The Chjtina Lead e r
CHITINA, ALASKA
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postoffice at
Chltina, Alaska, under the Act of Conbress of March 3. 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Tuesday by
HARRY <*• STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Office: Hotel Chltina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Times.
, t SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One-Mbtifh ...».....
Si* Months. .,...»..
One Year ......
, ADVERTISING rates
Made known .upon application. They will be found reasonable for the service
given. Official publication for legal advertisements pertaining to mineral lands of
the Copper River. District. _ i ., . ,
CHTIINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1915.
LEADER IN THE FIELD TO STAY
The Chitina Leader will continue to be published regularly
as the writer takes a pardonable pride in the fact that he
founded Chitina’s first and only newspaper, and does not
propose that the people of the Copper River valley shall be
compelled to miss a single issue.
From the best information obtainable the outlook for this
section is most encouraging. The financial interests in New
York, which own and operate the Copper River & Northwestern
Railway and the famous producing copper mines at Kennecott,
recently sold $10,000,000 worth of bonds, the money to he used
in operating their properties in Alaska, acquiring new copper
mines and the possible extension of our local railroad. This
should mean big development work and Chitina needs and will
have a paper in the Leader that will do all in its power to
advance the best interests of one of the richest mineral belts in
the world.
As soon as business conditions warrant it is our intention
to improve the Leader and make it in every way a newspaper
that will he a credit to the Copper River Valley.
HARRY G. STEEL.
THE SEA ASSASSIN
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Many people want to know what a torpedo is like. It is a
devil made of steel, the latest made being 21 inches in diameter
and 19 feet long. It is sent on its way by compressed' air, it is
propelled by an engine of its own which starts when the torpedo
is shot on its way. It is held steadily on its course by a gyro
scope, it has a speed of 45 knots an hour for 2,000 yards after
which it slows down to as low as 15 knots. It is divided into
three or four compartments. The devil of it is like that of any
other assassin—all in its head which carries from 200 to 300
pounds gun cotton; it is fired by an explosive in its nose, when
the nose strikes any substance. The second compartment is an
air chamber, which will bear a pressure of from 1,350 to 2,250
pounds per square inch. The third' compartment is the balance
chamber where the gyroscope is on duty. It is set on its course
anywhere from near the surface to as low as 14 feet below the
water. Its range is over 11,000 yards. It costs from $3,000 to
over $5,000.
:o:
SAN FRANCISCO AND ALASKA
Our Seattle friends had better beware for San Francisco is
going after the trade of Alaska, and going after it right. What
is more, if the people of Alaska ever get a chance to trade with
the California city on the same terms as with the Spirit City,
there will be an awful lot of Alaskans who will prefer to trade
with the Golden Gate merchants. The reason of this is the
strong impression that has continually increased' throughout
Alaska, that our Seattle friends look upon us in the north as
somebody to exploit, and that they have not always given us a
fair deal. That this is killing the goose who laid the golden
egg, even the Seattleites can see, and the most far sighted of
the business men of that city have not been at fault. That
Alaskans have had much to complain of concerning Seattle,
nobody can deny They might have the same complaints about
San Francisco, if the trade bad gone there. San Francisco will
be the gainer however, because her astute business men know
the sentiment in Alaska, and will take pains not to make the
same mistakes that our Washington friends have made. At
times the most stupid o factions in regard to Alaska must be
credited to the Seattle commercial bodies. Witness the action
of th\* Seattle Commercial Club in adopting a resolution
protesting to the President against the government purchase
of tlio Cepper River & Northwestern Railway. Even a man
with half an eye could see that it was the duty of the Seattle
business men to boost for Alaska railroads in general and not
for anyone section of Alaska, or knock any particular section.
Of course the people of Cordova and the Copper River valley
should gratefully take whatever crumbs the Seattle Commer
cial Club hands out to us, and be glad that they favor us by
allowing us to buy goods from them. What d'o the business
men of Seattle think the merchants of this section would do if
they had a chance to buy goods in Frisco as well as they can in
Seattle? The Spirit City at times acts as if it had imbibed the
wrong kind of spirits. Now we learn that the San Francisco
Chamber of Commerce is circularizing the business men of that
great city in an endeavor to secure a direct steamer service
with Alaska. A blank has been prepared and the business
men are asked to tell the Chamber what their business with
Alaska nowT amounts to, how mueh of it is shipped direct, how
much through Seattle, whether they would ship direct if they
had' steamer service from Seattle, and other questions to guide
the Chamber on the matter. It is evident that this would not
be going on if the Chamber had not been assured that a direct
steamer service would be installed provided a reasonable
amount of freight could be secured. The passenger service
would be easy for San Francisco to get, as most Alaskhns
would prefer to go direct to that city when they go Outside.We
in Cordova heartily wish the Sain 'FranciSco ' Chamber of
Cbhimerte subcfefcs -toth their undertaking, and' trust' that their
stekmbdats will be running direct' to our ports within a short
time. ‘ ‘
FUR COATS IN ALASKA
One of our subscribers recently brought to the Times office
an advertisement he had clipped from the Seattle P.-I. The
ad read that somebody had a fur coat for sale, “suitable for
an Alaska tourist.” This is the way sonu? enterprising.
