' The: Nenana News
VOLUME I
NENANA. ALASKA. JULY. 21. 1917.
NUMBER 44
l
luuius i i Lnnu
HAPPY SPUR UK
In order to provide the people of
Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley
railroad with an adequate supply of
fuel during the coming winter the
Alaskan Engineering commission will
run a spur track from Happy sta
tion to the Bartlett camp, a distance
of approximately five miles, along
the right of way of the government
railroad. The grade will be standard
giuage and all the work dene will be
of a permanent character, but the
track will be narrow guage for the
present, connecting with the Tanana
Valley railroad at Happy. When the
stee is laid between Nenana and
Fairbanks the narrow guage spur
will be widened to standard guage
and will then become a part of the
through line.
Assistant Engineer F. D. Hayden
is now engaged in organizing his
party and gathering camp equip
ment together preparatory to mov
ing to the scene of new operations.
He expects to get away on Monday
and upon arrival at Happy will es
tablish what is to be known as Camp
102. Mr. Hayden will supervise the
new work, the greater part of which
will be done by cent 1 act, with the
exception of running the lines and
laying the steel.
The establishment of this camp
means, in effect, that Pairbanks will
not be able to burn coal this year.
When questioned yesterday regard
ing the new work, Commissioner
Tlios. Riggs, Jr., said that adverse
conditions had delayed the work
south of Nenana to such an extent
that it would be impossible to reach
the coal fields in time to supply the
upper town with that kind of fuel
this season. Therefore it had beer
decided to build the spur connecting
Happy with a wood camp, which
will enable Fairbanksans to secure
all the wood they may need during
the coming winter and at a more
reasonable price than they wore com
pelled to pay last winter.
The members of the Hayden party
are: Hawley W. Sterling, transitman;
J. G. Bellows, property clerk; E. E
Durgin, timekeeper; Sam Dumbolton,
estimator; William Young, tapeman:
George Ito, cook. The party will
make the trip up the river on the
Commission launch Midnight Sun.
The horses needed for the work will
be secured in Fairbanks.
WET WEATHER HALTS
WORK ON BUILDINGS
Building operations in town and
on the government reserve have been
seriously delayed by the wet weath
er. Several buildings are now partly
finished and it will be impossible tc
complete them until weather condi
tions improve. The rain also has
prevented the commencement of work
on other buildings which are planned.
One of the buildings under con
struction is the new dormitory for
employees of the Alaskan Engineer
ing commission. When completed this
building will be two stories iif height
with an attic. Other work planned by
the Commission is an addition to the
hospital, 33x35 feet, two stories in
height, with an attic; an addition to
the store building, a cold storage
plant, a three-stall engine house and
three cottages.
The Nenana block, at the corner of
First and A streets, has been closed
in and the work is progressing there
in spite of the wet weather, the car
penters now being able to work un
SUBMARINE ACTIVITIES
WORRYING UNCLE SAM
Washington, D. C*—Continued submarine activities thruout the
war zone are a source of greater disturbance to the United States than
anything else at the present time, according to admissions made today
by administration officials. It is stated that there has beea a renewal
of the demand for a combined attack on the submarine bases on the
Belgian and German coasts in effort to cripple the enemy.
disturbed on the interior finishing.
The comer will be occupied by the
Brakke-Jackson pool hall and work
on this part of the building is being
lushed with all possible speed. The
walls and ceiling are to be lined with
pressed steel.
The N. C. warehouse has been
completed and the store building will
be ready for occupancy as soon as
the front can be installed.
The Duke building, on Market op
posite the N. C. company’s property,
is nearing completion slowly, most
of the work during the past week
having been done between showers.
The rcof is on now, however, and it
will be possible to complete the in
terior work without further interrup
tion.
The addition to the Gilcher build
ing, was completed several days ago,
and the interior of the main build
ing has been transformed into an
attractive show room and store, in
which the new lines stocked by
Mr. Gilcher will be displayed. The
workshop has been moved into the
addition.
