I
VOLUME III. NUMBER 39. _ __CORDOVA, ALASKA, WEDNE>SEjA ; JANUARY 7? 1917 PRICE TEN CENTS
Good and Substantial Reasons and the Strongest Kind of Argument in Favor of the Immediate
BUILDING OF RAILROAD TO BERING COAL
_Which Would Result in Opening for Development the ich Mineral Resources of the Copper River Valley
8 English Steamers
Sunk and 2 Captured
(By the Associated Press)
LONDON, Jan. 17.—It is officially announced that on Mon
day the Japanese steamer Hudson Maru arrived at Pernambuco
with the masters and two hundred and thirty-seven men of the
crews of vessels sunk by the German commerce raider at vari
ous dates from December 12 to January 12.
The British steamship Dramatist, en route from Seattle to
England, with flour and salmon, was sunk; also the steamships
Radnorshire, Miniep, Netherby Hall, Mount Temple, King
George, Georgie, Voltaire and the French barks Nantes and As
nieres. The steamer St. Theodore was captured and a prize
crew put aboard. The steamer Yarrowdale was captured and
sent away, with four hundred men, to be landed. All of the lost
vessels carried war supplies of all sorts.
LONDON. Jan. 17.—A German raider sank eight British,
and two French merchantmen. Two British steamships were
also captured.
XM\ ) (>RK, Jan. 17.—The news of the destruction of ill
lied .shipping on the south Atlantic ocean was followed by an
advance in marine insurance rates from two and a half to ten
percent for West Indian and South American ports.
There are persistent rumors current that the German sea
raider has either been sunk or captured.
" ' . ■' -- -
10.000 TONS OF
STEEL ROILS
|
(By Associatet Tress.)
SEATTLE, Jan. 17. The Alaskan
engineering commission has opened
bids for 10,00 tons of steel rails and
fittings for the N'enana-Fairbanks di
vision of the government railroad. The
cost of this material will be $450,000.
A contract has also been entered
into whereby the steamship Turret
Crown and the barges Street and
David were engaged to freight about
5.000 tons of equipment from the Pa
nama canal zone to Anchorage. The
steamship and barges will start load
ing the matter during the early
part of February and will get to An
chorage as soon as weather condi
tions permit in the spring.
It was said tit the office of the
engineering commission that other
freighting contracts would bet let in
the near future for the handling of
supplies for the coast and interior
points.
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(Hy Associated Press.)
JUNEAU, Jan. 17. — H. W. R.
Holmes and Daniel Gallagher, miners
employed at chiehagoff, were asphyx
iated while aboard a power boat. They
were returning home from a trip to
Juneau.
ADMIRAL FOE!
BE BURIED ON
(Hy Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. — The
funeral of the late Admiral Dewey will
take place Saturday, interment to be
made in Arlington cemetery. All na
val vessels and stations have been
draped in mourning out of respect to
the gallant sea fighter.
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George Carter and Mike Deegan are
reported to have had a close call fot
life recently at Kenai lake. Thej
were coming down the lake with a lol
of moose meat, when a snow-slid*
came down the mountain, covering on*
of the men and throwing the othei
into the water. Both got out but the)
lost the meat.
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LOCAL JOTTINGS
ABOUT PEOPLE
AND DOINGS
Malcolm Brock will leave on the
Alameda on a business trip to Valdez.
J. I. O'Brien and wife have returned
from an extended visit in San Fran
cisco.
Mrs. P. 1,. Simpson was a returning
passenger from the states on today's
boat.
O. A. Vlnger, representing J. B.
Caro & Co., of Juneau, was in town
today.
The steamer Alameda will sail for
the westward at 9 o’clock tomorrow
morning.
All Elks are requested to meet at
the City Hall on Sunday afternoon at
2 o’clock.
James E. Young, of Copper Center,
was a Cordova passenger on yester
day's train.
