Notes of the
Northla id -
ITEMS CLIPPED FROM OUR
EXCHANGES FOR READERS
OF THE SATURDAY GATEWAY
The salmon canneries at Freshwa
ter Bay and at Auk Bay will be oper
ated this season by Carlson Bros.
Products of Alaska shopped from
the Territory in March of this year to
taled in value $1,055,493, compared
with $1,504,000 last month.
The steamer Admiral Evans which
sailed south on her last trip loaded
25,000 pounds of fresh halibut and 20
boxes of shrimps at Petersburg.
Tourists seeking information or.
trips to various sections of the North
land are visiting the Alaska rooms
several weeks earlier this year than
usual, is the report from the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce.
President Bradley of the Alaska-Ju
neau Gold Mining Company states that
before the end of the current year it
is expected to have the over-all ca
pacity of the milling plant brought up
to ten thousand tons a day with oper- j
ating costs and sorting reduced to 20 J
cents a ton.
John Light, a colored sailor on the
freighter Cordova, recently suffered a
crushed hand when the vessel was in
port at Petersburg when a large lump
of coal weighing several hundred
pounds fell from one of the hoisting
buckets and struck him.
O. J. Berg of Cordova has recently
bonded the North Midas mine near
Strelna to a syndicate of Massachu
setts capitalists who have put Mr.
Berg in charge of the property. Six
thousand feet of work have been done
already on the property which is now
equipped with a 20-stamp mill, air
compressor and drills.
With $6,000 allotted for the build
ing and maintenance of trails in the
Chugach national iorest several pro„
jects are contemplated for the Cor
dova district this season including an
emergency trail between the railroad
and Katalia; construction of a trail
from the railroad right of way near j
Alakanik to the head of McKinley j
Lake; and the completion of the Eyak
road to the territorial fish hatchery at :
the head of the north arm of Eyak
lake.
The Seattie branch Ct R. L. Polk
Company, Inc., the national directory !
publishers, are making announcement,
that plans have been perfected ior the
publication of a new Alaska directory •
This edition of the directory will cov
er fully southeastern and southwest
ern Alaska, with the addition of Fair
banks and all towns along the govern
ment railroad.
E. C. Guerin, cadestral engineer
■with headquarters at the Juneau gen
eral land office, field division, has
been transferred from the land office
to the geological survey on a special ‘
duty as assistant chief in charge of
topographic and triangtilation work in (
northern Alaska for probably three ^
years. The party will work between ^
Wainwright and Pt. Barrow with head
quarters probably at the former place.
The Territorial Senate in commit- j
tee of the whole, before adjournment, ^
agreed to purchase the Garside build- ^
ing at Juneau to be used for housing .
the Alaska Museum and Historical Li- ^
brary and for offices of the Territorial ]
Treasurer, Attorney General and Com
missioner of Education. The agree
ment included an appropriation oi j
$15,000 for purchase and $2,000 for re- 1
moving the offices from the present i
location to the new building. 1
Improvements in Alaskan mail ser- ^
vice will be made with wider and i
more frequent distributions to points
in the interior of the territory as a re_
suit of a conference in Seattle_recent- 1
ly between E. G. Wetzler, chief clerk i
of the U. S. mail service and W. C. <
Vandervoort, superintendent of the 1
13th division. With completion of the
railway to Nenana, that point is the
distributing station for interior Alas- .
da and points on the northern coast 1
during the winter months. Mail irom
Seattle will reach Nenana in nine days
via Seward and the railway. Two
main routes lead out of Nenana where
Mr. Wetzler maintains his headquar
ters. One follows the railroad across
the Tanana river and into Fairbanks,
there to be distributed over govern
ment mail trails through the Chesto
china country and the mining camps
along the border of the Yukon terri
tory. The other route covering a
large part of the remainder of Alaska
lies down the Tanana to the Yukon
river and thence down that river to
Holy Cross where a second distribu
tion sends it into the Iditarod coun
try on one side and the Kuskokwim
on the other. The Seward peninsula
St. Michael and Nome are also served
by this route during the winter.
i Jack Hill, an Indian, was arrested
! at Anchorage last week on a charge
| of being drunk and disorderly.
