IH5E l The Cordova Daily Times l EHE)
VOLUME J. NUMBER 147. COItlAvA, AI.A ska, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 1915. i’KK'K TKN < KNTS.
' 55 —"-- ' -I-5-“ -- ' — ! S
MEXICAN SITUATION SERIOUS
UNITED STATES HAS AGAIN THREATENED TO INTERVENE
GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS
TAKEN AT ANCHORAGE
E. A. Hegg returned on the steamer
Watson from Anchorage, where he
spent several days, during which time
he took a number of excellent photo
graps of the new camp. He reports
that there are a large number of peo
ple there and the commission is be
ginning to do some active railroad
work.
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Financier Again With us
George Hazzard, whose peculation#
in several Alaskan towns aroused the
Ire of his victims, was a passenger on
the Northwestern from Valdez, and
was seen on the streets of Cordova
last evening.
COMMITS
Seattle, May 28—Christian Busch
mann, manager of the Northwestern
Fisheries Company, with canneries at
Cordova and other places throughout
Alaska, committed suicide by shoot
ing himself. The act was committed
in a vacant office on the nineteenth
(floor of the Smith building. Busch
mann has been in ill health fur some
time, and it is believed by the dead
man’s friends that hopelessness,
caused by the fear that he would
not recover, was the motive which
prompted him to take his life.
Christian Buschmann has been one
of the leading figures in Alaska fish
ery circles for years, and as superin
tendent for his concern had succeed
ed Mn largely increasing the output
of the canneries, and had the incen
tive of success and prosperity to make
him wish to hold on to life. Busch
mann was a comparatively young man
with a promising future before him,
well-liked and popular with a wide
circle of acquaintances. His was a
familiar figure upon the streets of al
most any Alaskan town.
The suicide of Buschman recalls the
fact that his predecessor as superin
tendent of the Northwestern Fisheries
Co., Capt. Jarvis, the famous Alaskan
suicided under similar circumstances,
The deceased was the son of Petei
Buschmann, the pioneer canneryman
of Petersburg, Alaska.
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s. p. [ r
WASHINGTON, May 28—The Inter
state Commerce Commission hai
handed down a decision denying thi
petition of the Southern Pacific Rail
>,road to operate boats between iti
terminal ports in California and porti
in Oregon and Washington, Thi
commission does give the railroad per
mission to run boats direct betweei
California and Alaska If it so desires
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GENERAL AGENT TRACY
RETURNS FROM ANCHORAQI
General Agent F. B. Tracy, of th
Alaska Steamship Company, returned
this morning from Anchorage, wher
he has been for several weeks pas'
He will return to that port on th
Mariposa to superintend the handltn
of the congestion of freight,
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M1NEHS SPECIAL Red Sole Boot
$9.51) at S. Blum & Co’s.
Special to The Times By Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, May 28—President Wilson is
preparing a statement setting out in full the condi
tions in Mexico, and the duty of the United States
under the circumstances. The president will say
that the present situation in Mexico is one bordering
on anarchy, and that conditions there are fast be
coming intolerable. Vast numbers of innocent peo
ple, including women and children, are being perse
cuted and are suffering because the leaders of the
rival factions are too selfish and too narrow of view
to see with proper eye the greater interests of their
country, which demand that the internal disorder
cease.
The statement will contain a warning to the
warring, factions, that intervention by the United
States will be inevitable unless the conditions com
plained of are immediately improved It is likely
that the statement will be given to the public next
Tuesday.
WASHINGTON, May 28—President Wilson, as''
head of the American Red Cross Society, has issued
an official appeal to the American people asking them
to contribute to a fund for the relief of the desti- .
tute people of Mexico. The appeal says that money ,
and food in large quantities are needed at once in or
der to alleviate the desperate condition of thousands
of Mexican non-combatants, who have been made
homeless and hungry because of the internal strife
that has been ravishing the country for the past two
years.
