DO WOT WASTE YOUR TIME IN FIGURING WHY A BLACK HEW LAYS A WHITE EQQ—BUT QET BUSY AND QET AFTER THE EQG.
VOL. L CHITINA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1910. NO. 9
Local News
Coal is now being furnished by
theWrailroad company at $1.75 per
^ sack and there is a good demand for
it. Wood may be a little cheaper,
but if you don’t do your own saw
ing, the fellow who saws your wood
charges you as much as the wood
will cost.
Ed. Dyer, who has been conduct
ing a store at Tiekel all the past
summer, was fined $50 and costs
last week by Judge Ferguson for
n being drunk and disorderly, which
he paid.
The proverbial cat with nine lives
has been backed off the map by a
mangy dog at Kuskulana, which was
shot nineteen times and left for dead,
but each time within an hour or so
he was around with a “wag and a
scratch” near the deadly pistol shots
who were supposed to have put him
hors de combat. They finally con
sidered the dog a hoo-doo, and made
a good job of the shooting by club
bing him to death.
T. W. Clark and Cliff Johnson are
in charge of Stringer's place while
* Louie is away, and two better men
could not have been chosen for the
work, as they are popular and well
r* liked by the boys, and will look af
ter the interests of Louie as though
he were here.
Assistant Chief Engineer Alfred
Williams, who arrived on Monday
night’s train from Cordova, return
ed on Thursday morning’s train
again after a few busy days at the
front.
* -
B. Niebling. an old-time friend of
Judge Ferguson’s, who has been here
* a£i summer, left the first of the week
for Cordova, from where he expects
tp soon take a steamer for Seattle,
and go on to California, where he
has sufficient of this world's goods
to keep him comfortably the rest of
his days. May they be easy and
many.
Mark Tatum, one of the best
* known foremen at the front, who
recently made a trip to the McKin
ley lake region to inspect the mines
there, in which several of the rail
road boys are interested, returned
to his duties again this week at the
big camp at mile 146. Mr. Tatum,
who is an all-round mining man.
Bays there is no question but what
there are some good mines at McKin
ley lake, but that so far they have
not been sufficiently developed.
Deputy Marshal Brown now has
the largest crowd of “boarders” so
far on record, there being ten of
fenders in durance vile.
Judge Ferguson left on Tuesday's
train to ettend court at Cordova.
* ■ A light snow fell in Chitina this
week, with the mildest k;nd of
weather—Just what was wanted for
* the bridge work at Kuskulana, and
the workmen are taking advantage
of it.
W. A. Sherman, the well known
barber, who has been located on
Chitina Heights all summer, is now
at the chair in Church & Brady’s
place, having succeeded Hugh Mc
Cagtaue, who left last week for other
' to&sorial fields.
Tibbs Bros, are getting along nice
ly with their big building. The foun
dation. which is a most substantial
one, is all completed, and the frame
work tor the first story is now under
way. They are doing their own work
and while the building is going up
slowly, but sure, it will be ready for
* the spring rush.
Tom O’Rourke, who made another
, trip with papers up the line this
week, reports plenty of activity be
tween here and mile 149.
Work Progressing Rapidly
On Hie Kusknlana Bridge
The cold weather of last week
somewhat retarded rapid progress
on the Kuskulana crossing, as the
steel workers are unable to force
their work so rapidly during real
cold weather, but they are sure mak
ing up for lost time since the mod
eration and Superintendent O'Neil
says trains will be running in twc
weeks if the present weather pre
vails. The travelers are now erect
ed and steel will be erected rapidlj
from now on. The shore span on
this side is already well under way
and by this time nest week the cross
ing will lake on the appearance of a
—.1.1 ■ 11 I l>
real bridge. Superintendent O'N’eil
has been nearly incapacitated with a
severe cold, but his lieutenants are
pushing the work with equal vigor.
Hugo Fels, who has charge of the
carpenter work, says all the wood
work put in so far must be rein
forced and that there is work for
his gang there for nearly a month
yet. Xext week a Leader repreesn
tative will make another trip to th»
bridge amp and report progress
there, as well as all along the line.
IV. J. Allen made a business trip
I to Cordova on Monday.
Pete Shearman, the obliging man
ager for the Northern Meat Market,
Chitina branch, made a trip over the
new trail the first of the week, going
as far as the Willow creek roadhouse.
Pete took along several dozen Lead
ers containing the special road write
up of last week, and states that the
roadhouse keepers deny knocking the
new cut-off trail at any time. The
Willow Creek roadhouse proprietor
admits to telling interior travelers
a few weeks ago that the trail was
in a poor condition, but knows now
that the trail is in fine shape and
says so.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, who came ov
er the trail the first of the week,
state that the worst knock comes
from Gulkana and Copper Center. At
one of these camps they were advised
to take along plenty of bedding and
an ax, as they would no doubt have
to “Siwash it” a night or two and
cut fallen timber from the trail as
far as Poppel lake, and as to the
canyon between here and Poppel lake
they feared very much if it was at
all passable. Now wouldn’t that jar
you? Maybe they are really igno
rant, however, and don’t really know
we have the best trail in Alaska.
