The Cordova Daily Times
Only Afternoon Paper In Alaska With Associated Press News
VOLUME III. NUMBER 91. _ CORDOVA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1917. _______ PRICE TEN CENTS.
UNCLE SAM IN STATE OF WAR
DECLARE THAT GERMANY IS AGGRESSOR
Big Fleet Boats
For War Zone
AY ASHING TON, March 20. — Without waiting for a proc
lamation, 1’resilient Wilson is expected to announce today or to
morrow that a state of war exists between the United States
and Germany.
The government today prepared definitely for forceful ac
tion to clear the transatlantic lanes of German submarines and
protect the coast. Sixty submarine chasers, a hundred and ten
feet long and a speedy craft, were ordered from the New York
navy yard. They will be completed in two months. Bids for
two hundred more chasers will be opened tomorrow. Over 2,
000 submarine chasers or patrol boats will bo ready for duty
within sixty days.
WASHINGTON, March 20.—President Wilson takes the
position that the nation must be placed in a better state of pre
paredness, because from a practical standpoint Germany is
making war on the United States. Administration officials be
lieve that the nation is already virtually in a state of war with
Germany, and the only question undecided is whether there will
be any immediate announcement of the status, through a new
call for a special session of congress or otherwise. As the cabi
net convened today the sentiment was generally expressed that
the United States is virtually in a state of war.
SKIPS IS All
HIT ACT'
..» --UmuuO..
chant ships, wtthofft any warning, is
generally considered as an overt act,
and there is every Indication that the
United States will soon be at war with
Germany on account of its submarine
policy.
The City of Memphis was a Bteel
steamer of 5,252 tons, belonging to the
Ocean Steamship Company of Savan
nah, Georgia, and was built in 1902.
The Illinois was of 2,427 tons burden,
and belonged to the Northern Michi
gan Navigation Company. She was
built in 1890, and her home port was
Duluth. The Vigilancia was the pro
perty of the New York & Cuba Steam
ship Company. She was a steel steam
er of 4,115 tons, built in 1899, and
her home port was New York.
NEW YORK, March 20. — All of
the members of the Memphis crew
have been saved.
-»
(By Associated Press)
EL PASO, March 20. — Reports are
current in Chihuahua City that Gen
eral Murguia has threatened to resign
unless Carranza furnish money with
which to pay the troops and for mu
nitions for the campaign against Villa.
It is believed that the Mexican sol
diers are becoming dissatisfied and
want their pay.
-«
STOCKER FOUND NOT GUILTY
ON CHARGE OF MURDER.'
In the case of the United States vs.
Walter Stocker, of Seldovia, the tak
ing of testimony was concluded on
Saturday evening about 5 o’clock and
went to the jury. After being out
about 24 hours the jury Sunday even
ing returned a verdict of not guilty on
account if insanity.
Monday morning the case of P. L.
Walt vs. A. J. Adams, an action for
damages for false imprisonment, was
transferred to the Cordova term of
court.
In the case of the United States vs.
Ed Sellers, charged with trespass up
on mining claims, the accused was ar
raigned and was given until today to
plead.
Attorney Booker filed a motion for
the return of certain trunks, papers,
etc., belonging to Otto Kanitz, now
held by the United States marshal.
\
COURT DECIDES
MANY ILLEGAL
VOTES CAST
(Special to the TimcMi
handed dow nan exhaustive opinion,
of thirty-six pages, in which he sus
tained the demurrer in the delegate
mandamus proceedings. In recapitu
lation the judge ruled that the canvas
sing board must not count the returns
from Choggiung, Nushagak, Bonni
field, Utica, Deering and Vault. The
pleadings of Attorney Rustgard dis
close nothing which affects the other
returns in favor of Wickersham.
Jennings ruled that Sulzer had
6459 votes and Wickersham 6440, and
the certificate of election should go
to Sulzer.
JUNEAU, March 20. — Attorney
General Grigsby’s opinion, rendered
to the canvasing board, was sustained
by Judge Jennings absolutely. There
is a general opinion that no appeal will
be taken, and the case not carried to
a higher tribunal, says the Empire.
