The Cordova Daily Times
Member of The Associated Press
VOL. IV. NO. 60 CORDOVA, ALASKA. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1919 ~ PRICE TEN CENTS
EXPERIENCED
CORDOVA BOY
ON DESTROYER
“Red” Cunningham, formerly of the
local radio station, who is now a
member of the crew of the U. S. S.
Taylor, which recently has returned
from Prance, writes to Charles M.
Rosswog from Norfolk, Va., under
date of January 28, in which he gives
some interesting data from the log of
his destroyer, and other information,
as follows:
“Dear Friend: Your letter received.
I certainly was glad to hear from Cor
dova. We left Brest, France, Dec. 26,
and your letter took an unnecessary
trip across the pond.
“I am sorry to hear about the Jones
boy crossing the great divide. I left
with Johnny just a little over a year
ago, on the Victoria. I have only met
one man on the other side who claims
the big peninsula for his stamping
ground. We steamed alongside of a
big 6il tanker in the Mersey river, at
Liverpool, to oil. While the girl was
getting her drink of fat both crews
were comparing ijotes. I overheard
a fellow from the tanker telling our
mascot, a little poodle, to ‘mush outer
the way.’ I knew right away he came
from some place near the country ice
boxes are named after. I spoke to
him and sure enough, he had been all
over Alaska.
“T had lots of oxrdtpment thp Inst
six months of the fight. The destroyer
I am on had just cleared Key West
early In July, where we found out
that Germany really had U-boats, and
it wasn’t only paper talk. For instance,
I will copy our log for the last two
months:
"Sept. 1—Took convoy out 500
miles, dropped them, returned to New
port News, picked up convoy, an
chored Hampton Roads September 7.
Lett Hampton Roads 8th, arrived
Brest, France, September 20. On that
trip we were rammed by the U. S. S.
Mallory, formerly a New York-to-South
America passenger liner, off the
Azores islands, while steaming along
with lights out in convoy formation.
It buckled our watertight bulkheads
between fire rooms and engine rooms,
also took the arch out of all the ribs
on the port side from forward fire
room to the after fire room, making
it necessary for us to detach ourself
from the flotilla and proceed from
Brest the 23d in bad condition to Liv
erpool, England, where we arrived
the 24th of September, drydocking and
leaving over a month later, October
30. At this time the U-boats were
next to the last round, and were do
ing great work in the Irish sea and
along the Irish coast. It was just a
. few days before this that the Irish
mall packet was sunk in the Irish
sea—the Leinster, I believe her name
was. The log proceeds then to say:
Left Liverpool 30th. Put in Queens
town, Ireland, October 31. Left
Queenstown November 1. Arrived
Plymouth November 2. Left the 3d
and arrived at Brest, France, 4th. Left
Brest again the 6th, arrived Plymouth,
England, November 10. Left Plymouth
before daylight the morning of the
11th of November, about 9 a. m. About
half-way between England and France,
in the channel, we received the fate
ful message to knock off the quarrel
ing and proceed to Brest. Miles out
jc from the entrance to Brest we could
see the flags and smoke from bon
fires. All night long the French men
o’-war and our flotilla shot skyrockets
* and blew whistles. Ashore the French
men were parading and kissing each
other. The young French girls were
not as patriotic as their edlers—for
dam few express it with kisses, like
their parents.
"We Just didn’t exactly trust the
Fritz yet, so we made several more
convoy trips. Our last trip to sea
from Brest was to bring President Wil
son into the harbor. Again there were
some doiugs—the Frenchmen showed
their appreciation.
“Wall, the day after Christmas we'
left fcfr the U. S. A. via the Azores
and Bermuda. Had a fine passage.”
—--g
Paul Lucchlnl, who is employed by
the Alaska Coal and Petroleum Com
pany, came over from Katalla last
Sight to spend a few days here on
| bittiness.
i
AIRPLANES
FOR POLICE
OF_ARCTIC
VANCOUVER, B. C., Feb. 12 (by
Associated Press).—Remote stretches
of Canadian Arctic winter snow and
tundra someday will be patrolled by
Canada’s Royal Northwest Mounted
Police in airplanes as well as on dog
sleds, according to a dispatch received
here from Ottawa, Canada’s capital.
