THE CHITINA LEADER
CHITINA, ALASKA
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1 !>10, at the postoffice at
Chitlna, Alaska, under the Act of Conbress of March i. 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Tuesday by
HARRY G. STEEL, Editor and Proprietor.
Office: Hotel Chitina Building.
coraova Office: Daily Times.
SUBSCRIPTION RATj:S
One Month .I -50
Six Months . 2.00
One Year . 3.60
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.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1915.
COLUMBIA GLACIER ON RAMPAGE.
Miles of ice floes from Columbia glacier are proving a
menace to navigation in Prince William Sound. Icebergs two
hundred feet square and standing as high as a steamer are re
ported in the channel west of Ellamar, while floes a mile in
extent are thick north and east of Naked Islands. More ice is
being encountered in the sound at present than has been en
countered during a period of twenty years. A southeast wind
is attributed as the cause, which brought down the face of
Columbia glacier, after it had been undermined by the sea.
The unusallv mild weather during the past two years,
which has caused other glacier to recede, seems to have had the
opposite effect on Columbia glacier, which has been advancing
rapidly for a glacier during the past 15 years. Its activity dur
ing the period has been so marked that special attention was
paid to it in a government report on the glaciers of Prince
William sound. That Columbia glacier was once, even more
active than it is now is borne out by chronicles of early Russian
hunters who were forced to winter somewhere near Ellamar
in the seventeenth century.
Their story, as told in Bancrof’t history of Alaska, is that
ice floes covered the water late in the fall and remained all flar
ing the winter so that it was necessary to cut holes to bury
three of the party who died of scurvy.
--:o:
CORDOVA LOGICAL OUTLET FOR BERING COAL.
Some day there may be an awakening at Washington anti
when the senators and congressmen learn the truth about the
harbors of Alaska, Cordova will receive the recognition from
the government that it is entitled to. Numerous investigators
have looked over the different ports, but most of the investiga
tions were made by persons who had little or no knowledge of
their subject matter. Experienced navigators, who have been
sailing these northern waters for the past decade or two are
almost unanimous in the opinion that Cordova possesses a land
locked harbor with advantages that no other port in South
western Alaska enjoys. Sheltered by surrounding mountains,
it is sufficiently commodious to hold the Pacific naval fleet at
maneuvers, while the ocean liners can lay at anchor or tie-up
at the dock with perfect safety, no matter how stormy it may
be outside. On account of its strategic advantage the local
harbor is the best natural naval base in the Pacific, and a naval
station reservation has been made by Uncle Sam on Hawkins
Island, directly in front of Cordova. When the Bering River
coal is opened and mined, and we believe it will be at no dis
tant day, the battleships of the western fleet can coal here, pro
viding of course that no mistake is made in the selection of a
harbor as the outlet for this fuel.
The Alaska Railroad Commission appointed by President
Taft, the personnel of which embraced men experienced in the
work for which they were selected, namely an investigation of
the routes and terminals for the government railway, unhesi
tatingly reported in favor of the Cordova harbor, which is well
sheltered and can be easily fortified from evasion or attack.
Among other favorable things it said:
“After its careful study of all available harbors the com
mission is of the opinion that the one at Cordova is, without
question, the best. It has no disavantage not possessed by all,
and one great advantage possessed by no other—namely, an
ample area of good anchorage. Cordova is the logical outlet
for the Bering River coal.”
In this connection it might not be amiss to quote the
remark of the Commander of the U. S. S. Maryland, when he
steamed up the bay. “This is what I call a real harbor,” he
exclaimed, and when met by a delegation from the Cordova
Chamber of Commerce he frankly admitted that the Cordova
harbor was by all means the best one he had visited in Alaska.
The Commander of the U. S. S. Buffalo, who spent five or six
weeks here last year, was also of the same opinion, but whether
these and other unbiased statements of fact will outweigh what
looks like a preconceived plan to place the naval base in Alaska
at some illogical point, to satisfy the whim of some government
satellites, remains to be seen. In he meantime, Cordova pro
poses to be heard from in matter of furnishing an outlet for the
Bering river coal.
-*n •
LET THE PORK BARREL BE OPENED.
