FOURTH YEAR.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1913
NUMBER 7
Late Telegraph News
SALT LAKE, Dec. 1.—The city has been in a high state
of excitement for a day or two past. Yesterday Ralph Lopez,
the Mexican bandit shot and killed Deputy Sheriffs Hulsey
and Madrieh. A battle ensued in the underground workings
of the Utah Apex mine, where Lopez sought safety. Other
officers were also in the mine and it is feared that they are
dead or wounded. They had lighted a smudge intending to
smoke out the bandit when he opened fire, with fatal effect. A
posse is surrounding the mine but up to this afternoon Lopez
was still holding out. This morning the bodies of Hulsey and
Madrieh were recovered. It is believed that the bandit will
finally be starved out. A week ago he shot and killed four
men and is such a desperate character that officers of the law
fear to get within short range of him.
-o—o—o
YALDER, Nov. 26.—A wire was received today from
Deputy Marshal Karl Armstrong to Marshal Brenneman, tell
ing of the epidemic conditions to the westward. It states that
ten more deaths from measles had occurred at Afoguak, and
that every family but his own and one other at Kodiak had one
or more cases. So far there have been 20 deaths at Afognak
and over 100 in all sections have died to date. Doctors and
supplies are much needed. The revenue cutter Tahoma, which
was reported as having sailed from Seattle on the lltli, has
not yet arrived.
-o—o—o
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.—At a luneelion held today by
the Latin Ameican diplomats, one of the guests, Senator
George Chamberlain, of Oregon, caused considerable of a
sensation. He announced, in a brief address, in connection
with the separation of Panama that he would vote for “justice
to Columbia from the United States.” As soon as he sat down
Ambassador D. daGama, of Brazil, and the dean of the corps,
suggested that the party break up, and this was done in
silence.
-o—o—o
MEXICO CITY, Nov. 29.—Following a long conference
this afternoon between Charge d’Affairs O’Shaughnessy and
the Japanese ambassador, all kinds of rumors were put in
circulation. One that seemed to be generally accepted in
government circles was to the effect that the difficulties
between the Mexican and American governments would be
settled within 48 hours. An effort was made to get an expres
sion from President Huerta but he refused to discuss the
matter.
We have just received from New
York a story concerning Nome and
the future of her golden sands that
our correspondent writes by reason
of a recent interview with Congress
man Johnson, editor of the Hoquiam
Washingtonian. The story follows:
In October a terriffic storm and
tidal wave nearly destroyed the
town of Nome, that once great gold
camp on the edge of Bering Sea.
Tire aided the waves in the work of
destruction. Apparently the town,
which in the days of its glory held
20,000 persons, but which since the
beach diggings began to give out in
1910, had dwindled to an all-year
around population of one-tenth that
number, had received a blow from
which it would never recover.
But Representative Albert John
son, whose constituents in the State
of Washington have big interests
there* declares the tidal wave and
storm is the best thing that has
happened to Nome since the day in
1898 when a stray prospector found
gold on the desolate beach.
“That storm,” said he on his way
through New York to Washington
from a spell-binding tour in New
England, “has driven the beach in
land four miles. Now do you see
what it means? Nearly all the gold
that has come out of Nome was
■washed out of the beach. The
beaches were panned out or nearly
so and the town began to go back.
“All the gold was not above low
water mark. It extended some dis
tances out to sea, as far out as
dredges could work with safety, so
wealthy men have been getting gold
with the aid of such powerful ma
chines as are used on some of the
creeks in- Alaska. That is a rich
man’s method of mining.
“But now with the beach driven
inland four miles the gold that lay
in deep water is undoubtedly in the
sands of the new beach, and—well,
Nome will be itself again.
“You just wait until spring comes
when it is possible to get into Nome
and you will see the greatest rush
ever. Of course, those that are in
Nome now will have the first
chances at the best claims but that
won’t deter thousands from making
the trip the first moment any ship
master is willing to take the
chances of taking his vessel through
the Arctic ice.
“Why, just now there are thou
sands of old Klondike and Nome
miners, as well as many more thou
sands who never saw either camp,
scrimping and saving to get a stake
to go in and try their luck. They
believe there are as many millions
if not more to be had there now
than there was in the old, glad days,
and each wants to get his share.
