MRS. V. DRURY, OF WHITEHORSE
AM) MRS. I . VODICK, OF DAW
SON, ARE IN EAST.
SUBJECTS OF PRESS STORY
Superb Cloak of Mink Worn by One
of Women Attracts Attention—Es
kimo Life. Dog Teams and Weather
Are Described in Newspaper.
“Housekeepers in Yukon Kept Busy
As Trappers, Says Fur Dealers
Wives,” is the heading of a story in a
recent issue of the St. Louis Republic.
The article is illustrated with the
pictures of Mrs. F. Drury of White
horse and Mrs. L. Yodiek, of Dawson,
showing the women dressed in furs
which their husbands had trapped in
the northland.
The writer of the article prints an
interview with Mrs. \ odick which
tells in detail the customs of the north,
and describes the weather conditions
for the whole year, tells of Eskimo
life, of dog teams, hunting, and of
conditions in general.
St. Louis is one of the biggest fur
i mrkets in the world, and the Repub
lic devotes several columns daily to
that subject. Speaking of Mrs. Drury
: nil Mrs. Yodiek the article says:
“The great fur sales at St. Louis
bring all sorts of interesting people
10 the Fur Exchange. And it is safe
n say that two more interesting wom
en have seldom—if ever—sat in that
big auction hall than Mrs. \ odick and
Mrs. Drury. Both are wives of fur
merchants from the Y ukon territory.
Mrs. Drury is a recent bride, while
Mrs. Yodiek is a matron of many
years* standing.
“Mrs. Yodiek came to the fur ex
change wearing a superb cloak of
mink, the rich, deep, dark kind, that
fur buyers gloat over when examin
ing the offerings at the warehouse.
And the coat comes well down to the
shoe tops, too, so that it is no small
garment. Oh, yes, Mrs. Yodiek wears
her skirt hems just a sensible length,
so that the full length coat must be
taken to mean just exactly what it
says. She does not believe in having
her skirts a mere frill extending from
the waist line to the knee line, there
to be met with a 111 or 14 inch high
pair of suede boots.”
Thomas Jefferson llobertson, who
registered under the selective con
scription law July 23 last, proceeded
to beat the draft by enlisting in the
coast guard, and is now back in Alas
ka, stationed at Nome.
Gronzanni Mangini, one of the pi
oneer Italian miners of the Dawson
country, was found dead recently in
bed iii his cabin on the left fork of
Eureka creek. An inquest over the
remains resulted in a verdict that the
man came to his death suddenly, from
natural causes. Mangini was the own
er of a number of mining claims on
Eureka and other creeks, and was pos
sessed of Considerable money. He is
not known to have any relatives.
For twenty years Gus Messer^
schmidt, the pioneer baker of Juneau,
has not been out of the territory of
Alaska. lie frankly admits that the
call of the “jungles of civilization”
have been so insistent lately and that
“they” have his goat. He will leave
soon for a visit to relatives in San
Francisco.
Mrs. Alex Simpson, the wife of a
prominent resident of Fairbanks, ar
rived recently on her first visit to
the north. While on her way in over
the government road by stage she
received a message from her husband,
who thought to play a joke, telling
her not to drink any water unless it
had been boiled as all Alaska water
was full of ice worms. The lady took
the message literally, and refused to
drink any water unless it had been
boiled, despite the assurances of her
fellow passengers that the message
was a joke, and as a result nearly per
ished from thirst.
MINERS ON SWIFT ARE TAKING
OUT GOOD SIZED DUMPS FOR
SPRING CLEAN-UP.
PAY IS FOUND ON DEADWOOD.
Owners of Ground Are Taking in Sup
plies lor Operations Later in Sea
son and Output of District Is Ex
pected to Equal l ast Year’s.
Mail advices from the Circle dis
trict convey the information that
while nothing of great importance has
been going on in the immediate Cir
cle section this winter, some progress
has been made in the outlying dis
tricts.
On Swift creek, a tributary to
Deadwood, work has been going on in
a small manner. Larson brothers,
Langlow and Riley & Co. are taking
out dumps for the spring cleanup.
Fair pay has been uncovered on this
creek, and the output is expected to
be better than last season.
Among those operating on Dead
wood this season are George Johnson,
Oscar Morrel and Ned Greener, all
of whom have far-sized dumps.
