The Nenana News
VOLUME I
NENANA. ALASKA. DECEMBER 23. 1916.
NUMBER 14
ON WRONG TRACK
Fairbanks Newspaper Is
Making Show Of
Ignorance
The attack on Captain Mears, member
of the Alaskan Engineering commission,
which was contained in a recent issue of
the Alaska Citizen, has caused much un
favorable comment in Nenana, where it
is recognized that all the members of the
commission are doing all they can to
hasten the completion of the railroad.
In a statement given a represent itive
of the News, Thos. Riggs. Jr., declared
emphatically that the article published
by the Citizen was absolutely without
warrant, since Captain Mears is as eag
er to see the railroad completed as either
of the other two members ofthe commis
sion. The reputations of Captain Mears
and his associates depend upon the suc
cess ot the enterprise upon which they
are now engaged, and it the work could
be completed by the end of another year
it would mean more to them than the
salaries they would receive for a longer
period of construction. As one Nenanaite
put it, the Citizen would not have been
farther from the truth if it had accused
Geo \V. Goethals of causing the slides
which delayed th* completion of the
Panama canal, in order that he might
stick longeron the government payroll.
Regarding the apportionment of funds,
Mr. Riggs says that his division has not
been allowed as much money as he hoped
to receive for next year's work. The
amount is 52,667,000 and he estimated
that he could use approximately one mil
lion more than that amount. He will
have sufficient, however, to complete the
road from the coal fields to Fairbanks,
and that part of the work will be com
pleted on schedule time, providing the
funds are available when needed.
CONSUL ON STAND
—
Bopp Denies That Agents
Were Employed To
Dynamite
San Francisco: Testifying in his own
defense, Franz Bopp, former German
consul-general who is on trial with six
other men for conspiring to violate the
neutrality laws of the United Stales, stat
ed that C. Crowley and Louis Smith were
employed by the German consulate to
spv on entente agents and shipments. He
denied Smith’s testimony in which he
sod he had been hired as a dynamiter.
Bopp will be cross examined Monday.
Before Bopp took the stand Alonzo Smith,
nephew of Louis Smith, testified that
Louis had told him he was to receive $20,
000 from the American government for
his testimony. Alonzo appeared to be
testifying under a mental strain, which
culminated in his fainting as he left the
witness stand.
WAITING TOR COAL
War Department To
New Fuel Along
The River
While practically every section of In
terior Alaska is awaiting the coming
of coal, and will consume large quanti
ties of the fuel when it is available, the
War department already is actuallv pre
paring to install coal burners and arrang
ing for the construction of buildings for
the storage of fuel.
Advices received from the army post '•
at Fort Gibbon indicate that a large coal j
burning central heating plant will be in
stalled there during the coming summer,
and the officers in charge of the several
telegraph stations along the river have
been requested to furnish estimates of
the cost of erecting buildings for the stor- !
age of coal. All of which encourages the j
belief that the Department will be among '
the first to purchase coal and will be a j
verv large consumer.
Sergeant Mulkins of tlie local signal 1
corps station is now busv with the plans j
of a building which is to be erected on J
the rear of the lot occupied by the tele- i
graph office. The building will contain j
large storage bins for coal, and there will !
also be room for a small stable, a work- j
shop and a place for the storage of sup- j
plies. There is the probability that a
heating plant for the office building will
also be installed some time dnring the
coming summer.
Similar preparations are also undoubt- I
edlv being made at Fairbanks, where the j
wood problem has assumed very serious ,
proportions. Reports from the upper j
town state that the creeks are being !
drained of tlieir supply of fuel in order
that the fires in town may be kept burn
ing; and another season probably will
find the gold output of tlie camp mater
ially reduced utiless operators can secure
coal for steaming purposes.
CHRISM PLANS
Santa Claus Will Be Kept;
Busy During Stay
In INenana
Elaborate preparations are l>eing made
for the observance ot Christmas in Ne
nana. The fun will start tomorrow after
noon at the engineering office of tile Al
askan Engineering commission, where
Santa Claus will entertain the youngsters j
of the town, bv special request of the j
Riggs Kids. On Monday night, immed
iately following the movie show, Santa ;
will make his appearance at the Coliseum !
and assist in unloading the big Christ-'
mas tree which he will find awaiting him
there. The management of the theater
announces that there will be presents for
everybody, old and young, and that all
will be made welcome regardless of
whether or not they have attended the
picture show earlier in the evening.
As soon as the distribution of presents j
is finished the floor will be cleared and
the Christmas dance, which had been
originally announced for Sunday night, j
w ill take place. Admission to the dance!
will be <1.50 for gentlemen, ladies free.
In addition to the two public celebra- j
tions, there will be a number of family '
Christmas trees and dinners, some sched
uled for Sunday and others for Christmas
Day.
Christmas will also be observed at the
Indian vdlagc, where entertainments are ,
being planned botl by the school and by j
the mission.