BATTLESHIP MAJESTIC BLOWN UP
LONDON, May 28—1The British battleship Ma
jestic was torpedoed and sunk by a German subma
rine in the straits of Dardanelles. The officers and
crew were nearly all saved by the flotilla of torpedo
boats and destroyers accompanying the British fleet.
They immediately went to tjie assistance of the
disabled vessel, and drove off the submarine before
a second torpedo could be discharged. The Ma
jestic was one of the older vessels of the British na
vy, being practically obsolete. She was built in
1895, and had a displacement of 14,900 tons.
LONDON, May 28—The ex-Canadian liner
Princess Trene was blown up by an internal explos
ion at Sheerness harbor yesterday. The Princess
Irene was commandeered by the British government
when the war broke out and brought over to Eng
land, where she was converted into a mine layer.
The vessel was being fitted for laying mines when
the explosion occurred. The destruction of the ves
sel was complete, as not one person escaped to ex
plain how the explosion occurred. The entire crew
of two hundred and fifty, and the seventy-eight
j shipwrights who were working on board perished.
! Tlie explosion was so terrific that nothing but small
; scraps of the vessel could be picked up, and the men
on board wore literally blown to pieces. The Prin
cess Irene is familiar to every visitor to Puget Sound
as she was in service between Seattle and Victoria.
PENZANCE, May 28—The British steamer
Cadebv, seven hundred tons, has been sunk by gun
fire from a Gorman submarine off the Scilly Islands.
The crew were all saved.
COPENHAGEN, May 28—The Danish steamer
Ely, bound from England to Sweden with coal,
struck a Hunting mine near Stockholm and was sunk.
The entire crew wore saved by a nearby vessel.
TEUTONS ADVANCl IN GALICIA CHECKED
PETROGRAI), May 2ft—The Russian war office
'makes the definite statement that the Austro-Ger
man advance in Galicia has been checked. It says
that Genoa nactivity along other sections of the
eastern battle line is increasing. The lino coinmenc
j ing at the Baltic, running southward just east of the
; Prussian border, bends eastward within thirty miles
of Warsaw, and then extends to southern Poland.
1 It is along this section of the front that recent do
! velopments tend to show that the Germans are now
| turning their attention, for a general attack has
been launched practically along this entire portion
of the fighting line. The bombardment of t 1m* Rus
sian fortress of Ossowetz, which has been started
three separate times, has again been renewed. Ar
tillery engagements and cavalry battles are reported
close to Edvabno, and generally along the front of
this section.
From Laroslau, in Galicia, to the Roumanian
—
frontier the Russian line is holding like a stone
wall against the repeated attacks of the Austro-Ger
nmn forces. Despite the apparent futility of the
Teuton attacks, they continue their fierce assaults
against the Russians with disregard for the heavy
loss of life that ensues.
These assaults are now being made along the
entire front with great determination so that it may
be said that the whole eastern battle line is en
gaged at present. Strong German forces, accom
panied by much heavy artillery, arc concentrating
on the roads in Galicia leading toward Lemberg.
As long as Jtisosluu and Przemysl hold out, how
ever, Lemberg is safe from attack. The Russians
( xpress confidence in their ability to retain (Jieir
present positions in Galicia, and assert that within
a short time the Russian offensive will be resumed.
BERLIN, May 28—Today’s official statement
from tin* German war office contains the first inti
mation that the Russians have succeeded in checking
tlu‘ Austro-Gorman forward movement in Central |
Galicia. The statement admits that the Germans j
in the region of the Sieinewa, of the left bank of the
San, have suffered a reverse, being forced back a
considerable distance and losing six cannon. The
statement asserts that in other parts of the line the
Germans are still on the offensive, and are drawing
close to Przemysl.
LONDON, May 28—The Austro-German troops
who have driven a wedge through the Russian line
in Central Galicia, are attempting a double flanking
movement. They are steadily increasing the inten
sity of their attack, and' are seeking to encircle
Pryemysl from the north and southeast. The Rus
sians are aware of the attempt to flank their forces
and are resisting stubbornly, with a constant heavy
loss on both sides.