A bonding house in the states has
offered to take all Petersburg bonds
at par when they are issued.
The Alaska railroad has issued a
call for extra men, a shortage being
experienced.
Alfred Lott, a Wrangell native, was
arrested recently and given a sen
tence ©f six months in jail for being
intoxicated.
Mrs. R. L. Cole, old time Ketchikan
inhabitants, have left the island town
for Seattle, wThere they will go into
the grocery business on Capitol Hill.
The Petersburg city council recent
ly received a communication from the
Bureau of Education offering the use
of the Little School House as a native
school.
John Sales, a Petersburg pile driver
contractor recently completed the erec
tion of two gridirons on his water
front property, tobe used for small
boats and scows.
Representing the Mack Sennett
comedy company of California, George
Rust recently arrived in Seward to
look over the possibilities for filming
pictures.
The first dinner meeting of the Pe
tersburg commercial club was held on
the first of the month with twenty
members present. The affair was so
successful a luncheon will be held
each month.
Harry Kavanaugh, former prohibi
tion officer for the Third division was
recently sworn in as chief of police by
the Mayor of Anchorage recently and
entered upon his duties.
Mrs. Lillian Werner, who left Alas
ka for the States several months ago,
recently emtered the Public Health
Service through the civil service
route and has been assigned to duty
at Wrangell, Alaska.
The home of John Bradley, an aged j
Indian, was destroyed by fire at \
Wrangell recently. As he was desti- I
tute and unable to rebuild the citi- !
zens quickly raised a fund sufficient
to erect a comfortable house.
Malcolm Brock, formerly of the
Biurn-O'Neill Company at .Cordova,
was recently appointed general mana
ger of the firm of Hochheimer & Co.,
of Bakersfield, California, one of the
oldest mercantile concerns in Cali
fornia.
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An extension of 15 days in the tak
ing of beaver is announced by Dr. E.
W. Nelson, chief of the Bureau of Bio
logical Survey. The regulations are
applicable to die Yukon Valley and
its tributaries from the mouth of the
Tanana river to the Bering sea. The
ruling was made at the recommenda
tion of Delegate Sutherland.
The plane abandoned by Aviator
Prest in the niggerheads near Eagle,
has been salvaged and taken to Eagle
where it will be turned over the avi
ator when he arrives this summer it
is said the plane is in good condition
and can be used for flight with very
little repairs.
A new bird has been discovered at
Anchorage which is named locally,
the “storm bird.” It is said that prior
to the arrival of a heavy storm this
bird in the still hours of the night
warbles its midnight serenade warning
of the approach of the tempest. It
would be useless in Seward.
The Housing Committee of the Fair
banks Chamber of Commerce, after an
investigation of possibilities announc
ed that approximately 700 persons can
be provided for at the hotels and pri
vate homes in the City Of Fairbanks
The census was taken in order to
provide for the heavy tourist travel
expected this year.
The new eagle bounty law just en
acted by the present session of the
Legislature and which raises the boun
ty to $1.00 on each eagle killed does
not become effective until 90 days
after the passage of the bill. This
means that all eagles killed before
July 11, 1923, will be paid for at the
rate of 50 cents; after that date $1
will be paid.
Steve Rady and Joe Lecos were ar
rested at Anchorage recently charged
with drunkenness. Knik Nikoli was
gathered in by Marshal Kavanaugh
and W. I. McMentis arrested for as_
sault. McGowan, proprietor of the
California pool hall, pleaded guilty to
having liquor in his possession and
was fined $600 and given two months
in jail.
Willis J. Miles, formerly a Nome
physician, died recently in LaConner,
Wash.
Snow fell in Nenana May 3, which
is an unusual occurrence for that sec
tion of Alaska.
C. K. Larsen has purchased the
Kiesele stock of wallpaper, paints and
oils at Nome.
Mrs. John Wagner, who has been
wintering in the States, will return to
Nome early in June with a large stock
of ladies hats and dresses.
The Borden Marathon race from
Nome to Cape Nome and return was
run Wednesday, April 4th, but no re
cord has been received of the winners.
Residents of Nome have just com
pleted a whist tourney. The winners
were Mrs. Matilla and Henry Gumm.