Attorney A. J. Dimond, of Valdez,
greeted local friends this afternoon on
his way home from the states.
Lieutenant Jones, of the United
States army, who is connected with
the signal corps, arrived here from
Fort Gibbon on his way to Valdez.
E. G. Ford, insurance adjuster for
all of the companies having policies
covering the loss in the Valdez fire,
was in town today on his way to the
Glacier City.
Howard P. Curtis, who is storekeep
er for the Alaskan engineering com
mission, with headquarters at Nenana,
is in town en route to Seattle. Mr.
Curtis was formerly with the N. C,
Company at Fairbanks.
J. C. Gaffney, of Lowry & Pike, Se
attle insurance brokers, is in Cordova
on his way to Valdez to represent his
clients, who carry most of the insur
ance in the recent fire there. On ac
count of the firm's increasing business
in Alaska Mr. Gaffney will move!
north, making Juneau his headquar
i ters.
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The Anchorage school board has
served notice on Andrew Christensen,
1 of the land department of the Alaska
' engineering commission, that if the
commission does not provide funds
lor the local school It will nave to
> close owing to lack of school funds
r in the territorial treasury.
f Mayor B. D. Stewart, of Juneau, left
t for the national capital recently to
9 co-operate with Delegate Wickersham
b in securing the passage of the Juneau
r capital appropriation, and with Col.
V Richardson in connection with the
Gaatineau bridge appropriation.
The need of the construction of a
railroad to open the Bering river coal
fields is more apparent today Ihnn
ever before, and unless the govern
ment undertakes this work it looks as
though this vast area of fuel will re
main unmlned and the development of
the richest section of Alaska retard
ed. While Uncle Sam Is expending
large sums of money to connect the
Matanuska and Nenana fields with
tidewater terminals no apparent ef
fort is being made to build a railway
to the Bering field, notwithstanding
the fact that the Cordova Chamber of
Commerce has pointed out the neces
sity of such action to the proper de
velopment of a great copper mining
and smelting industry in Alaska; is
the nearest to market of any of the
coal fields in the territory; that it re
quires only thirty miles of new track
to make it available, while 20 miles
additional, or a total of fifty miles,
will bring the Katalla oil as well as
the Bering river coal to the harbor at
Cordova and to the markets of the
Copper river district.
About a year ago this entire matter
was presented to President Wilson, in
a petition from the local Chamber of
ommerce. At that time facts and fig
jres were submitted, showing the ad
disability of opening the Bering fields
whtok «owW~bc done at an approx?'
mate cost of $1,000,000, while the gov
srnment had authorized the expendi
ture of $.25,000,000 to locate, construe',
und operate railroads in Alaska. In
ither words, Cordova, the richest ore
shipping port in the United States, is
usking for the expenditure of one
thirty fifth of this fund, which amount
will provide transportation to one of
the largest know n areas of coal in the
territory. Hon. Wesley L. Jones, of
Washington, presented the reasons
tnd argument in favor of this branch
line to the United States senate on
April 19, 1916, and so favorably did
that body consider the justice of our
claim that the chairman of the com
mittee on territories was directed to
advise the secretary of the interior
that it was so impressed by the rep
resentations made to it that the pub
lic interests require the speedy con
struction of a railroad Into the Bering
river field, and stated that It would
he pleased to receive any communica
tion he may care to make on the sub
ject.
