GIVES UP LIFE
FDR DEMOCRACY
PERCY BLANCH FIELD IS OFFI
CIALLY REPORTED TO HAVE
BEEN KILLED AT LENS.
WAS ONLY 20 YEARS OLD.
Young Man Had Spent Nearly All His
Life in North and After Going Out
, side He Enlisted With Canadian
Overseas Force.
As never before the horrors of war
are beginning to come to Fairbanks,
with the news of the death of Percy
Blanchfield, says the Fairbanks Citi
zen. In a letter from Percy’s father
at San Francisco, Father Monroe, of
Fairbanks, was the one to whom the
sad news came. To all who knew the
young man, who saw him grow from
boyhood to manhood in the north,
watched him go through school and
graduate with honors from the Fair
banks high school but four years ago,
the news was received as a terrible
shock. He died a hero’s death for
democracy. He’s the first Fairbanks
lad to go. Others will follow and the
sadness will grow but there will ever
be the living gladness that the boys of
the -north are not wanting when cal
led.
Percy Blanchfield was but 20 years
of age. He spent all his life in the
north and received practically all of
his education in the public schools of
Fairbanks. After graduating from
high school, with his family, he went
to the states.
Joined Canadian Forces.
Not satisfied to wait for the Amer
ican troops to get into the struggle,
■“Old Brick,” as he was familiarly
known by the boys who grew up
with him, enlisted in the Canadian
army. For some three or four months
he was on the western front before
losing his life.
It wai only a week ago that George
Hering, of Fairbanks, received an op
timistic letter from Percy, telling of
conditions, his hopes for a safe re
turn, etc. It was a typical letter of
the men at the front, showing no fear,
no dssatisfaction, nothing but opti
mism and determination.
The letter, received by Father Mon
roe, telling of Percy’s death, written
by the father of tlje boy, is. in part,
as follows:
“I am writing you a few lines to
convey to you the saddest news I
ever sent to anyone in my whole life.
My dear boy, Percy Joseph, was re
ported officially killed in action near
Lens city on August 25. May the
Lord have mercy on his dear soul. I
am, to say the least, hearbroken, and
simply disconsolate over my loss.
Fighting for Democracy.
“He was fighting to help dear old
France against her old-time enemy,
and one more dear young life was
sacrificed for the cause of democracy.
You will never know how awfully sad
I have been since I lost my dear wife
a year ago, and especially since this
news of the death of Percy Joseph
just reached me.
The boy joined the Canadian infan
try a year ago last July. I had it
all arranged for him to work his way
through the California university as a
stenographer, and he was about to re
turn to San Francisco and enter col
lege when he was called to France.
He wanted to see and take part in the
greatest war on earth, and he fought
with the gallant Canadians who espe
cially covered themselves with imper
ishable glory at the Lens battle, and
Hill 70, where, as the San Francisco
papers state, was fought one of the
greatest battles of the war.
Massacre of Germans.
"It was more a massacre of the
Germans by the Canadians than a
battle, for a whole division of the
Prussian Guard was simply cut to
pieces, and to the eternal credit of
the Germans, they charged the Cana
dian position at Lens, taken from
them by the Canadians, ten different
times and were, as the papers state,
crashed like flies. Waterloo was not
in it with the awful carnage and ter
rible fighting there.
“The American troops in San Fran
cisco were thrilled by the reports of
the magnificent fighting done by the
gallant Canadians in the battle of
! Lens and Hill 70, which lasted four or
'five days. It started on August 15,
' and the boy got through that and was
killed in action on August 25. Fur
ther details I must wait for.
“Only last night I received a let
ter from him written shortly before
his death, in which he said he was
prepared to die, if needs be.”
iiiMT
! IN BOAT AND
LOSES HIS LIFE
NATIVE IN BIDARKA CAPSIZES
NEAR ELLAMAR WHEN HE
HAS EPILEPTIC CONVULSIONS.
COMPANION REACHES SHORE.
Two Dogs, Which Were in Craft Wrhen
It Overturned, Are Found to Be
Dry and Alive WThen It Is
Righted.
Simeon CherinofF, a native of Tat
itlek, was drowned the other day off
Ellamar.