Anyway, we’ll give them the ben
efit of the doubt and try and be
lieve, as the Willow Creek man says,
that there is no knock attached. But
by the first of the month they'll all
know, for the trail is being blazed
with sign boards, and last week’s
Leader is now on its way to every
roadhouse and camp in Alaska.
Benny Thompson, section foreman
in charge of the switchback tracks,
has been transferred to 146.
BLiOlEN Bl 1I.U1M. IS
OPENED BV A DANCE
—
The big Blouen building, which is
now about ready for occupancy, was
opened on Thursday evening by a so
cial hop. Professors Alba and Tibbs,
our well known musicians, took ad
vantage of the big floor and arranged
with Mr. Blouen for a dance. A
jolly crowd turned out and dancing
was enjoyed until the midnight hour.
The special features were the prize
waltz and twro steps. The prize waltz
was won by Mrs. Dan Reeder and
Deputy Marshal Brown, and the two
lest dance rs of the popular two step
were Mrs. L. C. Stringer and M.
Buckley. The prizes were ‘tasteful
ly” and securely done up in five-cent
paper peanut sacks and consisted of
an Orr button, a match, two gum
drops and a safety pin, the opening
of the. prizes causing muc{| merri
ment.
NOW 305 MILES
I
While the distance from Chitina
j to Fairbanks is only 53 miles short
| er than from Valdez, the new gov
j ernment cut-off trail does away with
i the crossing of the dangerous Thomp
son Pass and cuts down the travel
ing time a couple of days. From
1 Chitina to Fairbanks by the winter
trail it is 305 miles, according to
1 data in the office of the Alaska road
, commission. The summer trail is 321
; railed, the auditional 16 miles being
: accumulated by the necessity of
traveling around swamps which the
|
winter trail crosses. The differences
( are three miles between Sour Dough
and Our Home, and thirteen miles
between Donnelly’s and Washburn.
Changes in the roaa tne past two
seasons have varied local distances
somewhat between stations, but the
following table is believed to be very
Ed Orr Interested in the
Development of Alaska
Ed. S. Orr, who established the
stage line from this coast to Fair
banks, and was the Republican can
didate for Delegate to Congress from
Alaska, at the recent election, is at
present in Tacoma receiving treat
ment for his tnroat, which has given
him considerable trouble. He is still
heavily interested in Alaska business
affairs and is of the opinion that
what this territory needs is more de
velopment and less investigating. In
a recent interview he points out that
the opening of the coal fields is more
important than the indictment of
those who are trying to open them.
‘ While I do not know upon what
the federal grand jury has based its
findings in , its recent indictments,”
said Mr. Orr recently, “ it seems to
me that possibly they may have been
overzealous. I can hardly believe
that all people who are engaged in
an endeavor to open Alaska's coal
supply to modern development are
dishonest, yet by the way all work
in this line iB hampered by the gov
ernment, one would believe that such
was the case. I think it would have
paid the officials to inquire a little
more deeply into things than per
haps they have.
“Alaska cannot develop as it
should if its vast fuel supply is kept
tied up. Attempts to import coal
from outside have proved failures.
This past season one of the trans
portation lines brought in two car
goes of coal from Japan, which is
! ridiculous, when it is considered that
1 far better coal is lying tied up by
| red tape in the very heart of de
I mand.
“I believe that if Alaska were to
be divided into two sections, and
each put under separate government,
affairs could be better handled than
they are at present. In fact, I think
this would help the territory more,
than would home rule. Alaska is
“Alaska is growing rapidly, as rap
idly as it can under circumstances.
The Alaska road commission is op
| ening up new trails and roads and
| improving the old ones. This year,
for the first time, we will be able to
I
i use the overland team with sleds and
buckboards all the year. Heretofore
| it has been necessary to pack mails
and supplies over it in the mid-win
i
ter season. Mails are now being car
ried for the whole route on buck
boards, however, and later on sleds
will be able to make the journey.
This shows that the road commission
is doing things.”
composed of two widely divergent
I regions, districts whose character and
, interests are radically different , and
II think their affairs ought to be
handled separately. The northern
section, consisting of the drainage
I
basin of the Yukon, I would include
in one division, and place the south
ern part in the other.
accurate, starting from Chitina:
Miles.
