
Mr. Lynch uses a horse in his light
freighting business, and plans on
making regular trips between An
chorage and Knik during the winter
season.
PLOT TO ASSASSINATE
PRESIDENT IS REVEALED
C'.K\ 1‘; .AM), Dec. —A national sensation is created by
iiic announce.. cut of Prosecutor Locher, of t!d- city, that the
assassination of President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of
War I.indlex Harrison is sought by persons high in authority.
I-ocher bases his assertion, made public today, on a statement
made to him by K. W. Hitter, a chemist, who is the discoverer
of the deadly chemical preparation known as liquid tire. Hit
ter, in his statement to the prosecutor, declares that “two
men high in official life” made a proposition to him to assas
sinate the president and the secretary of war by sprinkling
them with liquid lire. Hitter was offered a fabulous sum if
he would .join the plotters in their designs against the chief
executive and the war secretary. The chemist spurned the
offer- and his statement to the prosecutor followed.
Hitter informed the prosecutor that it would be a very sim
ple problem, with the aid of his inflammable chemical, to -et
fire and burn to death any person; that it was but a matter ol‘
getting dose enough to sprinkle the prospective victim with
the chemical, and it would do the rest.
The prosecutor declined to discuss the motives that would
prompt men in high official places to wish the death of the
head of the nation and the head of the war department, but
it is conjectured that the enmity against them has its origir;
in their neutrality, or lack of it. as the case may be, with re
-pert to the world war. it'pon no other hypothesis can an
assumption he predicated.
Prosecutor Loeher declines to make public the names of the
conspirators, but promises, in due time, to startle the nation by
revealing their identity and bringing them before a court of
justice for trial. In the meantime, detectives are detailed to
follow the movements of the arch-conspirators.
AID TO ALASKAN RAILWAY IS
PLEDGED BY SEATTLE CHAMBER
SEATTLE, Dec. •!.—By ii vigorous resolution passed unani
mously hv the Alaska Bureau of the Seattle Chamber of Com
merce last night, the administration’s program for the devel
opment of Alaska is unreservedly endorsed.
The resolution was passed in order to put the Alaska Bureau
on record as being in favor of a liberal appropriation by the
congress for the building of the government railway line in
Alaska.
The resolution recites that the Bureau favors the earliest
possible completion of the railway line to the interior ter
minus and the branch line tapping the Matanuska coal fields,
and declares that the Bureau, representing the Seattle Cham
ber of Commerce, is earnestly working to this end, and prays
the congress to pass the appropriation asked for by the Secre
tary of the Interior, together with an emergency appropria
tion, so that work may continue on the Matanuska branch line
this winter.
The Bureau declares that it is working wholeheartedly for
the whole of Alaska and is against no particular section.
LOCAL NEWS OF HE WEEK
(From Monday's Daily.)
A telephone message (rom Seward
allays all fear swith respect to the
Tracy party. This party took the
launch Onward, not wishing to go to
Seward on the Farragut, and
planned to return to Anchorage.
Probably due to weather conditions,
the Onward lay at Seldovia for sev
eral days, awaiting an opportunity
to proceed home. In the meantime
the steamer Dora, becoming dis
abled, called into Seldovia for ref
uge, and there found the Onward,
ill on board safe and well. The
Dora sent a call ’to the steamer Ala
meda. which had called at Kodiak,
• Ud the his steamer came into Sel
dovia and picked up'the passengers
on the Onward. Arriving off Resur
rection bay, the Onward passengers
were given a small boat in which ’
reach Seward, as the Alameda did
not stop there on its southbound
voyage.
(From Tuesday’s Daily.)
The Tracy party, in which it is be
lieved is included Father Shepherd,
of the local Catholic church, depart
ed from Seward this morning, con
voyed by George Vause.
Messrs. Docke, "uoore and Jones,
convoyed by A1 Chamberlain, are
j expected to reach Glacier cree<
roadhouse tonight.
The telephone connecting Anchor
age and Seward parted near mile 34,
i out of Seward, this forenoon, before
! the Pioneer’s daily report got
through in full. The break should
be repaired before the day is done.
(From Wednesday's Daily.)
H. V. Laughlin, a young man em
ployed by the Engineering Commis
sion. reacned here last night, mush
ing over the trad from Seward. He
made the trip from mile 34. as far
as the train goes, in three days.
Messrs. S. R. McClinton and Rob
srt Small art taking the initiative in
the organization of a minstrel show
to be pulled off sometime during the
holidays. There is some mighty good
talent in the town, and an effort will
be made by the promoters of the
affair to enlist the services f>f, those
experienced in this line of amuse
ment.
The big lighter Sperm and three
barges, the stern-wheeler Matanuska
and the launch Alaska, owned by
the Alaskan Engineering Commis
sion, and the launches Onward and
Wilhelmina, under charter by the
Commission, are safely moored at
Seldovia, with Captain James Ward
and Engineer (Jill in charge.