Nome was a speck on the map
until 1898. Then a tramp pros
pector stumbled upon its rich beach.
The spring of 1899 saw a consider
able number of miners in the new
camp. But it was not until the next
year that the great rush began.
That season tnere were 20,000
persons in the town, and in the 10
years that followed the mining part
of the population added $40,000,000
to the world’s share of gold. It
became a town rather than a camp,
with churches, schools, a municipal
government, t>*aks, a telephone sys
tem, electric light plant, fire and
water departments and even a sys
tem of sewerage.
But the beach deposits began to
give out in 1900. In 1911 they had
practically been worked out except
so far as they might be worked by
steam dredges, and the maximum
population since has not exceeded
4,000 in the summer, when it is
possible to work the dredge, and
less than half that number in win
ter, for the cost of living has always
been so high there that it is cheaper
to spend the winter in the States.
The storm of last October did a
damage of $1,500,000 to property
and made 500 homeless. The town
boasts of being the most northerly
gold camp in the world and the
most northerly settlement with a
town form of government.
EXPERIENCES^ HE ARCTIC
Capt. C. T. Pedersen and Olaf
Swenson were arrivals from the in
terior on the train yesterday after
noon. They came through from the
Arctic Ocean and have had many
thrilling experiences during the past
season. Leaving the frozen waters
of the Arctic, near the international
boundary line, on October 21, they
traveled 400 miles to Fort Yukon,
reaching there on November 8. It
took them a couple of days to go to
Circle City, where they followed the
winter mail trail to Fairbanks and
arrived there on the 15th. They
took the stage two days later
and come on to Chitina where they
boarded the train and arrived at
Cordova yesterday at 3:30 o’clock,
just three hours too late to catch
the steamer Sampson. They will
now wait here for the steamer
Northwestern. These hardy men
started from Icy Reef with a dog
team and an Indian and his squaw.
They pushed up the Turner river,
crossed the divide and landed at
what they think was the head of the
Salmon river. They then portaged
to Chandlar Lake, from which place
they followed the old Indian trail to
Fort Yukon. Most of the distance
they had goog going, although much
of the distance of 630 miles to Fair
banks was practically an unbeaten
trail. For three days it was neces
sary for these men to break trail
with snow shoes for the dog team.
However, they averaged about 25
miles a day.
Captain Pederson started with the
130-ton schooner Elvira from San
Francisco on May 27. On his way
to the Arctic he secured a cargo of
762 white fox, 5 silver fox, 25 red
fox, 101 mink, 15 ermine, 30 polar
bear skins, seal skins, ivory and
whalebone, all worth about $18,000.
He passed Point Barrow on July 23,
bound for Bank’s land, where he
hoped to pick up more furs and
whaleoil. When he reached a point
a short distance east of the boun
dary line the ice began to flow so
heavily that he was unable to make
any headway. He had a varied ex
perience among the ice floes until
September 3, when the Elvira got
wedged in tight. Later the ice
again loosened and the schooner
having been thrown on her side be
gan to fill with water. She was
tied to an immense floe but finally
broke away and drifted for nearly a
mile, when she capsized and went
to the bottom of the sea.
Part of the provisions had been
taken from the schooner and stored
on the ice, and Capt. Pederson sent
his crew of 19 men to the whaler
Belvedere, which was in the ice
some little distance away. The
captain and engineer stood by the
vessel until September 22nd, and
the next day she disappeared. Other
than the provisions saved every
thing else aboard her was lost, al
though the cargo was fully insured.
Louis Lane, with his party of scien
tists, was near by with his little
steamer Polar Bear wedged in- the
ice but well protected. He took
aboard the provisions from the El
vira and they will be needed this
winter by the 22 men who have left
the Polar Bear and established a
camp for the winter on the near
shore.
When Captain Pedersen and Mr.
Swenson left the north Mr. Lane de
cided that he would also come south.