Secretary Lane, on May 23 last, di
rected a lengthy letter to Senator Key
Pittman, in which he stated that he
was in thorough accord with the re
solution. and that his general opin
ion upon the matter is this: “That
if private capital cannot be induced to
enter the field, government capital
should be used for the construction
of such a road I have been of the
impression that it was wise to leave
the development of the east side of
Prince William Sound entirely to pri
vate capital, Inasmuch as it had been
practically opened by the Copper Riv
er road. * • * It Is my belief that
during the coming summer the presi
dent should come to a determination
as to whether it is necessary to con
struct a road opening up this coal
field, and that we should within a
short time have very much more de
finite knowledge than we now possess
as to whether private capital will tin
dertake such a project "
Since that time liitig more has
been heard on the ect, and as the
\laska railroad c< ission is now
making its estlmat- >r construction
during 19 l 7, the fir ta Chamber of
commerce hus ag taken up the
matter with a vie' having $1,000,
900 appropriated by tigress for the
building of a govei in line to the
Bering field, and i following tele
gram was sent the or day to Sec
retary Bane "Re: ng to a letter
from you to Senat rtrnan on May
2.3, 1916, replying resolution ol
ihe senate com ml on territories
in Bering river con is, we respect
fully urge again ■ government rail
road connecting thi lold with the
Copper river valley .apse of time
emphasizes the fa< i i private cupi
tal will not build ■ lat arguments
declared in the ri on spread on
the records by s. • Jones April
1.3, 191U, hive ic! .in in force, be
cause of the ui usi. ; activity in Alas
ka copper di ip: ,. i.t ’ A reply t<>
this message is in.viousiy awaited, In
order that the uture action of the
Chamber may be determined As
stated above, nt legitimate effort I*
being made, orimj^lv u> be made
To iiujht g rostff'^M^'coal fields am*
it is up to the government to take m
mediate action. By constructing i
branch line from Mile 34 on the Cop
per River railway via Katalla it would
also open up the oil fields and tin
only mercantable tlt; ber contained li
the Chugaeh forest reserve On ac
count of the search of oil the Great
Northern and other loads, as wel
ns several big copp inducing con
corns in Utah, liav ■ rted to th<
use of coal, thus o i ng up a new
market for this fuel, be h should b*
tHken advantage of , an be sup
plied when the Ala ines are ii
operation. Some o! - asons am
argument in favor ol nstructioi
of fifty miles of railr o, ihe Bering
field are set forth it,. Cordov,
Chamber of Common- dlows
BERING FIELD C EST TO
MARKEr
There is no good re hy a lint
should not be built to , r|ng field
The coal Is the best, ,1 to thi
host, and there is the j - t demand
tor it. It will he ot ti .itcst Use
in developing the oiIn irees ol
the territory.
There are three available coal fields
in Alaska, namely, the I!, ring River,
the Matanusku and the Nonana. Tin
distance from the var fields to
market is as follows
Miles
Bering River to Cordoi Og
Matanuska to Seward jg
Nenana to Fairbanks 1(1,
The Copper River \ V -tfc , stern
railway reaches 38 mile i|,e
tance from Cordova to th. Bering
Held, so that only 30 n i, , new
track is necessary to hn tins coai
to market. These 3o miles ,r. ,f eaBV
construction. Twenty miles urlher
will take in the Katalla oil 1,1,1 Thug
with 50 miles of new tra- ,.()aI
oil and copper would ail b- -mbled
at Cordova on easy grades and at the
lowest cost. It is estimated the first
8ti miles to the nearest coal could be
built in 90 days, or at most in six
months.
The estimated cost, in round fig
ures and time for completion of rail
road facilities to the different fields
is as follows:
DISTANCE, ESTIMATED COST AND
TIME TO COMPLETE.
Bering River to Cordova, 30 miles;
$1,1)00,000; six months.
Matanuska to Seward, 194 miles, $7.
000,000; three years.
Nenana to Fairbanks, 104 miles; $3.
000,000; three years.
It is estimated by a very able com
mission who studied the subject that
the coal from the Bering field can be
hauled to Cordova by rail for $14 i
ton, while from the Matanuska to
Seward it will cost $3.38 a ton. There
seems no justification for the govern
ment to open Matanuska coal and
keep the Bering field closed.
DISCRIMINATION.