Seattleite, probably a member of the Commercial Club, attempts
to boost Alaska. Tries to palm off a a second-hand fur coat by
telling the tourists that Alaska m summer, is win£ry„and^hat
they had, better not come here without a fur coat. Would it
nqt be better to inform the world that Alaska in summer is a
place where straw hats and B. V. D’s are the rule. Where the
sun shines at night, and vou can play baseball at any hour.-No
wonder that pedple outvote j?et the impression that Alaska is
a land of snow and ice, glaciers and polar bears, for even our
Seattle friends, who should know us better than anyone else
help to spread such delusions. ,
-—:o;
What a street car system is worth to a community was
demonstrated to Chicago.
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NEUTRAL RETALIATION
Inasmuch as Germany has declared the sea for fifty miles
around the British islands a war zone and has closed the
English Channel, and Grea,t Britain has declared the whole
North Sea are unsafe for neutrals because of floating mines and
submarines, a writer in the east suggests that the neutral
nations make a league in self defense. He suggests that Presi
dent Wilson call a conference of the neutral nations through
their ambassadors in Washington, and agree upon a program
something like this:
Lay down the rules and regulations governing the legal
conduct of the war, the rights of neutrals—including poor
neutral Belgium—just wha| Earning should be given ships, in
just what waters they may be attacked, etc. Supposing'to1 this
conference caine the Um ted States of America, Holland, Den
mark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, Argentine,
Chile, Peru, and the other La tin-American states, including
Cuba. Once again suppose these states bound themselves into
a confederation to enforce, in so far as they could, the program
above referred to, and supposing a disregard of it by any of
the combatants, to close their borders to all trade of all kinds
with the offender; to become hi smarkets, to sell him nothing,
•buy from him nothing, pass him no supplies, to seize all his
ships, to intern his citizens, to confiscate their private property,
and make them outlaws in whichever land they were found.
Would this be a weapon?
If we get the balance of the neutral world to join where
would the offender lay his head ? With the borders of Holland',
Denmark, Sweden, and the Balkan states, closed to her, with
a sequestration of the immense wealth of her citizens in the
United States, Chile, Brazil, and the Argentine accomplished,
Avould this weapon not be as effective as 500 submarines and
4,000,000 trained soldiers? England, France, and Russia would
be held to the same responsibility, and if by ill luck they should
choose to offend and defy to the same extent would also receive
their due.
It may come to that after a while, for nations ai’e like
individuals,—when they get mad enough, they cease to heed
the rules that govern reasonable men. The ocean outside of the
league distant from land around a country, should be as free
as the air above it, and neuti*al nations cannot always be
deprived of their rights on the sea because of the unreasoning
anger of warring nations. Neutral nations need the fighting
nations far less than the belligerents need the neutrals and a
halt will have to be called sometime.
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REAL HEROES AND HEROINES
There are no limits to brave officers and soldiers and
sailors in the present war. They are everywhere on land and
sea, and are contributed by a clozen nations. But they are* gen
erally supported by dancing flags, martial anisic, roaring gams,
the excitement which comes of shouting armies and the love of
glory.
But there is another class which hover on the battle line,
which bends over the "wounded and sick, which keeps lonely
vigils.
No dancing flags, no martial music cheer them on, no
dream of making great names for themselves inspire them. We
mean the Red Cross societies, whose active members have their
ears open only to the cries for'help, "Whose' only occupation is
to answer those cries with needed relief. In every battle
picture they arb seen, in every hospital they Ore found, wher
ever the poor are pictured around the ruins of desolated homes
they are found. Their coming means help to the sufferers and
what makes their presence so impressive is the fact that they
are upborne by a sense of duty which makes them unconscious
or indifferent to what may happen them. Their guardian
angels are Love and Mercy, and the reflection of the smiles of
those unseen watchers gives them a holiness in the eyes of the
rudest men, and causes them to walk without fear through the
places where men are killing each other and where the
poisoned breath of the pestilence taints all the air.
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FATE OR INEFFICIENCY
It is related, by the official war office in Paris, that French
aeroplanes dropped 178 shells and several thousand darts upon
the headquarters of the Imperial Crown Prince of Germany.
But nobody was hurt; more especially, the Crown Prince ate his
breakfast undisturbed.
This demonstration took place, as reported, between 4 and
5 O'clock in the m6i*mrig, when its intended victims were
snuggling under'their blankets arid could not'be expected’to
get out of the way of plurinriets from the skies. And the Crown
Prince did not even wake up.
There were 29 French aeroplanes engaged in this invasion
of the royal establishment. They got away safely, as reported
4 ‘ unscathed ’ ’ by the fire directed against them. But was it the
protection of the fates, or simplythe inefficiency Of aerial men
of war, that brought to such an absurd end this assault?
