THE CORDOVA DAILY TIMES
Entered at the Postoffice at Cordova,
Alaska, as second-class matter.
H. G. STEEL
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1919
THE LEASING BILL
The attention of the Times has
been called to an erroneous interpre
tation placed upon the oil land leas
ing bill recently passed by the senate
of the United States, in an editorial
published last Monday. In that arti
cle it was stated that “where claims
were staked under the old law and
the assessment work properly kept
up, the parties that have held them
will be entitled to the first chance to
lease, if they so desire, and will have
six months in which to decide.”
It would appear that in order to
take advantage of this provision
claimants must have expended at
least $250 in “improvements on or
for each location, or have kept up
assessment work on the claims up to
the time of withdrawal,” in 1910.
1 WICK ERSHAM AND THE
RAILROAD
In an interview printed in the An
chorage Times, evidently written or
dictated by himself, James Wicker
sham suggests that “there should be
no politics considered in the construc
tion of such a project,” referring to
the construction of the government
railroad. The former delegate ap
pealed to Alaskans “to give their un
stinted support to Colonel Mears,
whose efforts are being directed to
bringing the construction of the great
Alaska railroad to a successful cul
mination.”
Taken as a whole, the “interview”
is about as audacious as any public
utterance ever made by Wickersham.
To show his utter indifference to the
manner in which his past actions may
be viewed bv the public, Judge Wick
ersham has the effron.tery to give
voice to the following sentiments:
“Talking about the Lane controver
sy Judge Wickersham states that no
answev was made by Secretary Lane
to his letter of last spring until re
cently, when Colonel F. Mears was
given sole charge of the completion
of the government railroad.
“To the judge this was decidedly a
satisfactory answer and Judge Wick
ersham publicly appeals to the'people
cf Anchorage and this vicinity as well
as the government railroad employes
to give their loyal and unqualified
support to Colonel Mears, who in the
judge’s estimation is the most compe
tent and active railroad constructor
ever in Alaska.
“Colonel Mears’ experience in the
early stages of the work, and his more
recent successes fn France engaged
in similar work, Judge Wickersham
declares will undoubtedly be of great
assistance in the completion of the
great Alaska railroad.”
It is perhaps unnecessary to recall
to Alaskans the letter to Secretary
Lane to which Wickersham here re
fers. It was probably as impudent
and uncalled for as any communica
tion ever addressed to a public offi
cial. In it all the spleen of the dis
appointed politician was let loose,
and the most biased and partisan ut
terances were made.
“Loal and unqualified support” al
ways has been given to the project
by the people of Anchorage; but not
so with the former delegate. He has
used it as he has used other interests
of the territory, to further his own
political designs. And now that it
•
is popular to be with the railroad con
structors he finds no difficulty in
changing his tactics to suit the cir
cumstances.
There is a vast difference between
the utterances of Wickersham the
suppliant for favors from the people
of Anchorage and 'Wickersham the
politician at Washington. In the lat
ter role he can with impunity attack
the project and everyone connected
with it, endangering its success
through the withholding of appropria
tions. But when he seeks advantage
he finds no difficulty in trimming his
sails to suit the changing wind, and
calling for support for the very offi
cials whom formerly he found it ad
visable to attack. Secretary Lane is
still in control of railroad construc
tion, just as he was when Wicker
sham made his vicious attack on the
secretary of the interior.
DEPARTMENT WARNS
AGAINST WOOD ALCOHOL
Owing to the heavy increase recent
ly noted in the number of deaths and
cases of blindness resulting from
the drinking of wood alcohol by those
ignorant of its dangers the National
Committee for the Prevention of
Blindness, 130 East Twenty-second
street, New York, is sending broad
cast special warnings of the tragic
consequences which may follow the
use of wood alcohol, denatured alco
hol and medicated alcohol for bever
age purposes.
Occasional cases of this nature
have been occurring from time to
time for many years, but since na
tional prohibition went into effect,
there has been an alarming increase
in all sections of the country due to
the preparations of drinks in which
wood alcohol has been used or in
some cases where it has been taken
straight.
