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FIFTH YEAR CHITI.NA. ALASKA, TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1915. NUMBER 15
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WASHINGTON. Jail. 2(>.—Secretary Lane in a talk on
the railr- ad situation in Alaska intimated today that the work
of the Engineering Commission would not lie considered com
plete with the mere making of its report about February 1 and
that it i> to have another season in Alaska. If it goes north
for the purpose of appraising the value of the Copper River
Northwestern it probably also will go to direct whatever
construction work is to be undertaken. It is learned from
reliable sources that the work of ascertaining the physical
valuation of the C. R. & N. W. property is in progress under
instructions from the company’s head offices.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.—Attributing to the Democratic
administration intention to purchase German ships which have
been interned in American ports if the ship purchase bill is
passed, Senator Lodge declared at today’s session of the Senate
that the measure “would bring the United States within
measurable distance of war—not with England alone, but with
France, Russia and Japan.
Republicans in both branches of Confess have formally
agreed to fight the administration’s ship purchase bill as long
as it is pressed.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.—The official announcement
was made today by Secretary Redfield of the discovery of a
practically navigable channel from Bering sea into the mouth
of the Kuskokwiin river, thus opening the second greatest
river in Alaska to commerce. The discovery was made by
Captain Lukens of the Coast and Geodetic survey during last
year’s work in that section. The secretary adds that plans
are being 111a edin Seattle for construction by different com
panics of light draft vessels designed especially to take care
of expected developments in commerce on the Kuskokwiin
river.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.—The United States has issued
a statement prepared by President Wilson and Secretary
Bryan in defense of its interpretation of the rights and duties
of neutrals. The statement is addressed to Senator Stone. It
replies to the protest of Germany and Austria that the allies
are allowed to buy munitions of war. That they have a right
to do so is set forth impartially and the statement is made
that the right will he rigidly enforced.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.—Germany protested today c<
the state department against shipments of American Hydro
planes to the European belligerents ; n the ground that sucfi
aircraft are war vessels.
ROME. Jan. 2d.—While efforts of the Pope to bring
about peace among the warring nations have not openly met,
with success, yet it is stated at the Vatican much more lm
boen accomplished than some of the parties to tlte conflict
might be willing to admit. However, the report of Cardinal
Gibbons, the accepted head of the American and Belgian
relief, would seem to intensify doubts of the possibility oi
peace coming out of Sir Henry Howard’s appointment by
England as envoy to the Vatican, and the simultaneous effort
F here and in American to have President M ilson appoint a
similar envoy, does not indicate that there is anything but
friendliness to the allies in the overtures for peace from the
Holy See.
Undoubtedly the first point would be to induce Austria
Hungary, the greatest Roman Catholic country, to come
around to a view of peace. This would strip Germany of her
ally and compel her to agree to complete disarmament in short
order. It is with Austria that the Vatican has influence, and
with the Roman Catholic states included in the German
Empire, together with Austria, leaving Germany, such as
Bavaria. Wurtemberg, Saxony, Baden and other Roman
Catholic states, they might be expected speedily to force
Germany to forego for all time her militarism or be shoved
back into the original Prussia.
PARIS. Jan. 25.—Benjamin Morel, United States
L consular agent at Dunkirk, was one of the 20 injured by a bomb
during the raid of German aeroplanes on Saturday. His
wounds are not serious and he will be able to resume his duites
in a few days.
BERLIN, Jan. 25.—A British battle cruiser was sunk bv
German waarships in the naval fight on the North Sea yester
day, the government declares in an official statement; also
admitting that the Bluecher was sunk.
ROME, Jan. 25.—Director Friedlander of the Interna
tional Volcanologieal Institution at Naples, who is in Rome,
says the origin of the recent earthquake was from a geological
cause, and not volcanic, with its epicentrum in the valley of
Garigaliano river.
The registration of the earthquake at the observatory
lasted 40 seconds and became so violent that the needles broke.
It is estimated that the shaking contineud for 20 minutes.
t Mt. Vesuvius showed no signs of unusual activity during
the disturbance.
LONDON. Jan. 23.—The Germans are massing troops in
the neighborhood of La Basse in preparation for another battle
between Ypres and Courtari. The allies are strengthening
I their lines through northern France.
BERLIN, .!;sn. 2(5.—The government has seized all stocks
ot wheat held by growers, merchants and millers, to safeguard
the bread supply until the next harvest. Because of the
absence ot all able-bodied men who have been called to arms,
this season's*< top will be far below actual needs and will
depend on old m< a. boys and women for sowing and harvesting.