The Seward Gateway has issued a call to anus of recruits
who are willing to go to the front and whoop ’er up at Wash
ington for a big appropriation, with with which to continue the
construction of the government-owned railroad, and we see no
good reason why everybody should not get in and boost for
more money to be expended in Alaska. Possibly with plenty
of funds available the Commission might adopt itself to con
ditions in this northland and allow the laborers to earn a living
wage. Here is what the Gateway has to say:
“The people of Alaska ought to be able to offer some aid to
Secretary Lane in securing a big appropriation for railroad
work at the coming session of congress. How would it be to
get together, find every man who knows a senator or a congress
man and get. them to write a personal letter asking their votes
for the appropriation. Secretary Lane is going to ask for eight
or ten millions, according to the confirmed dispatch to the
Gateway, and he would probably appreciate the aid and en
dorsement of the people of the territory for which he has la
bored with such magnificient fortitude. Are we going to let
Franklin K. Lane fight for us single-handed? Is the territory
of Alaska, and particularly Seward, going to stand by without
raising its voice to the highest possible pitch and let congress
know that Alaskans are behind the. secretary of the interior to
a man?”
-— :o:-—
The residents of Anchorage claim to be living almost ex
clusively, from a vegetable standpoint, from the agricultural
products of the Knik region.
IDITAROD HAS NO NEED OF A PREACHER.
While the residents of the Iditarod section do not claim
; to be any better than other people, they certainly feel that they
are just as good, even if there is no one there to minister to
their spiritual.wants. In fact there is no need of a “sky pilot**
in that “neck o’ the woods” if Editor Arbuckle’s paper speaks
by the book. A minister of the gospel-wrote to Iditarod asking
if the camp needed his services and the Pioneer replied editorial'
1jt on the subject as follows-:
“We may as well be entirely frank with our correspondent
and inform him at the outset that it is our firm belief that there
is no pressing demand for the services of a minster in Iditarod.
Not that we are an irreligious people—far from it. Nor need
the reverend gentleman be unnecessarily concerned about the
“deplorable fact” that we are deprived of religious services.
The people of the Iditarod section are of such a cosmopolitan
make-up that it is extremely doubutful if there could be found
enough adherents of any ore religion to form a congregation.
The population is rather widely scattered, and travel beween
the different sections is extremely difficult at certain seasons of
the year.
“It is probable that the only kind of minister who would be
at all popular in this section would be an exponent of “muscular
Cliristainity.” Such a person, devoting the business hours of the
day to manipulating a No. 2, and 1 is leisure hours of the day to
spiritural ministrations among his co-workers, would find a
splendid field.”
AMONG THE ALASKAN EXCHANGES.
Let your light so shine that when your summons comes to
join that innumerable caravan, you may put a $80 parka over
head and thank God that you lrve lived to see the price flour
get back somewhere within reach. Pancakes have been 'get
ting so small over at Anchorage that the old prospectors take
gold pans to breakfast and pan for them.—Valdez Prospector.
The naming of Brooks City for the Tolovana camp in
honor of Dr. Alfred Brooks is timely. Were Dr. Brooks to run
for office in Alaska he would secure an overwhelming vote. He
is one federal official who has absolutely refused to play poli
tics and who stood up for Alaskans in the face of political con
servation that would have lost him his job had he been less
directly honest and fearless.—Juneau Dispatch.
William Henry Robinson, the patriarch of Valdez, and
known to nearly every resident of Valdez as “Dad,” has been
granted th pension of $10 per month from the government
under the law passed by the Territorial legislature at its last
session. The pension law is one measure of which the mem
bers of the second legislature may well feel proud', as few per
sons will begrudge the aged pioneers who have spent many
years helping to develop the country, and now that they are
nearing the end of their journey through life, find that they
have failed to prepare for their declining years.—Valdez
Miner.
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THE TERRIBLE WAR.
The war drags its way in Europe; on sea and on land, under
the sea and in the clouds; the first bitterness seems to have
crystalized into a consuming hate which adds a new savagery
to all that is done. It almost seems as though among those con
tending nations “judgment had fled to brutish beasts and men
have lost their reason,”
What is hoped for? Thirteen months of fighting and noth
ing gained. Millions of men have died, even* home is in
mourning, a debt which can be named but the magnitude of it is
beyond comprehension, has been created; the winter is already
in the Alps, and, on the eastern frontier advance columns
are planting their gurdons; what is expected by continuing the
frightful sacrifices?
Cannot the neutral nations do something? Why should
not our government call a new session at The Hague Tribunal ?
