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Kuskoquim District Promises
Big Output For 1923 Season
The writer left Xenana April 6th
enroute to the Kuskokwim country
via the Kobe McGrath trail and ar
rived at McGrath April 15th. Trail
conditions were ideal and the per
mancy of this route is an establish
ed fact. New roadhouses will be
built this summer at Roosevelt at
a point twenty five miles west of
Lake Minchumina, at Tulida and at
Slow Forks, thus giving a complete
road house service at distances of a
days travel. It will be also possible
to shorten this trail at least twenty
five miles by cutting the trail thru
the timber which was not pos
sible last year and, as a consequence
ihe trail west of Tulida will follow
a more direct course instead of
winding in and around the many
lakes.
McGrath, the distributing point
for the Kuskokwim country, was
anxiously waiting for the spring
breakup. This breakup has come to
be looked somewhat in the light of
a nightmare by the good people of
McGrath, as each succeeding spring
sees the town flooded to a depth
of several feet and this last spring
was no exception. The town was in
undated for several days during the
crest of the flood. However, the
people still have faith and continue
living and doing business there an
other example of the undaunted spir
it of the true Alaskan.
An evidence of prosperity of the
Kuskokwim country is reflected id
the constantly increasing tonnage
which is brought up the Kuskokwim
river during the summer season and,
with the steamers Tanna and Quick
step operating on the river from
Bethel to McGrath, fears are expres
sed that all tonnage will not be
moved before the freezeup. Captain
George Green and Captain Wallace
Langley are operating these boats
and recently purchased the Santa
Anna, a thounsand ton carrier op
erating between Seattle and Bethel.
It was with a view to insuring :he
delivery of supplies to this remote
6ection that they decided to operate
an ocean-going carrier in conjunc
tion with their river steamers.
Mining activities are apparent in
this section. The Treadwells are
continuing to operate successfully
at Nixon Fork. Whalen and Griffin,
have recently struck a big body of
rich, free milling ore which is be
lieved to be a continuation of their
Nixon Fork properties. The Aitken
dredge is digging away on Candle
Creek and promises to make a larger
cleanup this year than at any time
since operation commenced on this
creek.
A •wonderful mining activity is
displayed in the Innoko district, just
across the divide from McGrath, and
Takotna, the distributing point for
this disirct, is developing into a live
town, geographically situated on the
"’akotna River, it has become the
w. enter of a wonderfully rich proven
i' ining region which embraces Yan
' ee Creek, Ganes Creek and Litrle
.'reek. The Flume Dredge Co., is
now operating on Yankee creek,
Little Creek and the Innoko Dredg
ing Co. is operating on Ganes creek
having commenced dredging opera
* tions June 7th. The last named
company controls all the ground on
Ganes Creek from JCo. 2 below dis
covery to So. 10 above discovery and
has sufficient dredging ground to last
for twelve years. This dredge was
formerly owned and operated by
The Yukon Gold Co., on Greenstone,
in the Ruby district and was moved,
knocked down, via the Kuskokwim
river to the forks and then hauled by
teams over the divide to Ganes Creek
under the very able direction of C.
W. Moore, formerly of the Yukon
Gold Co., this dredge was completed
in construction in forty-two days,
which, I believe, is a record for con
struction and, at the same time,
demonstrates that we have the kind
of folks in Alaska who can accom
plish things, as <he laborers and me
chanics required in this construction
were recruited entirely from the
sourdoughs of the country. To Mr.
Geo. F. Kilroy manager of the Inno
ko Dredging Co., credit is due for
the delivery of this dredge on Ganes
Creek and those familiar with the
difficulties of transportation in this
country will readily appreciate the
big Job on hand which he has ac
complished so well. The future of
this section i^ assured and more
dredges will be intalled in the near
The Alaska Road Commission, un
der the direction of Supt. Walter W.
Lukens, have constructed a road
from Takotna across the divide for
a distance of ten miles toward Ophir
This road is an example of road
building and refleets much credit on
Superintendent Luken’s ability. An
automobile travels over this road
daily to and from Yankee creek
traveling over the government road
and the Flume Dredge co., road and
covers the distance of fifteen miles
in forty minutes.