He started to mush 25 miles to get
Eben S. Draper who was 25 miles
distant and who also wished to get
back to his home in Massachusetts,
where his father was once governor
of the state. They had expected to
start in two or three days. If they
did they evidently had a hard time
reaching Circle, as a wire states
that they arrived there on November
23. It is not stated whether they
will go on to Dawson and go out by
way of White Horse and Skagway,
but it is likely that they will come
to Fairbanks, Chitina, and Cordova.
Captain Pederson will go to San
Francisco and report to the owners
of the Elvira. They will likely se
cure another schooner and the cap
tain expects that he will again start
next summer for a cruise along the
Siberian coast. Mr. Swenson repre
sents the fur firm of Hibbard &
Stewart, who financed the Belvedere
expedition and will report to them
at Seattle. The Belvedere, which is
a 440-foot steam whaler, is now
safely quartered about 65 miles west
of Herschel Island, at a place called
Icy Reef. The boat is one that is
sent on annual trading expeditions
along the Siberian coast and thence
into the Arctic. She had cruised
nearly 3,000 miles on the Russian
coast and then returned to Nome
with her cargo of furs, ivory, etc.,
which was shipped south from
there. The whaler then loaded 200
tons of supplies for the Stefansson
expedition and started for the
Arctic, expecting to return south
before the ice closed in.
On the northward trip, the Belve
dere passed the Mary Sachs and the
Alaska, the two Stefansson boats at
Point Barrow, and had expected to
overtake the Karluk in the Arctic
and transfer the freight which it
was carring for the exploration
party.
From inquiries made among the
natives, Captain S. F. Cottle and
Mr. Swenson learned that the Kar
luk had passed Flaxman island
about August 14, going eastward,
but that was the last information
that could be obtained. After the
Belvedere went into winter quarters
at Icy .Beef, Captain Bernard, of the
Mary Sachs, R. M. Anderson, who
is second to Stefansson in command
and traveling on the Mary Sachs, to
gather with Chipman and O’Neil, of
the scientific staff, crossed the 70
mile stretch lying between their
boat and the Belvedere, with the
hope of finding some information of
the Karluk, but without success.
Mr. Swenson walked 65 miles to
Herschel Island, thinking that some
news of the Karluk might be ob
tained there, but nothing had been
seen or heard of the steamer.
According to Captain Pedersen,
who has had long experience in the
Arctic, Captain Bartlett, who made
the trip to the north pole with
Peary, is master of the Karluk, and
he took to an extremely northerly
course after passing Point Barrow,
although all other steamers keep as
close to the shore as possible. The
ice is always much heavier in the
western Arctic than it is in the
east, and it is feared that the mas
ter, who won fame in the dash to
the pole, misjudged conditions.
The returning traders state, how
ever, that as the Stefansson party
was seeking a northern land, which
is thought to exist, Captain Bart
lett might have made a dash
through the Arctic and landed in
some safe port. This is doubtful,
however, and the majority of the
whalers in the Arctic have given up
hope of ever finding the missing
ship.
--o-o—o— --
NEW YORK, Dec. 2.—Mrs. Em
meline Pankhurst, the British mili
tant recently took a farewell shot at
New Yorkers, in a speech at Car
negie Hall. She is now sailing the
ocean on her way home, that being
the understanding when the immi
gration authorities let her in. Mrs.
Pankhurst completed a tour of Am
erican cities as far west as Chicago
but her work was much like “car
rying coals to Newcastle.” In fact
the visit of Mrs. Pankhurst was a'
bit superfluous. In England, where
her kind have been smashing win
dows, burning houses and explod
ing bombs, women are a long way
from obtaining the ballot, while in
America in some of the very states
where Mrs. Pankhurst spoke,
women have the vote, and they got
it without, violence. But, then, they
do say one must literally hammer
an idea into an Englishman’s head.
OF TO
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.—Estimated expenses for the
running of Alaska and certain improvements considered
necessary, for the ensuing year, were contained in reports
submitted today to Congress. The estimates include the
following:
Testing coal for navy purposes, $75,000.
Public building at Juneau, $70,000.
Aids to navigation, $60,000.
Lighthouse depot, $40,000.
Contingent expenses, $9,200.
