The Chitina Leader
CHITINA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-class matter, November 12, 1910, at the postoffice at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—HARRY Q. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Month .I .50
Six Months . 2.00
One Year /. 3.50
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, FEBRUARY 6, 1914.
APPALLING IGNORANCE ABOUT ALASKA
In the name of higher education, the primary and the
night schools, is there anything anywhere in this land of
boasted per capita literacy to equal the following written by
the traffic department of the Lackawanna Steel Company:
“Supplementing ours of December 19, we are advised by
our traffic department that the rates quoted via steamer from
Seattle apply after June 1, 1914, or until such date as the boat
line is operating, as there is no service to Juneau during the
winter months.
“You no doubt are familiar with this feature, but we
thought best to put it in writing.”
If the proprietor of a delicatessen shop in Concord, N. H.,
thought that Juneau was ice-bound during the winter months
ill would be irritating, but when the traffic department of a
great shipping corporation displays so ridiculous an ignorance
of the elementary' geography it is almost time for Alaskans to
throw up their hands in despair. And to bring this incredible
notion to the point of laughing absurdity, it is only necessary
to state that the above letter was sent to a Juneau man.
Heartiest congratulations to the careful wisdom of the
Lackawanna Steel Company’s traffic department, which
“thought it best to put it in writing.” There is a cool caution
about that which we must admire. Not for the Lackawanna
Steel Company to take any chances in this matter, though the
icebound condition of the bleak and desolate Juneau is known
to all men. Not all, the fact is on record in their archives.
You’ll never catch that traffic department napping. No,
indeed.—Exchange.
-o—o—o
MEN WHO ARE DOING THE PROSPECTING
There are several hundred people in the Chisana diggings
and a determined effort is being made by these old-timers to
locate paystreaks, not only of the White river district, but also
those of the other sections at the head of the Tanana, and the
fact that there are so many prospectors scattered over that
country is full of encouragement. Besides good pay struck on
a number of claims, fair prospects have beefi found on others
and further work may result in uncovering paystreaks fully
as rich as any in the Tanana region.
As Chisana was a high-priced camp last summer little
real prospecting was done, but as freight is now being
delivered from McCarthy to Chisana for 15 cents a pound and
the Hazelet trail is in excellent condition for the freighting of
bulky and heavy machinery, there is every reason to believe
that ere spring good reports will be forthcoming. The camp
lias not reached that stage of development when the speculator
or hot-stove miner can thrive and as a result a number of this
class, as well as some chechachos, have been forced to return
to the states and in most instances they gave the country a
knock. But the men with pluck and experience have remained
on the ground and it is from this class of people that we
expect to see the country' thoroughly prospected and the ques
tion of its future determined.
-o—o—o
FAULTY LAND LAWS
________ -’■»—
The defects in the land laws that are pointed out by
Surveyor-General Davidson should be given careful consid
eration. General Davidson, speaking from knowledge gained
of experience, contends that the laws reserving from entry 80
rods between all appropriations of lands along all navigable
waters in Alaska is retarding the development and settlement
of the territory, and really serving the interests of those who
would monopolize the waterfront of the towns. General
Davidson comprehensive letter to the secetary of the
interior, which was published in The Empire yesterday,
presents the case so clearly that further comment is hardly
necessary.
The legislation that General Davidson complains of is in
line with much of the legislation that has been worked off
on Alaska. It is a part of the reserve-creating policy which
withholds resources from development for fear that they
might be improperly used. It is negative legislation. It is
more of that policy that would do nothing for fear some
thing might not be done right. It is the opposite of
constructive legislation. It ties up miles on miles of the
lands of Alaska that are suitable for agricultural and mineral
and industrial purposes in order to prevent monopolization of
the waterfront of a townsite here and there.
The situation is one that clearly demonstrates the need
for co-operation by state and territory with the national
government in the management of the public domain and the
natural resources. It demands one of Secretary Lane’s
suggested “treaty agreement.”—Juneau Empire.