CherinofF and Leveski, another na
tive of the village, had taken a trip
up to Galena bay to catch porcupines,
which is a staple article of diet with
the natives. They bagged a number
and started to return. CherinofF was
in the forward hatch and Billy
in the after hatch. In the center, be
tween them, were the carcasses of a
! number of porcupines, while in the
bow and stern were two dogs which
they had used in hunting.
Subject to Fits.
Simeon was subpect to epileptic fits,
and as they arrived off Powder Point
near Ellamar, Simeon told Billy that
he felt a fit coming on, and the latter
strove desperately to reach shore be
fore his companion was overcome by
the attack, but was unsuccessful in
reaching land when a convulsion shook
Simeon so severely that the bidarka
was overturned.
The bidarka capsized so completely
and quickly that the air was retained
inside and it floated high. Billy man
aged to free himself and climbed on
top of the bidarka and paddled it to
shore, landing at Graveyard reef. Just
before landing he noticed that the bi
darka raised at the forward end as
though freed from some weight.
Numbed with cold, Billy was un
able to right the bidarka, alone and
ran to the village for assistance, and
when the rescue party arrived at the
scene they found the body of Simeon
floating near the reef, but life had
departed.
First Body Recovered.
This is the first time in history, so
: the natives say, that a body has ever
been recovered from the waters in
that vicinity, and they are of the opin
j ion that there was considerable air in
the lungs or that there was sufficient
air in the camalinka he wore to float
the body.-When the bidarka was turn
ed over they found the dogs alive and
dry, and the cargo of porcupines safe.
1
of age, a fisherman by occupation, ard
was married, and had one married
daughter and a wife living. He had
been subject to fits for sometime, and
a year ago narrowly escaped death
when he capsized in a bidarka during
one of these attacks, in front of the
village, but was rescued and warned
to stay out of boats.
SENATORS QUIT LONDON.
LONDON, Nov. 8.—United States
I Senators William S. Kenyon, republi
can, of Iowa, and John B. Kendrick,
democrat, of Wyoming, left London
today to visit the American army
headquarters in France.
CASTRO MAY GO TO MEXICO.
MEXICO CITY, Nov. 8.—It is re
ported here that Cipriano Castra for
mer dictator of Venezuela has bought
a sugar plantation in the state of Vera
Cruz and shortly will come to Mexico
to live.
GLEN MAHON, WHO ALSO LIVED
IN NOME AT ONE TIME, IS
WITH BRITISH FORCES.
DESCRIBES LIFE AT FRONT.
; Entente Allies Are Said to He Pre
pared in More Efficient Way with
Artillery Than Germans at Present
Time.
A letter from the front, “somewhere
with the British forces,” was received
in Seward the other day, according to
! the Seward Gateway from Glen Ma
hon, who was at one time connected
with the old Alaska Northern. Mahon
1 also lived in Nome for a while. The
i letter from written “from a hospital”
where Mahon was convalescing from
trench fire.
It follows:- “Life at the front is a
living hell. The crashing of the heavy
bombardments, the staccato fusillade
of the smaller guns, the moaning and
groaning of the wounded all ci’eate a
pandemonium which taxes the stoutest
nerves. While in the front line trench
es the tension is never relaxed, and so
severe is the strain that it has been
found necessary to work the men six
shifts, so as to provide relaxation and
recuperation.
Six Days in Front Line.
“Six days are spent in a front line
trench, six days- in a support trench,
six days in a reserve trench and six
days back of the entire line at com
plete rest. At the outbreak of the war
' the celebrated Buffs regiment of Eng
land lay in a front line trench for
thirty-nine consecutive days without
relief, the longest period of continuous
active fighting in the history of the
British army. While the life of a sold
ier in a front line trench is at all times
strenuous, there are open periods of
I unusual stress. On one occasion I lay
for fifteen minutes serving a machine
gun directed at a massed formation of
attacking Germans. The assault was
finally repulsed, but after it was all
over I found myself considerably
weakened and wringing wet from the
exertion.
Due to Preparedness.
!