THE AMERICAN VIEW
We saw at the show iksit night an animated war map, which*'
pictured' how much ternary Austria would gain if they won
this war. A few nights k^o they showed on the screen how
much territory Germany would gain in the event that victory
perched on the soldiers of the Germans. We know that Italy
entered the fight to seize the coveted provinces of Trentino and
Trieste. Russia wants the Dardanelles. Roumainia will fight
if she can. Be assured of having Trfcksyivania for hersetf.
Greece will enter the war when the kaflikihent meets, because
slip wants some more territory aloitg the Mddfterrtinetth,
Bulgaria is offered a tempting slice of territory if she will
attack the Turks on the rear, and hopes to gain the old *
Christian capital of Adrianople. France wants back Alsace and
Lorraitie, and it is said that Great Britain is fighting for the
trade of the. world, which Germany has been slowly blit surely
taking from her. Servia has already sent &h army into Albania
and that ihfafit nation will probably die a-borning. Japan
licked the Teutons at Kiao-Chau, and took possession.
To the plain ordinary American, who has no hyphen to his
nationality, and this includes Americans who are directly or
indirectly descended from all the warring peoples, this war
seems a very sordid' thing. A plague upon all these white, *
greeh, red and yellow- books that have been published explain
ing why this and that country- had to fight because the other i
fellow started it To an impartial observer it seems as if they
were all fighting for a mercenary motive. And posterity
is being mortgaged to get the money to Carry on this abomin
able war. We Americans have been brought up to believe that
when the United States fought it was for a principle, and
unless our histories are all w rong, we have not fought for greed
or because of land hunger. In 1776 we fought for liberty. We
got it from England at the point of the sword, and the
oppressed of the world have been coming to our shores ever
since to share in it. We fought England again in 1812 over
the principle that the American ships could not be molested on
the high seas. We fought among ourselves in 1861 to free
the slaves, and we did, and are once more united, thank God.
We fought Spain in ’98 to free Cuba and avenge the Maine.
Cuba is still free, and Uncle Sam shows no disposition to grab
her. Cur Experiment in the Philippines has never had the
approval of a majority of the American people, and the admin*
istration in power at the clOfee' of the "Spanish w-ar made a
mistake. j
This is the American feeling about war. In Europe it is
different, and although we hear about the spreading of German
Kultur on one side and the crushing of German Militarism on
the other, to the American it seems that it is far from being
justified on any ethical grounds, and that motives of lust and
power lie behind it all.
The one bright ray in this darkness over Europe is shed by
little Belgium. The Belgians are fighting for their homes,
gallantly trying to drive the invaders across their own
borders. Belgium’s position is justified, and the undivided
sympathy of all kinds of Americans goes out to her. It is our
duty to be neutral, and with the wise and sane Wilson steering
the ship of state, we have confidence that the United States
will do no wrong to any of the combatants, and that the#
accepted rules of international law will be observed. But deep*
down in the heart of the true American, he must feel that
Belgium lias been wronged, and he may perhaps, w-ithout vio
lating the spirit of President Wilson’s proclamation of
neutrality, send out a silent prayer to the Almighty, that King
Albert and his people will, when this madness is over, be once
more restored to their homes. Despite statements to the con
trary, there is an-American view-point in this war, that is not
colored by any leanings to either Germany, England or France,
and that is, that Belgium has been wronged, and as far as the
others are concerned, the Americans should say “A plague on
all y-our houses.”
CORDOVA PRESENTS FACTS
And still the steady flow of copper ore from the country
contiguous to Cordova continues unabate'd, showing by hardi
cold facts, and not by expectations, that the Cordova route to
the interior is the only route that offers sufficient tonnage to
make a railroad pay. From a million and a half to two million
dollars worth of ore per months is leaving Cordova for^ the
states, after being shipped down the railroad, and that from one
group of mines. The possibilities of this section of Alaska
from a tonnage standpoint have been proven, and yet the
copper industry here is but in its infancy. The action of the
government in choosing the Seward route to the interior may
have delayed the great prosperity that will come to Cordova,
but nothing can prevent it. We have the ore, the coal and the
fish to make Cordova a great city, and what is more we have
the people here, who have faith in this section, and who are full
of the courage of the American pioneer, and with that combina
tion, nothing can indefinitely delay the good times.
The war news reminds us very much of our old friend
Finnegan who was “off again,” and “on again.” The dis
patches tell us one day that the Russians are badly defeated
and crushed and the next day we learn that they have renewed
the offensive and captured several thousand Teutons. *
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The extreme difficulty that the allies are having in reduc
ing the fortifications along the Dardanelles stand as a shining
example of the truth of President Taft’s statement that proper
coast defenses are what this couiitry needs for its protection,
even more so than an immense fleet or a large standing army.
The fleet, of course particularly the submarines, is too impor
tant to be minimized, but the coast defenses are the thing. ^
History was made yesterday when a submarine engaged an
aeroplane in battle. Our imagination is too small to contem
plate what the next remarkable thing in warfare will be.
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Protests now are being raised against the aerial bombard
ment of London on the ground that it is not a fortified city.
This is smother instance wherein invention probably wiU change
the rules of war. . __ x,
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