Willow Creek. 39
Copper Center. 4S
Tazlina. 57
Dry Creek . 66
Gulkana .'. 75
Poplar Grove. 86
Sour Dough . 97
Our Home.110
Meier's ..•.120
Paxson's .134
Yost's.154
Miller’s .166
Rapids .173
Donnelly’s .....189
Gordon’s .205
Sullivan's .222
Washburn.245
Overland .255
Salchaket.265
Piledriver ......277
Fairbanks ... .305
Summer road from Donnelly's to
Washburn 69 miles, by way of Mc
Carty’s and Richardson, thirteen
miles longer than winter road.
CLOXIXGER & ST. CLAIR ARE
AFTER MORE Bl'SlXESS
The proprietors of the Log Cab
in bar, Cloninger & St. Clair, have
purchased the interest of Billy Oliver,
who was a silent partner in the firm,
and who was lately in charge of the
lodging house upstairs. They intend
tearing out the bunk house upstairs
cutting a stairway from the bar to
the second floor, and making the
second story a general hang out for
the boys this winter. They are ne
gotiating for two or three pool tables
and in addition to these will have
plenty of comfortable chairs and so
lo tables. Tom and Ivory are after
the business and if the improvements
go in as they plan, it goes without
saying that they will get their share
of the business this winter.
OIL JDS
All of the Alaska oil lands have
been withdrawn from entry by or
der of President Taft thus putting
them on the same footing with the
coal lands of Alaska, all of which
have been withdrawn with the ex
ception of those located prior to
1906.
There are known areas of oil pro
duction in Alaska, but there has been
no survey so that these cannot be lo
cated by definite withdrawals.
Until definite surveys can be made
and different methods of disposition
of both oil and coal lands can be
adopted, the President thinks it ad
visable to withdraw them until Con
gress can give the subject consid
eration.
C. W. O'Neill, in charge of an ex
tra gang during the past summer in
ihe Chitina yard, has left on a visit
Subscribe for the Chitina Leader.
Local News
The steam shovel at mile 146 is
working steadily and turning out a
fine grade of ballast for surfacing tne
road all along the low places, which
v.as considered absolutely necessary
this winter.
Henry Struck and B. W. Micewicz
leave today or tomorrow on a trap
ping expedition for the winter. They
have several dozen traps and a good
outfit, and besides trapping may do
some winter prospecting. We wfsh
them “'heap plenty skin, maybe so
some gold."
Paddy MacCormac, who has the
work on the tunnel at mile 132. has
cut through to the other tunnel and
is now working back this way. He
says there is still plenty of frozen
dirt to take out and he doesn't ex
pect to finish much before the first
of the new year.
Ed. Condon, more familiarly
known as "Ole,” who has been pre
siding behind the mahogany at the
Log Cabin, off and on this fall, took
a trip over the new cut-off trail on
Wednesday, distributing the Leader
along the trail at the different road
houses, and tacking up advertise
ments of our enterprising business
men.
Our mutual friend, Godfrey Muel
ler, bid us all farewell this week.
He has left us for good, so he says.
For the last four years he has been
with the commissary department of
the contracting company of M. J.
Heney. Tn the virgin year of 1906
he entered the service of the rail
way. which he has enjoyed without
interruption since then. Mr. Muel
ler goes to Callao, Peru wrhere he
enters the employ of an American
mining syndicate. Bon voyage, God
frey.
Emmet Ball, a rodman in the en
gineering corps of the road, left on
the Alameda for Seattle, and will
spend the winter at home. Mr. Ball
has been employed in the engineer
ing department since the days of
1906, when Heney first began the
construction of the Copper River
railway. During the summer he has
been located at 160.
Ernest Wanner, a parlor brake
man on one of the passenger trains
running into Chitina. has left on a
six weeks’ leave of absence to his
home in Bellingham, Wash. The
“yellow kid” beckons to the call of
the old farm.
Jack Courtney, who for two years
past has been the “tallow pot” on
the pioneer engine. No. 50, has been
placed in charge of engine No. 2.
The “Manhattan Brainstorm” declar
es he has been waiting forty years
for this chance. He has got it now.
Look out for him! He means busi
ness.
Johnny King, an assistant material
foreman in charge of material yards
at Tiekel during the palmy days of
that camp has taken charge of the
section at mile 109, vice Michael
Turney, resigned.
Walter Downing, commissary clerk
in the employ of the contracting com
pany, has accepted a position in the
train sertice. He is swinging a brake
dub for Conductor Funk in charge
of old 50. Walter is sort of new
at the business, but the engineers
claim to have no trouble making out
his “half-mooners.” He is a son of
Capt. Downing, a well known skip
per hailing into Cordova.
Billy Solomon, a popular tallow
pot, who has been in the hill ser
vice on the Chitina switchback, has
taken a leave of absence. "He leaves
on a visit to his old home in Kansas
City, Mo.
Job work at the Leader office.