THE NENANA NEWS
Application made’ October 30, 1916, at the Postoftice at N’enana, Alaska, for
entry as second-class mail matter under the act of March 2, 1879. by The Ne
nana Printing Company.
Published Weekly by The Nenana Printing Company
Day oy Pubmcation Saturday Rdited by R. G. Socthworth.
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NENANA, ALASKA SATURDAY, DEC. 1, 1917
HEADING RIGHT
Elaborate and comprehensive pre
cautions are being taken by the War
department, to prevent waste in the
army cantonments, which will soon
contain over two million men.
In the feeding of the men, waste
will be minimized through the fact
that the food will be prepared under
the direction of mess cooks, who will
be trained by special courses in
army cooking schools..
At each cantonment the wastes
will be collected and transported to
a single ‘'transfer station.” Steril
ized cans will be used. At the sta
tion, the wastes will be turned over
to a contractor, for removal to a
point three miles distant from the
reservation. Here the wastes wdl
be sorted. The bottles are steril- j
ized and sold for commercial use.
Tin cans are baled and the solder, !
tin and iron reclaimed. Paperj
which is estimated at five tons per j
day, will be baled. Bones will be
kept separate and ground for fertit- j
izer. The hides of dead animals :
will be removed and the carcasses I
“reduced” for grease and fertilizer. |
It is estimated that there are j
twelve hundred animals at each can- j
tonment producing 120 tons of man- j
ure per day. At the date of the '
report, this manure from eleven
cantonments had been ‘■old for the j
sum of $240,900 annually
The greatest element of saving is
through the garbage. This has:
been sold for an annual price of
$446,394.50. The garbage fr^TO
thirteen cantonments will be used
for feeding swine. It is estimated
on the basis of experiments eonduct
4 ed at the Chillicothe cantonment,
tta-t the garbage waste I com ten to
"stfteen men will feed one hog and
enable it to add to its weight one
pound per day.. this rate, the
garbage from these thirteen canton
ments will produce annually 18,980,
000 pounds of pork When not used
for feeding, the garbage w ill be re
duced, that is, cooked at high tem
perature, the grease extracted, and
the remainder ground and used for
fertilizer or feeds. By the method
of incineration formerly in use, all
the valuable waste materials were
destroyed.
PLATINUM
K. B. Mertis, was was detailed
several months ago to visit the Cache
creek or Yentna river country, in
Alaska, and there investigate the re
ported finds of platinum in the grav
els of the Kahiltna river, a tributary
of the Yentna river, has just re-!
turned to Washington and his find-!
ings will appear in a government
bulletin within a few weeks.
Platinum is a very scarce metal in
the United States and is in great
demand in the manufacture of war
munitions. The world’s supply of
platinum has come largely from the
Russian Ural mountains. In 1916
Alaska produced about fifteen ounc-1
es. Seven hundred fifty Troy ounc-!
es constitute the largest production:
of the metal in the United States,!
whereas Russia, before the outbreak j
of the war, produced as high as.
300,000 ounces per annum.
The world shortage of platinum
has become very acute and it has
advanced in price from $45 to $105 j
per ounce (Troy) since the com-'
FOR
BARGAINS
Pants i
GO TO
Paul Lescure’s
mencement of the war. Critical, in
deed, has the condition become ii
our country. It is reported tha
many Russian banks, which madi
high loans on the output of Ura
mountain mines, hold large quanti
ties of platinum, which may now be
handed over to the Germans.
The war uses of platinum includt
the manufacture of sulphuric acic
and the completion of contact point
of the ignition system of airplanes
automobiles, telephone and tele
graph instruments.
Substitutes have been found foi
making sulphuric acid, but platinum
continues to be indispensable foi
the other uses.