Many of the constables of the R. N.
M. P. who fought on French battle
fields with the Canadian forces dis
tinguished themselves as aviators.
These men, on their return, will form
the nucleus of a flying force which it
is expected will annihilate the dist
ances which now render the far north
patrols tedious and hazardcfus, the
dispatch said.
Trading settlements and other out
posts of civilization along the north
ern fringe of the continent will not
only receive better police protection
if airplanes are u^ed but they will
also be put in closer touch with the
outside world. At present occasional
winter patrols reach the posts at
Herschel Island and, Fort Macpherson,
up on the Arctic. These points should
be visited often by airplanes, it is
believed.
And if the airplanes come, Cana
da’s red-jacketed “unmounted” mount
ed police will have iron steeds of the
air to ride instead of horses. Up in
the Yukon territory the force still
clings to the word “mounted” in its
name and its members wear spurs on
their boots. There are but very few
horses in the entire police, however.
Dog teams and snow-shoes and sleds
and launches are used to get over the
country.
CORDOVA HOME GUARDS
ELECT NEW OFFICERS
" The Cordova Home Guard held a
well-attended meeting in the North
land Club rooms last night, and put
that organization on a business and
permanent basis. An executive com
mittee consisting of A. J. Adams, Ca
leb Corser, H. A. Slater, Rev. A. G.
Shriver and H. I. O'Neill was elected,
of which Captain Calvin Hazelet is
an ex officio member. George A. Har
mon was chosen treasurer and R. J.
De Leo secretary. K. B. Holden, F.
H. Foster and F. A. Jones compose
the social committee. A territorial
or national guard was favored by the
organization,, and the executive com
mittee, assisted by Attorney Foster,
will draw up a bill to be presented
to Governor Riggs for his guidance
in securing the enactment of a law
at the coming session of the legisla
ture. T^he local representatives,
Henry A. Slater and E. E. Ray, will
lend their support to the movement,
and it has been suggested that the
matter be taken*up with Representa
tives Collins and Nordale of Fairbanks,
who are now in Cordova.
_a_
QUARANTINE STATION AT
PILEDRIVER ABOLISHED
With the abolishing of the quaran
tine station at Piledriver the postal
authorities announce an improvement
in the mail service of at least two
days over the present schedule. At
the present time the mail may be
taken from Fairbanks to Chltlna in
from seven to eight days. During the
time the quarantine was on it gener
ally required from nine to ten days.
Under the old system the mail was
taken to Piledriver in an auto and
from there was relayed along the
trail in double-enders. At the present
time it may be taken clear through
to Delta, a distance of sixty miles, in
one day, against two days as formerly.
This tends to reduce the time all along
the trail and will make for a better
service.
-♦
“The Byes of Mystery," played by
Bdith Story, Plctograph and a comedy,
“The Perils of a Bakery," at the Em
press theater tonight
TWO UNIQUE CHARACTERS WERE
AMONG INFLUENZA VICTIMS
“Picturesque personalities are as
promptly plucked from the tree of
life by the deadly influenza germ,
when there is no combating agency
to destroy it, as relentlessly as it
strikes down the obscure human be
ing,” according to Arthur H. Miller,
superintendent of Indian affairs, bu
reau of education, for the Third divi
sion of Alaska, who has just returned
to Cordova from a visit to the Copper
River Indians.
“During the recent epidemic of in
fluenza among the natives of the Cop
per river,” continued Mr. Miller, “two
well-known figures among the Copper
River Indians, Doc Billum and Tanana
Jack, died before the doctor and
nurses arrived.
“The government’s representative
in charge'of the native school was
cautioned by the district superinten
dent long before the disease reached
there to take every precaution against
it. He was instructed to see that all
native homes were provided with
plenty of fuel, so necessary in such
an emergency, and warn the natives
against the danger of visiting each
other's homes, and use such other pre
cautionary measures as were ppssi
ble. These instructions were followed,
but having no streptococcus vaccine
with which to load his hypodermic
gun to fire at the deadly germ, he
could not inoculate the natives until
the doctor arrived.