RIOTS IX SEATTLE
WHEN CARS RUN
Seattle: An attempt was made this
morning to operate street cs^rs on
several of the different routes in
order to live up to the requirements
of the franchise under which the car
company operates. The appearance of
he cars was a signal for the precip
itation of much lawlessness, mobs
attacking the cars and smashing the
windows with rocks and clubs, and
showering the motormen and con
luctors w’ith rotten eggs. Thirteen
police officers were dismissed from
the city force because they refused
to ride on the cars to protect the
crews. The members of the police
force then formed a union, with an
initial membership cf 150. When in
formed of this move on the part of
the union Mayor Gill announced that
the fact .that a police officer belonged
to a- union would not save him from
dismissal if he failed to obey orders.
Twenty strikers have been arrested
up to noon today. All the street cars
which were taken out this morning
were returned to the sheps within a
few heurs and all further attempt to
operate them has been abandoned
for the present.
NORWAY EXPECTS WILL
MIX SOON WITH RUSSIA
Helsingfors: According to an ar
ticle appearing in one of the morn
ing papers in this city today, the
Norwegian government is feeling
considerable apprehension over the
recent action of the Finnish diet in
adopting a bill granting independence
to Finland. This action is taken by
officials of the Norwegian govern
ment to forcast a conflict between
this country and Russia.
REGISTRAHON LIST
PASSES FIFTY MARK
Commissioner Robert E. Burns,
who is acting as registrar, announces
that fifty-six residents of Nenana
between the ages of 21 and 31 years,
had complied with the registration
law up to this noon. Carter Robert
Koon, of the contracting firm of
Gulliford, Catchpole & Koon, has the
distinction of being the first to reg
ister. The name of Claude Victor
Spence appears second on the list
and James Peter Mcmb is third from
the top. Chief Accountant William
John Hubbach and Special Disburs
ing Otfieer George Fenton Cramer
are next on the list.
The registration books were op
ened last Monday and names will be
entered' until September 2, the date
of expiration fixed by President Wil
son in his special proclamation rela
tive to registrations in Alaska. It
is estimated that the list will show
a total of neai'ly eighty when all of
the young men in Nenana and the
adjacent district have registered.
Those who have registered thus
far are:
Carter Robert Koon
Claude Victor Spence
James Peter Momb
William John Hubbach
George Fenton Cramer
Reger Holland Coombs
Robert Royal Douse
Earl Hagen Foster
Lawrence Edwin Cole
Frank Walfurd Peterson
Norman Carl Anderson
Lawrence Roland Vernon
William Arthur Young
Hawley Winchell Sterling
Craig vonB. Redman
Ralph Lorane Johnson
Harry Cort Lowe
Nick Larson
William Jerome Wainwright
Louis Paul Rapps
Henry McPhee
Charles Hubbard Hall
Finan Daniel Delaney
Jerry John Bardes
Richard B. Ward
Henry Grady Sumerlin
Angus John McPherson
Edwin Mike Trepte
John Brady Dinley
William Edward Lawrence, Jr.
Alex Frederick Frederickson
Edward Hugh Mclnnes
John Paulsteiner
William McDowell
Wolfgang Thiele
Nels Adrien Lundstrom
Christian Meier Mortensen
Peter Johnson, Jr.
John Edward Nye
Ralph Irving Waechter
John Gudweth
Arild Cato Slippern
Kyuzaburo Saito
George G. Henry
Earl Craig McCrary
John Melvin Hansen
Allan John McPhee
Elvin Johnson
Samuel Jesse Dumbolton
Thukididis Koulouris
George Gagnon
Edward Clarence Carreher
Henry John Smith
Oscar Greenbeck Olson
Angelo Bartholomew Lyman
William Demetrics Papadopulos
RUSS SOLDIERS ROB
RICH CLUB MEMBERS
Moscow: A number of men wearing
the uniforms of the Russian infan
tryman, broke into the exclusive
Merchants’ club this afternoon, and
after rounding up the attendants and
inmates, robbed them and the safes
in the club of thirty thousand rubles.