-o—u—o
A census of buffaloes gives the number now in North
America at 3,453, or 546 more than last year. If anyone
wishes to enlarge that number it is easy to raise them. But
for our taste, 3,453 is plenty.
-o—o—o
With the United States the third power in naval strength,
they are high enough on the list. No sensible man wished to
keep them in second place.
OF GENERAL^
Two letters were received from
clie Shushanna on the last mail in
which reference is made to a re
ported strike on the Canadian side
of the line, on the white river water
shed, which was causing a mild
stampede to the new diggings.
Lars Lokke and John Salater,
who went to the Shushanna last fall,
'have written Mark Thompson an in
teresting letter of conditions in the
camp. They states that no new
strikes are being made largely for
the reason that nearly all the prom
ising ground is tied up by non
residents and that the miners have
been putting in their time trying to
find ground for themselves. The
men have a good outfit at the dig
gings and are anxious to secure a
lay on ground owned by Thompson
on Gold Hill.
Lokke and Salater say they have
been unsuccessful in getting
ground of their own and have de
cided to take a lay if one can be
secured and would prefer to begin
working on Thompson’s Gold Hill
claims. He has written them offer
ing good terms to get some of the
ground under development. The
miners have faith in the camp and
believe that when claim owners
begin working in earnest that pay
will be found on a number of creeks.
Considerable excitement was cre
ated in Atlin recently by a display
of gold dust taken from the claim
of Herman Miller, Tom White,
Erick Martin and Nathan Murphy
on O’Donnell river and which had
been placed on exhibition in the
front window of the local jewelry
store there by Herman Miller, one
of the partners who had bought it in.
The gold was recovered by rock
ing and panning the gravel taken
from the end of a 430 foot tunnel
which had been driven by them back
into the hill from the bank of the
stream. It is very coarse, with not
a few good sized nuggets, and has
been greatly admired by all who
have seen it.
The display was divided into four
parcels, of which photographs have
been taken, which are being eagerly
bought up by the people of the town
for distribution.
The following is the value of the
gold and a description of the man
ner in which it was recovered:
1st Gold Pan, $24.40; 2nd Gold
Pan, $63.60; 3rd Gold Pan, $27.40;
4th Gold Pan. $89.30; One Car,
$115.00; One Wheelbarrow, $60.60;
total, $380.30.
As a result of the publicity given
the discovery quite an exodus has
been the order from here and in the
course of the next few days other
equally encouraging developments
are looked for.—Skagway Alaskan.
The new placer camp on the
lower Yukon river, near Andreafsky,
is reported to be developing in a
promising manner, according to lat
est information from Nome. Charles
Dugan, a well known miner of
Nome, but now operating near Mar
shall City, the headquarters of the
new camp, says he took three pans
from discovery dump and got 17
cents. In working discovery all the
owners have to do is to rig up
sluice boxes and shovel in from the
grass roots. Up to the time the
letter was written nobody had
reached bedrock on account of water
but expected to get down as soon
as the weather was cold.
Dugan began sinking on Disap
pointment creek and struck coarse
gold as soon as he reached gravel
but was drowned out before reach
ing bedrock. There are about 150
men in the camp, nearly all of
whom are from Nome and other
coast points.
Mr. C. E. Duffield, who went to
Nelchina some time ago has re
turned via Chitina and will spend
the next two months on the coast
before returning to the diggings. He
reports that Commissioner Shaw
reached Nelchina on January 3 and
opened office next day in his tent.
The recorder’s office is on Crooked
creek about six or eight miles be
low the mouth of Albert creek.
Mr. Duffield says that the miners
in the district are the most hopeful
lot of men that he has ever met.
They all believe the camp will make
good and have been busy prospect
ing but few have been able to reach
bedrock, being drowned out by
water. The weather is colder now
and the gravel will soon freeze
enabling the miners to ascertain the
extent of the pay on bedrock. There
ire about 125 men in the camp but
• he number is be’ng increased everv
’ay as optn*s were com’ng in from
Kn'k and Conner Center
’*->r>r*o " ii r* Vippn nypf
fra'1" tbaf Kn!1r will
be given the preference during the
summer months but say that the
route from Chitina is undoubtedly
the only one for winter travel. Those
who went in over Thompson pass are
emphatic in condemning that route.