“During this time two picturesque
characters among the Copper "River
Indians, Doc Billum and Tanana Jack,
aged chieftains of this tribe, were
stricken with influenza, and in a few
hours passed on to the happy hunting
grounds, where cannery fishing and
the white man’s game laws are un
known.
■jock An unusual unaracwr
“Doc Billum, the medicine qwn ot,
the tribe, had been well known «rt'nee
the days ot ’98 throughout all South
Central Alaska. His characteristic
costume consisted of a pair of blue
denim overalls, a red flannel shirt
worn outside his trousers in Prince
Albert fashion, and decollette at the
neck. This grotesque effect was ac
centuated by the wearing of a high
silk plug hat, , donated, to Doc by a
cheechako ’98er, on a head covered
with shining, straight black hair reach
ing to his shoulders.
“He was a kindly Indian of pro
nounced Copper River Indian type, of
rather dignified bearing, straightfor
ward and honest. Many who knew
him, both whites and natives, sin
cerely mourn his death.
A Really Noble Red Mah
“Tanana Jack, the other victim of
influenza, was also a typical specimen,
his face corrugated by thf furrows of
time, an ideal study of Indian type
for the artist’s brush. His thick,
gray hair suggested great age. He
was born on the Tanana river, as he
himself used to explain, ‘Mebby so
purt’ near one hundred snows ago.’
He was the father of one of the pres
ent Copper River chiefs, Big Jack.
“Tanana Jack was a sincere Chris
tian of the Greek Catholic faith,
scrupulously honest and of childlike
simplicity. For years during his old
age he was mainly supported by the
government through the representa
tives of the United States bureau of
education. He was respected and af
fectionately regarded by the govern
ment representatives, who regret the
passing of this type of really noble red
Low Mortality Rate in Epidemic
"The Copper River Indians, more
than three hundred in number, are
above the average native in health
and physique. For years they have
led a nomadic outdoor life in the pure
ozone of the Copper River valley, and
this no doubt accounts in part for the
low rate of mortality among them dur
ing the recent epidemic of influenza.
>"The chief reason for this, how
ever, is attributable to the fact that
good roads and telegraphic communi
cation through the Copper River re
gion made possible the extension of
medical relief at the proper time.
"Tl>e death rate was thus reduced
far below it has been in isolated
sections.
Counoil Replaces Chief
"Since the death of Doc Blllum and
of Chief Qoodlataw of the Chltlna
Indians, whiise death occurred several
months ago, the Indians of these vil
lages, instead of choosing a new chief,
have elected an Indian council from
among th|ir people as their governing
head. Thle was done under the di
rection of the representatives of the
United States bureau of education.”
Mr. Miller is awaiting transporta
tion to the ^westward.
-4-♦
STORK BUSIER THAN
THE GRIM REAPER
. M _
An unofficial tabulation of the vital
statistics at the Fairbanks precinct
shows that |Cupid had an off season
during the fear 1918. It is probably
due to the tjllgibles being in the serv
ice that thmdainty archer had so few
marks to afoot at. It is more than
likely that Before this time next year
he may have a good record and a high
score. As Bear as can be learned the
totals for tBe year just passed would
read about as follows: Marriages,
16; births, 41; deaths (recorded), 26.
-4—♦
“BY THE PEOPLE.”
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s birth
day and is being generally observed
throughout the United States ns a
legal holiday. He was born in 1306
and died in 1865. Let us cherish in
our hearts those undying words of
Lincoln, tha first American to reach
the lonely heights of immortal fame.
Take his meisage, carry it and pro
claim it broadcast throughout the
nation; help »ur people to realize the
patriotic dutyyesting upon them, each
and all, ie-born citizens of this
g, 14# them highly
i5w •rmnent of the peo
ple, by the people and for the people
* * * shall not perish from earth.”
-•
TAXES ON INTOXICANTS
INCREASED IN MEXICO
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 12 (by Asso
ciated Press).—The government is de
termined not to relax its efforts to
limit the sale of pulque and tlachique.