LONDON, Jan. 24.—An attempt by a German cruiser
squadron to repeat the attack of December 24 on Scarborough
and Hartlepool was frustrated today by the British patroling
squadron and in a running fight the German armored cruiser
Bluecher was sunk and two German battle cruisers seriously
damaged. The British ships suffered only slight injury. Only
123 men oui of more than 600 of the Bluecher’s crew were
Saved by launches and small boats from the British vessels.
LONDON. Jan. 20.—German aircraft made their long
threatened raid o:i England last night, attempting to blow up
with bomb? Saiiciringham palace, the country residence in
Norfolk, which King George, Queen Alexandra and the royal
family left during the day and returned to Buckingham palace
in London.
Accounts dirt'er as to the character of the aircraft, some
saying they " ere Zeppelins and others that they were areo
planes.
The aircraft flew across the North Sea from a base in
Germany to the eastern coast of England and for four hours
eircled over a group of eight towns a little more than 100 miles
from London. Five persons were killed, a dozen wounded and
several buildings wrecked by the bombs and the entire popula
tion thrown into s panic. The most important towns over
which the airmen appeared were Sandringham. Yarmouth,
Sherringham. Hunstanton, Cromer, Heacham, Dershingham
and Kings Lynn, the latter being the largest with a population
of about 18.0OU
_ ALASKA
It is believed that ,t many year
a new educational system for Alask
1 will be established. Efforts to tlia
end are now going on at Washing
ton, as the following from Corres
pendent Brown would ndicate:
Since the opening of the preset
session of Congress. P,: legate Wick
trsham has resumed bis campaign
bt gun in years past. secure a
grant of land for the common
schools of Alaska. This is part of:
his genera! purpose of creating a
really adequate school system m
the territory, but for the presejit h
has concentrated o uthe matter jf
the grant.
Early in the present month he in j
troduced a new bill oil the subject j
a modification ot those he. intro-j
dueed last year, ami I ready he has!
had a hearing before the committee |
on public lands of the House on the
measure, and bus felt the force o
the opposition that i.* b bag mustered
against it.
The new bill grants *o the terri j
tory sections in and 3 6 in each'
township for the -uppert of the
common schools pr, rides that no j
part of the grant shall ever be sold
but shall be held until 20 years j
after the state is organized, the:
lands to be leased <m lb-year leases!
I in the meantime.
It also grants se.itu.n 33 in each
i township in the Xanana valley
[watershed for the support of an
; agricultural ccibi..- sud school of
i mines to be inai Pained on the four
sections on which the experiment
station is now located near Fair
banks, which four sections are ex
pressly granted to the territory for
the purpose. A university commis
sion to recommend a plan for
creating the college and school of
mines is created by the act to In
[dude the. governor, the delegate in
Congress from Alaska and a third
person connected with the depart
ment of agriculture, to be appointe.
by the secretary of agriculture.”
The bill propose < t.<> grant the sec
tions 16 and 30 whether they cor-.-j
tain mineral or nor. but. contains the;
I proviso that those of them that are!
valuable for mineral, including gas,
or oil, “shall not be 3old without!
the affirmative consent of Congress.'-1
In othej words, the bill proposes;
to let the territor conduct its ownj
system of both land and mineral!
leases.
In tile acts which granted schoo
sections to Washington and othe
Western states thai came into th
Union at about the same time th
government expressly held out sue’
sections 16 and 36 as might be. found
to contain mineral, retaining then
in the public domain, but giving th
states right to select other lands n
lieu thereof. However, in the cast
of Oklahoma, more recently ad
mitted, the government made nc
such reservation and let the new
state take mineral and all. Leases
on state owned oil lands in Okla
homa, thus acquired, are already a
considerable source of revenue to the
Oklahoma public school fund.
The department of the interior, in
making its report to the public lands
committee on the Wickersham bill
has reported adversely on this por
tion. It wants title to the mineral
lands retained in the United States
government and is not willing tha
the territory should have any par
of them.
Representative Lenroot of Wis
consin, a vigorous proponent of th.
federal laudlord idea in dealing wit*
the public domain, also is making
a fight on this section, as well as on
other sections. The Lenroot fight i
making an impression.
Hence Mr. Wickersham has indi
cated that he will accept a com
promise, which will give the minera
land in sections 16 and 36 to th
territory, but permit them to b
leased by the federal government
provided the revenues therefrorr
flow into the territory’s schoo
fund. Mr. Lenroot is disposed t<
agree to this.
The. department of the interior in
its report suggested the entire elimi
nation of mineral bearing section.
16 and 36. permitting the territor.'
to select lands in lieu thereof.