WHY WE ARE FIGHTING
A number of American statesmen
and officials have offered explana
tions for the participation of the
United States in the war against
Germany, and while all agree, in a
general way, none has put forward
an explanation equaling that of our
president, contained in his reply to
the peace proposal of Pope Bene
dict. When Americans desire know
why we are fighting and how long
we are likely to continue fighting, a
reading of the president’s note will
quickly inform them. “The object
of this wrar,” wrote President Wil
son, “is to deliver the free peoples
of the world from the menace and
the actual power of a vast military
establishment, controlled by an ir
responsible government which, hav
ing secretly planned to dominate the
world, proceeded to carry the plan
out without regard either to the
sacred obligations of treaty or the
long-established practices and long
cherished principles of international
action and honor; delivered its blow
fiercely and suddenly; stopped at no
barrier either of law or of mercy;
swept a whole continent within the
tide of blood, not the blood of
soldiers only, but the blood of in
nocent women and children also and
of the helpless poor; and stands
balked but not defeated, the enemy
of four-fifths of the world.”
HARD LEGAL KNOT
The military authorities of France
have recently settled a knotty prob
lem. If a soldier polygamist is
killed, how should the widow’s pen
sion be allotted? France brought
many native soldiers from Africa,
belonging to tribes where pologamy
is recognized and a universal prac
tice. The decision reached was to
the effect that each polygamist wid
ow was to receive share and share
alike in the pension, the total,
which will be the same as that grant
ed to the widow of a mongamous
soldier.
DRAFT FAKER TO SERVE
LONG TERM IN PRISON
Seattle—Max Gorman, the German
who attempted to show Joseph Gott
stein how he could beat the draft
by having his throat operated upon,
has been sentenced to a term of ten
years in the penitentiary at hard
labor. The court, in pronouncing
sentence, scored the prisoner un
mercifully, saying that it would be
better for the country if courts had
authority to impose the extreme
penalty in cases of that kind.
London—An Amefican surprise
was sprung on the fashionable audi
ence at the opening of the annual
series of so-called, “popular con
certs” The soloist of the after
noon, a Miss Carrie, Tubb, perhaps
the most popular of native English
prima donnas. In response to an
encore she sang with splendid dra
matic egect the famous, “Battle
Hymn of the Republic.”
When the first notes of the piano
accompaniment tinkled out, there
were some smiles among the audi
ence, who knew the air, principally
as used by the Salvation army girl3
in their open-air meetings. But the
intense fervor of the singer swept
all before her, and the great song
was heard in breathless silence, and
aailed with enthusiastic applause.
ELSEWHERE IN ALASKA
Harry Tremble, who has been en
gaged in prospecting and mining on
; several bars of the Susitna river,
about 20 miles above Talkeetna, dur
ing the past season, reached Tal
keetna a few days ago with an in
teresting poke of gold dust. He ha.l
in addition, several pennyweights of
platinum. He says that with the
right kind of mining equipment to
take care of the gravel considerable
and gratifying amounts of this val
uable platinum can be secured in
the locality in which he has been
working.
Advices recently received in the
North indicate that Gen. Wilds P.
Richardson, formerly chairman of the
Alaska Road commission, has been
detached from this work and order
ed to report to the adjutant general
for duty. It is broadly hinted that
the popular road builder will be
sent to France at an early date.
Karl Thiele, formerly of Fair
bannks and the Iditarod and at pres- j
ent engaged in trading in the Kus
kokwim country, recently construct
ed two warehouses and a large store
building at Akiak, at the mouth of
Crooked creek, on the lower Kusko
kwim.
C. Fielder, a well known oldtime
Alaskan, is reported to have acquir
ed the interests of the Kuskokwim
Commercial company, at Bethel.
H. V. Mooring, a former steam
boatman, on the Whitehorse-Car
cross run, has left the North to
enter the aviation service of the
United States. He was formerly in
the employ of the Curtis Aeroplane I
company.
J. H. Hewitt and Mike Sheean, j
indicted recently for the theft of a j
gold brick from the Chicagoff mine (
last spring, have asked for a change
of venue from Juneau to Ketchi
kan.
