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VOLUME XIX NUMBER 48
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1924
PRICE TEN CENTS
URGE PRESIDENT
SEND ENVOY NORTH
' ARRANGE FLIGHT
SEATTLE, Feb. 26.—The Seattle
Chamber of Commerce this afternoon
sent President Coolidge a wire ol'
resolution urging him to direct the
Navy to send an advance party to
Nome to prepare for the flight of the
dirigible Shenandoah, in the event
t''it congress authorizes it to come |
north.
INSURGENTS AGAIN BUSY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—Another
coalition of Democrats and insurgent J
Republicans in the House resulted
this afternoon in the adoption of an
amendment to the Tax Bill to increase j
the inheritaneec tax for all estates!
above one hundred thousand dollars.;
ENDOWMENT INSURANCE MAY
SUBSTITUTE SOLDIER BONUS
—
WASHINNGTON, Feb. 26.—A twen-j
ty year endowment insurance policy
for veterans as a substitute lor the
soldier bonus bill was proposed in a
bill introduced in the House by Rep
resentative Hamilton Fish. The poli
cies would range from $400 to $1500, j
according to length of service.
Admits Bought, Sold Stock.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26— Attorney
Gtneral Daugherty in a litter to Sena-j
tn(| Willis, admitted having bought;
and sold Sinclair oil stock.
POOL SHARP WINS DIVORCE
NEW YORK, Feb. 26.—Willie Hoppe!
won a divorce lrom his wile on the
ground of iuiidelity here today. j
WILL OPEN CAMPAIGN FOR
DANIELS AS PRESIDENT
RALEIGH, Feb. 26.—Twenty prom
inent men issued a call ot meeting to
day of leading North Carolina demo
crats to meet here Thursday and op
tin a campaign in behalf o! tormer
secretary of the Navy Daniels toi a
[•residential candidate.
POLICE RECOVER MONEY
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26.—Fifty
thousand dollars was recoevrecl from
a safe box which police said was open
ed by a master key taken from Leo
Basco, the Los Anegles bandit sus- ,
poet who was arrested by the police
three days ago. The money was in
the Anglo-California trust Co.
c 1 --
SAFETY OF SHENANDOAH
BE PROVIDED BY INSURANCE
—
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2&—The safe
ty of the Shenandoah against acci
dents would be assured against ter
rific storms by placing a weakening
point link or mooring attachment out- j
side of the ship permitting her to fly
into the air in case of danger. The
sfyjjp will also be heavily insured.
^SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26— At a
conference of state officials today it
was decided to ask congress for a two
million dollar emergency appropria
tion to stamp out the hoof and mouth
disease prevailent in California hoks
and sheep.
NOTED AUTHOR DEAD
NEW YORK, Feb. 26.—George Ran
dolph Chester, author of “Get Rich
Quick Wallingford,” died here today.
I A. Le Beau, a resident of Hoon
ah, died last week. He is survived
by a w'idow who lives in Seattle. Le
»*au formerly resided in Juneau,
where he ran a second-hand store..
REVOLUTION STAMPED OUT
MEXICO CITY, Feb. .26.—The
revolution is now' practically stamped
out acording to statements issued by
the war department who asserted the
Federate are now engaged in exter
minating guerilla bands who are now
maraudin gin several states.
4
1. A. LE BEAU DEAD
BODY OF WEALTHY ITALIAN
FOUND AT FOOT OF CLIFF
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26.—The
booily of Angelo Dominchini, said to
be a wealthy Italian importer, was
found at the bottom of a cliff near
South San Francisco, where he had
been robbed and murdered. Members
of his family said he had $1300 and
valuable jewelry in his possession at
the time he left home.
PREMIER IS SUSTAINED
PARIS, Feb. 26.—The Poincare
government was sustained in a vote
on the Electoral bill today.
SCHOONER ESTHER SOLI)
SEATTLE, Feb. 26.—J. E. Shields,
of the Pacific Coast Codfish Com
pany announced the sale of the cod
lishing schooner Esther, formerly the
Harriet G., to Otto Hoffstadt, who
will use the vessel in the herring fish
ing trade in southeastern Alaska.