Aside from all economic questions,
is it just to develoyp one locality in
Alaska and refuse to develop another
equally entitled to It? is it intention
i! discrimination? The Interstate
Commerce law provldesf
"That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier subject to the prove
slons of this act to make or give un
due or unreasonable preference or ad
vantage to any particular person,
company, firm, corporation, or local
itv, or any particular description of
traffic, in any respect whatsoever, or
to subject any particular person, com
panv, firm, corporation or locality, or
tnj particular description of traffic,
to any undue or unreasonable preju
lice or disadvantage in any respeci
w hatsoever."
Violation of this law is punishable
by fine and imprisonment.
When tiie government itself goes
into tin' railroad business, thought it
i not amenable to the law, should it
not. nevertheless, be guided by the
lust principles of the law? If It is
riminal for a private corporation to
strangle and kill one locality while It
upbuilds another, should not the gov
eminent itself refrain from doing the
same thing?
PRIVATE CAPITAL IMPOSSIBLE.
The government evidently expected
that when the coal was opened some
private corporation would build a rail
road to the Bering field. It has often
been suid that the owners of the Cop
per River Ai Northwestern railway
will do so. But this is a false hope
The Copper River people did plan to
build a railroad there at one time
They took an option on 5,28 acres of
coal land, made surveys for a rail
road to it, and would no doubt have
built the line and opened a coal mine.
But the government Interposed,
charged the parties with a conspiracy
to monopolize the coal field, cancelled
the title to the coal land and thus
stopped the proposed railroad build
ing.
The law has now been changed so J
that coal lands can not be bought at
all, but must be leased.
A railroad is expressly prohibited
(Continued on 1'age Three)
(By Associated Press.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 — The
navy department has awarded con
tracts for armor piercing projectiles,
costing $3,000,000, to the Hadfields.
Limited, an Englan company, as the
American bids were excessive.
— --•
H. E. Gqldberg, a Vancouver, B. CT,
fur buyer, recently purchased from
Sam Chambers, of Carcross, three
handsome silver fox skins. Mr. Cham
bars raised the animals on his ranch,
and the skins were in prime condition
and he is reported to have received a
substantial sum for them.
FORMER U. S. SENATOR DIES
at home in tacomaJ
TACOMA, Jan. 17. — Au„,.,on Fos
ter, of this city, former United .States
senator from Washington state, died
at his home last night.
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THAWS CONDITION SERIOUS.
PHILADELPHIA. Jan. 17. h ,rry
Thaw's mental and physical condition
is very unsatisfactory, his ph\ -ician
says.
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The ladies of Douglas and Treadwell
have formed a Ladies' Auxllian to
* L « I-1 ., •» .1 A » »* m ton v, A tUlfttiw .
loiuuu (Uiiutcui ittim m isni jjj.
tlon. Mrs. R. E. Ooghlun. ot Doug,
las, and Mrs. L. S. Ferris, of Tread
well. were elected respectUel. presl
dent and secretary-treasurer
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Pupils In the Fairbanks putcltc
schools now have more than I de
posited in the banks of that (jly
through the school saving asso ation.
TEDDY BACKS UP
(By Associated Press.)
NEW YORK, Jan. 17. — Theodore
Roosevelt has announced that he hear
tily approves of the stand taken by
I’erklns ami t'olbv. Progressive lead
ers, against the action of the national
Republican committee in naming John
Taylor Adams, of Iowa, as its vice
president.
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Times office.
Food Situation Li
Germany Is Serious
—
(By tin- Associated Press)
STOCKHOLM, Jan. 17.—An Associated Press correspond
ent, who has just returned from Berlin, reports that the food
situation in Germany has grown worse during tin past d\
months, and this week’s per capita of rations of potatoes is un
der four and a half pounds. There has been no cheese since
August, and eggs are worth twenty cents apiece. It i- impos
sibie to buy clothing, shoes, stockings and blankets except by
permission of the police.