WHAT CORDOVANS ARE DOING AT THE NEW CAMP
I
ANCHORAGE, May 25—The Rail
doad Commission issued a call yester
day for bids for station work between
Ship Creek and Matanuska Junction—
for clearing, grubbing and grading.
The bids may be submitted at auy time
and they are to be opened on the
Wednesday or Saturday following
their receipt. A large portion of the
right of way has already been cleared
as far as Eagle River, and half a dozen
or more grading camps have been es
tablished between Ship Creek and the
junction, which is in the vicinltv of
Station 250 of this branch and 3525 on
>
the main line of the Alaska Northern.
The commission states that bids
i
will be received only from individuals
i
or partnerships, commonly known as
i
stationmen, this being interpreted to
mean "big contractors" are to be
eliminated; that the commission will
furnish tools, powder and supplies at
reasonable prices as long as work is
proceeding satisfactorily to the engi
neer in charge; thut when the work
is completed the commission will, at
their option, take over all topis that
are in good condition, at a fair valua
i tlon.
5* Charges are to be made as follows:
j $1.60 per 100 feet of track per week;
I 26 cents per day for cars, stationmen
j to build their own cars from material
t furnished by the commission free;
horses and harness, $3 per day, with
feed. No proposals will be consid
ered from employes of the commis-[
siou except day laborers.
Other bids have been called for j
piling, to be opened May 31, as fol-j
lows: 22,400 lineal feet for the Eagle
-*
River bridge and 2,400 lineal feet for [
two swaller bridges in the same vi-l
cinity.
A famine has prevailed here since
the 20th inst., and will not be re-J
lieved permanently until supplies can 1
be received from the national capital.
The famine affects only those who
wiBh to send out mail, as it is con
fined to postage stamps, the last hav
ing been sold by Assistant Postmaster
Wood on the date mentioned.
Construction of the temporary ter
minal city of tents in crazy-quilt
style, with reckless disregard for
Btreet lines, regularity or moral rights
of others who have already located,
continues. A census taken infor
mally during the past week snowed
that there were more than 550 tents
and 75 log and board structures here,
with a population of approximately
1200.
The first number of the Cook Inlet
Pioneer is due to appear next Satur
day.
ANCHORAGE, May 25—In refer
ence to the new railroad will say that
. the first seventy-one miles out or Sew
aril is la good shape, needing only
new ties and the construction of aj
few small bridges. The next eighty
miles is through a rough country,
whicli will require plenty of heavy
work. The thirty-eight miles from
Anchorage to Matanusaa Junction is
practically level, with a small growth
of burned timber. North of there is
a tract of ground 8 by 10 miles that
is level, dry and easily cleared that]
would be an ideal place for homes'
for several thousand people. There \
are ranches here that have passed the ■
experimental stage, and 1 have been'
informed that the farming land is
better In the Matanuska region.
This town consists of several hun
dred tents and idle men, with plenty of
lodging houses and restaurants. We
have a doctor and a dentist, three
drug stores, twelve barber shops and
any number of general merchandise
stores, with a weekly paper to soon
start. The Cordova colony is getting
established and as most all of Its peo
pie are rustlers, they will get their
share of the business. Finklesteln &
Sapiro have a big stock of goods and
are doing a good business; Capt. La
throp has a full-fledged transfer out
fit here and of course you can't keep
him out of the money; Dr. V. A.
Schmitz and his assistant, Miss Wha
len. are starting a creditable drug
store anil will have their formal open-,
ing by giving a dance; M. W. Deidrick
is busy installing the Inlet Soda
«|
Works, while E. A. Uegg was here
for a few days sizing up the situation.
The wages paid on the road are $11
per week and board for carpenters,
and $17 per week for contract work.
For cleaning right of way from $20 to
$70 an acre, with board at $1 per
day. The commissary prices are a
bout the same as at Cordova, with
some articles a little higher. For
rajlr oad ties 20 and 25 cents are paid
fo* delivery on the right of way. The
wa^es in town are from $1 to $2 a
day" for cooks and from 50 cents to
$1 for helpers.