(From Thursday's Daily.)
Commissioner Moars and Superin
tendent O'Reilly returned this morn
ing from an extended trip up the
Matanuska river.
Mr. George Carrol, the clothing
merchant, received a telegram last
night conveying the sad intelligence
, or the serious illness of Mrs. Carrol,
who is in Seattle, and her condition
: is such that Mr. Carrol may be
forced to depart to be in attendance
at her bedside.
A telephone message states that
Colonel Revell, with the Anchorage
| mail, stopped last night at the Bird
| creek roadhouse, proceeding on his
i way here this morning. It is a long
: mush from Bird creek to Anchorage,
! but it is quite possible that the in
i trepld mail contractor will stop only
I for luncheon until he reaches here.
In this event, the mall will be avial
able tomorrow forenoon.
. The government_check'"advertlsed
as lost by George Martin was found
,by E. McCrae, who called at the
Pioneer office in quest of the adver
tiser. Mr. McCrae lives In a log
■ cabin at the rear of the Cozy Inn,
j now the Panhandle, where be may
be found by the owner of the check.
A X< HOBA<1 K REPUBLICAN
CLUB IS ORGANIZED ]
(From Thursday’s Daily.) '
The Republican Club of Anctior- j
age was formed last night, at a j
meeting held for the purpose at j
Roberts' hall. There was a good at-!
tendance of adherents of the grand
old party. Arthur Frane, the attor
ney, called the meeting to order and I
9
asked for informal speeches from j
those present. All responded, pledg-i
ing fealty to the principles of the
party. Foster's orchestra was in at- i
tendance and entertained *the”aud£ |
enee with lively music.
Formal organization was effected j
by the election of permanent officers
as follows:
President. Arthur Frame.
Vice-President, (’apt. Austen Lath
rop.
Secretary, J. E. Coffey.
Treasurer. Jack Sutherland.
The meeting was called at the in-,
stance of Charles E. Herron, chair- j
man of the territorial republican!
committee, who had planned to be!
in attendance, but who was obliged,
in order to catch an outbound
steamer at Seward, to depart from
here several hours before the called
time of the meeting.
(From Fridays Daily.)
Some three hundred and fifty peo
ple are living this winter at Mata
nuska Landing and in the near vi
cinity, and all are hopeful for the
future. If work is inaugurated on
the Matanuska branch line this win
ter, and it undoubtedly will be un
der way very soon now. things will
hum around the Landing.
A fellow by the name of Martin
was appointed postmaster at Mata
nuska, but he left the country and
turned the ^office over to one of the
settlers. The settler doesn’t like the
job, as it confines him, more or less,
to his house, whereas he wife lies to
get about and do some work on his
homestead. In this situation, "ill
Church, who runs a store at Mata
nuska Landing, is a candidate for
postmaster, as he has to be at his
place of business nearly all the time,
anyway, and he could attend to the
duties of the office in connection
with his mercantile business.
Col. Revell. the mail contractor,
arrived at 3 o'clock this morning
v ith the Iditarod mail. Accompany,
ing him from Seward were Mr. and
Mrs. Courtney and child, Frank Cot
ter, Fred Tracy and Dan Leehey.
Tom Finnegan, with the Anchorage
mail, will be here tonight.
1
THESE ARE THE FACTS. 1
We have noticed in the Seward 1
papers certain statements concern
ing ice conditions at Anchorage, '
which, in order >o use mild lan
guage, are far from the facts in the
case.
With large headlines and bold |
type the said papers proclaim to the i
world that navigation is closed at
Anchorage and that by luck no lives!
were lost in an attempt, as one of,
the papers states, to navigate upper |
Cook inlet beyond the point of j
safety. i
If the statements of the papers;
and people of Seward had been in
spired by proper motives, and not b^
feelings of jealousy on account of
the prosperity of this town, we
would not feel constrained to even
notice the insinuations and open
statements of hostility in which they
have engaged ever since this thriv-1
ing community was first established. j .
We have passed over practically all j ,
calumny and slander that has been j .
heaped upon this town from towns!,
which were and sell are jealous of; (
our prosperity, for the reason that j
we have been too busy in a con- j ^
structive policy, embracing the good j t
of tl^is whole territory, instead of I
trying to drag any community into I
the mire. We can not recall one in-!
stance in which any person or com-j '
munitv profited by “throwing dirt,”!
as the only three sure things in this j
world are death, taxes and that a
person or community that is hand-j
ling dirt is bound to get dirty.
