THE CORDOVA DAILY TIMES
Entered at the Pustofnee at Cordova,
Alaska, as second class matter.
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MONDAY, MAY 17, 1920
ALASKA’S NEWSPAPERS IN
RETROSPECT
(From the Ketchikan Chronicle)
Some day, someone will write a
history of Alaska newspapers, and it
will be interesting, a review for the
most part of failure materially and
success spiritually, of gullibility and
high mindedness, a story of work and
joys and sorrows.
The Ketchikan Times on Saturday
announced suspension of publication,
the bankruptcy schedules showing
that it has lost $13,000 during the
past year. It is unfortunate for those
financially interested and adds anoth
er page, very similar to many pages
in the history of Alaskan journalism.
And it is so similar to other pages
mf earlier history that every student
of newspaperdom in the North knew
that- a page of the kind was to be
written in Ketchikan. It was almost
a foregone conclusion from the 19th
day of July, 1919, when the Ketchi
kan Alaska Chronicle started publi
cation, that it would be a wearing
down process for one of the two news
papers, that one of them would have
to ultimately give up. Ketchikan,
while a thriving community could not
support two daily newspapers, for any
length of time. The Times fell by
the wayside and the Chronicle, it may
fee truthfully said, was fortunate
enought to weather the storm of keen
competition, a competition at all time
most considerate and courteous.
With the passing of the Times, it
is interesting to note that but one
town in Alaska now has two daily
newspapers. That is Juneau. And it
may be predicted, without fear of be
ing branded as a false prophet, that
Juneau will have twro newspapers but
for a short time. It had twro papers
before and one of them, after twenty
years in that town, w^as forced to
seek newr fields. Juneau has not gone
ahead materially since that time and
the situation is little changed, so
that there is no question that one or
the other paper there will have to
be eliminated, either in a month, six
months or a year.
Cordova had its experience a counle
of years ago. The Cordova Herald
started there, but after a few months
suspended publication, leaving the
field again to the Times which had
held it alone for several years. Prior
to that Cordova had a short news
paper war between the Times and the
Cordova Alaskan, the latter finally
being compelled to quit.
Seward likewise knew a war of
scribes, between the Seward Gateway
and the Seward Post, ending finally
in the consolidation of both. Anchor
age has never had but one daily, the
Times but other papers, weeklies,
were compelled to suspend.
Dawson, in its halcyon days, had
three dailies and a weekly. The
only one of these four that ever
showed a profit was the Dawson
News and after a short time the com
petition dwindled to two and in 1904,
one of these two pulled out.
Fairbanks, likewise, boasted two
dailies and a weekly for several years.
None of them made any money, how
ever, and were barely eking out an
existence when an unfortunate fire
swept out the better plant of the two.
Nome and Skagway had experiences
similar to the other towns until the
field was finally left to one.
In all the history of Alaska jour
nalism but two men ever left, after
years of labor, with an substantial
sum to show for their work. They
were former Governor J. F. A. Strong
and Bob McChesney who sold out
their plants and businesses when the
camps in which they happened to be,
were at the height of their greatness.
There have been innumerable
‘‘angels” who poured large sums of
money into newspapers at times that
would seem fabulous to any news
paper man now in Alaska, but it is
yet to be recorded where any one of
them ever came out anywhere near
even.
It is an old story, and probably will
be repeated often again in Alaska.
There seems to be a strange fascina
tion about the game, one which in
duces men to put their money into
newspaper ventures which, from the
business standpoint, in any other line,
would receive no consideration. Yet
that fascination is there, and as long
as it is. there will always be new
newspapers starting and others fall
ing by the wayside.
Wherever the pick of prospector
has pierced, there soon after, has fol
lowed the little printing press, to
send forth to the world the news of
the fortunes found or lost, of the
hopes and aspirations of the commun
ity which it served and so it will be.
VOICE OF THE ALASKA PRESS
With a start made for a larger cold
storage plant, work in progress for
permanent streets, and the prospect
in sight for getting a large pulp mill
cn the channel, Juneau’s immediate
future is looming very bright.—Ju
neau Capital.
“Tis an ill wind that blows no good.
Possibly if the crime wave keeps up
along the Pacific coast lovers of
peac and security will take to Alaska,
where the only thing it is not safe
to leave without lock and key is a
bottle of liquid joy.— Anchorage
Times.
Mary Baen Wright, well known in
Valdez, where she spent some time
last summer, is editing a department
in the Cordova Times under the head
of “Village Gossip” which is calculat
ed to make the average editor green
with envy over the good fortune of
Bro. Steel in securing this service. A
perusal of her snappy writings, con
vinces us that Mary Baen Wright has
real ability.—Valdez Miner.
The eagle is one of the most des
tructive of all the agencies that prey
upon the game and commercial fish
and animals in Alaska. They destroy
young deer, ptarmigan, grouse and
water fowl, fur-bearing animals and
fish in great numbers. Alaska could
very easily spare all her eagles, but
there is no danger that the species
will be extrminated—more’s the pity.
They are too numerous for that.—
Juneau Empire.
The Coast League has started its
season. The umpire last Tuesday in
his most tragic manner bawled out
the old song starting with, “Ladies
and gentlemen, the batteries for to
day are- the bleachers settled
back and yelled, “Let’s go,” and the
great American game was on. The
pitcher wound up and the catcher
spat on his glove—but why go into
the harrowing details and make the
old fans around here feel bad. She’s
a grand old game.—Douglas News.
Now that Gifford Pinchot has come
out of his retirement long enough to
attack Thomas B. Drayton in the big
newspapers for what ex-Chief For
rester calls “Weaving detached, un
related, and exceptional incidents in
to an ingeniously connected narrative,
probably intended to noison the nuhlie
mind, and certain to create a false
otion of the scope and purpose of
conservation in Alaska,” we look for
ward to an answer from our fellow
townsman that will make fair reading.
A\ ith no intention to horn in and
take sides in their dispute, we would,
though, chance a little bet that when
Mr. Pinchot emerges he will know
he has been mixed up in a contro
versy.—Seward Gateway.
Every now and again the peaceful
residents of Alaska are startled with
press dispatches telling of the activity
of radicals in Alaska. Is there an or
ganized campaign in the States for the
purpose of discrediting the territory?
So it must seem to every reasonable
minded citizen of the territory. The
latest bit of horseplay indulged in by
those responsible for the circulation
of defamatory propaganda against the
territory has resulted in the dispatch
ing of the United States coast guard
cutter Algonquin to Alaska to curb the
activities of alleged alien radicals near
Hyder. It is high time that the good
people of Alaska organized themselves
into a 100 per cent American club for
the purpose of combating the vicious
propagandist.—Ketchikan Times.
If all the blockheads in the world
could be utilized to best advantage
there wouldn’t be any danger of a
wood pulp shortage.
Life in Germany, according to the
reports we get, must be just on coup
after another.
Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin
are getting about as much fame out
of their divorce cases as 0id Henry
the Eighth.
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