Under Jenning's ruling Sulzer leads
Wickersham by nineteen votes.
That the case will be appealed there
is no doubt, as the Wickersham sup
porters feel that their candidate was
elected by a majority of the voters
of the territory, and so attested by a
Democratic canvassing board. Wheth
er the matter will be taken to the cir
cuit court of appeals or fought out in
congress has not as yet been decided.
In this connection the Fairbanks
News-Miner says:
"Those who have money wagered
are not likely to pay the bets, how
ever, upon the certificate issued by
the canvassing board, as they will
wish to await until the candidate is
seated in congress.”
-♦
Sergeant Demster, of the Royal
Northwest Mounted Police, arrived in
Dawson recently from Rampart house,
having made the 400 mile trip over
an unbroken trail with the therni’ome-~
ter ranging from 60 to 70 below zero.
He was accompanied by a Mr. Strom
and two Indians.
-»
It is announced that the steamers
of the Pacific Coast line, operating be
tween Seattle and southeastern Alas
ka, will In the future discontinue call
ing in at Prince Rupert. All of the
steamers of this line have had their
cold storage capacity Increased in or
der to give a better fish shipping ser
vice.
-♦
It is reported that the copper mines
of the Whitehorse district are ship
ping 2,000 tons of ore weekly.
-*
James Danles, foreman of the Mex
ican mill at Douglas, captured the
Dupon trophy at that place a short
time ago by breaking 40 clay pigeons
out of a possible 60,
RUSSIA IS BEING1
(By Associated Press)
PETROGRAD, March 20. — The
failure of the government to move the I
food crops is given as the real cause 1
for the revolution in Russia, which <
resulted in the czar abdicating and :
his sudden disappearance from the 1
country. Grand Duke Michael, as re- '
gent, has also abdicated, and the af- 1
fairs are now completely in the hands <
of the duma. A provisional govern
ment is being formed with Prince lle
voff as president. The republic, it
is said, will be known as the United
States of Russia.
(By Associated Press)
WASHINGTON, March 20. — Am
bassador Francis reports the complete
co-operation of the Russian army with
the new revolutionary government.
-♦
1
(Special to the Times)
WASHINGTON, March 20. — There
is every probability that the Alaska
road commission will be transferred
from the war department to the In
terior department, as Secretary Baker
feels that the change would facilitate
GERMANY CLAIMS
IF STRATEGY
(try Associated Press)
BERLIN, March 20. — The news
papers of the city are publishing ar
ticles by military experts, explaining
the retirement in France as a part
of a strategic plan of the general’s
staff for a decision on the western
front and a master stroke to vibrate
preparedness for an offensive move
ment. The writers express the fullest
confidence in Hindenberg.
PARIS, March 20. — It is officially
stated that the French troops still
maintain contact with the Germans
where the latter are retiring. The
advance is becoming more difficult!
because of the bad weather and the
destruction of all means of communi
cation.
PARIS, March 20. — A new cabinet
has been formed, headed by Ribot.
-♦
MISS VIOLET ERSKINE
TO WED IN WASHINGTON.
(By United Press)
WASHINGTON. March 19. — The
world sat up and took notice when
Miss Violet Erskine, of London, was
appointed secretary to the British em
bassy here. It was the first official
appearance of a woman in the diplo
matlc circles of the world. Early next
month, it is learned today, she 'will'
desert diplomacy for matrimony.
Miss Erskine will wed Horace Sey
mour, third secretary of the British
embassy in Washington, some day
soon after Easter Sunday, April 8.
Miss Erskine Is the daughter of the
late Thomas Erskine, who was British
consul general in New Orleans. She
is a handsome young woman, blonde,
graceful and charming, and a great
favorite with Sir Cecil and lardy
Spring Rice. She won her appointment
thrpugh her exceptional knowledge of
customs and American institutions.
The wedding, it is presumed, will
take place at the embassy. The ori
ginal plan was for a wedding trip to
England, but whether that will be
taken is not known at this time.
