ALASKA
STEAMSHIP CO.
SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA
ROUTE SCHEDULE
Scheduled
Vessel Lv. Seattle
ALASKA _July 21
ALAMEDA_July 28
NORTHWESTERN August 4
ALASKA_Aug. 11th
ALAMEDA..August 18
NORTHWESTERN Aug. 25
Scheduled
Ar. Seward
July 27
August 3
August 11
August 18th
August 24
Sept. 1
Soheduled
So. fm Seward
July 28th
August 5
August 11
August 18th
August 26
Sept. 1
Ships in above schedule call at Ketchikan, W rangell, Juneau,
Cordova, Valdez, Latouche and Seward both north and so
Alameda is scheduled to call at Anchorage each trip during season.
Alaska will not call at Anchor age until further notice.
J. H. FLICKINGER, Agent
Phone Mad. 149
Seward, Alaska
Marathon Cafe
“The Home of Good Eats”
PETER CHATHAM, Propr.
QUICK SERVICE WE AIM TO PLEASE
HOTEL ANCHORAGE
F. I. REED, Proprietor
Strictly Modem Prices Reasonable
Steam Heat Good Service
HOT AND COLD WATER IN EVERY ROOM
Rooms with Bath. Sample Rooms in Connection
Bus meets all trains and boats
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
For Light, Dainty Lunches, Go To
NORTH POLE BAKERY
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
JOHN J. MEYER, Prop.
Bachelors
We mend all your clothes
without extra charge.
Seward Steam Laundry
TELEPHONE 148
STARR POOL HALL
THE PLACE OF RECREATION
A full line of the choicest fruits, candies, ice cream
and cigars received on every boat.
HENRY KOFORD, Propr. NEXT TO ALASKA SHOP
HOTEL BELMONT
| JOE S. HOFN’AN, Prop. RATES, 50c and 75c.
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Correct Styles—
CHAS. H. MUELLER, Inc.
Exclusive Furs
DESIGNING— MANUFACTURING—FURRIERS
WE MAKE UP YOUR OWN FURS
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Remodeling 1619 2nd Ave—Seattle Repairing
r
Frank Joaquin, who visited Seward
the forepart of the week, on his way
to Anchorage with his children, to
join Mrs. Joaquin who is in the hospi
tal there, undergoing surgical treat
ment, is one of the pioneers of the
Kuskokwim river district. Mr. Joa
quin came down the river by steamer,
catching the Santa Ana, and disem
barking from that vessel at Latouche,
caught the Northwestern for Seward.
A history of his life reads like a ro
mance, and wrhile it was hard to get
the trader-explorer to talk, he gave us
a few bits of history of the early days.
It is stated that Mr. Joaquin was
the organizer and for many years the
directing head of the Kuskokwim
Commercial Company, which operated
stores on the Kuskokwim at Bethel,
Akiak, McGrath, Georgetown, Me-!
Grath, Forks and Tocotna, besides a
number of small stores known as na
tive trading posts.
Mr. Joaquin was among the first,
and one of the best known white men
on the then little known Kuskokwim
country. He stated to a reporter of
The Gateway that he was first attract
ed to the Kuskokwim by the reports
of rich deposits of mercury bearing
ore to be found there, and that he
made the first trip by dog team from
Nome and landing on the central por
| tion of the river at the old Russian
; trading post and fort named in honor
of Major Kolmakoff, and which has
ever since been known as Kolmakoff.
So well did Mx. Joaquin like the
appearance of the new country that he
formed a partnership with another
old timer by the name of Edward
j Lind, and who landed there a short
: time before Mr. Joaquin.
This partnership continued for a
! number of years, and as related above
was enlarged and merged into the
Kuskokwim Commercial Company,
which company, under Mr. Joaquin’s
direction, became one of the greatest
I factors in developing that vast coun
try, rich in minerals and furs.
time to make more than one round
trip and then get as far up the river
as possible on the second trip, and
freeze- in wherever she met the ice, j
and go into winter quarters.