The final surveys of the townsites '
of Haines and Douglas were made
during the past month, by the sur-1
veying division of the land office, \
under the direction of J. P. Walket.
The work consisted of subdividing \
the townsites into lots, the boundar
ies having been marked some time
previously.
Frank Nooney, of Ketchikan, pass
ed a perfect examination for the
naval service recently, obtaining a
percentage of 100 in all branches.
The young man is a son of James
Nooney, a guard in the federal jail ;
at Ketchikan.
I -
The lessees of the Pueblo Copper
mine, near Whitehorse, have given
up their attempt to reopen the
mine and put the property on a pro
ducing basis. Cave-ins, which
were responsible for the closing of
the mine in the first place, contin
ued to prevent operations alter the
lessees started work.
Juneau butcher shops went on aj
cash basis last month, requiring im
mediate payment of their customers ;
for all meat purchased. The cus
tomers also are required to make
their own deliveries.
i
Late arrivals from the Kusko
kwim deny the report that high
water in that district during the
past summer caused losses among
the truck farmers. The crops, they
now claim, were better than for
several years, nothing having oc
curred to interfere with the growth.
J. J. Ellis arrived at Whitehorse
recently from the new Kitchener
creek district and reports that pay
has been found on several streams,
insuring a bright future for the dis
trict. He states that about a doz
en men, who went into the district
with outfits, are wintering there, and
the indications are that there will
be a rush in that direction in the
spring.
The Pioneer building at Anchor
age has a flagpole 72 feet in length,
the big stick having beed obtained
by Col. A. M. Barnes in the woods
near the railroad terminal.
The cinnibar properties of the!
Kuskokwim district, located near i
; Georgetown, are reported to have t
produced considerable quick during
| the past season. The property is '
| owned by Fuller, Willis & Millett.
—
A party of Anchorage hunters,
i consisting of Dr. E. F. German, Sam
Mandel, E. M. Huff, Ed. Pauley and
Harold Swanson, recently returned
to town with five moose and the limit *
of geese and ducks.
The Venus mine, in the White
horse district, is coming to the front
rapidly as a producer. Ore valued
at more than $100,000 was shipped
during the past fourteen months.
The ore is high grade and a consio !
erable of the pay has been blocked >
out.
Figures just published show that
the salmon pack of the First divis
ion during the past season was one
of the largest on record and exceed
ed the production of all other dis
tricts by 882,749 cases. The South
eastern Alaska section claims a pack
of 3,024,749 cases of salmon for
the year, or 801,091 cases more than
last year.
William Martin, a recent arrival j
at Anchorage from the property of I
the Alaska Free Gold company, in
the Willow creek section, reports
that enough ore has been found to
keep the mine going during the re
mainder of the season. The new
vein found some time ago, contin
ues to hold up well.
The search for iron ore in the j
Ketchikan district, which was con
ducted recently by J. B. Mertie, a
government expert minerologist, is
reported to have resulted most sat
isfactorily, large quantities of ore
having been found in that locality.
George Anderson, wTho took a
lease on the Little Gem property, on
Willow creek, last July, has driven a
tunnel a distance of 65 feet and has
tapped a fine vein of ore. As the
result of the showing made, he has
ordered a five-ton Buster Brown
mill, which will be installed on the
property in the spring.
Japanese residents of Gastinau ;
channel towns invested more than a j
thousand dollars in Liberty bonds |
during the recent drive for funds.
The Juneau Bar association re
cently adopted resolutions praying
congress to provide the territory with
a fifth judge, to act as a relief
judge for the several divisions.
Fred I). Me Cullough, a business- ;
man of Anchorage, has disposed of j
his interests in that town and will!
engage in a search for the steamer
Annie J., which was stolen two years
ago, while in the harbor at Hono
lulu. At the time of the theft, the
boat had a big cargo of dynamite. '
McCullough was heavily interested in
the steamer.