The harmful action of this poison
comes not only from taking it inter
nally, but may likewise be induced
by breathing its fumes, and by ab
sorption through the mucus mem
branes of the body. Its effect is us
ually noticeable very shortly after
exposure. Within a few hours after
drinking, acute headache is noted,
usually accompanied by violent at
tacks of vomiting, body pains, extend
ing over the region of the kidneys,
and excessive dizziness. Vision may
become impaired, total blindness oc
cur, and death itself result.
Wood Alcohol
The wood alcohol used in the Unit
ed States is obtained chiefly from the
destructive distillation of wood—hard
wood, birch, beech, maple, oak, elm
and alder being those most frequently
used. The chief uses to which it
is put are for the denaturing of grain
alcohol; for various purposes in lines
of common manufacture (especially
as a solvent in the preparation of
shellac, varnish, dyes, etc.) as an in
gredient in medical and pharmaceuti
cal preparations; in the chemical in
dustries and as a fuel and illuminant.
Only within recent years has wood
alcohol become so dangerous to life
and sight. Formerly it was a dark,
bad-smelling, bad-tasting fluid which
no one was tempted to drink. Later,
a process was developed by which
this color, smell and taste are re
moved. Wood alcohol, when purified
in this way. loks, smells and tastes
like grain alcohol, and may thus be
easily substituted for it by unscrup
ulous persons.
Denatured Alcohol
In 1906, congress, following the
lead of European countries, enacted
a law permitting the general use of
a tax-free industrial (denatured) do
mestic alcohol in order to stimulate
industrial purposes for which the high
cost of grain alcohol was prohibitive.
Denatured alcohol usually consists of
90 per cent grain alcohol and 10 per
cent wood alcohol, thus rendering it
unfit for drinking. It is being in
creasingly substituted for wood alco
hol in many industrial uses, to elimi
nate the great dangers attendant up
on the use of the latter.
Medicated Alcohol
Pharmacists who hold permits and
have given bond are allowed to medi
cate it in accordance with any one of
nine formulas specified by the com
missioner of internal revenue, United
States treasury department. Car
bolic acid, formaldehyde and bichlor
ide of mercury are the chief of these
denaturing agents. The container of
such medicated alcohol must bear a
“Poison” label. The sale by pharma
cists of medicated alcohol for indus
trial purposes is prohibited. It is
sold chiefly for rubbing purposes.
In spite of these regulations and
precautions some persons are using
these poisons for drinking purposes,
even at times completely disregard
ing the “poison” label which may
have appeared on the bottle. In
other instances, the victims have
been ignorant of the dangers of that
which they were using—the beverage
having been prepared by others and
sold under false pretences or under
some misleading name. When the
original manufacturer of mixtures of
this nature can be apprehended he
has been, in many instances subject
ed to severe punishment by the
courts.
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Wholesale Receivers and Distributors of all kinds of Salt Fish
Write us and let us know what you have to offer
CITY BAKERY LUNCH ROOM
Special Carefully-Prepared Lunch served from 11:30 a. m. Our Fine
French Rolls with every meal
Big Variety of Pastries and Cakes, Always Fresh
Sanitary Machinery of Latest Model. Patent Brick Oven. Best Ma
terials used by Expert Workmen, producing our Famous Cream Loaf
Best Coffee in Town
French Bread Rye Bread
NORTHERN MEAT MARKET |
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS IN
Fresh Beef, Pork, Veal, Mutton
and Provisions
Particular Attention and Prompt Service Given to Orders from
Mining Camps, Roadhouses anj interior Points. Halibut and other
Fresh Fish of all kinds will be kept in stock when available.
SMITH & GLASSBRENNER, Props.
FOR SALE
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Choice business and residence
property.
FOR RENT—
Furnished and unfurnished
apartments and cottages.
INSURANCE—
Fire and marine, life and ac
cident.
BONDS
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CORDOVA ABSTRACT &
REALTY COMPANY
ROOM 1 ADAMS BUILDING
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The Burkhardt
Hand Laundry
and Bath
Burkhardt Flats
Neatly Fitted up with Large
Porcelain Tubs. Everything
Clean and Sanitary.
Phone 61—three rings.
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STEAM HEAT ELECTRIC LIGHTS
Overland Hotel
MRS. J. W. KENNEDY
Chitina, Alaska
POOL TABLE IN CONNECTION
B28T BRANDS OF CIGARS KEPT
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