The fall and winter of 1910, when
the big Georgetown stampede was on, |
Mr. Joachin realizinfi starvation was
staring some 2,000 miners and others
in the face, unless he took a desper
ate chance, and after the shore ice had j
formed, made a dash for Bethel, a trip j
of over 500 miles for supplies; hastily |
loading some 300 tons of freight on
the Quickstep and leaving all the
barges started up river bucking mush
ice all the way. After the boat left
the mercury steadily dropped lower;
and lower, until no miner in camp j
dared even hope the Quickstep would
return that winter, and with every
chance that the staunch little vessel
would go to the bottom bucking the
heavy ice floes. With the fall of the
mercury the ice floes grew larger and
larger until many were over half the
width of the then open channel, and
their grinding against the shore ice
on their way down river could be
heard for miles.
All hope of the return of the Quick
step was gone and the camp faced
starvation. Indians stationed on the
tops of the highest mountains report
ed no sign of the vessel. Many per
sons had been living for six weeks on
a straight fish diet, and no one would
sell an ounce of the scanty supply of
provisions in stock; except one man,
who had a few Chinese matches which
he retailed one block to a man, at
50 cents a throw, and to ask a man
for a “light” produced the same effect
as calling a red-headed man a liar.
The sun went- down upon a town
of half starved miners. The stars
“o’er head danced hell and toe,” and
the mercury fell as rapidly as the
hopes of the inhabitants of the panic
stricken camp. At 2:00 o’clock in the
morning the new camp was astounded
by hearing a long, wailing blast from
the Quickstep’s whistle. Before the
boat could come alongside the shore,:
the ice was lined with every soul in j
Those who are familiar with that
region know that the first maps give
only a vague hint as to where the
mouth of the Kuskokwim was, or even
if it had one. But the map distinctly
outlined a trail from Kolmakoff to
Nushagak, on Bristol Bay, and all
travel was by this trail, supplies for
the river being brought in this way.
Knowing that the second largest
river in Alaska must have an outlet:
to the sea, Mr. Joachin in addition to
being a trader, was forced to become
an explorer. Mr. Joachin explored!
the river for 150 miles below’ Bethel,
and traced its channels well out into
Bering Sea. With the notes thus ob
tained his next move was to go to
San Francisco and secure a boat to
bring his supplies to the river.
It was right here that troubles be
gan to multiply. Mr. Joaquin visited
office after office of shipowners, try
ing to secure a charter on a ship to
take in his supplies. The owners, at
first eager to secure a cargo, would
lose interest as soon as they learned
the supposed port of call and would
shake their heads as much as to say,
“There ain’t no such place.” Inter
views with captains of ships for
charter would also meet sudden lack
of interest, and often resulted in the
captain “splicing the main brace” to
get the matter out of his mind.
But undaunted, Mi’. Joaquin finally
secured a charter on a schooner, and
without being able to secure any ma
rine insurance, brought in his sup
plies, but was compelled to discharge
them dow’U in Kuskokwim Bay, 150
miles down river from Bethel.
Mr. Joachin was compelled an each
annual trip to accompany the boat all
the way from San Francisco to an
chorage, for fear the captain would
beat it back without taking the trou
ble to unload cargo.
Thru Mr. Joaquin’s efforts boats
finally ventured into the mouth of the
river, and after a number of years
were induced to come up river to
where Bethel now stands, and dis
charge cargoes. Planting buoys, tak
ing soundings and placing markers,
for many years was done at the ex
pense of Mr. Joaquin and to this day
there has not been a lighthouse es
tablished nor a lighthouse boat near
the mouth of the river.
After having chartered his boat
and got his cargo aboard, Mr. Joachin
declared it was a trying task to get
the captains to arrive at the mouth 1
of the river befort the freeze-up, so i
as to enable the river steamer Quick
step to make the trip up-river before 1
the ice came, with supplies badly need -
ed by the miners. Rarely was there
the new camp, cheering and striving
to take a line or help unload cargo.