The chamber of deputies has approved
the decree of June 27, 1917, which in
creased the internal revenue taxes on
these intoxicating beverages from 25
to 50 pr cent. It is expected that sim
ilar action will be taken by the sen
ate and the president.
-♦
GERMAN GENERALS
LEAVING THE ARMY
MUNICH, Jan. 5 (by mail).—Nota
ble figures have been leaving the Ba
varian army lately. The famous Gen.
Konrad Krafft Von Dellmensingen,
commander of the Alpine corps, and
later chief of the Bavarian general
staff, has retired. Prince Ferdinand
of Bourbon, duke of Calabria, has
given up his complimentary rank as
chief of the Sixth field artillery regi
ment and has retired from the Bava
rian army. The equally well-known
infantry general. Count Von Bothmer,
has given up his a la suite connection
with an infantry bodyguard regiment.
_ A.
A UNIQUE INVENTION
AS AID TO MARINERS
PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 12 (by As
sociated Press)’,—A telltale board in
(he pilot house of a ship, to record
the extinguishing of any of the elec
tric sailing lights, is the product of
a local firm of electrical marine engi
neers. The device has been installed
on many locally built ships and is
said to have proved its value as a
safety device at sea.
The mechanical features are simple.
Lights are placed on the ship in pairs.
The board has a row of lights corre
sponding in number to the lights of
the ship. Should one of the ship’s
lights be extinguished for any reason,
the light in the wheel house goes out.
other light held in reserve ft the mast,
head or elsewhere is lighted. The
navigating officer thus knows at all
times whether his sailing lights are
in perfect order or not.
I
BOLSHEVISM IS
DEADLY ENEMY
OFDEMOCRACY
i
LONDON, Jan. 5 (Correspondence
of hte Associated Press).—Five repre
sentatives of Russian political organ
izations who are now here have is
sued a statement in which they assert
that they are of the opinion that the
salvation of Russia requires, first of
all, that Russia should he liberated
from the Bolshevikii. They ask for
the active help of the entente allies
for Russians who are fighting Bolshe
vik rule.
The delegation includes two moder
ate Conservatives, one Liberal and
two moderate Socialists. They were
sent to the allied countries to inform
the governments and peoples of Rus
ia’s critical position. The members
of the delegation are Vladimir Gurko,
Nicholas Shebeko, formerly Russian
ambassador at Vienna; Sergius Tretiu
kofT, formerly president of the Rus
sian Ecumenical Council; Alexander
Titoff and Constantine Krovoposkoff.
The two last named are moderate So
cialists. This mission when in Paris
was headed by Professor Paul Miliu
koff, leader of the Russian Constitu
tional Democrats, and formerly for
eign minister, but his name is not in
cluded among those who make public
cue appca i IUI neip lor XtUSSia.
“The German domination in Russia
and its artificial splitting into inde
pendent partSr” says the Russian rep
resentative, “is contrary to the aspira
tions of the masses and of all the
sane elements which demand the
union of the whole country in a single
state whose ultimate fate must be de
termined by the free decision of the
people inhabiting Russia.
“For this purpose active help is re
quired from the allies for all those
part* of Russia which- are in conflict
with the Bolsheviki and who are striv
ing to reunite and regenerate Russia.
“In the south this help must be
given first of all to the voluntary
army which is fighting against the
Bolsheviki in the Northern Caucasus.
Besides, to create order, it is neces
sary to occupy temporarily the most
important towhs and railway junc
tions in the south of Russia, so as to
prevent the advance of the Bolshe
viki from the north and the spreading
of anarchy, that already has ruined
the north of Russia.
“A barrier against the Bolshevism
spreading from the north will enable
the voluntary army to consolidate and
to grow. It will be possible by con
scription to convert this voluntary
army into a vast army in the south
of Russia, and, together with Siberia
and the northern territory, to crush
the Bolsheviki and to reunite the
whole of free Russia in the coming
spring.
“Therefore allied help is not re
quired for the purpose of taking an
offensive against the Bolsheviki, but
to create conditions that will enable
the sane elements to organize them
selves, to create a'government meet,.
anism and an army. All the rest as
well as the internal organization of
the country must be left to the Rus
sians themselves.