On leaving the Innoko district
the writer mushed to Ophir, formerly
the center of activity for the Ophir
district, and in company with John
Cameron, former collector of Inter
nal revenue in the days of long ago
when it was possible to take some
thing internally other than coffee
and tea and A. McDonald, an oid
time prospector, embarked in a pol
ing boat for the long journey of
seven hundred miles down the In
noko river to Holy Cross. The up
per reaches of this river for two
hundred miles are replete with bad
riffles but from the Forks of the
river to the mouth no current is per
ceptible. From Ophir to the mouth
of the Innoko the river is practically
deserted and in a distance of seven
hundred miles but three settlements j
remain, these being Cripple, Fair
view and Holy Kachuck, the latter
two being native villages. The old
town of Dishakaket has disappeared
from the map.
Arriving at Holy Cross we were
gladdened by the sight of clean linen
and excellent meals provided on the
old steamer. Oil City, Maintained as
a hotel by the U. S. Railroad for
the accomodations orf low^r river
passengers. Connections without de
lay with the Steamer Davis and a!
transfer to the Steamer Jacobs, a- j
bove Ruby, ended our travel difficul
ties. The class of food served on the
steamers and the service are the
best and are a commendable reflec
tion on the management. Ail along,
the Y ukon the writer observed a
spirit of renewed activities and was
forced to the conclusion that Inter
ior Alaska was again coming into
its own—by Walter Scott.
VIEW OF MT. M’KINLEY
WILLIOW CREEK PROPERTY
TO BE PROSPECTED SOOh
Byron Bartholf, who together wit!
his son Charlie and grandsons Ches
ter, and Rolph, have bonded th(
Rainbow mine on Craigie creek t<
W. E. Dlunkle, representative oi
the Gugenheim interests is makint
plans to resume exploration of th«
property immediately having arrang
ed for a force of men to catch uf
some ground in the prospect tunne'
run on the property and prepart
the working for further exploratior
with a view to determining where
to begin the permanent development
tunnel. The property says the Anch
orage Times, is reported to have
shown appreciable croppings of pa>
, rock. In the prospective exploration
, a thirty-five foot tunnel was driver
; and some sixty feet of open cutting
I was done. The property is situated
| in what is known as fashionable ter
! ritory in tne Willow creek district,
adjoining the Gold Bullion on the
I northeast, and ocnsists of a large
I group of claims.
TO EXTEND WORLD DRIVE
AGAINST USE OF ALCOHOL
WESTEREVILLE. O., July 12
Plans of the World League Against
Alcoholism were announced in a
statement issued today by Dr. Er
nest H. C-herrington, general secre
tary. Dr. Cherrington said that Wil
liam E. (‘"Pussyfoot”) Johnson now
is arriving in London, whence he
will proceed shortly to South Africa
to aid in a prohibition campaign.
He then plans to go to Egypt.
Dr. Cherrington will sail August
1 for the British Isles and Europe,
primarily as one of the representa
tives to the seventeenth Internation
al Congress at Copenhagen, August
20-26.
Prof, John C. Cranberry of South
western University, Georegtown,
Tex., now in Europe for the League
will survey conditions and will de
velop organization literature. He
will seek to complete some of the
work of investigation started by the
late John G. Wooley, who died
while representing the League in
Spain.
FIND OLD INDIAN WRITINGS
RENO, NSV., July 12—The skel
eton of an Indian chief, together
with certain stone tabla:s bearing
hieroglyphics, has been exhumed a
a ranch near Winnemucca. The Uni
versity of Nevada will endeavor to
decipher the writing on the tablets.
DAVE CAPLIN OUT
SAN QUENTIN, July 12—David
Caplin, who was sentenced to ten
years for second degree murder in
connection with the Los Angeles
Times dynamiting outrage, was re
leased from the penitentiary yester
day after having served six and one
half years. Good behavior enabled
him to obtain a reduced sentence.