It was stated by the military author
ities when they were advised of the
robbery that the guilty men were no
doubt a party of highwaymen who
have been unusually active of late,
and who have used the soldiers’ un
iform as a disguise at different
times.
MAIN LINE ENGINES
ARRIVE FROM SOUTH
The shipment of freight which ar
rived yesterday for the Alaskan
Engineering commission included two
111-ton locomotives, the largest thus
far received in the Interior. The en
gines are similar to those in use in
the Anchorage division and are
known as “main-line” locomotives,
meaning that they will be used in
general traffic after the railroad is
completed. One of these locomotives
will be set up immediately and used
in connection with the construction
work, together with the yard en
gine received a short time ago. The
new locomotives are a part of the
Panama canal railroad equipment.
EXCAVATOR NOW AT WORK;
DIGS GRAVEL FOR GRADE
The big drag line excavator, which
was received from the Outside re
cently by the Alaskan Engineering
commission, has been placed in serv
ice and is reported to be giving com
plete satisfaction. The machine is
working at present near the powder
house, south of Nenana, where it is
engaged in digging gravel and load
ing ballast cars for grading work.
REICHSTAG VOTES MORE
MONEY FOR WAR CHEST
Copenhagen: It was reported here
this morning that the German reich
stag voted without discussion on the
third reading of the bill to grant an
additional war credit loan of fifteen
billion marks.
MORE WATER COMES;
Continued rains during the past
week caused a further rise in the
Tanana river, high water mark hiv
ing been reached on Thursday, when
the river level registered 341), a f< >t
higher than was recorded a week
ago. The additional foot of water was
sufficient to flood portions of the
townsite, causing property owners
considerable inconvenience and some
loss. The damage sustained thus far
has been nominal, however, the
greatest loss being in submerged gar
dens and weakened foundations, in
the resident section.
The Burns residence and other
homes in the upper part of town are
in the inundated area, and below A
street the hospital, Commission cot
tages, mess house and outlying build
ings are surrounded by water. The
board walk along Main street from
the mess house to the Riggs' resi
dence, was afloat yesterday and prac
tically every cellar in town is full of
water. A number of cellars which
w«re not properly boarded are cav
ing badly and a readjustment of
foundations will be necessary after
the water has subside 1.
The general office building, dorm
itory, commissary, power house, and
other Commission buildings between
the mess house and the river are
on comparatively high ground and
have thus far escaped the inunda
tion. Should the water rise another
eighteen inches, however, the power
house boilers will be out of commis
sion.
Practically all the water in town
comes from the slough, which is fed
by the country scuth of town. There
is very little difference in the level
of the slough and that of the river,
however—too little to render drain
age from the one to the other (' ac
tieable at this time. By actual meas
urement the slcugh level is only
three inches higher than the river
level.
High water has caused considerble
damage along the right of way and
the work will be somewhat delat e I
on that account. A number of cut
have filled with water and -lidos
have occurred, which will necessitate
considerable e>tra work. The greatest
trouble has been experienced beyond
Twenty Mile.
LOCAL MOOSE LODGE
INITIATES GOOD CLASS
The Nenana lodge of Moose initia
ted nine new members into the
mysteries of MoOsedom at the 1 > st
regular meeting, and expect to hold
t>ne more ceremonial before the
charter is closed.
Although only a few months old,
the local lodge is in the best of con
dition, and officers and members are
looking forward with all confidence
to the future growth and prosperity
of the Nenana branch of the order
which has become such a powerful
factor in fraternal circles Outside.
It is the hope of the members of
Nenana lodge that they may have a
home of their own by the time the
winter season closes in, and are an
ticipating more or less activity in
the way of social events for the
long winter evenings.
J. G. K. Toussaint, who was pi-o
moted to the position of line auditor
for the Alaskan EngineerVg commis
sion during the week, will spend the
coming week along the right of way
south of Nenana.