In my opinion Seward will not
get a great deal of benefit from the
construction work tills summer, and
the outlook here Is not any too good,
as there are several hundred idle men.
No American cun compete with the
Russian labor employed, and there is
talk of petitioning President Wilson
to employ at least 5 per cent of En
glish-speaking people on our govern
ment work. Under the existing cir
cumstances the driving of the first
spike here was the last nail in Alaska's
coffin, as the shadow of the Russian
flag looms up at every turn.
A. J. Adams is in receipt of a very
newsy and interesting letter from Dr.
V. A. Schmitz, who has opened a drug
store in a tent at Anchorage. He says:
"There are between 500 and COO tents
here and more going up. Business
is very quiet here as they have had
no pay day as yet. All lines of bus
iness are overdone. There are two
butcher shops, five grocery stores, five
barber shops, three lumber yards, a
bout seven restaurants, five or six
cigar and fruit stores, two hardware
stores, any number of lodging houses,
two physicians but no drug store as
yet
“We do not know yet where the new
townslte will be. There is an ideal
place on the other side of the creek,
on the water front, and the inhabitants
have petitioned the Kailroad Commis
sion to set this tract aside for a town.
The days are warm here, but the
nights very cool. I am told It rains
here very little during the summer.
This Is the most orderly frontier town
1 have ever seen. Deputy Marshal
Wardell informs me that he has been
here more than three weeks and has
not served a warrant or made a single
arrest.
"Miss Whalen Just arrived after a
pleasant voyoge. Keith McCollough
has a cosy little cabin fixed up for his
bride. Mrs. Brown, nee Nellie Shep
ard, lives here, and they own one of
the best cabins in town."
rWO STEAMERS
FOR SEATTLE
The steamer Northwestern left for
Seattle last night with the following
tassengers: Rartley Howard and
vlfe, C. M. Frazier, Cieorge Doyle, for
Seattle; Thomas Rgan, for Ketchikan;
Itigh D. McTavish, for Juneau. She
.Iso took out nine hundred tons of
upper ore to the Tacoma smelter.
About 1 o'clock this morning the
iteamer Admiral Watson arrived from
he westward and sailed an hour lat
•r for the states. The onty outgoing
tassenger was Miss Merle Helmick
'or Tacoma.
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BE RECEIVED
LONDON, May 28—A dispatch to
the London News from the Hague says
that Germany has framed her reply
to Wilson's note on the Lusitania
incident, and that it will be presented
to the American government tomor
row. The dispatch asserts that the
reply will be of a temporizing char
acter, and that it will delay a definite
answer to the American demands until
the United States can satisfy the Im
perial German government that the
Lusitania did, or did not carry ammu
nition for the Allies on her last voy
age.
WASHINGTON, May 28—The dally
meeting of the Wilson cabinet was
dispensed with today for the first time
in weeks. Since the Lusitania inci
dent important events in relation to
both Germany and Mexico have com
pelled the government to hold al
most constant conferences. There
was nothing to discuss today, and will
not be until after the reply of Ger
many to Wilson's note, which is ex
pected tomorrow, is received.
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"FLOATING COURT” AGAIN
CONVENES THIS SUMMER
The first session of the "floating
court,” which makes a trip to the
westward every summer, will be held
at Naknek on August 2. It Is at this
place that our former townsman, W.
L. Kursman, is a deputy United States
Marshal.
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LIVERPOOL, May 28—The officers
of the American steaiper Nebraskan,
which was disabled off tne south coast
of Ireland last Wednesday, state that
the damage done to their vessel was
by a torpedo. They are positive In
their belief, having conferred with the
American naval attache, who came for
the purpose of making a report to the
Washington government. Upon the
report of the naval attache will de
pend of the representations
to be made to Gerjnaay over the Inci
dent by President Wilson.
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Balt Breaks Window
I-ast evening while several boys
were playing baseball on Second
street, a ball was kuocked against
| the Northern hotel, breaking one of
the large plate glass windows on the
second story
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Reduction In Gasoline at S. Blum &
Co.