Louis Ludwig, who is operating on
Deadwood below discovery, has un
covered good pay and is taking out a
dump. The ground that he is work
ing is not one of the creek claims, but
one on the hillside. His method of
mining is to tunnel in. He has not
yet reached the rim rock so as to be
able to determine the extent of his
pay-streak, but the ground seems to
increase in value as he goes in.
That the operations of this year
will be as great as last is evidenced
by the fact that all the miners are
having a large amount of supplies
hauled in to their workings from
Circle. It is expected that sufficient
labor can be secured to bring the out
put up to that of previous years.
AGRICULTURAL HILL CARRIES
ITEM OE $5,000 FOR EXPER
IMENTAL WORK.
INFORMATION ABOUT FARMING
Annual Appropriation for Mainten
ance of Northern Departments Un
der Supervision of Dr. C. C. George
son Total $65,000.
The 191!) agricultural appropriation
as reported in the house of repre
sentatives, provides for the equipping
and maintenance of the experimental
station at Matanuska, Alaska. The
sum of .$5,000 is carried in the bill for
this purpose and for the repair of the
cattle barns at Kodiak and the em
ployment of an extension agent in
Alaska.
Alaskans in Washington city this
vrinter have been active in spreading
the news among the nation legislat
ors as to the progress in farming in
the Matanuska valley, as well as the
other districts of Alaska.
The annual appropriation bill of
the department of agriculture also j
carries $05,000 for tine maintenance
of the various government experi
mental stations in Alaska, which are
under the supervision of Dr. C. C.
Georgeson.
COPENHAGEN, March 10.—The
newspaper Lokal Anzeituner, publish
ed in Berlin, says Austrian workmen
employed in the railway shops of that
country have struck and that they
refuse to obey military orders. The
strike is reported to be spreading to
o'her factories throughout Austria.
DEPUTY MARSHAL AT TANANAj
SAYS CLOSING OF SALOONS
HAS STOPPED OFFENSES.
NO CASES OF DRUNKENNESS.
Officer Declares That in His Twenty
Years’ Experience in Territory
Ninety-Nine Per Cent of Law Vio
lations Was Due to Liquor.
Prohibition has effected a great de
crease in crime in Alaska, in the opin
ion of C. W. Vawter, deputy United
States marshal at Tanana. In his
report to his chief, L. T. Erwin, Unit
ed States marshal for the fourth di
vision, with headquarters at Fair
banks, Deputy Marshal Vawter says
that in the near future most of the
jails in Alaska will be avilable for
some use other than the confinement
of criminals.
“Tanana,” he reports, “has been
very quiet since the saloons closed
December 31. There has been no
drunkenness. 1 have not seen a per
son under the influence of liquor since
that day and have heard of no com
plaints from others. Everyone is
obeying the law, it appears.
“I expect to see this jail empty of
prisoners in the near future on ac
count of the dry law; I believe that
when all the liquor that may possibly
have been cached away has been con
sumed all Alaska jails will go out of
business as far as having any prison
ers is concerned.
“Since 1 have been in Alaska, near
ly twenty years now, I believe that
the cause of the confinement of 9!)
per cent of the prisoners who have
served sentences in jail can be traced
to intoxicating liquors.
“When no intoxicating liquor can oe
had there will be very little use for
federal jails in Alaska.”
C. W. FRIES SAYS GROUND IS
NOT FROZEN THIS YEAR AS
IT AY AS EAST.
SPRING WIFE BE EARLIER.
Carrots, Oyster Plants and Other
A'egetution Is Also Thriving at the
Present Time Under Mantle of
White in Capital City.
C. \Y. Fi'ies, of Juneau, dug down
under the snow the other day and
found that his pansies were growing,
say- the Juneau Empire. He said
that the growing season this spring is
hound to he much earlier than last
year, for the reason that the ground
is not frozen, having been protected
by a blanket of snow.
Last year the ground froze solid;
previous to the snow. Mr. Fi'ies said (
he found eighteen inches of frost in
his yard a year ago.
Under the snow in his yard he also
found the other day that carrots and
oyster plants and other plants were
growing.
OH, JOY.
Said a happy fat woman named Skin
ner:
“I’m so fond of the new Hoover din
ner.
With no meat and no wheat
I don’t get much to eat.
But it’s great how it makes one grow
thinner.”
Oil, GEORGE, HOW COULD YOU.
Luke McLuke’s attention: Have the |
name of Miss Tommie Picture, of
Dallas, erased from the roll of the
club. She has married R. D. Ervin.
He evidently failed to get the nega
itve, however.—Houston Tost.