Opposition is made, by the depart
ment also to that portion of th
Wickersham bill which would gran
"section 33 in each township in th
Tanana watershed" to the territoria
agricultural college and school o
mines. It regards the provision a
entirely too broad and sweeping
This matter is now being fought
out in the committee.
Out of all this, though perhaps
not at the present session, is to come
legislation on which will be based
the educational system of the terri
tory and future state.
SKATTLK, Jan. I’d.—George James and Andrew Anderson
of Nome have announced themselves candidates for the senate
of Alaska, from the Second division, to til! the vacancy caused
by the recent death ot Senator Rlwood Hruuer, a Republican,
who died on the loth inst., at a California health resort. Mr.
•lames was the Independent candidate and Mr. Anderson, the
Republican, defeated at the late election by Frank A. Aldricn,
a Democrat.
Sec. 411 of the laws of the territory provide that when a
vacancy occurs in either branch of t ■ legislature, the
governor shall order a special election.
ST. LOUIS. Jan. 23.—James J. Hill read a paper today
before the National Foreign Trade convention in session here,
in which he asserted that a government owned shipping line,
“Is almost certain to drag the United States sooner or later
into the European conflict.” Secretary Redfield replied saying
that Mr. Hill’s paper was based on surmises and not on facts;
that it had been advertised over the world that we would get
into trouble if we bought German ships; yet the government
had been approached to buy British, French and Russian
vessels. The secretary closed with the assertion that extortion
of the shipping- interests was closing American factories and
that “violation of written contracts by shipping companies
makes the robber who flourished in the middle ages look like
a public benefactor.”
LOUISVILLE, Jan. 21.—Secretary of Commerce Redfield,
in an address delivered here last night, declared that if the
facts were fully known public opinion would insist upon drastic
action which would prevent a recurrence of the holdups and
exactions of which our foreign commerce is too much of an
! unwilling victim, lie referred to interference of war vessel*
of Great Britain and other warring nations with American
vessels in foreig
SEATTLE, Jan. 21.—The Russian consul stationed here
has announced that his government will place an order with
the Seattle Car & Foundry Company for 15,000 cars for use on
the Trans-Siberian railroad, to cost $10,000,000, if the Seattle
concern will make a reasonable price. William Piggott, presi
dent of the company, says he is making satisfactory arrange
j meats to till the order, which is by far the greatest any factory
■ in the northwset has ever received.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23.—The House today passed the
| army appropriation hill providing for $100,000,000, an increase
j of ah ut $0,000,000 over last year’s appropriation.
BERLIN, Jan. 22.—Lieutenant General Von Falkenhayne
I has resigned as war minister and has been succeeded by Major
| General Von Hosenborn.
PETROG RAD, Jan. 22.—The Austrians have assembled a
large independent army under Field Marshal Loedman and
have occupied passes through the Carpathian mountains mu
already in possession of the Russians, in an endeavor to cheek
the Russian advance into Hungary from the provinces • f
Galicia and Bukowina.
TACOMA, Jan. 22.—On two indictments returned by the
recent grand jury, Edwin Scott of Raymond, Wash., was
sentenced to six months in jail by Federal Judge Cushman, for
threatening the life of the German ambassador, Count Von
Bernstorff. Scott admitted writing two letters to the envoy in
which extravagant threats were made. These, he said, “were
all a bluff.” Secretary Bryan and the attorney general took a
direct interest in the prosecution. Prominent Raymond citizens
vouched for Scott’s previous good character.
LONDON, Jan. 22.—William Morris Hughes, acting
premier of Australia, has issued an appeal for more recruits to
reinforce the British section of the allies.
LONDON, Jan. 22.—The British steamship Durward was
torpedoed by a German submarine at a point not named in the
official report. All members of the crew were saved.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.—President Wilson gave a public
hearing today on the immigration bill, at which appeared many
social workers, publicists and labor leaders. When J. II.
Patton of the Farmers’ National Congress charged that
opponents of the bill desired to Russianize America the
President stopped him.
PETROGRAD, Jan. 21. — The German forces have
appeared in the rear of the Russian army which is advancing
towards the Prussian border. They are along the road from
Plonsk, 40 miles northwest of Warsaw, of Golitz, thus bringing
the Germans between the advancing Russian army and the
Polish capital.
NOTTINGHAM, Eng., Jan. 20.—John L. Curtright, the
newly appointed American consul here, did not take up his
official duties. He departed for the United Statps after the
mayor and other officials informed him he was not welcome
because letters he had written were expressive of strong pro
German sentiment.
GENEVA, Jan. 20.—A severe earthquake was felt
throughout Switzerland at 11:30 last night, causing many
avalanches in the Alps which blockaded railways and roads.
No serious damage has been reported.