TANANA LEADER
Published Every Thursday at Tanana, Alaska.
Vll * SAM J. CALLAHAN. EDITOR No. li
Gao. M. Arbuckls. Manager
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Leadville, Col., became fatuous as an iron-lead-silver
zinc camp. The deposits were blanket shaped, rich, and
the working cost was small—so that the time was compara
tively short before shallow ground was pretty generally
cleaned up, a decline set in and people thought the end of
production was in sight. In working out the deeper depos
its gold was finally encountered and Leadville did not die,
but people could not bring tliemselves to a realization of
the extent of the values deeper down and conservatism
marked every move in development. At last, if the Color
ado papers are to be believed, the truth is becoming known
and the rule is that below the huge blanket deposits of
silver-lead are fissures carrying high values in gold. This
rule has been proven in dozens of cases, and wrhere the
deeper mines are passing into the fissures as the change
occurs t he values are becoming higher and confidence is
growing. Says the Denver Post: “It signifies what may
be a tremendous new departure that will lead inevitably to
a grand crusade of new development, supported by millions
of new capital and thousands of new employes. The
thought of what it may develop in the way of regeneration
is sublimely inspiring.”
In the inquiries being conducted by the members of
the house committee on territories questions were many re
garding the obstacles to travel between widely separated
points in Alaska. In this matter the gentlemen of the
committee should be careful to distinguish between the
possibilities of mere travel and the facilities for transport
ing supplies. As a matter of fact there have been few new
countries so readily accessible to the explorer as interior
Alaska. Compared with the unsettled portions of British
Columbia, the advantages of Alaska are marked. In this
connection it is interesting to remember that at the time of
the Klondike discovery a considerable portion of Florida
was unknown to white men. .A large area in the State of
Texas was unexplored in 1880. We do not have to go a great
way back in history to get official statements from explorers
that it was impossible to penetrate the Mississippi bottoms,
and that on account of snakes, mosquitoes and fevers set
tlement would forever remain impossible.
The Amazon
Sonth' America’s Wonderful River
While the Amazon is the world’s
greatest river, it r.ot in length at least
in the volume of water which flows
through it, it is the world’s'strangest
river us well.
The few travelers and explorers who
have journeyed up this watercourse to (
its many sources in the glaciers of the
South American mountains tell stories
which are almost incredible about the
literal maze of streams which unite to
form it, each stream having its birth
in one of its great ice masses. Yet a
few hundred miles below, where they
merge and create the river, tho tem
perature is such that it works its way
through a perfect labyrinth of tropical
vegetation.
Only the mariner can tell the place
where the Amazon really has its mouth,
because the oponing it has made on the
eastern coast of South America is so
wide that it extends over 100 miles. A
long distance before one comes to the
mouth of the river,, however, one is I
really sailing on the waters of the
Amazon, says Chambers's Journal, be
cause they force their way so far out
into the ocean. They say that 300 miles
out at sea, off the' mouth of the Ama
zon, you can hoist a bucketful of .fresh
water out of the ocean from the deck
of the ship, such is the quantity of its
water that flows from- that gigantic
basin. ^ .
Long after you have entered.the,
actual river and have ij^s banks..Co
north and south of you, if you are in
midstream you will soon be out of sight
of land, such is the breadth of the vast
channel. The river stretches far into
the'ocean and far up thfc country. Take
a map of South America arid look out a
place called Jquitos. It lies four fifths
of the way across the continent from
east to west. Yet from Iquitos there j
is a fortnightly service of ocean-going j
its a td*vs t«» whirli
some 3,000 miles of the river before
they reach tho sea.
It is not only one branch of the Ama
zon but many that are thus to be re
garded as the same as ocean highways.
The southern branches of the Amazon
are broken by rapids along a line where
a low continental shelf exists. Above
these rapids, however, there is again
deep water. Thus beyond the falls of
the Madeira there arc over 10,000 miles
of navigable water on that river aud
its branches, and these only await the
making of a short railway less than 200
miles long to be brought into connec
tion with the other highways of the
world.
Away in this remote part of the
South American continent nature has
been indeed generous, for in uddition
to the wealth of rubber there are
known to be deposit of gold and other
precious minerals. It is said that nearly
every one of the glacial streams wash
ing down the foothills of the mountains
Carries sand laden with gold which has
been accumulating in its bed for centu
ries, but as yet none has been secured
by the miner, owing to the distance to
these streams being so great and to
there being no. route by which machin
ery or tools for getting the gold can be
taken to these places.
Not only Sir Marlin Conway but
other travelers who have ventured
along the upper river and its tributa
ries say ghat here a curious earthly
paradise really exists.. To the surface
of the water the sun’s rays seldom
reach; afad one may go many miles
ST. JAMIES’ CHAPEL
First Sunday in each month, Holy
Communion 11 a. m. Other Sundays,
Evening Prayer, 7:30 p. m.
Winthkop Peabody,
Priest in Charge.
along waterways where it is well nigh
as dark as night, because the sky is
almost completely shut out by the mass
of vines which interlace the trees and
are so thick with leaves. Deprived ol
the sunlight all is dark and rank. The
damp air is laden with unhealthfui
vapor.
Above this is really a scene of life
and beauty. Birds and butterflies and
other gorgeous insects are flying from
place to place; flowers of hundreds ol
hues and shapes are blooming from the
plants attached to tree, branch and
trunk. This upper world of the Ama
zon forests lias been closed to human
beings and promises to remain a per
petual mystery unless with tlie aid ol
some aerial craft one may be able to
visit it.