Salaries and expenses of the governor, judges, and
federal officers, $87,000.
Expenses of the legislature, $47,938.
Sitka National Monument, $1,500.
General expense—Chugach forest reserve, $16,330;
Tongass reserve, $22,300.
Mine inspection, $4,000.
Protection of game, $20,000.
Supression of the liquor traffic among the natives, $15,000.
Education of natives, $200,000.
Reindeer, $4,000.
Medical relief, $125,000.
Roads and trails, $125,000.
Protection of seal fisheries, $110,000.
Care of insane, $77,500.
Provision is also made for continuing the Seattle assay
office, for which an appropriation of $50,000 is included in
estimates reported. The total estimate of expenditure neces
sary for the entire nation is $1,108,000,000. The various items
for Alaska aggregate $1,034,768.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.—The political affairs of Alaska
have been given considerable attention during the past two or
three days. On Saturday afternoon various Alaskans had a
conference with Attorney General McReynolds. The particular
subjects under discussion were the removal of U. S. Marshal
Herbert L. Faulkner and U. S. District Attorney John
Rustgard, both of Juneau. At this conference the attorney
general gave his definite promise that he would soon replace
these two officials. And of course it is expected that the plums
will fall to two good Democrats. The matter of the district
attorney in the third, or Valdez district, was also discussed.
Hie term of Mr. Rustgard does not expire until June 20th
next, while Mr. Faulkner has until May 9, 1915 to serve.
V hen the special session of Congress expired the nomi
nation of Albert Wile as postmaster at Iditarod had not been
acted upon. As a consequence his name will again be sub
mitted to the regular session. John F. Pugh, who was recently
nominated for collector of customs for Alaska, was confirmed
late on Saturday evening. All other nominations from Alaska
that have been made were confirmed by the Senate. Mr. Pugh
is a brother-in-law of Judge R. W. Jennings, and has been a
deputy collector and inspector at Skagway and Juneau for
about ten years past. He is about 35 years of age and resides
with his family at Juneau.
-_A A A
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.—Another Alaska railroad is
proposed in a bill prepared by Representative William C.
Houston, of Tennessee, chairman of the committee on terri
tories and reported favorably to the House. It provides that
a railroad be built in Alaska by the government, to be leased
to other parties or operated by the government. The mileage
is to be 722 miles, and the road is to start at either Cordova,
Seward, or in the vicinity of Seward, and to continue to the
Yukon River. Branches are to be built to the Matanuska and
Bering River coal fields. This is different in some respects
from the bill that the subcommittee had agreed to report, and
it is believed will have the support of many who oppose
government operation, as the intent is for the government to
build the railroad and then to lease it. The new bill does not
give the President the same latitude in choosing routes as
does the Wickersahm bill. While there is not much doubt
expressed, by those who profess to know the situation, that
Presidnt Wilson would select Cordova as the tenninal point
of one of the railroads, they are of the opinion that if the
Houston bill were to pass that the road would run from'
Cordova and branch lines be built to both the Bering River
and Matanuska coal fields. In the matter of Alaska railroads
much will hinge on the strength of the opposition to govern
ment construction that may develop in the Senate.
-n—n—n
VIENNA, Dec. 2.—That he has
succeeded in changing the sex of
animals through transplanting cer
tain glands from the male to the
female and vice versa, is the some
what startling announcement made
in a public address by Professor
Steinach. In other words, Professor
Steinach says he has made female
animals male and male into female.
To prove his statement he showed
animals in which he declares, he has
changed the sex. He declared that
placing the male glands into female
animals, changed the entire nature
of the latter and vice versa. He Be
lieves that similar operations are
possible on human beings.
CLEVELAND, Dec. 2—Nine hun
dred saloons, which recently offered
any quantity of spirituous solace to
the thirsty wayfarer, are now
closed. The 900 emporiums were
refused licenses by the new county
commission. The saloon-keepers
however, are not accepting the re
fusal without fight. They have
organized to contest the new law
under which they were refused
license renewals. It is planned to
institute suit in the federal courts
protesting that the new law con
flicts with a section of the federal
constitution providing against the
taking of property without due
process of law.