FOURTH YEAR.
t _ _
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1914.
NUMBER 23
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^ WASHINGTON, March 20.—After a long and ^
^ bitter fight the effort to submit a constitutional ^
^ amendment for the universal suffrage of women, failed <$•
^ to pass in the Senate last evening. The vote on ^
^ Senator Ashurst’s resolution to submit an amendment, ^
was 35 to 34, not carrying the requisite number of <$>
i ^ votes. Senator Vardaman, of Mississippi, a persistent ^
^ opponent of the negro, had offered an amendment
^ which was peviously defeated before the Ashurst <$•
^ resolution was put to a vote. The senator sought to ^
^ have the fifteenth amendment to the constitution so ^
^ changed that it would exclude the right of suffrage to
^ the negro but granting it to the women. This was ^
defeated by a decisive vote. It is not expected that
^ anything further along this line will be attempted at
^> this session of Congress. O
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SAN FRANCISCO, March 21.—Considerable gossip was
caused about the city today when it was whispered that a big
deal was on involving $2,000,000 and concerning Alaska. Leon
Sloss, president of the Northern Navigation Company,
admitted this afternoon that negotiations were on for the
purchase of the steamers and all the holdings of his company
k in Alaska.. He later stated that the deal was practically closed
and that the purchasers were the Guggenheim brothers and
the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, and that they would pay
$2,000,000 for the company’s holdings. The Northern Navi
gation Company is a subsidiary company of the Northern
Commercial Company and has been operating steamers for
years on the Yukon and Tanana rivers. One line has been
running from White Horse to Dawson and another line has
been operated from Dawson to Fairbanks and also to St.,
Michael, where connection is made during navigation with
steamers at Nome sailing for Seattle.
The Northern Commercial Company is engaged in
conducting stores at Dawson, Fairbanks, St. Michael, and
many of the smaller river towns. This company also owns the
Orr Stage Line, which has the winter contract for carrying the
mail between (Chitina and Fairbanks. It is not thought that
the new deal contemplates the purchase of the interests of the
Commercial Company. During the past summer the White
Pass & Yukon people tried to operate river steamers in
opposition to the Northern Navigation Company between
White Horse and Fairbanks. It was not profitable, particularly
as the old company held the mail contract. It is thought that
the Guggenheims are interested in owning a connecting line
from St. Michael to up the river points, in connection with the
Alaska Steamship Company steamers.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 21.—The many Alaskans
and residents of Seattle who have been trying to interest
President Wilson in the idea of making a trip to the great'
northern country this summer, had been hopeful until today
that he could be prevailed upon to go. He considered the
matter very carefully and went over his probable plans and
engagements for the summer and early fall, hoping that he
might be able to work out the necessary time to make a trip to
Alaska. But he cannot see how it is possible to arrange it and
announced definitely that he would have to forego a visit this
year to the great wonderland of the north. Efforts will now
l be made to secure the consent of Secretary Lane to make the
trip, which he is really very anxious to do and may arrange1
to do.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 21.—A mining experiment
station is to be established in Alaska. This fact was practically
made a certainty today when the House committee on mines
made a favorable report on the Taylor bill. It provides for
the creating of ten mining experiment stations throughout
the country, one of which is to be located in Alaska. Each
station is to be allowed $25,000 annually. This money is to
be expended for salaries and equipment. The present
importance of Alaska in the mining of precious minerals, and
fits coming importance as a coal mining section, made it
necessary to include that territory in the disposition of the
stations. And as an instance of how easy things are coming
Alaska-way it is stated that there was no objection whatever
1 to giving Alaska a station.
SEATTLE, March 23.—This city held such a hurrah time
last night such as exceeded the greatest hilarity of any
potlatch occasion. It is estimated that over 100,000 people
thronged the streets for hours. The big spectacular parade
started up Second avenue, headed by a locomotive drawing a
train of cars freighted with Alaskan products. The train was
manned by Governor Lister as engineer, Ed. Chilberg as
fireman, and Mayor Hi Gill as conductor. Then followed a
long line of costumed men representing interests in the north.
It included a platoon of parka men, Alaska Sourdoughs, Yukon
•> Pioneex*s, Ai'ctic Brothei'hood, sourdough students of the
' University of Washington, dog teams drawing floats
containing rockers washing out gold, etc. At the conclusion
of the street pageant axx immense bon fire illumined the
heavens. This was followed by banquets at the leading clubs,
aUwhich a large number of Alaskans participated, and at
; ^h letters and telegi’ams were read from men of national
prominence.