It was nearly 40 degrees below zero.
Two firemen were stoking the boilers,
Jhe boat was loaded to the guards
with cargo, and her bow and sides
were covered with many tons of ice,
and it was seen to save the cargo and
prevent the boat from sinking it must
be landed at once. Every minute
lost might yet spell starvation and
disaster to the new camp, shut in as J
it was from any source of supplies by
two mountain ranges and several hun
dred miles of travel.
Every miner in the camp lent a
willing hand, and traveling at a trot
the cargo was first landed just inside
the shore ice. Never has there been
a stranger sight in the Northland
than during the early hours of that
bleak November morning, under the
twinkling stars, and the “inky smoke
streaming down the sky.”
Soon the cry was raised that all
cargo was safe ashore; the icy lines
were let go. The Quickstep settled
back, drifted a little in the mush ice
which had gathered about the boat.
Steam was applied to the cylinders,
but the wheel refused to turn over. 1
It was frozen in the ice, and then the ■
Quickstep went into winter quarters,
—in the middle of the Kuskokwim
river, her mission accomplished.
The camp had grubl
The glow of dawn brightened the ;
eastern sky and a strange hush filled j
the air, as if “The great High Sheriff j
of the Universe had cried, silence.” j
The ice had stopped running; Old '
Boreas had taken command.
Wearily pulling the jingler for the ,
engineer to abandon his engines, Mr.
Joaquin closed the pilot house door,
after three days and nights of con- j
stant dodging around the ever in- \
creasing ice floes any one of which if j
it had been met squarely would have j
caused disaster to the boat and cargo. I
To Mr. Joaquin’s grit and daring *'
goes the credit for one of the bravest "
deeds of the North, and the saving of
hundreds of lives.
rurning in he slept 36 hours, while
the camp feasted and rejoiced over its
larrow escape from starvation.
Mr. Joaquin states that the high
sst water ever recorded accompanied
:he breakup on the Kuskokwim River,
ivben it reached a point six inches
Higher than ever before known. As
i result of the high water, Editor A.
£. Grant, editor of the Kuskokwim
rimes, removed his printing plant
(Continued on Page Eight)
The Alaska Transfer
ARCADE BUILDING
COAL WOOD ICE
General Transferring
H. V. Iloben A. F. Davis
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IF YOU WANT QUALITY, TRY
Delicious Brand Hams Delicious Brand Bacon
Mayflower Butter, Wild Rose Brand Fresh Eggs
A full line of fresh meats and fresh dressed
poultry on every boat
Frye-Bruhn Company
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C. M. O.
Olympic Cement
REPAIR YOUR FOUNDATIONS
WITH OLYMPIC CEMENT
PAPER LINERS
Will Last Forever
SCREEN DOORS FOR FLY TIME
BUILDERS’ SUPPLIES
Brosius, on Waterfront,
INDUSTRIAL SEWARD
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j EAT MORE BREAD! j
I Bread is your BEST and CHEAPEST; Feed §
I The Seward Bakery 1
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HOTEL SEXTON !
Seward’s Homey Hotel. I
| “Where the Oldtimers Meet.”
I GEORGE SEXTON, Proprietor. 1
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[ VAN GILDER HOTEL j
HOT AND COLD WATER IN EVERY ROOM
1 STEAM HEAT
f J. S. BADGER
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| HOTEL SEWARD j
FOR SERVICE REASONABLE RATES
I “We Make You Feel at Home.”
Dahl & Gagnon, W. C. GAGNON, Mgr.
Seward Water &
Power Company
SEWARD, ALASKA
“Good Water a Necessity in Every Home”
JOHN NELSON, Manager, WAYNE BLUE, Agent
OFFICE ARCADE BUILDING