Vol. 1. No. 29 .
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT KNIK, ALASKA.
May 1, 1915
The arrival this week on the
steamer Mariposa of Lieut. Freder
ick Mears, one of the three com
missioners in charge of the con
struction of the great government
railway system, marks a distinct
epoch in the history of Alaska, for
he comes to initiate worK on the
comprehensive transportation plan
which means the development of a
large part of the territory.
The steamer Mariposa and Ad
miral Avans brought a score of the
oukial force, including locating
and resident engineers, and skilled
mechanics, and a vast amount of
freight for the big project. The
freighter Latouche is now at the
Anchorage discharging equipment
etc. The steamers Alameda and
Admiral Watson, due early ne.:t
week, will bring other important
members of the o b> i il family and
vast quantities of freight. Com
missioners Kdes ( hair man) and
Riggs are believed to be on the
Alameda.
Included in the equipment now
at Ship creek are rails, ties, wharf
timbers, two pile drivers, lumber
for building purposes and stores for
the commissary department. A
big dredger for use in channel work
at the mouth of Ship creek, and
other necessary equipment, are on
tne way irom uie canal zone.
The first preliminary work un
taken was the laying of a track to
facilitate the handling of the freight
from the beach to the railway
warehouses and yards. Miss Babe
White of Ship creek had the honor
of driving the first spise, which
Commissioner Mears pulled and
presented to her as a keepsake.
On a project of such magnitude,
there is a vast amount of prelimi
nary work to do, and it may be a
month or more before actual grad
ing on the road bed begins, hence
not a large number of men can be
used to advantage just now.
Anchorage, the official designa
tion of Ship creek, will be the
headquarters for the commission.
Old Rnik will a'so be a center of
activity. Chief Clerk Chase, now
e '.route, will, for the time being,
be U. S. Commissioner, but his
powers will be limited to those of a
justice of the peace. He will also
be postmaster and is bringing an ex
perienced man to act as deputy.
James Wardell of Katalla will be
deputy U, S. marshal.
Today a pack train of eighteen
horses, in charge of Head Packer
Coutts and five men, started over
land for Montana creek. An en
gineering party, with supplies and
equipment, will leave in a few days
on the launch Explorer and the
government river boat Chulitua, to
join the pack train at Montana
creek. The engineering party will
be in charge of C. R. BrecK, and is
detailed to locate the railway from
the Tallceetua on toward the inter
ior terminus.
Abeut ibe TownsJto
Regarding the townsite matter,
Commissioner Mears authorizes the
News to say:
“The land office of the interior
department is expected to put engi
neers in the field within a short
time, to locate a townsite in the |
district between Ship creer-; and.
Ship creek junction. The plans of
the commission contemplate using
practically all of the ground which
is at present occupied by the tern- j
porary roadhouses and dwellings,
which have been erected here with
in the last few weeks. There is no
desire on my part to cause unneces
sary inconvenience to any or the
present occupants of these dwell- j
mgs. it is a tact, novvevcr, tnat
the construction of machine shops,
engine houses, terminal freight
yards, * water tanks, commissary
buildings, dwellings for permanent
employees, as well as buildings
and plant necessary in connection
with the terminal coal cIock -ite,
will require practically all of the
ground now occupied by the tent
camp, and it will be necessary to re
move these habitations to the per
manent site as soon as it is selected.
“I am unable to tell you what
plan exactly will be followed by the
land office in assigning lots for
building purposes. It should be
realized that the land offiee has only
had cogninanee of Ship creek as a
definite point on the railroad since
the date of the president’s an- ,
nouncement, Saturday, April ioth, ,
and they probably have not had <
time to make definite arrangements
for handling the situation. ;
“Inasmuch as the commission '
will gradually concentrate a number \
of employees in the vicinity of the
present commission buildings, it ^
vviil be necessary to take steps to
closely guard the water supply to i
prevent contamination. As soon as
:hisplan Is determined upon, notice
will be given to the occupants living
n the vicinity of this water station
:o vacate the premises. Until such
notice is given, no one will be re
quired to move, unless buildings are
physically in the way of railroad
work.”
Personnel
The official force and government
employes now at Ship creek are:
Lieut. FredericK Mears, com
missioner, in charge.
K. K. Kuney, locating engineer,
in charge of locating party No. i,
detailed to make the final location
between Kagle river and the Mata
nuska coalfields.