Getchel and partners, who took
out approximately 100 ounces of
gold dust from Albert creek last
year, have bonded their property to
Jaffet Lindeberg, the Alaskan mil
lionaire mining man. The price
was $40,000. The ground will be
extensively worked next summer
and supplies are expected to be sent
in during the next few weeks. Sup
plies are short in the camp as none
had reached there up to January 8
except those taken in by the miners.
The miners are stampeding all the
time and have little time for actual
prospecting. Tyone, about nine
miles from Albert creek, is con
sidered a very promising creek.
Considerable work has been done
and fair prospects found although
the miners have not been able to
reach bedrock. Poor Man’s creek,
a tributary of Crooked, w'as stam
peded by moonlight, the miners
wearing parkas and snowshoes.
Claim jumping is promiscuous
and will result in many legal en
tanglements as the snow hides the
stakes and work of the original
locators. Claims are being staked
irrespective of other ilines. The
snow is about three feet deep but
is crusted and makes traveling with
snowshoes easy. The weather ha3
been very cold with little wind.
Mr. Duffield met Freighter Brown,
who is going in with horse teams
about half way between Nelchina
and Copper Center. He was having
considerable trouble as his horses
were not used to the deep snow. He
was relaying his outfit. Brown had
also frozen his feet and was suffering
from the effects, but hoped to avoid
having to come back for treatment.
The country at the diggings is
similar to Fairbanks, but more roll
ing. The benches are plainly
ancient river beds. The Fairbanks
miners are exceptionally hopeful for
the future of the camp. No town
has been started as yet but it is be
lieved that the recorder will locate
his office at the mouth of Albert
creek and that a town will spring
up there. There is plenty of tim
ber on Crooked creek at the mouth
,of Albert, and a splendid opportun
ity presents itself for a roadhouse
there as at present there is no place
for the stampeders to put up except
at the miners’ tents.
Chant Reed, who went to Shu
shanna and arrived there on De
cember 28th, has written E. L.
; Harwood an interesting letter in
i which he says the weather is the
finest he has ever seen in Alaska.
Only 1 inch of fresh snow fell dur
ing the month he has been in the
camp. The weather has been clear
and cold, the mercury ranging from
10 to 30 degrees below zero.
He says that everybody in the
camp is preparing for the big Usings
which they believe will begin to
happen in March or April. Water
has prevented the miners from
reaching bedrock but a number of
drills have arrived in the camp and
are expected to show up several
paystreaks. The result of the
miners’ fall and winter operations
has proven that 30 claims at least
will be producers next summer.
Speaking of his own fortunes he
states that he is going to stay with
the camp. He has secured claims
on promising creeks and was busy
erecting a cabin. There are about
300 cabins in the town now and all
of them are occupied.
Dave Cascaden has returned to
Fairbanks, after having spent four
months in the district. He is a well
known mining man but was unable
to get hold of any good claims, al
though he did considerable pros
pecting and investigating.
Ex-Sheriff Eilbeck and son Jack,
of the Yukon territory, who was re
cently in Cordova on his way out
side from the Chisana, gave the lat
ter camp a knock when they reached
Seattle. Mr. Eilbeck also takes a
whack at the trail to McCarthy and
deliberately falsifies when he states
there are only two roadhouses along
the way and these 30 mils apart.
The only truthful thing he says is
that the government should put the
idle soldiers in the north on patrol
duty on the trail. O. O. Gummerie,
one of the claim owners in the Chi
■ ana, refutes the interviews given
out by the E’lbecks in the follow
ing statement about the camp and
*’’e l>test knock:
“T am ouite familiar with all Jack
Trubeci' bns done in the country. Up
the ?0th of November he and Ids
earty had onlv run a tunnel 75 feet
into a gulch at the lower end of
Gold Hill, in which they struck
water. Eilbeclc wanted a lay from
me on some of my ground, but, as
I did not consider that he knew any
thing about mining, I refused. I
did not want my ground butchered
up by an amateur.