LONDON, Jan. 17.—The scarcity of foodstuffs has h d the
hoard of agriculture to empower local authorities to use vacant
building land for food crops. The Vacant Land Cultivation So
ciety, a pet scheme ot the late doseph Pels, who was wideiv
known in the 1 nited States, has already been entrusted hv tie
government with the whole work in London, and will be able,
through the London county council, to acquire anv untaxed
land that is suitable. I he society allots small pieces of land to
families for cultivation purposes. At present the society h a -
about SOO holders working some eighty acres around London.
Apart from public gardens and parks there are 14,Hi m i am vs
of idle land in London, and experience has shown that London
land is capable of producing at war prices well over $500 worth
ot food per acre. No great is the public interest in the -.cherne
that tin' V acant Laud Nocietv is being snowed under by appli
cations trom every kind of person, main of them "land
hungry” countrymen settled’ in London.
LONDON, Jan. 17.—The Greek government has accepted
iti its entirety the demands of the allies.
PhTROHRAD, .Inn. 17. It is officially announced that tin
Ruasiaus Uavu-reeoptttrcd tdn* village of \'nd«• ni. in Romuaid.:.
six miles southwest of Halafz.
CHRISTIANIA, .Jam 17. Norway had lost '_’4J vcv-el
from the beginning of the war to tin* <*ml of November thi- year,
ol which 1 S'J were steamships ami lid were sailing \ i --<*|-. Their
total tonnage was .!.!.i,41.i register tons, and tin* insurance on
them amounted to 145,700,000 crowns (about $4! 000 OitO)
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STOCKHOLM, dan. 17.— According to report- reaching
here, Herman experimenters have succeeded in making a syn
thetic rubber—or at least an acceptable substitute1—from pitch,
of which they import great ipiantities from Sweden. Similar
•xperiments have been conducted by various Swedish seicii
ists, but thus far without success. Many of them arc still of
die opinion, however, that the idea is feasible, and are not <li
oosod to doubt that the Hermans have succeeded, although
they incline to believtythnt the discovery c. mint wt be of gn at
irnetical significance.
ADINKKRKK, Belgium, dan. 17.- By order of King A
bert, the body of Kmile Verhaeren, the Belgian po.-t, who i
cently was killed accidentally while hoarding a train at 11 i \ i ■ ,
has been brought here to rest in Belgian soil.
llis temporary grave is hidden under a mound of flowers iu
the local cemetery, where the new made graves of Belgian sol
diers now greatly outnumber the rain washed headstom- of the
departed villagers. It was the special wi-h of the ipm.m that
Verhaeren should be buried among the dunes In* loved so well,
and here some day, when the invaders are gone, a suitable im
moriai will Ik* built.
LARIS, dan. 17.— The Young Men's Cliri stian Association
has pushed' its work right up to the battle lines. The refresh
meat dugout, where hot drinks are served out to the men, is
now often so near the enemy that great precautions have to lie
(taken lest it should be discovered. Some of these i logouts an*
in the debris of recently captured positions. One of them is <o
I near a very vital point that when the wounded were onrri.*d past
to the dressing station a short time ago, the V. M. < A. was able
to serve them with tea and cocoa.
LONDON, dan. 17. During the year just closed the im
ports of boots and shoes from abroad exceeded in value the re
cord for the biggest year of the American shoe invasion of
1895-7, while the exports of British made shoes exceeded bv
more than $5,000,000 tin* highest total of pre-war times.
(by Associated Prm>.)
SEWARD. Jan. 17. — To relieve the
coal and gasoline famine at Anchor
age the Alaskan engineering com mis
sion is preparing to send the govern
ment tug Roscoe front here with 2,
000 gallons The weather is mild and
Cook Inlet now open, but the Roscoe
may be caught in the ice If climatic
conditions change
BY PUCE LEM
(By Associated Tress)
Washington. jan 17 The
peace lpak hearing has been post
poned until tomorrow, while the coin
mittee asks congress for authority to
employ counsel.
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