H6BEE0N MjJEBK Sill
WASHINGTON, March 24.—The Senate committee on
public lands has completed a workable bill for the opening of
the Alaska coal lands under a leasing bill. It was agreed to
! today and contains a provision for the protection of previous
; locators. The bill provides that upon relinquishment of pending
I claims under the public land law the claimants will receive a
! refund of money paid and prior rights should they elect to
operate the land under the leasing law. This clause, it is
believed, will dispel the possibility of future litigation upon
the part of claimants and will leave the coal lands free so that
leases could be issued so soon as surveys are made.
The bill provides that 5,120 acres in the Bering river field
and 7,680 acres in the Matanuska field be reserved for the
government. And “that the deposits in said reserved areas
may be mined under the direction of the Prsident when in his
opinion, the coal is required for government works or in the
construction and operation of government railroads, or is
required by the navy or is necessary for national protection or
for relief from oppressive conditions brought abput through
the monopoly of coal.’’ %
The bill further provides that unreserved coal lands
shall be divided by the Secretary ui the Interior into leasing
blocks or tracts of 40 acres each, or multiples thereof, and in
such form as in the opinion of the secretary will permit the
most economical mining of the coal in such blocks, but in no
case exceeding 2,560 acres in one leasing block or tract.
The tracts are to be leased by competitive bidding, but not
more than one tract to be included in any one lease. The rail
road companies are prohibited from acquiring a greater coal
supply than is needed for their own use. The lessee shall pay
a royalty of not less than 3 cents per ton on the coal mined.
• -it . ...
James J. Godfrey, president of the Mother Lode Copper
Mines Company, accompanied by his wife, arrived yesterday
on the Steamer Northwestern. When interviewed by a repre
sentative of the Daily Alaskan Mr. Godfrey made this
intresting and important statement:
“We are installing an 80 h. p. gasoline engine to drive a
compressor of the same capacity, which will furnish power to
operate seven Sullivan drills now on the property. We intend
enlarging our mining operations by driving a cross-cut tunnel
which will give us 350 feet of vertical depth below the level of
our present Marvelous cross-cut tunnel. When we cut the
vein with this cross-cut we shall then sink a winze 300 feet for
the purpose of proving the integrity of the vein. When this
work is completed we shall come down the mountain and install
a large power plant, preparatory to driving a 3,400 foot
cross-cut tunnel, which will penetrate the Mother Lode vein
at a vertical depth of 1,400 feet. This work will probably
take us ten motnlis to complete and will cost $175,000. When
this tunnel is completed this work will furnish to the mining
world proof of the permanency of the copper deposits of the
Chitina-Kotsina copper belt.”
President Godfrey further stated that just as soon as
weather conditions would permit, the Mother Lode Company
would begin the construction of a wagon road from Shushanna
Junction, the old McCarthy Station, to the Mother Lode Mine,
which, when completed at a cost of $25,000, would be 13 miles
long. When this wagon road is completed the company intends
placing in operation two of the most powerful auto trucks
made, of a capacity to haul 10 tons of ore per trip, and make
two trips a day, thus insuring the transportation of 40 tons
of ore daily from the Mother Lode, beginning July 15th.
In answer to an inquiry as to whether he believed the
Mother Lode property could produce 40 tons of ore a day by
July 15th, Mr. Godfrey stated that his company’s property
could produce much more than 40 tons per day, when trans
portation facilities were afforded. In that connection Mr.
Godfrey was asked whether the Copper River & Northwestern
officials were willing to build a spur to his property and he
said that during the past winter in NewYork he had inter
viewed those high in authoirty and had been given positive
assurances that a spur would be built to the Mother Lode not
later than the summer of 1915.
Mr. Godfrey’s opinion regarding the Alaska railway bill,
recently signed by the president, was requested and he said:
“The building by the United States government of a trunk
line railway across Alaska is the greatest undertaking since
the day that Henry Villard projected the Northern Pacific
raihoad fiom St. Paul to the Pacific Ocean, and it means more
to the Alaskan people now than the original purchase of this
territory by the most far-seeing secretary of state this nation
has ever known, W. H. Seward, meant at that time.”
Mr. Godfrey is accompanied by Mr. P. L. Burns, who goes
to McCarthy on the next train as cashier and in charge of the
company’s office at the mines, and Mr. P. A. Manion, of
Pittsburg, Pa., who is to be the company’s assayer on the
property.
