The Nenana News
VOLUME I
NENANA. ALASKA. MARCH 3. 1917.
NUMBER 24
* ZIMMERMAN ADMITS
EXISTANCE OF PLOT
BERLIN—Virtually admitting the truth of the charges made in the
United States that the Imperial German government had plotted to
p secure the aid of the Japanese and Mexican governments in the event
of war with the United States, Foreign Secretary Zimmerman issned
a statement today in which it is shown that such action was justified
because of the attempt of the United States to array the publics of
South America against Germany.
GERMAN CHARGE DENIED.
WASHINGTON, D. C.—The attempt of Foreign Secretary Zim
merman to justify the action of Germany has met with no response
from the State Department beyond a general denial of the insinua
tions. The fact that the dealings of the United States with South
I American repnblics had been known to the entire world for months
is regarded as a complete refutation of the German charges, which
refer to the convention which was called for the purpose of consider
ing the altered trade conditions.
President Wilson this morning signed the Emergency Revenue
bill, which provides $450,000,000 for the depleted national treasury.
♦ PRESIDENT SIGNS POST-OFFICE BONE DRY BILL.
The Postal Bone Dry bill was signed by the President on Friday,
which will make it unlawful to ship intoxicating liquors through the
mails in any form.
TOWNSITE MANAGER
TO LEVY^TAX SOON
4
r
*
f
l
Townsi e Manager Kyus and his office
force are engaged at present in working
out the details of the general property
assessment which is about to be levied oil
all lots within the townsite of Nenana.
Within a few days property owners
will be apprised of the amounts which
they will be required to pay and they
will be given until the end: of April to
make the payments.
The assessment eventually will recover
about J6000 of the amount which has
been expended in improvements, but at
the present time only about half that
amount will be collected on the 350 lots
which were sold at the September sale.
The balance vyill be a charge against the
unsold lets and will be collected when
they are disposed of at a later sale.
THE BLACK FEAR
SUNDAY FEATURE
Grace-Elliston, the peerless dramatic
actress, will make her debut before a
Nenana audience tomorrow night at the
Coliseum in the Metro masterpiece, “The
Black Fear,” a graphic story of modem
life, in which this celebrated movie star
is given an opportunity to display her
talent to advantage. Edu’ard Brennau
and Grace Valentine, who have won al
most equal fame in moving picture circles,
also have strong parts in the cast.
The story deals with the evils of the
drug habit, and portrays the struggle of
two sisters whose little brother has fallen
a victim of the drug habit. There are
five reels and many situations of intense
interest.
The usual feature prices will prevail,
50 cents for general admission and a
quarter extra for reserved seats. -
HOWELL SAWMILL
READY FOR WORK
Word has been *fl*ceived from the How
ell sawmill, belowTNenana, that the dam
age caused by the recent fire has been re
paired and tbat >be null will be really to
resume operatioj^witliin the next day or
so. A new belt arrived with the Koland
rig, to replace fyf one destroyed by fire,
and as soon as it i& in place operations
can be resumed.
■*
TELEPHONE LINE
NEARING NENANA
i The work of stringing the telephone
1 line which will connect Xenana with
j Fairbanks and the various construction
' camps along the right-of-way between
i the two towns is progressing rapidly uti
! der the direction of Supt. of Telephone
j Construction C. W. Peterson. Recent
j arrivals from the upper town state that
; wires have been strung for a distance ol
five miles south of Happy, and ample
material has been distributed along the
right-of-way during the past several days
to complete the line to Xenana.
The new line will be connected with
the Fairbanks central so that the Coni
i mission phones wil^have all the advant
ages of a long distance service. The tel
egraphone. which now connects the Xe
nana and Fairbanks oSces of the Com
mission, will be abandofifd when the new
line is completed.
ROAD EQUIPMENT
EXPECTED EARLY
Within a lew weeks considerable roll
ing stock for the Interior division of the
government railroad will arrive at Seattle,
j ready for shipment to Alaska. The equip
| ment includes two locomotives and 30
flat cars from the Canal zone, one new
■ switch engine and 12 new Hart convert
ible ballast cars, all of which will be
shipped direct to Nenana for use in con
struction work between here aud the
coal jSelds.
FRANKHOUSER GOES
TO FAIRBANKS JOB
Roy Frankhouser, who came to Xenana
early in the winter to undergo an opera
tion at the Commission hospital, left for
the upper river on Thursday to accept a
position as cook in the Federal jail at
Fairbanks. He made the trip up with
Roy Lund.