E. W. PARKS, ON KUSKOKWIM,
NINETY MILES FROM ANIAK,
AIRS GRIEVANCE.
CRITICISES TERRITORIAL LAW.
Regulation Requiring Claim Owners'
to Make Yearly Statements Under
Oath Results in Inconvenience to
Men in Remote Sections.
E. W. Parks, a prospector who is J
working a claim on the Kuskokwim 1
river ninety miles from Aniak finds j
fault with the territorial law requir
ing mining licenses and affidavits as
to mineral outputs. Through the me
dium of the Iditarod Pioneer he ad
dresses a communication to the gov
ernor and the legislature of Alaska.
His communication follows:
“To the Governor and Territorial
Legislature of Alaska:
“We have just received a letter of i
instruction from our worthy commis
sioner at Aniak, Alaska, enclosing
blanks, and requiring us to fill them
out, and make applicators for a min
ing license. They we are to travel
ninety miles to Aniak and make affi
davit to the application and send it to
the territorial secretary at Juneau.
Ninety Mile Trip.
“Then we are to make the same
ninety-mile trip in the fall and make
affidavit to our output during the year
and do it all before January 15, 1917
and 1918.
“We are in the prospect stage. In
testing our ores we make a small pro
duction of quicksilver, not with an
idea of making it pay, but to learn the
value of the ore that we are develop- i
ing, and when we get our mill and
furnace we will be glad to apply for a
mining license.
“We have read the compilation of
tax and revenue acts, session laws of
1915 and 1917, and find it all good as
to producing mines, and very detri
mental to the prospector. There are
many isolated prospectors on this riv
er who make a small production of
gold and other metals, and which pro
duction helps to keep up their pros- '
pecting expense.
.a re .M'ver uenceni.
“All of these prospectors are work
ing- hard to get on a tax-paying basis,:
and they are not slow in letting it be
known when they get on a tax-paying
basis. We think it an unnecessary |
and wasteful expense to the prospec
tor and to the territory of Alaska to
compel those prospectors to travel to
a notary public and pay their meagre
funds for affidavits and obtain a li
cense from the territory, and pay no
taxes.
“Some of the prospectors that are
not producing go off and work for
wages in the summer. Some are too
weak from exposure and hardships to
swing a No. 2, so they catch and dry j
dog salmon, which they sell in ex- |
change for provisions to continue j
their work.
“Are we going to put a burden on j
those struggling men? We have
very great faith in our legislature j
and the judiciary of Alaska, and we
don’t believe they will do anything of
the kind.”
FIFTEEN MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
CONSTITUTE FIGURE WANT
ED BY GOVERNMENT.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 16.—
Fifteen million subscribers to the
third liberty loan is the goal set by
the campaigners who are making
their plans for the drive which will
begin in April.
Four million subscriptions were re
ceived for the first liberty loan and
about 11,000,000 subscriptions to the
second. Honor flags will be awarded
the cities exceeding the quota allotted
by the treasury department.
W. A. PHILLIPS IS NOW ENJOY
ING HIS FIRST VACATION IN
THREE YEARS.
OLD RESIDENT OF ALASKA.
Experience in Going to Lonely North
ern Island to Give Warnings to
Ships Reads Like Adventure Story
in Hook of Fiction.
W. A. Phillips, for three and one
half years in charge of a lighthouse
on Unimak island, is on vacation
leave from his duties and is enjoying
the metropolitan pleasures afforded
at Cordova, according to the Cordova
Times.
Mr. Phillips is an old-time Alaskan
and a former resident at Cordova.
His experience at his lonely station,
isolated from the outside world, reads
like an adventure story.
When Phillips first went to Scotch
Cap station on Unimak island, the
keeper was Charley Loucks, at one
time keeper at Whiteshead. Loucks
became ill of heart trouble and a dis
tress signal was shown. A fishing
boat, equipped with wireless, passed
the word to the cutter Manning. In
time the Manning appeared and sent
a boat ashore containing a doctor, four
sailors and Mr. Phillips.
Sea Was Smooth.
The sea was perfectly calm when
the boat arrived at the station. When
the doctor and crew started on the re
turn trip taking the sick man with
them a heavy sea was running and
within 100 feet of shore the boat
swamped, drowning Loucks, the doc
tor and two sailors.
The two surviving sailors were sav
ed through the heroism of Rosenberg,
a half-breed, who is assistant at the
lighthouse. He ran to the storehouse
and obtained a fish net. After secur
ing the shore end, he ran out as far
as possible in the wake of the reced
ing seas and threw the net.