-♦-:
Sam Azaroff was killed on Big W'il
low creek recently when he was run
over by a sled of wood.
ATTEMPT TS
ESCAPE
(By Associated Pres*)
WASHINGTON, March 20. — Lleu
enant Chorth and machinist mate
ierman Schroder, of the German in
erned crews at the Philadelphia navy
■ard, are believed to have drowned
ast night in an attempt to escape,
rhere was a grand break for liberty
in the part of these men, but only
light got away, and seven o( these
vere captured.
-♦- .
(Special to the Times)
JUNEAU, March 20. — Masked and
irmed robbers early yesterday morn
ng held up two men at the (Jhfehagoff
mine. They gagged the watchmen
ind made their escape with $20,000
n gold bricks, which were awaiting
shipment to Juneau. There are no
■lues to the men who made this rich
Siaul.
PERSONAL GOSSIP ABOUT
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
transacted routine businfA
The Woman’s Guild will meet with
Mrs. Hendrickson tomorrow after
aoon.
The coroner’s jury yesterday ren
iered a verdict that John King died
’rom exposure.
Ex-Senator Henry Kodeu is spend
ng a couple of days in town on his
way to the Interior.
(»U8 Lindquist was bound over to
the grand Jury in the sum of $300 for
selling liquor to natives.
Wm. Brabazon and son Jack, for
merly of Cordova, are now en route
from Anchorage to Tolstoi.
Frank Kernan came over from Val
dez on the Alaska and will leave for
the interior on Thursday's train.
--
The steamer Alaska returned from
Seward about 10 o’clock last night and
sailed south at 4 o'clock this after
noon.
The steamer Admiral Farragut will
be here from the westward at 5 o’clock
and will be in port about four hours
loading ore.
I *
Charles Keenan has returned from
Valdez, where he served as a member
of the grand jury, which has com
pleted its labors.
Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Hill desire to ex
tend their thanks to the good people of
Cordova for the many kindnesses
shown during their recent illness.
Jack Keisler, M. Chadwick, E. W.
Smith and Glenn Carrington, a quar
iett-e—of—eommorcial_salesmen upi.qt
the day in town interviewing local
buBineqs men.
The steamer Northwestern left
Juneau at 7 o'clock last evening and
is scheduled to arrive in Cordova at
8 o'clock tomorrow morning. She has
considerably over a hundred passen
gers for here, as well as 487 tons of
freight and forty-four head of horses
and cattle.
-4
MARRIED FOR CONVENIENCE,
SERVED 14 YEARS, NOW REBELS i
(By United Press) ,
CHICAGO, March 20. — Mary I’es i
ka wed James Tourek for convenience, ,
served fourteen years under the yoke i
uncomplainingly and now. weary of
the Job, asks a divorce, acording to
her own statement in court here to- |
lay. I
GALE IN THEIR
(By Associated Press)
LONDON, March 20. — The pace of
the German retreat has slowed down
greatly during the past twenty-four
hours owing to had weather. A vio
lent gale is roaring over northern
France, but notwithstanding the tem
pest the British troops have progres
sed. The British cavalry and infan
try patrols everywhere hold the line
of Somme in strength from Peronne
southward to C’anizny. The British
reconnaissance patrols are active as
far east as Monsenchaussee. In sev
eral sectors between Bapaume and Ar
ras the British cavalry remained In
touch with the enemy all of yesterday.
There was much skirmishing, but no
heavy feighting.
FIGHT NOW ON
OF ALASKA
(Special to the Times)
WASHINGTON, March 20. — For
mer Assistant District Attorney Wil
liam H. Whittlesey, of Seward, is here
conducting an active campaign for the
governorship of Alaska. Judge Bun
nell, of Fairbanks, Judge Jennings, of
Juneau, and K. W. Griffin, of Chena,
are also said to he aspirants to this
office.
TRIED FOR M*URDER WHlLt IM
PRISON AND ACQUITTED
(By United Press)
OSSINING, N. Y., March 20 — Tried
and acquitted on a murder charge
while he was serving a two year sen
tence in Sing Sing for grand larceny,
Irving Wechsler, alias “Waxey” Gor
don, walked out of his cell and away
today a free man.