The Florida Hog
The most, intelligent of domesticated
animals, says an authority, is the hog.
Half tho history of Florida for the last
thirty years has been a battle for hu
man rights against this animal. He
could roam the streets, root up tht
gardens, und there was positively nc
defense under the law. The legisla
turc lias at last restricted his rights,
and an eastern man who goes to Flor
ida every winter, after expressing dut
appreciation of the change, recently
said:
“Last fall as I was entering the stau
an old sow with several pigs came ti
the steps of the ear at PalatUa, evi
dently desiring to mount the steps,
The colored porter took a broom ant
cried:
" ‘Shoo there, you black rascal
this ain't yo' calir, nohow.' ”
Seemed to Forget
Two lawyers before a piobate
judge recently got into a wrangle.
At last one of the disputants losing
control over his emotions,exclaimed
to his opponent:
“Sir, you a:e, I think, the big
gest ass that I ever had the misfot
time to set eyes upon.”
“Order! Order!”.said thejudge,
gravely. "You seem to forget that
I am in this room ” — Kx
The N. N Company will run twe
packets—the Sarah and the Susie
on the Dawson-St Michael route
this season.
THE SONC OF THE WHEELS
7 '
They say I’ve got wheels in ray head
.—•all right,
But why in the deuce should I care?
As long as I keep ’era all polished and
bright
And running as free as the air?
I just love to feel ’em a-whizzin’ around,
And scootin’ along on the pike,
And taking my fancy with never a sound
Wherever I happen to like.
I don’t have to suffer from billowy sea
If I wish to travel about.
I just start the wheels for wherever I
please
And off for the goal I setfout.
I’ve been to Quohogue, I’ve been to
Cohoes,
I’ve wheeled o’er the hills of Japan,
I’ve been in the land of the cold Eski
mos,
And hiked it way out to Spokane.
Those wheels have provided, O many
a trip!
On earth, on the sea, in the air,
I don’t need a train, and I don’t need
a ship,
To carry me off anywhere.
They’ve taken me up to the planet ol
Mars,
They’ve scooted all over, the main.
They go just as easy around through
the stars
As wheelbarrows go on a lane.
A3 slow as I please, as fast as I please,
With never a cop to say nay,
While I sit around with the greatest
of ease
And let ’em go whizzin’.away.
They never break down, no tires to bust,
No gasolene tank to explode.
No axles or bolts to get covered with
dust,
And equal to any old load.
So what if I have got those wheels in
my head? ' J
They give ine.no end of a time,
And when the.'nigfrt Comes and’l lie in
my bed' ' :
They sing me soft measures and
. rhyme...
Let other folks stick to their automo
biles—
Their pleasures are all a mirage.
I’m satisfied quite with the fine little
wheels
I keep in my mental garage!
— Wilberforce Jenkins.
The Leader is on sale at the
* postoffice lobby.
SHARP-NOSED BULLET
FOR GERMAN ARMY
The Manchester Guardian has
received an account of the new
sharp nosed bullet vi.tually adopted
by the German! army The cone
pom.ent had an opportunity ofsee
i ig experiments made with it at
<me of the schools of musketry
some li'tle while ago.
The wounds made were terrible
—equal to the worst caused by the
dumdum or any other form of blunt*
imse: bullet The restrictions of
the Hague convention are techni
cally complied with in the construe
'ion ot this missile, for it is fully
enclosed with a hard nickel skin
drawn to a point as fine as that of
a pin. From this point the slope to
the full width of the bore is almost
imperceptible, and this slightness
of curve is what causes the worst
results of a wound, for the least re
sistance met gives lise to a devia
tion in direction and also throws
the bullet c £f its axis.
The increased flatness of trajec -
tory enlarges the danger zone for
point blank firing at about yoo
yards, and with higher explosives
it is expected to cover even m.re
ground, within which a man cannot
stand upright without danger.
This is nearly 300 yards more than
is given by the British service rille
and ammunition.
GOLDEN NORTH CAFE
Carrying tire Best Supplies on the Market
OYSTERS, FISH AND GAME
IN SEASON
Centrally Located. In Connection with Grand Hotel.
ED Y. LEE, PROP.
HEADQUARTERS FOR TRAVELING PUBLIC!
Pioneer »4ower Houses
Two First-Class Resorts
Stables for Horses and Dogs. Warm Buukhouse where
you can dry your clothing and sox.
Joe Anlcich, Prop. Tanana, Alaska
\r When You Go to California Where Every Month
I_is June, Travel on the__
f CALIFORNIA
[ LIMITED
k Only Train in Southern ('a I i torn in. via. Any Line,
|1 Exclusively First-Class Travel
HAS A PULLMAN CAR FOR GRAND CANYON
EAST OR WEST
THE COMFORTABLE WAY IS VIA. THE
Great Northern.
Railway
CLOSE CONNECTIONS
To All ots East, or West, With
landTrains in Either Direction Daily’.
; fi V
, - .;
- * * •-'.<* ;
v. , FOR INFORMATION" AIiDRESS ~
,F. 1. Whitney, Passenger Traffic Manager,St. Paul, Minn.
r, - -or- '■
S. If. Yerkes, Assistant Gen. Pass. Agent, Seattle, Wash.