REPAIRS TO BATTLESHIPS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—Orders
were issued at the Navy Department
today directing the battleships Arkan
sas, and Wyoming, with the Florida
and Utah to be held at the Culebra ca
nal zone because of weakened boilers.
They will proceed to Guatemala after
temporary repairs have been made,
where they will wait until materials
for repairing the boilers are assem
bled in the Boston and Brooklyn navy
yards.
FOOD IMPORTS HELD UP
LONDON, Feb. 26.—Although the j
lock workers strike was settled, im- I
sorts, especially of food were held up.
rhe food shortage iperil continues un
til the agreement of employers and
?mployes and employers is ratified.
The strikewas a signal victory for the
workmen.
LAKEHURST, N. J., Feb. 26.—Com
mander Landsdowne, master of the
iirigible Shenandoah, returning from
i conference with Admiral Moffett, I
said that unless unforeseen events in
tervened the Navy department would
[dan the polar flight for the summer j
>f 1925.
PRIMARIES HELD TODAY
SEATTLE, Feb. 26.—The primary!
election for mayor and councilmen no
minations are being held here today, j
GEORGE B. GRIGSBY
VISITING CORDOVA
George B. Grigsby, former delegate
to congress and attorney general for
Alaska, came as far as Cordova on
the Admiral Watson, where he will
take testimony in a case from Katal
la, affecting oil holdings. Mr. Grigs
by will open law offices in Ketchi
kan. He has been residing in New
York the past few' years.
TWELVE TEAMS ENGAGE
IN AMERICAN DOG DERBY
ASHTON, Wis., Feb. 26.—Twelve
teams of dogs will take off here today
in the sixth annual American dog der
by dog race. The trail is in the best
shape in history. Whistling Lydia
Hutchinson, the woman drived is not
in the race today which is scheduled
for Montreal. The Canadian entry
driven by Shorty Russick and the team
entered by Smoky Gaston who last
year’s winner are favorites.
PRESIDENT COOLIDGE
OPPOSED TO PENSION
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—President
Coolidge today told ranking Republi
can members of the House Pensions
Committee today that he opposed the
enactment at this time of any pension
legislation involving any considera
ble drain on the Treasury.
JUNEAU PIONEER DEAD
JUNEAU.—Frank Miller, 65, who
resided here for the past 20 years,
was found dead in his cabin Sunday
morning, February 17. Miller was a
longshoreman and worked in many
logging camps. He was in Belling
ham in 1919 and had a card in the
structural iron workers union.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—Having
received a telegram of confidence
signed by 225 residents of Michigan,
Secretary of the Navy Denby has re
plied, asserting that his part in the
leasing of the oil reserves was legal,
that it was within the policy adopted
by Congress, and that it was for the
best interests of the United States.
His reply was as follows;
”1 have already acknowledged and
expressed my gratitude for the tele
gram signed by you and 225 citizens
of Michigan. I have also received
hundreds of other letters and tele
grams from Michigan and all parts of
the Union. Such a demonstration of
faith requires that I shall give you
the reasons why that faith is not mis
placed.
“When I came into oifice I was
shortly convinced that the oil reserve
lands which had been set aside by
Congress for the benefit of the Unit
ed States Navy were being drained
by private-owned wells adjoining
those reserves. My conviction that
these oil wells were being drained
was based uvon a number of reports
and statements of those who knew,
governmental and other experts. That
they were being drained is undisput
ed.
“Congress, under date of June 4,
1920, gave the following powers to
♦ he Secretary of the Navy:
“ ‘That the Secretary of the Navy
is directed to take possession of all
properties within the naval petroleum
reserves as are or may become sub
ject to the control and use by the
United States for naval purposes, to
conserve, develop, use and operate the
same in his discretion, directly or by
contract, lease, or otherwise, and to
use, store, exchange or sell the oil
lands in the naval reserves, for the
benefit of the United States.’
“Under these powers the Secretary
of the Navy was charged with the
duty of protecting the oil thus con
fited to his care. In carrying out the
will of Congress I had three courses
oven to me. (1) To do nothing and
guard what would have been ultimate
ly an empty shell because most of
the oil would have been drained away
from it; (2) To endeavor to create the
machinery for handling the situation
under the Navy department by gov
ernmental drilling, etc.; or, (3) To
lease the right to drill under proper
conditions to private enterprise.