Those desiring to do so may leave pres- j
ents at the theater for Santa Claus to de
liver.
SULZEfi LEADS NOW
Late Returns Give Demo
crat Margin Of
Nine Votes
Fairbanks: Returns in the delegate
race, made known during the week, have
given Sulzer a lead of nine votes over
Wickersliam, with four precincts in the
Third division still unreported. Sulzt-r’s
total in the territory, as far as known, is
6432, and Wickersham's is 6423. The
vote by divisions is as follows: First
Division—Sulzer 2387, Wickersliam 1894;
Second division—Sulzer 673, Wickersliam
886; Third division—Sulzer 1681, Wick
ersham 1964; Fourth division—Sulzer
1691, Wickersliam 1679.
The canvassing board will begin the
official count early in February, and un
til the final result is announced by that
body the outcome will continue to be
very much in doubt,
GUARDSMEN SUFFER
ALONG BORDER
F,1 Paso: Officers in command of the
American soldiers along the Mexican
border are seriously concerned over the
rapid spread of pneumonia among the
guardsmen. Reports indicate that the
disease is now almost an epidemic.
MAIL MAN LEAVES,
DUE HERE SUNDAY
Atl vices received from Chena report
the departure of the Calhoun mail stage
from that town this morning, presumably
with the usual amount of first and second
class mail. The rig should arrive here
tomorrow afternoon and will depart on
the return trip early Monday morning.
BASKETBALL TEAM
UNABLE TO LEAVE
Owing to the inability of several of the
players to leave their work, the Neuana
basketball team did not get away for
Fairbanks this week and it is not known
now when the first game of the series
will be played.
KOYUKUK WOMAN
PLUCKY MUSHER
Fairbanks: Mrs. Pearl Howard, well
know;! oldtiwer from the Koyukuk coun
try, arrived here this week from the Arctic
circle, having dog-teamed it alone from
her home in the Koyukuk. Mrs. How
ard is enroute Outisde, and will drive
her dogs as far as the coast.
HOT SPRINGS MAN
UP FOR GAMBLING
Advices received from Hot Springs tell
of the arrest of John Dwyer on a charge
of gambling. He was taken liefore the
commissioner and fined $50 and costs.
Chicago; The stock exchange opened
with a seven cent break in wheat, causing
a riot of selling. Wilson’s peace message
was the cause of t-he break, but heavy
buying from Europe forced the price up,
and the market closed showing complete
recovery and substantial net gains.
Tokio; The Japanese program of nav
al expansion, which was official!v an
nounced today, provides a fleet which, by
1923, w ill be superior to any other in the
Pacific, including the United States,
London: Honar Law announced in the
House of Commons today that England
could not deal with Wilson’s note until
she had had time to consult with her
allies ______
New York: Secretarv Lansing's qual
ifying statement of yesterday regarding
President Wilson’s message to the war
ring nations had the effect of rallying
prices on the opening market this morn
ing. __
BRITISH WARPLANES
BOMBARD ENEMY ‘
London: The war office has been ad- !
vised that during the week several sue-,
cessful British air raids have been made
on the positions of the enemy in Mesopo- '
tamia, the reports stating that a vast j
amount of damage was done by the.bouibsj
dropped.
—
New York: The Eastern section of the
United States is in the grip of a severe;
blizzard, the first of the winter. Reports
from various sections state that snow is
falling steadily and it is becoming more )
and more difficult as the day advances
to maintain train schedules. No immed
iate relief is in sight.
Berlin: The war office is in receipt of
dispatches w hich report a big battle de
veloping m Northern Dobrudja, where
Mackensen's forces are vigorously press
ing the Russiati forces.
Tommy Thompson says the thing that
impressed him particularly during his
recent visit in Fairbanks was the activity
of the poundinaster. Tommy had scarce
ly entered the portals of the neighboring
city before his dogs were gathered up by
the canine policeman, and it r.quired
considerable argument and several dol
lars to secure their release.
Leon Kellum returned to Nenana on
Tuesday evening from Fairbanks, where
he spent several days w ith his mother.
FARNUM TO APPEAR
IN SUNDAY SHOW
“Captain Courtesy,” a Bosworth film
featuring Dustin Farnum, is a store of
the Mexican invasion of California dur
ing the years 1S40-46. The feature is of
five reels and is considered one of the
best ever produced by the Bosworth stu
dios, besides lieing a most admirable ve
hicle for the full play of Farnum's ex
ceptionally versatile talents. Regular
feature prices prevail.
London: The Globe, commenting on
President Wilson's note to the Powers, ;
asks, “What is the matter with him?”
The Star declares that “Mr. Wilson is
one of the greatest presidents of one of
the greatest nations in the world,” and
adds that his note “is a Christmas bomb
shell.”
The pupils ot the Cordova public school
also act as janitors of the building.