“The frightful loss of life among
the allied forces at the outbreak of
the war was due to their unprepared
nses. The disparity in the casualties
sustained by the opposing armies must
not be attributed to any superior
j fighting qualities of the German sold
| iers, but was due to the superior Ger
: man armament which that country
had been perfecting for over forty
years. Gradually, however, the allies
have been perfecting their military
equipment until toady our big guns
surpass in execution those of the en
emy. The smallest cannons of the al
i lies are placed louu yards oacx 01 tne
S front line while the large twelve inch
guns are situated from ten to twelve
miles to the rear, intermediate cali
j bers being stationed in between. Those
big guns do some terrible execution.
“The fire of the Germans is not only
aimed at definite objective points
along the allied lines, but it is often
j directed indiscriminately at any point
they can reach behind those lines.
Many Hospitals Struck.
“In many cases hospitals have been
struck by shells, killing wounded
soldiers as well as doctors and nurses.
I was spending my rest period of six
days at Mt. Kemmel, and was lined up
with others for a cup of coffee at a
restaurant stand when the fragments
of a shell struck a woman standing
near by with a baby in her arms. The
baby was thrown uninjured a distance
of ten feet or more, but the poor
mother was instantly killed.
“The poor bombardments are some
times most appalling. One night, while
we were stationed nearly fifteen miles
behind the front lines, the artilery fire
was so constant and fierce that it af
forded sufficient light for some of the
boys to play cards. Words fail to con
vey any realization of the frightful
holocaust. Every man at the front ap
predates fully that his very existence
is precarious, but, no matter what
happens to him or those about him, in
his face gleams that dogged persist
ence and determination which say, ‘It
has got to be done.’
“The atrocities committed by the
Germans in this war are almost in
conceivable. They seem to have been
bereft of all humane consideration.
Many of the barbarities perpetrated
by them are too inhuman to relate.
Never before in the history of civil
ized warfare have such cruelties been
committed.
Kept in Ignorance.
“The German soldiers of the rank
and file are being kept in ignorance of
the actual events and progress of the
war. German prisoners taken by
the allies had been told by their of
ficers that the German fleet had des
troyed the allied warships and- com
manded all commerce on the high
seas. Similar false reports had been
circulated among them regarding the
operations on both the eastern and
western fronts, and it was with in
credulity that they received a true ac
count of affairs. However, they were
not at all displeased at finding them
selves prisoners and out of the carn
age, and, judging from the manner in
which they devoured the food given
them at the army kitchen, they had
not enjoyed a square meal for some
time before being captured.
“The treatment accorded the allied
soldiers is all that could be expected.
They are furnished wholesome food
and pelnty of it, all reports to the
contrary notwithstanding. The sys
tem of supplying food to the different
lines, of trenches is most systematic
and methodical, but, of course, there
are occasions when the regularity of
the service is interrupted temporarily
through some unusual activity of the
opposing forces. The necessities are
abundantly supplied, but the little
comforts, such as tobacco, are often
wholly lacking.”
REQUESTS TO GO ELSEWHERE
MUST BE MADE TO U. S.
DEPUTY MARSHAL.
ATTORNEY GENERAL’S ORDER.
Not Many Citizens of Enemy Coun
tries, Who Have Not Been Natural
ized, Are Residents of Anchorage at
Present Time.
Native born citizens of Germany,
who have not been naturalized, can
not leave Anchorage for any other
town in Alaska or for the states
without first having obtained a permit
from the United States marshal’s of
fice here, according to orders receiver
by Deputy Marshal Clarence W.
Mnssman.
Instructions to this effect have been
issued by Attorney General of the
United States T. W. Gregory.
The instructions set forth that alien
enemies are now forbidden to leave
the communities in which they are
residents without first receiving per
mission from the federal authorities.
In Alaska, the marshals and depu
ty marshals are empowered to issue
the permits.
There are not many unnaturalized
German residents here.
SWIMMING POOL FOR TROOPS.
FORT BLISS, Texas, Nov. 10.—
Soldiers stationed at the post here or
in camp near here will have a chance
to swim and dive next summer. The
El Paso Chamber of Commerce has
appropriated funds for the construc
tion of a large pool near the parade
ground and work has started on it.
The pool will be large enough to ac
comodate all the soldiers stationed
here. It will be heated and lighted.
TIMEKEEPER GOES OUTSIDE.
W. B. Holmes, (district timekeeper
for the engineering commission, with
headquarters at Matanuska, left on
the transport Crook for Seattle, where
he will spend the coming winter.