Wechsler, charged with the murder
of Fred Strauss, a court clerk in New
York, was tried a few weeks ago. His
trial occupied 77 days and cost the
city $70,000. One juror lost $9,000
and another $5,000 because of the
jury service. Wechsler used to be a
lieutenant of the Dopey Benny Fein
bang of professional strong arm men
and strike breakers.
—♦
CANADIAN LOAN PAYABLE IN
GOLD DOLLARS TO BE FLOATED
(By United Press)
NEW YORK, March 20. — A hun
dred million dollars' worth of Can
adian government 5 per cent twenty
year bonds, payable either here or in
Montreal in gold dollars, are expected
to be offered on the New York mar
ket within the next 48 hours.
This $100,000,000 loan will be the
third of the kind Canada has offered
in the United States since the war be
tan. It is understood a fourth loan
>f the same size may bo asked within
:he next few months. Of the first
oan $25,000,000 and of the second of
130,000,000 worth of the bonds were
Raced in the United States. Canadian
>omls have always been popular with
United States Investors, and usually
ire oversubscribed.
-»
The Skagway Alaskan advertises
hat a local man secured the contract
Tv-paini the North Pole.-—4F4s-hard. -
o believe, but in view of the many
vild rumors emanating from the press
lowadays it may be so. i
-♦
Fire which broke out in a shed ad- !
oining the Fifth Avenue Hotel at I
Skagway threatened the destruction I
f that noted hostelry recently. The i
ire department responded promptly I
nd extinguished the blaze before any
;reat damage was done.
-♦- (
Wullace Cathcart, treasurer of the i
'harity Social recently held In Fair- i
anks, has announced that the affair £
leared about $2,000, which will be l
urned Into a fund for the aid of in
igents. It is planned to hold these
ocials annually. t
-♦- S
Auto owners of Nome have organ- c
:ed a flivver club, there being a num- d
er of tin Lizzies at that place. t
OF GERMANS
IS SOLD
(By Associated Press)
ABERDEEN, Wash., March 20. —
The munition cargo schooner Annie
Larson, outfitted for a German expe
dition to India to incite the natives to
rebellion there, was sold by the fed
eral authorities at auction here today
to a dealer in old arms for $10,000.
The cargo consisted of cases of rifles,
pistols and cartridges of an old type.
The German supercargo escaped here.
watsIleaves
(Special to Dally Times)
SEATTLE, March 20. — The steam
er Admiral Watson sailed for south
western Alaska last night. Her Cor
dova passengers were Mrs. V. Stearns,
P. S. Gordon, H. E. Winfrey, A. Day,
Emil Westerberg, Gustav Westerberg,
P. Walsh, R. Blakely, Robert Break
ney, B. Tunnison, wife and baby, R.
Woolsey and fifteen steerage.
FOOD IS higher
BUI WAGES IN
‘ KEEPING
(By United Press)
SEATTLE, March 20. — A carpen
ter in the fourteenth century received
a wage of only 12 cents a day, against
$4.50 today. Yet the cost of living
was, relatively, higher than it is to
day.
The statement is that of Professor
R. M. Garrett, of the University of
Washington, who also recites a list of
food costs taken from the accounts
of the expenditures of the Earl of
Derby, later King Henry IV of Eng
land, as he was about to embark in
1390 on a campaign against the Li
thuanians.
A carpenter in those days for his
daily wage of 12 cents could buy one
pound of butter, two pounds of cheese,
a pound of salt, two pounds of flour,
one dozen and a half of eggs, a chick
en and a pound of rice. A carpenter
of today would have to pay $2.60 for
this bill of goods, but it wouldn't eat
up his entire daily wage, as it would
that of the carpenter of 1390. The
latter carpenter would still have $1.90
left. So argues Professor Garrett,
while the worker of today pays more
for necessities he gets more, compara
tively for his labor. So the times are
better.