Has it no influence, especially if backed by all the sister neutral
nations and the head of the church whose religion is the ruling
one among half the nations that are at war?
Have not men enough been killed already? Have not
hearts enough already been broken ? Has not the debt reached
magnitude enough?
Have not the representatives of our hundred millions of
people no influence?
All Spanish-America would join us, so would Spain and
Holland and Denmark and Sweden and Norway in a confer
ence that would cry out for peace and ask all the belligerents
to cease killing each other and submit tliei respective claims to
arbitration. Why not try it?
-:o:
The United States signal corps is extending its telegraph
line to Anchorage, and the new railroad terminal will soon be
in direct communication with the states.
Whatever else may be said of Taft, he nevers uses taffy—
he says what he thinks abaut popular reforms, which is more
than many politicians dare to do.
In order to provide water transportation from Cordova to
Tacoma for the big copper ore shipments from Kennecott the
Alaska Steamship Company has purchased two additional
freighters, now in use on the Great Lawes of the East as ore
carriers.
As an incident related in some manner to that gentlemen’s
recent visit to Ketchikan, the Progressive mentions that Mr.
John Rustgard, the former district attorney for this division,
is spoken of as the most promising timber available, found in
the rank and file of the republican party as candidate for dele
gate to congress at the n xt election.—Douglas News.
The announcement of the owners of the steamer Corwin,
which has been on the Nome run for many years, that they con
template putting this little craft on a winter schedule from
Seward to Anchorage, mny prove whether or not Cook’s Inlet
can be navigated during what is now known in that section as
the closed season.
Some Dr. Howard Russell threatens to spend part of two
million dollars to make Ai:;sk:' dry. He says this in the city
which has its Barbary rn-rg. This reminds one of sending of
missionaries to heathen lands when they have millions of sin
ners right at home to experiment on. If you have any decent
part of that two millions, Doc, come up and we’ll help you to
have a good time. Get a Russell on.—Seward Gateway.
The exhorbitant rate charge charged on the government
telephone line between Seward and Anchorage has been abol
ished and we are now informed that the charge is fifty cents
for ten words and three cents for each additional word. That
sounds reasonable.
VOLCANOES. ARE
BIDING DP
NEW ISLANDS
There is always something facinat
ing about the study of volcanoes.
Those in Alaska still claim the atten
tion of scientists, although the lay
man’s interest is only aroused through
some violent outburst above the or
dinary.
Most of Alaska's soil ha* been built
by being ejected from the bowels of
the earth through the numerous vol
cano vents. Formerly these worked
overtime from the panhandle in South
eastern Alaska to the Arctic, and no
one can even imagine the grandeur
and sublimity of the scene when they
were working full capacity.
Scientists are still studying the live
chimney vents to the westward where
new islands rise out of the Pacific and
where the underground forces are evi
dently trying to construct another
mainland.
The latest government bulletin issu
ed has the following to say regarding
volcano ash in Alaska:
Every traveller on the upper Yukon
river has noted a conspicuous white
bed, 4 to 6 Inches in thickness, that
occurs on the river banks. This is
made up of volcanic ash derived from
a volcano located in the northern mar
gin of the St. Elias range more than
100 miles to the south. Though geo
logically speaking the material is of
recent age, yet it was probably erupted
1,400 years ago. There are, of course,
no historcal records of this eruption,
but in the course of explorations in
Alaska much has been learned about
the distribution and thickness of the
material ejected. It originally covered
an area of over 140,000 square miles,
and some of it was carried over 450
miles from the volcano. The deposit
varies in thickness from 300 feet near
near the volcano to an inch or two at
the margin of the area covered by it.
A rough estimate indicates that over
10 cubic miles of material was ejected
at the time of this erruption. During
the erruption of Katmai volcano in
southwestern Alaska in June, 1912,
about 5 cubic miles of ash was ejected,
and about the same amount fell from
the Krakatoa eruption of 1883. This
Yukon eruption is therefore compara
ble in intensity with some of the larg
er eruptions of historical time. All
the available information about this
subject is summarized in a paper en
titled “An ancient volcanic eruption
in the upper Yukon basin,” by Stephen
R Capps, issued by the United States
Geologicol Survey as Professional Pa
per 95-D.
BAD CHECKS TAKEN
AT ANCHORAGE SALE
In the last mall from the East, the
Receiver of the local land office, had
returned to him from the TJ. S. Treas
urer at Washington, three checks
which were accepted in payment for
lots in the recent government auction
at Anchorage, with the statement that
these checks were not “good,” since
the maker's name did not appear on
any of the three. The total value of
the three checks amounts to $272.88.