“Out of 22 locations made by me,
there is not one that does not show
a sufficient prospect to Justify any
man putting time and money into
the ground. One of these locations
is 25 miles south of discovery, on
Trail creek. I have completed a
map of the district within a radius
of 30 miles of the discovery, and
anyone is welcome to see it.”
Mrs. Obe Porter, of Gulkana, was
a passenger for Cordova on last
night’s train, on her w'ay to the
states.
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION
Serial 01610
UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE,
Juneau, Alaska, July 12, 1913.
Notice is hereby given that Ocha
Potter of Houghton, Michigan, as
signee of Barnard Needham, Calvin
Deputron and Elijah T. Fudge,
beneficiaries under Section 2306
Revised Statutes of the United
States, granting additional lands to
soldiers and sailors who served in
the War of the Rebellion, has made
application to make entry of the
lands in U. S. Survey No. 595, situ
ated about fifteen miles above the
mouth of McCartny create, a tribu
tary of the Kennicott river, in the
Chitina recording precinct, Juneau
Land District, Territory of Alaska,
and more particularly described in
the fields notes and plat of said sur
vey as follows:
Beginning at Cor. No. 1, a green
stone 16x8x6 ins. set 11 in. in
ground, marked S. 595 Cor. 1 on
side facing claim, from which Cor.
U. S. L. M. No. 595 bears S. 2 JO
chs. dist., said U. S. L. M. is a stone
30x20x8 ins. 15 ins. in the ground
marked with a cross on top and U.
S. L. M. 595 on side. There are
no natural objects or permanent
monuments other than the one just
established available. Thence from
Ccrr. No. 1 S. 10 chs. to Cor. No. 2,
thence W. 5 chs. to Cor. No. 3
crossing McCarthy Creek at 0.50
chs., thence N. 10 chs. to Cor. No.
4, thence E. 5 chs to Cor. No. 1,
the place of beginning, crossing
McCarthy creek at 3.30 chs. con
taining five acres.
Any and all persons claiming ad
versely any portion of the above
described tracts are required to file
with the itegister and Receiver of
the U. S. Land Office at Juneau,
Alaska, tneir adverse claim thereto
under oath during the period of
publication and posting of this
notice, or within thirty days there
after, or they will be barred by the
provisions of the statute in such
case made and provided.
OCHA POTTER.
It is hereby ordered that the
foregoing notice be published for
r*o statutory period in the Chitina
Deader, a newspaper printed and
published at Chitina, Alaska.
C. B. WALKER,
Register.
First publication, Jan. 21, 1914.
Last publication, March 25, 1914.
IN THE UNITED STATES COM
MISSIONER’S COURT, THIRD
JUDICIAL DIVISION. TERRI
TORY OF ALASKA, IN AND FOR
CHITINA PRECINCT.
In the Matter of the Guardianship of
Nels Oscar Sail, a mentally in
competent person, and his estate.
It l's ordered that Friday, January
30th, 1914, at 10 a. m., be appointed
for the hearing of the application of
Charles G. Sail, for letters of guar
dianship of the person of Nels Oscar
Sail, who is alleged to be mentally
incompetent, and of his estate situ
ated in Chitina Precinct, Third Judi
cial Division, Territory of Alaska,
and it is further ordered that the
time and place of said hearing be
published in the Chitina Leader, a
paper of general circulation in said
precinct and territory, for four con
secutive weeks.
(Seal) PAUL d’HEIRRY,
U. S. Commissioner and Ex-Ofticio
Probate Judge, Third Judicial
Division, Territory of Alaska in
and for Chitina Precinct.
Date of first publication, Decem
ber 23, 1913.
Date of last publication, January
13, 1914.
J_t. j*_a_»_». -t. a ,
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! 0. ADRIAN NELSON
• • ___________________________________
«■ ___________________________
:: U. S. Mineral Surveyor
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CHITINA - - ALASKA
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