JAMES HANEY, OF FAIRBANKS,
SAYS GREAT WEALTH ONLY
AWAITS TRANSPORTATION.
AMOUNT CANNOT BE REALIZED
Completion of System Is Regarded as
War Measure as Over It Can B«
Shipped Metals Needed in Making
Munitions.
What the government railroad wiL
do for the interior mining districts
which lie near the route of the trans
portation system and for those whicl
will have wagon roads as leaders t(
the railroad is outlined by James Han
ey, of Fairbanks, in a recent issue o:
the Fairbanks Citizen:
“There are dozens of mining dis
tricts, practicaly speaking, which an
almost inaccessible at present for jus
a man and his pack, much less :
team,” said Mr. Haney, “The groun<
in these districts has been prospected
and it is a known fact that the pay i;
| there. But up to this time and sue!
i time as the railroad will be pu
through there is no possible way fo
| a man to get his grub and machiner;
! and mining outfit to the ground.
“A good part of the ground is stak
! ed, and men are just waiting fo
| developments in the railroad buildinj
; so that they may go ahead and pu
| machinery on the ground. Most of th<
| mining would be in quartz.
-»i_vr_i,.j r_u?_
“The railroad will run right througl
i the Nenana mining district, fort;
j miles from Talkeetna and 70 mile
! from the Kantishna. With the rail
j road as near as this, where it is nov
1180 miles from transportation the ap
j propriation should be suggested t<
Delegate Charles A. Sulzer for th<
building of wagon roads from the rail
way to the camps.
“This is logical, too, from the wa:
issue standpoint,” says Mr. Haney
“inasmuch as every piece of meta
that will come from those mountain]
and benches will be needed in thii
manufacture of munitions in this war
There is a shortage of labor on th<
outside, in fact all over the world, an<
i unless the railroad and wagon road:
are completed in rapid time and with
out further delay, it will be almost ai
absolute impossibility to be able to ge
i labor to complete the road. Still, t<
I have it finished and with a few leader
| to the outlying camps, the Unitei
| States could realize in material ai<
j from the mines many times what th
i appropriation amounted to.”
Knows Value of Ground.
Mr. Haney is speaking for the man;
| prospectors who have tested thei
! ground and are sure of its worth i
only they had some way of transport
ing provision and machinery.
In the Willow creek and Broad Pas
! country, where there is 35 ner cen
| pure copper, one of the most neede<
! war articles today, there could be un
j told quantities of this useful meta
! taken out, were it possible to comba
I in any way the handicap of no road
| through swamps and mountains. Th<
| men who know the country througl
which the railroad is now being buil
can see another Coeur d’Alene, Butti
or Spokane in these districts.
“The government,” says Hr. Haney
j “cannot be convinced of the return:
| from such a mammoth and continua
j enterprise as this railroad is, unti
the completion of the entire systen
and operators begin to ship out theii
produce; therefore it is to be feare<
that the government, not seeing th»
future benefits for the United State:
as well as Alaska, will cease to appro
priate and leave the road unfinished
In the event of such a thing happening
mining interests of the remote bu
rich districts would remain as the:
have been for centuries—untouched.”
Mr. Haney has brought to Fair
banks with him some of the fines
samples of ore from all parts of th<
Nenana and Kantishna countries an<
is preparing a catalogue of specimens
I _‘
Job printing at the Times office.
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B. C. NICHOLS:
;’JEWELER
if
*; Watch re
pairing a
specialty.
Optical de
partment
t under spe
cial man
X agement.
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♦ We have property in all parts of*
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♦ Houses for Rent or Sale, t
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\ Phone 40R. 4
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Lj<> Susitna X ,
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5 <► Dealer in Raw Furs, Snowshoes,4
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Northern Transfer Co.
C. P. PEDERSEN, Mgr.
4th and D St. Phone 47-Y
GENERAL TRANSFERRING
DAHLS
RESTAURANT
for
GOOD EATS
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Chop Suey and Noodles
ANCHORAGE
Sheet Metal
WORKS
CAMERON’S
j CAFE
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4th Ave and C.
1 Alaska Pool
; 1 Room |
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Frisco Cafe i
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Where Matt and Andy Give the 4
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CORNER Ith AND H.
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