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^ WASHINGTON, March 24.—In compliance with ^
^ the request of citizens of Juneau an effort will be made
^ by Delegate Wickersham to secure an additional sum ^
^ for the construction of a public building at Juneau. ^
^ The Delegate today introduced a bill providing for an <*►
^ increase of $450,000 in the cost of the public building.
This amount is considered necessary to provide room ^
^ for the Territorial Legislature, the Alaska library and ^
^ museum. It is confidently expected that Congress will ^
^ see the wisdom of granting some increase.
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WASHINGTON, March 23.—The friends of Alaska are
jubilant over the fact that they have practically secured the
promise of Secretary of the Interior Franklin K, Lane, that he
will visit Alaska this summer. And this will compensate some
for the inability of the President to go North this year. Mr.
Lane will .go as the direct representative of President Wilson
and will familiarize himself with the railroad demands and
present conditions. He will go up the inside passage to
Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and then go to the westward,
visiting Katalla, Cordova, Valdez and Seward.. He will make
a trip over the Copper River & Northwestern railway and if
time permits will go in an automobile from Chitina into
Fairbanks.
The work of organizing the building forces of the Alaska
railroad is going ahead rapidly. In a few days the President
will announce the personnel of the commission that will go to
Alaska and locate the new routes. He has already selected
most of the men but will make no announcement as to names
until the selection is complete and the members have accepted.
It has been practically decided that no hearings will be held
at Washington in the matter of selecting routes. It is expected
that all available information will be presented to the commis
sion and Secretary Lane when they visit the Northland.
Secretary Lane is authority for prediction that when the
coal leasing bill passes the Senate it will contain a clause
recognizing the valid rights of the coal claimants who should
have patents.
After the coal leasing bill is passed Secretary Lane will
direct his attention towards having Congress pass a bill
creating a development board for Alaska. And in this he will
also have the strong support of the President. It is their idea
to have a commission, the members to be located in Alaska, to
be given authority to handle all the problems that now come
before the various departments. It is believed that quicker
action and more satisfactory results for Alaska would be
secured from men who are close to the field of action and more
familiar with the demands and conditions of the territory. The
work of this commission would not interfere or conflict with;
the Territorial enactments.
WASHINGTON, March 20.—It is generally believeu
around the departments that the persecution of Alaskan coal
claimants is practically at an end. It seemed to have been the
policy of former Secretary of the Interior Fisher to not only
cancel all the coal locations made in Alaska but to indict most
of the claimants on the charge of conspiring to defraud the
government. Bert D. Townsend was the special proscutor who
has had charge of the work relating to alleged coal land frauds
in Alaska. He conducted the case for the government against
Frost, Watson and others, charged with conspiracy in
connection with the Matanuska fields. After a lengthy
sensational trial at Chicago the jury returned a verdict of not
guilty.
Then Mr. Townsend turned his attention to the persecution
of Charles F. Munday and Archie Sliiels. This case had been
thrown out of court by Judge Hanford but upon appeal the
supreme court on a techinicalitv remanded it back for trial.
The case was retried in Seatle, commencing January 22, and
continued four weeks. Prosecutor Townsend, with the aid of
government sleuths, made a strenuous effort to secure a
conviction. 1 he case finally went to the jury one evening about
dinner time and before 10 o’clock that niglit they had returned
to the court room with a verdict of acquittal for both
defendants.
Prosecutor Townsend had assured the attorney general
and the secretary of th$ interior of his absolute confidence in
securing a conviction. It is believed that certain controversies
that occurred since the trial resulted in Mr. Townsend
tendering his resignation by wire from San Francisco on March
14. It was accepted. Heretofore action In coal land cases has
been conducted by men holding over from the former adminis
tration. But an announcement made this morning by Attorney
General McReynolds indicates that a new policy is about to be
inaugurated.
The attorney general directs that an examination be made
of all Alaska coal cases now pending, in which criminal
charges have been made. He does this with the announced
intention of dropping all cases in which it is not clearly shown
that there is merit in prosecution and in which a conviction by
the government is not likely. It is believed here bv the friends
of Alaska that the present attitude of the administration will
give relief to the several hundred claimants who honestly
complied with the law, although mayhaps in conflict with some
of the departmental regulations. While nearly all of the coal
claims may be canceled the effort to send innocent men to the
penitentiary will not longer be pursued.