Now .in order to properly under
stand the reason that caused An- 1
chorage freight to be unloaded at
Seward, we must state that the real 1
reason the freight was not landed at i '
its proper destination was due to j 1
the fact that the Alaskan Engineer- 1
ing Commission did not have sufti- '
cient funds this year to 'juy the 1
proper equipment for handling the
lighters and that no money was 1
available for harbor Improvements
to enable ships to lay in out of the '
current while unloading. This con- i
flit ion is not due to any fault of the 1
Engineering Commission, but solely 1
to lack of funds. None of the ships 1
experienced any difficulty In arriving
at Anchorage or In leaving here, I
and If proper terminal facilities had
been provided, all freight could have i
been landed and could be landed all ]
winter. We are sure that the com- i
ing appropriation will be sufficient
to provide proper facilities for ship- i
ping at this port.
From liberal estimates as to what
it would cost to provide the proper
Utilities for the government coal
terminal at Anchorage, It appears
:hat a sum not to exceed two hun
ired and fifty thousand dollars will
to required. At this point some of
)iir '‘dear friends" will say, “Why
jxpend that amount of money in t
Ixing up a harbor when one of the
nest harbors on the Pacific coast
(Resurrection bay) can be used to
ship coal from.' Whenever that ’
juestlon is asked, and it is fre
luently asked, the person inquiring
las lost sight of two facts; one is
■hat in cyder to prepare shipping
acilities in even such a good har
)or as Resurrection Pay at Seward,
or great quantities of coal, it would
■ost approximately two hundred
housand dollars, and the other fact
s that it will cost less than one-half
he amount to haul coal from the •»
Wntanuska coal fields to Anchorage
ban it will to Seward, as it is a
lown-hill water-grade from the coal
lelds to Anchorage, and in order to
laul coal to Seward two summits
lave to be crossed, with grades so
deep that extra engines will have to
ie used^ Even leaving out the sum
nits, the distance from the Mata
luska coal fields to Seward is over
wice as far as from the coal fields
o Anchorage, and a saving of at
east one dollar a ton as a minimum, *
md more likely two dollars per ton,
n freight will be made, and, as it
s estimated that at least five hun
Ired thousand tons of coal will be
ihipped annually. It will readily be
ieen what an enormous saving will
ie made by shipping the coal from
Anchorage, and what a good invest
nent for all concerned the creating *
>f proper shipping facilities at An
fhorage will he.
It is time that the people who
lave been “knocking Anchorage
ihould see that the government is
niiiding this road as a business
proposition. They can rest assured
hat ail their “mis-statements” (we
ise the word “mis-statements” ad
isedly, although we believe that a
ihorter and uglier word, as one of
>ur presidents used to say, would be
>etter) will have no effect concerni
ng the contemplated improvements *
it Anchorage, as 4he economical
landling of coal for the use of the
;overnment will be one of the first h
lonsiderations, a^an annual saving
>f at least one-half million dollars
vi 11 not be overlooked hy our Uncle
!am, especially when the same can
>e made by expending approximate
y the same amount that it would
•ost to prepare any other harbor on
he Alaskan coast.
AllUSWKS IRfiE^ SPEEDY
BVIIiDIXG OP l:\H.WAV
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer.) *
Fairbanks and the people of the
erritory to be served at the north
ern terminus of the government rail
vav now under construction in Alas
ka are urging an ample appropria
ion by congress for the work of
text season and the beginning of
instruction out of Fairbanks to *
lurry the line to completion. Eight
>r ten million dollars are regarded
is necessary for the 1916 work, and
his estimate is concurred in by the
ecretary of the interior. There is
lttlc douht that congress will recog
ii-e the importance of prompt com
dction and supply amide funds.
Fairbanks wants the railroad
'quick,” says the Fairbanks Dally
’lines, and its most insistent need
s the cheap fuel that it will bring.
Vood in the north is classed as jew
lry. It sells around $2ft a cord in f
Fairbanks now, and the average
louseholder consumes $150 worth in
he. year.
Fuel is needed to work the low
trade auriferous gravels, but they
annot he profitably worked with
vood at $10 to $20 a cord. One
ltindred nnles from Fairbanks, in
he Nenana coal Helds, is coal that
he railroad will be able to deliver
n Fairbanks at $4 to $5 a ton.
douseholders expect to save $100,
>00 a year in their fuel Tolls alone «
vith Nenana coal. Then there are
he quartz mines that require heavy
nachinery and fuel that cannot now
>e brought into the wild and rugged
listricts. Alaska’s full blossoming
if prosperity is awaiting the com
detion of the railway.
Also, the railway will make for a
lermanent population.
"It will mean that Fairbanks will
lave a population that will stay and
;row up with the country, instead of
laving an ambition to lay aside f
inough to buy that chicken ranch
lutside of Seattle and run an auto
nobile,” says the Times with em
ihasls.
There is no probability that con- ?
jress will delay the railway building
n any degree. Certainly every In
luence that Seattle and the state of
Washington can expect will be ex
ited to push the work.