Ira YanOrsdol believes he has found
platinum in his workings on Boob creek,
in the Tolstoi.
The following were registered at the
Cooney House during the week: O. H.
Boen, Brooks; Henry Knight, R. H.
Knight, Toklat; Sylvester Howell, C. A.
Davinson, Owen Williams, Hot Springs;
Wui. Fleeder, Pet Karsv, M. Cooper, K.
H. Weaver, Woodchopper; P. J. Lynch,
Geo. Palmer, Bill Butler, John Mitchell,
Roy Lund, Fairbanks.
JEWS OF EUROPE
TO BE ASSISTED
Xew York: At a monster mass meet
ing which was liehl in this city last night
for the purpose of raising funds for the
relief of the Jewish people of war-ridden
Europe, the sum of $2,500,1.100 was pledged
and the money will be forthcoming im
mediately. Jacob ScliifF and Julius Ros
enwald gave $100,00J each.
Seattle Employes
Receive Xmas Gift
Seattle: Twenty-four hundred and ten
Seattle employes of the Union Pacific,
Wells Fargo & Co., Pacific Telephone
Co. and Puget Sound Traction Co. have
received wage bonuses aggregating <132,
000.
Washington: The exodus of members
of Congress for the Yule Tide festivities
his so depleted the attendance of both
Houses that all business has been carried
over until after the holidays.
London: Another note has been sent
to Greece by the Entente powers, in
which new and more drastic demands
are made.
Jessie Johnson and Ida Davis were rec
entlv con\i:ted at Valdez on a charge of
selling liquor at Latouclie without a li
cense, Each paid a fine of S100 and
costs.
GERMANS ADVANCE
IN ARRAS REGION
Berlin: Official reports from the West
ern front state that the British have been
forced back several linesof trenches north
of Arras, where desperate fighting has
been in progress during the past several
days.
GERMAN RAIDER
MADE CAPTIVE
New York: According to reports re
ceived from passengers arriving from
London on the American liner Philadel
phia, which reached port today, the '
mysterious merchantman which has been I
cruising the North Atlantic lor the past I
fortnight and was supposed to be a dis
guised armed German vessel preying up
on neutral shipping, has been captured
and is now anchored in the harbor at
Liverpool.
Loudon: In a speech from the throne
today. King George addressed parliament
in part as follows: “Vigorous prosecution
of the war will be the single aim of Eng
land until the future peace of Europe is
absolutely guaranteed and firmly estab
lished.”
Mrs. Stella Mailole is in Fairbanks for
the holidays. She will return during the
early part of the week.
Mrs. M. V. Tyler and little daughter
left the hospital on Monday.
^ Harry Davis returned to Nenana Wed
nesday afternoon after a brief business
trip to Fairbanks. He made the round
trip with Theodore Thompson.
Mrs. John T. Naughtou returned to
Xenana early in the week.
Game Warden R. S. McDonald was in
town on Thursday for a few hours, hav
ing made the trip down the river from
Fairbanks with Billy Butler.
The Hague: It is reported lrom I’er
lin that the kaiser may soon invite Gerard
to headquarters to discuss possible terms
of mediation.
United States Commissioner Robert It.
Rurns went to Fairbanks during the week
on u combined business and pleasure
trip. He will return about the first of
the year.
J. li. Dethlefsen, whose hands were se
verely frozen several weeks ago, is still
confined to his home, where he is under
the care of Ur. Smith.
Mrs. Thos. Dickinson went to Fair
banks during the week, enroute to her
home in the Tolovana district.
Wichita, Kan.: The Kansas Masonic I
Home for OU1 and Young was destroy
ed by fire last hight. One ot the inmates
was burned to death, and the property
loss will amount to £300,000.
Roy Lund arrived from Fairbanks on
Thursday evening and returned to the
upper town yesterday with Dr. H. L.
Hedger as a passenger. The doctor stat
ed before his departure that he intended
to return to Nenana, probably in Feb
ruary.
Washington: The foreign trade cf the
United States for the year 1916 will total
very nearly 57,S00,000,000.
The Koland stage arrived from hair
hanks Wednesday with first class mail,
five passengers and a quantity of freight
for local merchants.
Fur Warden Cal Townsend has return
ed to Fairbanks after an absence of sev
eral weeks on the lower river.
Miss Keenan, principal of the Fair
banks school, will spend Christmas with
Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Riggs, Jr.
W. A. Coghill returned to Xenana on
Wednesday on the Koland stage.
Letters received from Portland state
that C. W. Ritchie, special agent of the
land office who was stationed at Fair
banks several years, is now living in
Portland with his family.
Bob Mitchell started for Fairbanks
Thursday morning with Mrs. Madole and
Mrs. Allred as passengers.
Misses Jane Anderson and Laura Lewis
left for Fairbanks Thursdiiy morning on
the Koland stage. They will return after
a brief stay in the upper town.