Receiver Boyle stated today that
the checks had been accepted by A.
Christenson, who conducted the sale,
and that they have been checked up
by a clerk at Anchorage, as well as
by himself, and that after being
brought to Juneau were cashed by the
bank here. The deficiency in the sig
natures was not detected until they
reached the U. S. Treasury depart
ment at Washington.—Juneau Empire.
-:o:
DISTRICT COURT NOTE3
MECCA SALOON GETS LICENSE
The district court granted a liquot
license to Murphy and Thompson, who
conduct the Mecca saloon at Cordova.
The case of Walter Storey vs. S.
O. Breed man et al., was dismissed on
motion of attorneys tor the plaintiff.
Judge Brown overruled the de
murrer to the Indictment In the case
of the Japanese indicted by the grand
jury for supplying liquor to Indians at
Ellamar.and the case will go to trial.
Eleven secret indictments were re
turned last week by the grand jury.
Harry Liston, who has been serving
on the petit jury, was excused from
further service during the present
term as he desired ter leave for his new.
home in Fairbanks with bis family.
-:o:
Before the Federal Court.
The jury in the case of Cardeni Es
in lie, a Mexican, returned a verdict
finding accused guilty of assault with
intent to kill, wound and maim. The
assault took place on a fishing boat
to the westward; A
ANCHORAGE, Sept. 20—'The first
church edifice in Anchorage will be
that of the Catholics, at Sixth avenue
and H street, work upon the fundation
of which was commenced Wednesday.
It will be a frame structure, with out
side veneering of ornamental cedar
blocks, and its ground dimensions are
24x48 feet. The carpenter work is
under the supervision of C. M. Mur
ray and the veneering under James
Powell.
Dr. German, of Valdez, the well
known dentist, has decied to give An
chorage a trial, and has established
himself in the Carrol building, on
Fourth avenue.
The new administration building be
ing erected on the municipal reserve
is rapidly nearing completion, and
when finished will present a hand
some appearance.
Mrs. Fay Farrington and daughter,
who are now living on their ranch in
the Matanuska valley, are spending a
few days in Knik.
Wm. Sherman, of Knik, transacted
business in the terminal city Wednes
day. Mr. Sherman is arranging to re
move to Anchorage to reside.
The painters have finished the work
of painting the postofBce bui'Jmy, an l
it now presents a very plea-ting ip
pearance.
Work in the railroad yards is going
along in a very satifactory manner,
and by the time winter reaches us we
will have the appearance as well as the
name of the ocean coal terminal of the
government railroad in Alaska.
The Alaskan Engineering Commis
sion has a crew of men between An
chorage and Bird creek improving the
winter trail and making such changes
as will enable the winter service be
tween here and Seward to be kept up
to a standard that will prove satis
factory to all concerned.
L. R. Moses, of the U. S. signal
corps, who has been stationed at Val
dez for some time, has been assigned
to the Anchorage office. At present
all communication with Seward is by
telephone, as the telegraph line is not
completed to Anchorage as yet. Mr.
Moses states that it will be two or
hree weeks before the telegraph line
will be in working order. In the
meantime all commercial messages in
tended for points beyond Seward are
first teleproned to that place and
transmitted to he cable office there.
The telegraph and telephone office will
be in the new administration building
now under course of construction, and
until this building is completed the
office is situated in the tent structure
now used by the townsite mnaager.
BIG SHIPMENT OF
SUPPLIES FOR RAILROAD
The Alaska Steamship Company’s
freighter Seward is bringing a full
cargo of supplies for the government
railroad at Anchorage, including rails,
cars, lumber and general construction
material. To complete the equipment
needed for the winter the commission
has ordered 20 Roger ballast cars,
some of which come from the gov
ernment canal project at Celilo on the
Columbia river, the rest being new.
These cars, together with a light en
gine will be taken by the Seward.
In addition to the cars the Seward
will bring north 1,000 tons of 70
pound steel rails for 12 miles of track
from Anchorage to the Interior, 350,
000 feet two-inch plank for sidewalks
in Anchorage and a quantity of bridge
timbers for Seward.