“Quite a separate problem is' the
salvation of Petrograd. During the
Bolshevik regime the population had
diminished to 600,000. The liberation
of this city at the earliest possible
date by the allies is called for by
considerations of humanity now that
the allies have access to the dying
capital through the Baltic sea. If in
time of war America considered it
her duty to save Europe from the
yoke of Prussianisfti, now at the mo
ment of the approaching peace a new
task is confronting her—the salvation
of the Russian democracy and of the
Russian state from the tyranny of Le
nine and Trotzky, nay, the salvation
of the whole of Russian civilization,
from the Bolshevik barbarity. If the
help is not given quickly and decis
ively, Russia, instead of a free demo
cratic country, will be crushed in a
state of unheard of dictatorship that
will make a stable and a lasting peace
Impossible, that will be a constant
threat not only to its neighbors but
to the Whole of Europe.”
The Bolshevik army, say the Rus
sian army delegates, now has in
SOCIALISTS OF
NORWAY MAKE
UM GAIN
CHRISTIANIA, Jan. 5 (Correspon
dence of the Associated Press).—The
party of the Lefts, headed by the pre
mier, Gunnar Knudson, lost twenty
five seats in parliament in the elec
tion recently' held. Instead of eighty
seats which it controlled during the
last session of the storthing, the party
now controls fifty-five seats. The op
position is divided between the Rights,
who have increased their membership
from twenty-four to fifty-three, and the
Socialists, who have eighteen seats in
stead of nineteen, as in the previous
parliament. The Knudsen party, or
Lefts, still is the strongest division
in the storthing, but now has consid
erable less than a majority of its 126
members. It is expected that this will
involve the reconstruction of the cabi
net.
The most conspicuous event in the
election was the defeat of the speaker
of parliament, J. L. Mowinckel of Ber
gen, who was regarded as politically
one of the strongest men in the house
and one of the most staunch support
ers of the cabinet.
The failure of the Socialists to in
crease the number of their voters
throughout the country was a sur
prise, as the party had profited by the
recent changes in the suffrage law.
The party gained only 3,000 votes,
while the Rights gained 63,000. Thi3
is ascribed to the Socialist program
to exclude the teaching of religion
from schools, to support prohibition
and to reform society along the lines
of the Russian Bolsheviki.
Although Norwegian women have
had the suffrage for more than ten
years, no woman ever has been elect
ed a member of parliament. One
woman was nominated for that office
In the last election, but received only
172 votes. A small fraction of self
supporting women have formed an
Election association with a platform
asking voters never to vote for men,
but its influence was not perctptible
at the polls.
Two important issues to come be
fore the parliament at its session be
ginning this month are a reform in
the election system by which the
thinly-settled districts now elect the
majority of members, while the cities,
with a more dense population, have
less representation in proportion to
their population. Other proposals are
a law of initiative and referendum and
to solve the prohibition question..
-*
ENGLISH COLONIES TO
BE STARTED IN MEXICO
MEXICO CITY, Feb. 12 (by Associ
ated Press).—The British consulate
here has received official inquiries
from London in regard to the possi
bility of establishing English agricul
tural colonies in the states of Colima,
Tabasco, Guanajuato and Vera Cruz.
The inquiries are said to be prepara
tory to carrying out demobilization
plans.
-4
PENALTY IS TOO LIGHT
TO PREVENT BOOTLEGGING
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 12.—“Boot
legging," according to David Gershon,
special agent for the department of
justice here, should be made a penal
offense. This, according to Gershon,
would be the most effective remedy
against the' bringing of liquor Into
“dry” territory.
“The present system," said Gershon,
“with liquor smuggling coming under
the classification of a misdemeanor,
and requiring the smuggler to pay a
fine. Is merely granting a license to
any person who chooses to engage in
the liquor traffic.”
A term in state prison, Gershon be
lieves, would soon end the nefarious
traffic.
creased to 600,000 men. According
to the statement, the Socialist mem
bers of the delegation are of the opin
ion that Soviet rule in Rugate is the
deadliest enemy of democracy.