In urging increased appropriations for
the United States coast and geodetic sur
vey. E. Lester Jones, superintendent ol
that branch of the government service,
points out in his annual report that
survey work bears a close relation to^ '
tional defense and that his departs ,cJt it
cooperating with the navy.
i
Track laying Toward Coal
Fields Will Be
Rushed
—
Weather conditions permitting, the
work of laying track along the grade
south of Nenana will commence w ithin a
very short time, probably before the mid
dle of this month. Ties are now being
; distributed along the grade and other
: preparations made to commence actual
' construction immediately, it being the
! intention of Commissioner Riggs to rush
the work m order to insure the delivery
of coal at Nenana before the end of the
season.
Owing to the fact that standard gttage
locomotives and cars are not available
now, and probably will not arrive here
until well along in the summer, the con
struction work will be started with the
aul of the narrow guage outfit which was
i used on the north side of the Tatiana
' during the early winter. The equipment
! will be hauled across the river within a
■ few days. The use of the dinkeys will
enable the Commission to complete a
| considerable portion of the road before
I the first boats arrive with the new tna
• terials and supplies. When the new roll
ing stock reaches Nenana the track will
be widened to standard guage, and the
work proceed with very little, if any in
terruption
It is not the intention to employ a
large force at present on this work. As
the season advances, however, the force
will he increased, and in all probability
there will be ■* fbr .V .•v1-"''
j themselves.
j Mr. Riggs has heard nothing regard
ing the railroad appropriation, and does
not know whether the money will lrt
come available immediately upon the
| approval of the bill or at the end of the
! fiscal year. In either case the work will
! go ahead according to the plan outlined,
i even though it may be necessary to with
j hold pavinent of wages until funds are
: made available.
For the present, and until itisdeterm
: ined positively that the road can he com
; pleted between the coal fields and Ne
j nana, construction work on that end of
: the grade will receive prime considera
i tton. When it is seen that this work
• can he accomplished, track laying will be
started on the north side of the Tanana,
on the Nenana-Fairbanks section.
The work of filling in the waterfront
with gravel will not be undertaken until
after the breakup. The big travelling
crane will be used, in connection with
a clam-shell bucket, the gravel being dug
from the river bed and deposited on top
‘of the riprap. To make this work pos
; stble it will be necessary to lay track
along the waterfront the entire length
of the fill.
TYLER BUILDING
COZY LOG CABIN
M. V. Tyler, the painter and paper
j hanger, is building a three-room log
I cabin on First street, between B .and C
streets, and the new home will be ready
for occupancy within a very short time.
| Iu building at this time Mr. Tyler has
a double purpose in view. One is to
provide his lamily with more comfortable
quarters, and the other is to make more
■ room for the large stock which will er
[ rive from the Outside soon after the op
1 ening of navigation.
CHURCH SERVICE.
There will be a service in the Marshal’s
office at four p. m., Sunday. The preaeh
j er will be the Venerable Hudson Stuck,
^ Archdeacon of the Yukon. A cordial
fc-welcome is extended to all.
A1 McDonald arrived from Fairbanks
on Thursday.
CONGRESS SPEEDING
AS END DRAWS NEAR
! _
| WASHINGTON, D. C.—The closing hours of today present a
I scene of the great activity at the National Capital, where the Sixty
Fourth Congress. which convened March 4. 1915. is drawing to a
■ close, and the latest advices indicate that it will complete all neces
sary legislation before midnight, or if necessary, will set the clock back
a sufficient length of time to complete its labors, as was done a
year ago. when the clock was turned back five hours.
: NENANAITES SIGN
ERWIN’S PETITION
j A petition urging the reappointment
j of United States Marshal L. T. Erwin
j was circulated among the people of Xe
J nana during the week, and the signa
tures of practically everyone in town
| were secured, a testimonial of the efficient
| manner in which Marshal Erwin has
conducted his office during the past tour
years.
It is interesting to note in this connec
tion tiiat tile office has been conducted
by the present incumbent at a saving ol
something like sixty thousand dollars to
the government, the expenditures for the
four years being that amount less than
was expended by Marshal Love during a
like period.
Erwin petitions are now being or have
already been circulated in all parts oftbe
j Fourth division, and the results thus far
; known indicate that the Marshal will car
jrv a weighty list of names with him when
l it? goes to tiio national capital in tue lat
est of his candidacy. The Nenana peti
tion was circulated by Deputy Marshal
Hagen.