“In the execution of this last course
I had two alternatives ,one to lease
the drilling privilege and have paid
into the Treasury the value of the
royalty oil belonging to the Navy un
der such leasing contract or to retain
and preserve below for the use and
benefit of the United States. .
“The Interior department has under
its jurisdiction 17,622,500 acres of
public oil lands already leased to pri
vate enterprise. The total naval oil
reserve lands now under discussion
amount to 51,623 acres. The policy
of the Administration was coordina
tion of governmental activities and
not duplication. Therefore, I took up
with the Secretary of the Interior and
the President the question of trans
ferring the administration and custo
dy of these naval petroleum reserves
to the Department of the Interior, re
serving to the Navy department the
general policy as to drilling on such
lands.
‘‘By executive order, dated May 31
1921, the President made these rec
ommendations effective. The Inte
rior and Navy departments thereafter
entered into agreements with the
Mammoth Oil company and the Pan
American Petroleum and Transport
company to drill when necessary and
to conserve for the use of the Navy
the petroleum products under terms
and conditions favorable and benefi
cial to the Government of the United
States. .They provided for great stor
age tanks filled with oil at points
where naval experts thought they
should best be located. These tanks
were to be paid for out of naval re
serve oil. Not a dollar in money
came from the Treasury.
“The contractors built tankage and
other works by direction of the Navy
and on the Navy specifictaions and
Navy control as to expenditures. No
profit, but only bare costs was at
lowed in the construction of these
tanks.
“The royalties and other considera
tions are believed to be the best the
Government could possibly get. Un
der these leases the Navy will be pro
vided with fuel oil to be used in an
emergancy, which means war, in a
quantity readily accessible, which
will probably last the fleet one year.
Oil does not deteriorate to an appre
ciable extent in storage. The defens
es of the United States were made
greatly more secure by this action.
“These facts have been well known
to the public ever since the transfer
to the Interior department was mad
and the leases were executed.
Basic Questions Asked
“The basic questions are:
“First—Did the Secretary of the
Navy act within the law when he
asked for the transfer of the admin
istration of the oil lands to the De
partment of the Interior, which had
control of all the other oil lands ol
the public domain? As to this ques
tion I emphatically assert that the
transfer was legal.
“Secord—Was the execution of the
agreements with the Mammoth Oi
company and the Pan-American Pe
troleum and Transport commpany le
gal and done with due authority? 1
affirm that the leases were legal ant
did carry out the expressed will ol
congress.
“Third—Were these leases benefi
cial to the United States? I must an
swer they were beneficial. They pre
vented te further loss of millions o
dollars’ worth of oil. They placed oi
on the coast and in the Hawaiian isl
ands where it could be reached quick
ly in case of emergency. They great
ly increased the power of the Navj
to defend the United States, whicl
in its tessence is its principal duty.
“The leases can not be held illega
until a court of competent jurisdictior
has so declared. They can not be
held not to have been made in ac
cordance with sound policy becaust
the policy was sound and obedient tc
the expressed will of Congress. They
will be shown to have been for the
benefit of the United States.
“My connection with the transac
tions from beginning to end was dic
tated by a profound belief that they
were for the benefit ©f the United
States, and was as ©lean and patriotic
as any other act of my official or pri
vate life.”
Doheny Active in 1920.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—Doheny,
in a statement today, declared that he
endeavored to secure the Democratic
presidential nomination for McAdoo
in 1920 while the latter was retained
for him as counsel.
Wants Cabinet Hear Testimony
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—A de
mand for four cabinet members to be
called before the Senate oil investiga
tion to explain the recently oil confer
ence with Doheny was made in the
Senate this afternoon by Helliu.
Case Is Still in Mild Form
ST. LOUIS, Mo., Feb. 26.—Senator
Rede arrived from Washington today
and said that not one-tenth of the
corruption of iniquity which has exist
ed as such laid bare in referring to
oil leases disclosures.
ENGLAND WILL MAKE POLAR
FLIGHT IF U. S. HAS QUIT
LONDON, Feb. 26.—England may
attempt a dirigible polar flight if the
United States discontinues its plans
j for the Shenandoah’s flight. The
| News prints a story of a scheme be
! ing prepared for an all-British flight
to the pole. The dirigible R-36 will
! be used. The cost for the round trip
of four days will be $25,000. The voy
j age will start from Pelham.