Considerable interest was manifested
in the series.
Fish, rabbits, ptarmigan, caribou,
and all game animals are plentiful
throughout the Yukon country and
both whites and natives are prosper
ous and contented.
It is stated that everyone in Teller
and vicinity attended the funeral of
Commissioner Wm. Marx, which was
recently. Father LaFortune preached
the service and the body was laid to
rest in the Teller cemetery. Dan
Crowley will take charge of the rein
deer herds of Mr. Marx, which con
sist of approximately 5,000 head.
Capt. Wallace Langley, who pur
chased the steamship Santa Ana from
the Alaska Steamship Company, has
started on his first voyage to Bethel
and Kuskokwim river points, and will
make another trip August 15. Chief
Engineer Heckman, formerly on the
Alameda, is in charge of the engines,
with Capt. Langley master.
The new Ketchikan General Hospi
tal built under the direction of Rev.
Father Van der Pol, is said to be one
of the mosit up-to-date and best on the
coast.
While traveling by deg team be
tween Kotzebue and Keewalik Spit,
J. H. Greeves encountered a fissure
and barely escaped with his life, the
dogs dragging him out of the water
as he clung to the handle bars.
The Yuba Mfg. Company near Nome
recently made a trial run of Engine
No. 2 being installed in the Hammon
Gold Field Power Plant on Dry Creek
hill. The engine with its two com
panion units, is a six cylinder, full
Diesel type, generating 525 brake h. p.
In the Kotzebue country dog feed is
reported to be very scarce, and in the
Kobuk district most of the dogs have
been killed, as there are absolutely no
fish to be had. With the exception of
some few minors articles white man’s
kow-kow is plentiful and all are well
supplied. According to the natives, a
big muskrat season is expected.
At a meeting of the Valdez aerie ol
Eagles recently C. J. Todd was named
worthy president; John Ekemo, wor
thy vice president; Ed Wood, secre
tary; A. J. Dimond, treasurer; E. P.
Frohock, worthy chaplain; John White
inside guard; H. T. Whitley, outside
guard; and R. D. Kelsey, Wm. Whalen
and Owen E. Meals trustees.
Both approaches to the railroad
bridge at Fairbanks will be beautified
through the joint action of the Engi
neering commission and the commer
cial club. The commission will build
parking driveways to the approaches,
spending ten thousand dollars for this
purpose, and a new station, while the
commercial club will have all build.,
ings on the Garden island end of the
approach moved away.
The biennial legislative ball was
held in Juneau recently and was a
charming affair. Governor and Scotl
C. Bone led the grand march and re
mained with the revelers until the
early morning hours.
At the territorial municipal elections
held recently in Alaska the following
have been chosen to head their re
spective communities for the coming
year: Juneau, Mayor I. Goldstein;
Skagway, I. Gallwas; Douglas, F. A.
Ashley; Ketchikan Thomas Torrey;
Wrangell, John G. Grant; Petersburg,
S. Elsemore; Cordova, Dr. W. W
Council; Valdez, A. J. Dimond; Sew
ard, L. V. Ray; Anchorage, M. J. Con
roy; Nome, George S. Maynard; Fair
banks, Tom A. Marquam.
The first shipment or coal from the
Healy river mines arrived in Juneau
recently and is being retailed for $1
cheaper than the Canadian product.
It is stated the cost of transportation
from the mine to Juneau was $3 per
ton more than the cost of coal from
Canada. The cost of transportation
by steamship was $4, and the cost by
rail from the mine to Anchorage $3 a
ton, while coal is hauled from Canada
to Juneau for $4 per ton. It is stated
arrangements will be made for further
shipments.
Muller, the roadhouse keeper at
Kaltag, commenting on the fact that
Uncle Sam spends $15,000 annually to
suppress bootlegging among the
whites and prohibiting the sale oi
home brew to the natives, rises to re
mark that twice that amount should
be spent annually to prevent the na
tives from selling hootch to the whites
as they are much more adept at mak
ing hootch than the white. In support
of the contention that the Indians
make the best home brew, they say
they “twice cookum,” whereas the
white man is content with "one cook
urn.” The native potation is much
more ferocious.