ITALIANS GOING TO MEXICO
MEXICO CITY, July 12—Italian
emigrants are expected in large
numbers in Mexico, and probably
will settle in the states of Tamauli
pas, Jalisco, Tabasco and Nuevo
Leon. Arrangements for their col
onization have been made by agents
of the Italian emigration service at
Washington. The first batch of ar
rivals probably will number 600.
DANIELS SEES SIGNS
BOULDER, July 12—Former Sec
retary Daniels, of the navy depart
ment, in an address declared before
the Boulder Democratic club yester
day, declared that “among the many
other signs pointing to a sweeping
Democratic presidential victory next
year is the fact that half a dozen
able men are contesting for the
Democratic nomination.”
WOMAN LEADER DIES
DENVER, July 12—Helen Ring
Robinon, Colorado’s first woman
state senator, writer, lecturer and
politician, and widely known thru
out the West as a suffrage leader,
died here yesterday after a protrac
ted illness. She was 45 years of age.
Writing paper at The News Office
I
MIDNIGHT SUN SCENE IN ALASKA
SAN FRANCISCO SENDING
DELEGATION TO ALASKA
Alaska and Siberia, rugged lands
of indescribable beauty that fascin
ates tourists and thrill the hardy
trail blazers of commerce, will be
the goal of a trade expansion excur
sion of the San Francisco Chamber
of Commerce.
This announcement was made re
cently by L. J. Calender, director
of the Domestic Trade Bureau of
the Foreign and Domestic Trade
. Department as he commenced or
;ganizing a commission that will sail
for the North on July 20 aboard
the elegantly appointed steel steam
ship Buford.
The ship, operated under the flag
of the Alaskan-Siberian Navigation
Company is scheduled to make a
cruise of 8,316 miles, lasting forty
days. The return is set for August
29.
Leaving San Francisco July 20
the trade emissaries from San Fran
cisco responding to Alaska's call to
become better acquainted with the
commercial possibilities of he North
will make a brief stop at Seattle.
Prince Rupert situated close to
; the border line between British Col
umbia and Alaska, 1,404 miles from
| San Francisco, will be reached the
i fifth day our. Ketchikan, the W ran
ge! Narrows, the Taku glacier, Ju
j neau, Haines, Skagway, Sitka and
: Cordova, and across the mouth of
| Prince William Sound to Seward,
j where a stop will be made to per
mit the delegation to go over the
government railroad to Nenana and
Fairbanks. After a two-days’ stop
at Seward the course will be laid
westward to Kodiak, which was
founded 140 years before the found
ing of San Francisco.
Cold Bay will next be visited,
then along the coast past Light
House Rocks, where are located the
largest sea lion rookeries in the
North Pacific ocean.
Dutch Harbor, Urtalaska, Bogoslof
Island, and the Pribiiofs where the
stop will be made at the seal is
lands, special permission, being giv
en to the party by the Department
of Comnjerce to land on the island.
From the Pribiiofs the party will
go to Cape Chaplin, Anadir, Siberia
and St. Lawrence Island. The Bu
ford will head for Nome where two
days will be spent. From Nome the
course is northward thru the Bering
Straits and into the Arctic ocean
and northward to the ice pack.
Thousands of walrus will be seen,
with frequent sights of polar bear.
From the ice pack East Cape will
be visited. Here the voyagers will
see a typical native Siberian vil
lage. From here the next stop will
be St. Michael, thence to Akutan
island with its extensive whale fish
eries. From Akutan the Buford will
steam to Seattle and San Francisco
the return being scheduled for Au
gust 29, just 40 days from the date
of sailing.
A. C. Anderson, general traffic
manager of the Alaskan-Siberian Na
vigation Company refers to the Scen
ic route as the “Dream Trip,” one
never-to-be ^forgotten.” He is co
operating with the Chamber of Com
merce in arranging details.
SKELETON OF PREHISTORIC
MONSTER FOUND IN CHINA
PEKING, July 12—Practically a
complete fossilized skeleton of a
dinosaur has been discovered by
members of the third Asiatic exped
ition sent out by the American Mu
seum of Natural History under the
leadership of Roy Chapman An
drews.