Clark Fonda, of Anchorage, is re- |
ported to have made a strike in the j
Yentna country, and to have disposed ,
of a one-third interest in his hold- i
ings for $2,000 cash. He and his j
associates will freight in their sup- ]
plies this winter, in readiness for ;
operations on a large scale next |
summer.
Carl Fosberg, one of the first j
white men to explore the headwat
ers of the Kuskokwim river, is now j
in that district, operating a trap i
line, 100 miles long.
The past two successful seasons j
experienced by the salmon canneries j
in the Chatham strait section of ;
Southeastern Alaska, is attratcing ,
much attention to the possibilities of J
that part of the territory. It is re- (
ported that six new canneries will be j
ready for operation in the district i
by next spring.
Juneau liquor dealers who with- j
drew large quantities of liquor from !
bonded warehouses just before the
law went into effect prohibiting the
manufacture of distilled liquors, now
find themselves facing a serious
problem. They have on an average
more than one thousand gallons
each, and under the Gore bill will
have to pay to the federal govern
ment an additional tax of $2 per
gallon, aggregating about $30,000.
William Semar, until recently con
nected with the Mild Cure company,
is now at the head of a concern
which will instal a new cannery at
Sitka during the winter, in readi
ness for operation when the season
opens in the spring.. The new •
company is composed of Sitka men.
The quarterly report of the San
itarium company, of Portlany, the .
concern which has the contract for
caring for Alaska’s insane, shows
that eighteen patients were received
luring the period ending September
30. Seven patients were discharg
ed, and four died. There are now
it the institution, a total of 218
patients, of which number 192 are
males.
The embargo placed by the Amer
ican government on the exportatior
of iron and steel to Japan and China
has knocked the props from undei
several prospective Nome million
aires. Lured by the quotation ol
$40 per ton at Seattle, these mei
bought up all the scrap iron on th<
peninsula and, just as their ship
ment was about to leave for Pugel
sound, the embargo went into effect
and the price of iron declined sud
denly to $15 per ton.
THREE PRIZES
1st. Prize $75 CASH
2nd. Prize $50 Mdse.
3rd. Prize $25 Mdse.
WITH EACH CASH PURCHASE
of One Dollar's Worth of Merch
andise in Our Large and Varied
Stock entitles You to One Ticket.
Drawing to take place on Xmas
Day, Dec. 25, at 7:30 P. M.
Buy your Christmas Presents at
Our Store and get in on the Big
Potlach.
SIMSON’S
DEPARTMENT STORg
V/ELL HEATED
NICELY FURNISHED
ROOMS
FOR RENT
$4.50 Per Week Upward
at
NEW YORK BLOC K
Over ,A~- +•>• Pool Room
Mrs. I. F. KENYON, Mgr.
NENANA BEANERY
Cold Lunches. Hot Tamaies
Chile Beans
SERVED 10 A. M. TO 2 A. M.
Tom Monag'on
[HE SKOF HOUSE
Market Street at Second
Comfortable Rooms Spring Beds
Clean Bunks
EVERYTHING NEW and CLEA\
NENANA LODGE
Loyal Order of Moose, meets every
Wednesday evening
Duke Building Market St,*
Electric Lights Steam Heat
THE
SOUTHERN
HOTEL
Newest and Best Appointed
Hotel in Interior Alaska
TOM SMITH, Prop.
I
THE MAIL ORDER HOUSE
OF THE NORTH
Everything in Groceries, Feed, Tobacco, Cigars, Hardware
Tools, Building Material, Electrical Supplies, House
hold Utensils, Overalls, Tents, Mattresses, Blankets, ete.
A Complete Stock of General Supplies, Including
the Famous Mishawaka Rubber Boots and Shoes
Corona Typewriters, Dodge Bros. Automobiles
Special Attention Given to Mail and Telegraphic Orders
NORTHERN COMMERCIAL Ca
Fairbanks Chena
When In Fairbanks
Drink BARTHEL’S Beer
The Best Made
i