COFFER DAMS STARTED
VALLEJO, Calif., Feb. 26.—The
laregst cofferdam in America will be
sunk in the first step of the underwa
ter construction of the four million
dollar bridge from Vallejo to Valona.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.—President
Coolidge today asked the cabinet to
decide whether Attorney General Har
ry Daugherty should be permitted to
remain in the cabinet pending the
senate hearings on charges against
him, or whether he be requested to
| resign at once.
CANADIAN TEAM MAY NOT
ENTER ANNUAL DOG DERBY
ASHTON, Ida., Feb. 26.—The lead
dog of the Canadian entry is suffer
ing from pneumonia, it was learned
here today, and as a result Miss Lydia
Hutchinson may not drive the team
in the annual twenty-mile derby sched
uled for Washington’s birthday.
COPY ft lGHT-UNDErt WOOD 4 UNDERWOOD, N. Y.
FRANCE PICK’S ROOSEVELT’S
HERO SON AS “IDEAL AMERI
CAN SOLDIER.
(From Anchorage Times)
An optional 23-hour layover at An
chorage is provided for tourists in the
revised summer train schedule just
adopted by the Alaska railroad, it was
announced at railroad headquarters.
The revised schedule, which becomes
effective May 18, shows that travelers
arriving in Seward from the south at
the week-end, may come to Anchor
age Sunday, arriving here at 3:43 p.
m., and continue north on the regular
train which departs from this point at
2:45 p. m., Monday.
The Sunday trains, called “boat
trains” operate between Seward and
Anchorage only. The equipment will
consist of coaches, a diner, sleepers
and a compartment-observation car.
Anchorage will be the main point in.
the dining car service arrangements.
The revised schedule does not ma
terially differ from the schedule as
announced several weeks ago, except
for the arrangements by which trav
elers can stop over in Anchorage foi
twenty-three hours ins»«ad of remain
ing at Seward. The schedule calls for
three through trains each way, per
week, leaving Seward at 8 a. m., on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
and leaving Fairbanks at 6 p. m., on
the same days. The schedule shows
an optional stopover at Curry, the
halfway point on the railroad.
J. T. Cunningham, superintendent
of transportation, sets forth the equip
rnent of the trains as follows.
“Through trains will handle coaches
sleeper, compartment observation car
and diner, excepting train between
Sew-ard and Anchorage on Monday.
Train between these stations on Mon
day will consist of coaches and buffet
observation car. Train between Sew
ard and Anchorage on Sunday will
consist of coaches, sleeper, diner and
compartment-observation car. Train
between Anchorage and Seward on
Sunday will consist of coaches and
buffet-observation car.
CANNERIES PLAN ACTIVE
SEASON ALASKA WATERS
SEATTLE, Feb. 26.—Nineteen Alas*
ka canneries will beserved this sea
son by a fleet of ten cannery vessels,
and a fleet of small tenders by the
Northwestern Fisheries company and
Libby, McNeil and Libby fisheries.
The first vessel sails from here April
19.
More than four thousand men will
be employed by the companies this
season. It is announced that the
Hunter bay, Lockanok and Egigik
ylants, closed last year, wit! be oper
ated this season.
J. H. Kline, who left Saturday
night for the southward, was recentiy
appointed general agent of the Ad
miral Line. His headquarters will be
in Seattle, but he will travel through
the territory from time to time keep
ing in touch with shippers and he
raveling public. Mr. Kline has been
connected with the Admiral Line for
many years, being stationed at Ju
neau and Cordova. No successor to
the Juneau office has as yet been ap
pointed.
SEATTLE MAN ARRESTED
FOR KILLING WOMAN
SEATTLE, Wn., Feb. 26.—Arthur
Weaver, 64, was arrested today for
the murder of Mrs. Mummer, wound
ing her husband and burning their
tiome on Seattle heights. Mummer
accused Weaver from his cot in the.
hospital.
Weaver when at rested told the
sheriff, “Sheriff, so held me God, I’m
not guilty. I am too old and feeble
to do a thing like that if I wanted to,
which I didn’t.”