C. R. Breck, jr., locating engi
neer, in charge of party No. 3, de
tailed to make preliminary and
final location in the I road Pass dis
trict.
F. IP Standiford and F. O. Ar
chibald, resident engineers.
Dr. K. S. Reedy, physician.
Captains Swift and Peterson,
pilots; and Messrs. Lnglund and
Bradland, marine engineers.
R. K. Remore, carpenter fore
man, in charge of all carpenter
vvorK at Anchorage.
Dave McKachern, pile driver
foreman, in charge of all pile driver
nnrl rlnpK vvnrt* Aiirhorncrp
C. S. Jones, foreman in charge
of all grading, track laying and
clearing gangs at Anchorage.
D. I,. Hough L. C. Starkey and
Mr. Bowers, topographers.
JD. 1). Vint, H. U. Higgins and
Mr. Gerber, draftsmen.
H. K Mullen and H. B. Wilkin
son, cost data accountants.
Wm. Haynes, estimator.
W. R. Manning, materialman.
A. M. McDermott, clerk.
B. C. A elte, officeman.
W. M. Peltier, bookkeeper.
F. A. Fenton, instrumentman.
John Veltrap, pile driver foreman;
W. Weurch, derricKman; T. W.
-'ecrest, assistant engineer; O. J.
Hague and C. Johnson, helpers.
Mr. Burnett, riverman.
Mr. Costello, head chainman;
Mr. McCafferty, rear chainman;
W. E. Williams, back flagman;
J. S. Duncan and T. F. Young,
evelmen; J. E, Coughlin, topo
grapher rodman; Fred Wilson, rear
;hainman; G. A. Stanton, J. F.
■Celsay and Mark Forgate, rodmen;
d. I). Yates, transitman; G. A.
Spangler, stakeman; A. F. Rice,
ixeman; . Maguire and M. Kuney,
ape men.
Mr. Wilson, W. A. Wolf and
Smil Wendon, cooks.
Good cigars at Pilger’s. Lead
ng brands only.
Steamer News
The steamer Alameda, which
sailed from Seattle on the 24th, is
due at the Anchorage May 2.
The Admiral Watson, which
sailed from Seattle the 25th, is due
at the Anchorage May 3.
The freighter Latouche is at
the Anchorage with the dredge be
longing to Herron & Barnes.
The Admiral Evans sailed south
bound on the 26th.
The Mariposa, south - bound,
sailed yesterday.
The Bertha, south-bound, sailed
yesterday, and will return with
a cargo for the Goose bay cannery.
The Mariposa passed the tug
Columbia, towing the barge Sperm,
in Icy vStrait.
The first three boats to the Inlet
brought better than 2000 tons of
freight to the Anchorage. The
Mariposa brought 6 o tons, the
Evans 800 tons and the Bertha
nearly 1000 tons.
George Palmer, ti e genial mer
chant, who has been posii'uaster at
Knik since the office was estab
lished, has been seeking to get rid
of his job, but his efforts have thus
far proved unavailing. He has
been acting in this capacity merelj
as a matter of accommodation. His
mercantile business has grown to
such proportions that it requires his
undivided time, and the department
should relieve him without delay.
B. M. Stone, of the Gateway
Publishing Company, made a busi
ness trip to Knik this week. Mr.
Stone has recently purchased the
interest of Charles E. Herron in
the Gateway Publishing Company,
thus becoming the sole owner Pie
is the livest wire in the newspaper
business in Alaska, as evidenced by
his remarieable success with the
Seward Gateway.
Mrs. M. M. Kinsinger of Mata
nuska is suffering from an acute
attack of rheumatism.
FLOUR
Ivanhoe Hard *o Beat
Fisher’s Blend
Fisher’s Art
“Quality First”
Brown & Hawkins
Wanted to buy: Bids wanted
for delivery NAtlVE SPUDS
of either Gold Coin, Early Rose or
Early Ohio, of good quality,smooth
and medium size, in 2 ton lots; de
livery on first good snow at my
store in Knik, Matanusica or Ship
creek. Will want about 20 tons.
NEWTON W. PILGER.
Newt. Pilger’s Policy
To put good goods on his shelves
and then MOVE E’M. He don’t
“keep things:” he sells ’em.