In 1390 eggs were nine cents a
gross. The Earl of Derby paid 30
cents for 300 eggs that today would
coBt him from $12.50 to $14.00. For
i4 pounds of butter, that would now
'ost him $7, he paid a shilling, or 25
cents. Rice brought by way of Venice
’rom the east cost 10 pounds for a
shilling. It costs a dollar today.
The one shilling exception to the
;oneral rise in prices that has occur
■ed since that time is sugar. In 1390
i—cost 30 cents a. pQun.d. juul jjpw It
■etails at 8 cents. Here are some of
he other prices taken from the Earl
if Derby's accounts: A Tine white
torse, $25; ale, 2 to 4 cents a gal
on; best wine. 5 cents a quart; mut
on, 65 cents a carcass; beef, $3.75
o $7.50 a carcass; vinegar, 10 cents
. gallon; dates, 7 cents a pound; blan
:ets, 32 cents a yard.
-«
Recent storms are reported to have
one a large amount of damage to the
lant of the whaling company at Port
irmstrong, the wind having torn off
bout 100 feet of the roof on the main
uilding.
-«
A1 C. Nelson, assistant timekeeper
ir the Alaska engineering commis
ion at Nenana, died recently at the
ommlssion hospital after having un
ergone a serious abdominal opera
ion.
HODGE IS FREED
(Special to the Times)
SEATTLE, Mareh 20. — Judge Pe
terer directed that a verdict of not
guilty be returned against former
Sheriff Robert Hodge, who was in
licted by the grand jury in connection
with the round-up of bootleggers. The
'ourt stated that there was insuffi
cient evidence to hold the defendant.
The trials of Mayor Gill and members
jf the police force are progressing
ilowly, and considerable damaging
evidence is being introduced.
BUT ONE TICKET
IN FIELD m
%
There will be no contest for coun
cilptanlc honors at the election to be
held on Tuesday, April 3. In fact there
is but little interest being taken in
municipal politics this spring, indi
cating that our residents are too busw
with their own affairs to devote any
attention to factional strife.
Last night the time was up for the
filing of nomination papers, and as
there were no announced candidates
in the field a petition was filed on
behalf of R. E. Capers, I)r. \V. H.
Chase, Dr. VV. W. Council, Bartley
Howard, H. I. O'Neill, Joseph Stan
ton and W. L. Smith, and the names
of these gentlemen will be the only
t,lle- nn tk» for ooiineffnieh*" "
There is also a member of the
school board to be elected for the
three year term, Mrs. W. J. McDonald
retiring. She will not be a candidate
for re-election and so far no one has
entered the race. Under the law the
nominations remain open until the
election.
WORK IS BEING
FOONO FOR THE
HIIH9EI
(By United Cress)
WASHINGTON, March 20. — Uncle
Sam a nation-wide employment ser
vice, ever since the troops began to
’filter buck from the border, has
scoured the land, job hunting for the
militiamen who quit their places to
go south.
Militia organizations and their
friends have assisted, the press has
done its bit, and the response from
the employing public, employment of
ficials declare, has been unprecedent
ed. Employment offices at Denver,
Baltimore, Helena, Kansas City, Min
neapolis, Boston, New Orleans and
Chicago reported success in the job
hunting campaign. Large employers
of labor as well as the private busi
nessman, are reported enthusiastically
co-operating in the work of providing
for the jobless warriors. As fast as
the positions come into the employ
ment offices tho militia organizations
in the various districts are notified,
and the jobs listed with the command
ing officers. Even Hie women section
of the employment service is lending
aid in the campaign. "There will be
more jobs than there will be men to
fill them," Commissioner Caminettl,
of the immigration bureau, in charge
of the work, stated today.
--*
Heavy and continuous storms in the
Nome section have seriously ham
pered the work of the miners on tho
creeks, who have been unable to
freight the necessary supplies to
their camps.
-♦
The American-Yukon Navigation
Company, operating steamers on tho
Yukon and Tanana rivers, has an
nounced that the freight rates for the
ypening of the season will be the same
as those prevailing at the close of
navigation last year. The company
expects to break all records this year
in the movement of freight.