Nearly Lost His Life.
“After four attempts in which he
almost lost his own life, the two sail
ors were dragged ashore. None of the
bodies was recovered but about three
weeks later a leg upon which there
was a tan shoe was washed up on the
beach.
The mail reaches these stations
about foui- times a year. There is
no wireless and the total population
of the island consists of the two light
house crews of three men each.
Trout are to be had in abundance
in the small streams on the island, and
the caribou are so plentiful that there
is no lack of fresh meat.
Mr. Phillips is on his vacation, to
which each lighthouse keeper is en
titled after three years’ service.
GOVERNMENT PROHIBITS SHIP
MENTS FROM COUNTRY EX
CEPT UNDER LICENSE.
LONDON, March 16.—The Egyp
tian government prohibits export cot
ton from Egypt except under license
from general officer commanding, cot
ton export regulation committee, so*,
up in Egypt, which will allocate quan
tities to be exported to each country
from September 1 last. Licenses will
be granted to each exporter on basis
of exports in recent year.
The terms of the embargo on raw
cotton, which has been in existence
since 1915, prohibited exportation to
all ports of Europe and on the Medi
terranean and Black seas other than
those of the United Kingdom, the al
lied countries and Spain. Recently the
same prohibition has been applied to
all manufacturers, mixtures, and
products of cotton not otherwise pro
hibited. The present regulation make;
the license requirement general.
DIANA GOT HER ANGEL BOOK.
Married in Cincinnati: Diene I'red
west and TIrrry Ar 'o’hr.
UNCANNY KNOCKING HEARD ON
ROOF OF PLACE WHERE DOC
TOR KILLED HIMSELF.
OCCURRED EARLY IN MORNING.
Ben Goodman After Spending Three
Nights in Dilapidated Structure Ac
counts for Strange and Wierd Dis
turbance.
Explanation of a mystery that for
a long time enshrouded a cabin on
! a bleak stretch of coast between Gor
elova and Katalla is; given by Ben
Goodman, the jeweler and fur buyer
of this city.
“An early break-up a few years
ago having made it necessary for me
: to postpone a fur-buying trip I had
| started to the interior, I concluded to
I return to the coast, where 1 knew a
; boat would pick me up,” recounted
Mr Goodman.
“On leaving the interior Indian vil
I lage, the natives told me not to stay
1 in a certain cabin on the coast because
J of spooks—a doctor having commit
ted sucide in it.
i
“However, I started for the place,
having no apprehension in regard to
! the spirits of dead persons.
“The cabin had been built and used
; by fishermen years previously. Early
in the morning after my first night in
the dilapidated structure I heard a
repeated and uncanny knocking on the
roof. I looked out, and the knocking
ceased. I could see nothing that in
any way would account for the
strange noise. Next morning the same
thing happened.
“In front of the cabin was the
beach and behind was a high rock
wall 250 feet high; so it was impos
sible for a human being to come or
i go from the cabin unseen.
5 “Having noticed that the door made
a noise on opening, I left it open the
third night and remained fully dress
ed. Bright and early, again came the
ghost rat-a-tat; out I rushed. A raven
would dig clams on the beach and fly
to the roof to crack the shells and eat
his breakfast—previously the noise of
the opening door had scared him away
—this was the spook of the cabin.” A
When the charter list of Xenana
igloo, Pioneers of Alaska, was closed,
there appeared on the rolls a total of
|209 names of Alaskan old-timers. In
addition to this splendid membership
j showing, the new lodge has a substan
. tial amount in the treasury and prom
: ises soon to take its place among the
• more solid organizations of the in
terior.
Jack Keller, with Greg Stewart and
son, are preparing to work on the
| quartz ledge on Moore creek, near
Iditarod. They are hauling out pow
| der and supplies to the claim from
Iditarod and are enthusiastic about
the work as the indications so far are
very encouragng.
j Some beards are white, some are
brown, some are large and some are
j small, but what we started to say was
| that A. Clinkingbeard left Juneau the
! other day for Seattle.
GERMAN GENERAL DECLARES
ALLIES ARE NOT RESPONSIVE
TO TEUTON PEACE PLAN.
AMSTERDAM, March 16.—“The
great German offensive against the
entente allied armies must go on,”
declared General von Hindenburg in
an interview made public today. This
decision has been reached by the Ger
man government, according to Von
Hindenburg, because the entente al
lied powers have assumed an unre
sponsive attitude toward all Teutonic
proposals for peace made recently.
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