SLIPPERN IS HERE
TO START UP MILL
Earl Slippern, well known sawmill
man, arrived from the Tolovana district
on Wednesday and will begin shortly to
install the new Lear mill, which will op
erate on the Tanana river aliove Nenana.
Loggers have been busy up the river all
j winter gelting.out material for the new
j mill, and sawing will probably commence
j just as soon as the machinery is in readi
I ness.
Mr. Slippern is a brother of J. A. Slip
I pern, the Nenana contractor, and has
had many years experience in sawmill
work. He is an oldtimer of the Interior,
having resided at Fairbanks, Ruby, Idit
arod and in the Tolovana country.
TULL IS SLEUTH;
ARRESTS NATIVE
II. R. Tull, formerly assistant time
keeper in the employ of the Alaskan En
gineering commission, is making cayen
j viable reputation lor -himself in Ftfir
I banks, where he is now attached to the
J office of the United States marshal in the
i capacity of deputy. A Fairbanks nevvs
| paper, in reporting the case of a stolen
1 watch, has the folloyving to say about
| the new deputy: "Deputy Tull wasgiv
; en the case, and within ten minutes had
I found a native, named Lige Frank, who
] he arrested for the theft and placed him
iu the Federal jail. After being rounded
| up the native handed over the watch to
i the marshal’s office and admitted that he
I had appropriated it for his own use.”
!CALICO BALLON
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
The management of the Coliseum nn
j nounces that arrangements are being
! made to liolu a Calico hall at the theater
on the night of March 17, iu honor of
St. Patrick’s Day. By Calico hall is meant
that the ladies will be expected to attend
i the parly dressed in their kitchen aprons
; or some equally simple and inexpensive
attire; and white collars will be tabooed
i among the men.
NATIVE PRINCESS
DIES AT MISSION
Little fifteen-year-old Eva John, know n
j among her people ns a princess, the
I granddaughter of Chief Kvan, died at the
Mission hospital in'the Indian village
■ :<bove Nenana on Saturday, a victim ol
j tuberculosis.
| The little sufferer was brought from
l the lower river sixteen months ago and
i placed in the Mission hospital, where
j every effort possible was made to prolong
; her young life. The funeral was held
: yesterday, the remains being laid at rest
in the Mission cemetery on the hillside
I opposite Nenana.
The death of Eva John is the second
which lias occuirtd in the village.
GOLDSTREAM SCENE
OF MILD STAMPEDE
Little Goldstream was the scene of a
small stampede during the week, numer
ous musliers having made the trip from
Nenana on the strength of reports that
i encouraging prospects liail heeu discov
1 ered. Considerable ground has been
J staked, and it is asserted that several of
! the locators intend sinking holes in the
immediate future, in the hopes of finding
i a pavstreak.
Little Goldstream isa tributary of Gold
stream, coming into the latter creek on
the left limit, at a point atiout fourteen
miles distant from Nenaua. Since the
j early days of Fairbanks file ertek lias
‘ been staked a number of times and con
1 siderable work has been done from time
• fo time. It is claimed, however, that no
\ one lias yet sunk to bedrock.
PIONEER RESIDENT
DIES IN ARKANSAS
Telegrapliic-advices received on Sun
j day announced the death at Hot Springs,
Ark., of James Duke, '•pioneer resident
of Nenana. Oil*Saturday Mrs. Duke re
ceived a wire informing her of the ser
ious illness of her husband, and the day
, following she was advised of his death.
I The deceased had been ill a long time
and went out on one of the last boats
iu the hope of fiuding relief in a milder
climate.
James Duke was one of the early
9‘ampeders to the North, leaving joined
the rush to Dawson in the late nineties,
j When gold was found in the Fairbanks
district lie stampeded that camp and
I was located fojja time at Chena. In 1905
i he came to the present site ot Nenana
and established a trading post here, and
i later staked a homestead. He was uiar
I ried in 1909, during one of his trips to
the Outside.
The deceased was horn in Milwaukee
: ibid was about fifty years of age at the
I time fif his death. He was buried at
i Hot Springs, his body 'being laid at rest
besiKMjtet of liis father, Joseph Duke,
w ho died on January 7.
j William Casey arrived iu Nenana yes
terday after haying spent tl'C greater
part of the winter in Fairbanks.