The expedition left Peking early
in April for a point near Ehrlin,
270 miles beyond Kalgan on the Ur
ga route, where last year's exeava
! .
tions gave promise of further val
uable finds.
Working in what appears to have
been a bend in a river-bed the
searchers found the skeleton at a
depth of three feet.
In spite of the presence of nu
merous bones of other animals it
has been possible to distinguish
those of the huge creature. The ribs
on the upper side are nearly all in
1 place and a fossilized tail about
•ten feet in length is entirely com
plete. The work of excavating and
covering the bones with preserva
tives has been going on for two
weeks.
Word reaches Peking that the lo
cality is rich in prospects and pro
mises an entire summer’s occupa
tion.
POLISH FINANCES IMPROVED
WARSAW, July 12—M. Grabski
minister of finance, took occasion
to speak upon the improved econo
mic situaton of Poland at the recent
News-paper Congress here.
The Polish trade budget, the min
ister said, had been balanced and
the country was now exporting more
than it imported. The introduction
of the Polish mark in Upper Silesia
had helped the government in stabil
izing Polish currency and the return
from direct taxes was an important
factor in the bettering of Polish
finance. The number of unemployed
had also been reduced.
EXPLOSION KILLS TWELVE
ALTON, 111., July 12—Twelve
persons, including seven women,
are dead, and more than a score are
injured as a result of an explosion
at the plant of the Western Cart
ridge Company, art East Alton. The
explosion is believed to have been
caused by loose powder becoming
jammed in the capping machine.
Buildings within a radius of five
miles were rocked by the explosion.
One of the women killed was the
mother of ten children and had just
started to work in the plant.
The most famous moccasin maker
of the Alaskan Indian tribes. Mary
Gunnock, near Sitka, recently began
the manufacture of a pair for Pres
ident Harding. The footgear plans
call for a large section of moosehide
fawn hair for trimmings, hair seal
soles, and 3000 assorted beads. A
cross the top of each moccasin will
be embroidered the Amerian flag,
topped with an eagle. The woman
gained an impression of the size of
the Presidential foot by watching
him in a news review of motion
pictures.
LUMBER BUSINESS BRINGS
PROSPERITY TO NORTHWEST
_
Frank Rourke, former well known
oldtimer of Nenana and Fairbanks,
writes to The News from Norman
Wash., where he has a dairy farm,
that “everything is humming on Pu
get sound this summer. There is a
big boom in the lumber business,
with all the eamps and shingle mills
running full blast and calling for
more help. Wages are good, from
$4 to $7 per day.”
The writer says the Great North
ern Railroad forms the west boun
dary of his term, so all the trains
passing over the line can be seen
from his house. He says there is a
contiua) run of freight trains, all
heavily loaded, which is a sure sign
of prosperity. Farm products are
much higher than last summer, but
few of the fanners are laying away
any money as most of them are
burning it up in ga' and cutting the
pace like city folks.”
Mr. Rourke tells of having seen
Billy Bates, former Alaska ring
champion, at Stanwood. He has leas
ed his ranch and was about to do
; some logging with his brothers, Sam
. and Gilbert. The brothers were for
merly engaged in mining on Vault
creek, in the Fairbanks district.
One of Mr. Rourke’s neighbors
is Mrs. Evan Hevly, formerly Mrs.
Hannah Nelson, of Nenana, and her
home is frequently the scene of jol
ly gatherings of former Northerners.
FORMER JUDGE PASSES
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich.. July
12—William R. Day, former asso
ciate justice of the supreme court
of the United tales, died here yes
terday. His son and daughter were
at the bedside when the end came.
Comfortable rooms for rent in
The Arctic, $15.00 per month. See
Abe Simson. J
WANTED—Information regard
ing the whereabout* of John Win
zenried. Supposed to have come to
Alaska on the steamer Northwestern
early this year. Mrs. Ellen Heiser,
1705 First Avenue, New York City.
uacausr.^*.
IfeppeVxy
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