A vaudeville show was presented at
Dawson recently by the members of
St. Andrews Presbyterian church. It
was an unqualified success.
Chas. D. Jones, Alaska Road Com
missioner for the Nome district, ac_
companied by George Waldheim, re
turned to Nome last week from a 1250
mile trip through the Yukon country*!
The purpose of the Commissioner’s
trip was to investigate conditions rel
lative to new and old trials and the
erection of adequate shelter cabins
through new and old ocuntry.
The growing of cabbages in quanti
ties from seed matured at a neighbor
ing experimental station is reported
to the U. S. Department of Agricul
ture by the Fairbanks station. Garden
peas of the Alaska variety have been
reproduced for a number of years.
Ketchikan residents are advocating
the raising of a fund for a monument
over Father Duncan’s grave. He was
the founder of Metlakahtla mission,
and was the first missionary to make
his wards independent and self sup
porting.
A twenty-page pamphlet being is
sued by the Commercial Club of
Ketchikan, is now off the press.
Twenty-five thousand copies will be
distributed among tourists this sum
mer. Merchants and citizens contrib
uted to help defray the expense ot
the publication.
Forty-five holes down to bedrock,
each penetrating the frozen gravel an
average of 15 feet is the record for
two husky young prospectors, Lyman
Williams and Matty Matson, on En
chantment creek, a tributary of Six
ty-mile.
A Peel river Indian who arrived in
Dawson last month from across the
Rockies a tramp of 300 niiles, reports;
<‘Heap big snow in mountains, very
deep—in Dawson, no snow.’* As Daw
son had four and a half feet at the
time it is believed it must be deep
indeed in the mountains.
Commenting on the deep snows in
the vicinity of Dawson this winter,
Chief Isaac of the Moosehides, hold
ing his hand about four feet above the
ground said: “The year, maybe
so May, June, July .flood he come to
Dawson—that deep all over Dawson,
ninety-eight half that deep; every
body better catchem raft.”
Robert H. Ennis, pioneer Klondiker
and a notable figure in northern his
tory died at Dawson recently. Mr.
Ennis -went to the Yukon over twenty
years ago and in that time has been
prospecting, mining and hunting in
the Klondike. Mr. Ennis was chief
scout for General Middleton in the fa
mous Reil rebellion, and had many
daring and exciting experiences.
The re-trial of the case of the United
States against L. B. McCoy, charged
with attempting to steal foxes from
the Zimmerman fur fox farm, Broth
ers island, has been set for the first
day of the fall term of court. The
first trial, held April 25 last, resulted
in mistrial, the jury failing to agree
after several hours’ deliberation.
Capt. Guy H. Bergman will have
charge of the commission railway
steamer Jacobs this year. Capt. S. E.
Lancaster will be master of the Da
vis. Capt. McCann will be master of
the Alaska and Capt. C. W. Adams of
the Yukon. : Harry Watson will be in
general charge of river transportation
for the commission while Earnie Bar
teau will represent the White Pass
& Yukon route at Nenana.
Five dog teams loaded with supplies
recently left Candle for the new
Buckland strike. It is reported pros
pectors at the diggings have approach
ed bedrock and find prospects very
satisfactory. Numerous Eskimos have
staked claims. Many other natives
contemplate joining the stampede as
soon as the fox hunting season is
over. The natives mine in the sum
mer, but the minute fur gets prime he
is up and away for his hunting and
trapping.
Creation of an Indian reservation in
interior Alaska and an immediate and
thorough investigation of certain con
ditions alleged to exist among part of
the Indian population particularly la
the vicinity of Fairbanks, caused Sen
ator Snodgrass of the Fourth division
Co introduce a memorial in the recent
legislature. It is stated that aC Chena
the native women are without means
of support the bucks having been kill
ed off by influenza.
The Whistle Cafe and Bakery at
Nome was forced to clase its doors on
March 24, owing to potatoes, eggs, but
ter and milk supplies being exhausted
in the camp. The proprietor announc
es that he will reopen after the arri
val of Che first boat from the states.
It is said that numerous citizens have
been buying staples in larger quanti
ties than their own needs justify,
accumulating a surplus, hence the gen
eral shortage.