Bids will be opened at Seattle In a
few days for another 1,500,000 feet of
lumber for the engineering commis
sion, bringing the total footage of lum
ber purchased by the commission this
fall to 5,500,000.
The Admiral Watson, which sank
at Seattle, had 50 tons of rails and
75,000 feet of lumber for the com
mission which will be brought north
as soon as it is transfered.
-:o:
ARTICLES ARE FILED
BY NOME COMPANY
Articles of incorporation were field
in the office of the territorail secretary
at Juneau by the Alaskan Industrial
Mining &. Power Company, organized
under the laws of South Dakota, and
with Nome as its principal place of
business In Alaska.
The company Is capitalized for one
million dollars and Is to engage In a
general mining and power business.
A. J. McConnel of Nome-is named as
the resident agent for Alaska.
JOS. IBECK AND PARTY
CAUSE FRIENDS WORRY
Considerable anxiety is felt as to
the safety of Joseph Ibeck and wife
Miss Dorothy Hancock and Master
Hancock, who left Cordova in the
former's power boat for Middleton
Island about August 21, and since
which time nothing has been heard of
of them.
The Progress left here for Katalia
about same time and passed the party
on its way to the Island. Four days lat
er the Progress passed Middleton and
reports that the Cordovans had not
reached there up to that time. While
it is possible the party may have put
back to Boswell bay, to await favor
able weather, the friends of the miss
ing people are very much exercised as
their safety.
Arrangements are being made to
secure the Northland, which is now at
Katalia to make a trip to Middleton
Island and learn positively whether or
not Mr. Ibeck and party ever reached
there.
-:o:
MARIPOSA STEWARD TO
TAKE SHORT VACATION
Teddy Taylor, the popular steward
of the stenmship Mariposa, will be
missed by his many Alaskan friends
during the next two months, when
the Mariposa makes her trips. He
has been granted a vacation of two
months, to begin when the Mariposa
returns to Seattle from her present
trip. Mr. Taylor will visit the San
Francisco exposition and makes a trip
through lower California before going
to the Gilroy Hot Springs.
Miss Western, stewardess on the
Alameda, and Miss Sullivan, will take
their annual vacation at the same time
and will spend au outing of several
weeks away from the sea. They will
visit the sunny south after taking in
the exposition.
ALASKA'S TRADE
MAY REACH
Alaska’s commerce with the United
States practically all of which is ship
ped to and from Seattle will be in
creased from $64,799,245 last year to
at least $100,000,000 this year, and it
may exceed that sum. The number of
passengers going in and out of Alaska
will double that of last year.
This is the opinion of M. S. Whit
tier, deputy collector of customs at
Juneau, formerly of Cordova who has
been in the Northern service for more
than a dozen years.
The first seven months of the year
showed a tremendous improvement in
both exports and imports, according
to records compiled by the department
at Juneau, the increases in exports,
being mainly to the line of copper and
other metals. The imports to Alaska
this year exceed the figures for 1908
09, the record years of the country,
when the Copper River & Northwest
ern railway was under construction.
The increase in imports this year
is due to the mining activity at Ju
neau, where tremendous plants are
being installed, augumented by a lot
of material shipped to Anchorage for
use in the construction of the govern
ment railroad and an Increased num
ber of small quartz mills and mining
plants shipped to various parts of the
Territory.
Gold exports are already |2,000,00o
ahead of those of last year. This is
accounted for by the fact that big
plants have been in operation in low
grade ore. The increase in copper
comes mainly from the Kennecott
mines, which are shipping at the rate
of more than $1,000,000 a month.
The increase in the number of pas
sengers going in and out of the Ter
ritory this year is due, Mr. Whittier
believes, to the fact that Alaska re
ceived a tremendous amount of ad
vertising when the appropriations for
the construction of the government
railroad was passed by Congress. The
value of the advertising was enhanc
ed by work done by Seattle newspa
pers and commercial institutions.
Tourists, unable to go to Europe, were
attracted to the North.
-;o;
SEWARD LOTS MAY NOT
BE SOLD THIS YEAR
A. Christensen, of the Alaska land
office field service, who handled the
government’s real estate deal at An
chorage, has stated that there is a
possibility that the sale of lots at
Seward will not be held until after
he first of the year. He states that
the land at Seward, consisting of 300
lots has been found unsatisfactory
for railroad terminal purposes and
will be sold at auction Mr. Chris
tenson is now in Seattle, and will re
turn to Alaska on one of the first
boats.