FIFTH YEAR
CHOTNA, ALASKA, TUESDAY. JUNE 22, 1915,
NUMBER 35
CONCERNING ALASKA
The Alaska Bureau of the Seattle
Chamber of Commerce has played
an important part during the past
three years in securing recognition
of the needs of this northland. The
work of this bureau is told in a pub
lication just issued under the direc
tion of Secretary J. L. McPherson.
The real work of the bureau
began prior to the 1911-1912 ses
sion of Congress, when a committee
of the Chamber of Commerce made
a‘ tour of Pacific coast states and j
enlisted commercial organizations of
Everett, Spokane, Portland, Oak-'
land. San Francisco and San Diego
in the effort to get legislative relief
for Alaska. Early in the congres
sional session, a committee went to
Washington and began the work of
education. This work was not con- 1
fined to members of congress and
the administration, but was made
general throughout the country
through the news bureau at Wash
ington.
While this work was going on in
Washington, the bureau in Seattle
was busily engaged gathering the
most authentic information about
Alaska as a basis for future work.
All available publications about
Alaska were secured and bound into
118 volumes with contents indexed.
A collection of Alaskan maps, in
cluding those of the coast and!
geodetic survey, numbering at pres- >
ent 426, were callected. From this
data, a large atlas of 34 feature
maps showing the size, climatic ar.d
social conditions, commercial facili
ties and resources of Alaska was
compiled.
Action on Alaskan railroad legis
lation was expected in 1914, and
the work of the bureau was centered j
on congress. The entire Alaskan i
exhibit of the bureau was taken to j
Washington and maintained there In j
charge of Secretary McPherson, j
President Wilson, members of the'
cabinet and a large portion of the
membership of congress were in-j
duced to visit the exhibit and the j
picture slides shown, the maps and
data exhibited, had much to do with ;
educating the administration and!
influencing congress in its final
favorable action.
me nrsi iwo years oi ms admin
istration of President Wilson have
resulted in the passage of the'
Alaskan railroad act and the begin
ning of construction of government
railroads in Alaska and increased
appropriations for aids to naviga
tion. coast surveys and all govern-1
ment activities in Alaska. A coal
land leasing law has been passed,
which, it is hoped, will result in the
development of the enormous coal
deposits of Alaska, and a spirit of
encouragement is being shown by
the government toward development
, that has been heretofore, lacking.
Other accomplishments of the
bureau were the raising of more
than $11,000 for the relief of Nome
in the. 1913 flood, the settlement^ of
trade differences arising between
Seattle merchants and Alaskan cus
tomers, the distribution of thou
sands of pieces of literature on
Alaska, the. answering of thousands
of letters of inquiry and the giving
of information to other thousands
who have called at the headquarters
of the bureau at the Chamber of
Commerce.
The total expense of 1912- 1913
and 1914 was $33,226.69, all sub
scribed by Seattle business men. J.
E. Chilberg was first chairman of
the bureau, W. T. Perkins chairman
in 1913 and Scott C. Bone in 1914
and 1915.
SAN FRANCISCO—There are as
many Norwegians in the United
States as in Norway—2,500,000 all
told, and their representatives gath
ered here on Saturday for a Nor
wegian celebration at the Exposi
tion Memorial Auditorium. At the
celebration were delegates from the
Norwegian Singers of the Pacific
Coast, the Synod of the Norwegian
Evangelical Lutheran Church of
America, the Federation of Singers
pf the same church, the Young
Peoples’ Association of the Synod;
the Sons of Norway, Daughters of
Norway, and many similar organiza
tions. The. Luther Concert Band of
Decorah, Iowa, just returned from a
tour of Europe, assisted by a chorus
of 1,500 Norwegian singefs, yill sing
at the Exposition.
War Map Showing Forts Along the
French and German Border
A FORTS
4*—-RAIL ROADS
■ FRONTIER
ltus map shows where cue German army invaded Belgium in the vicinity of Liege on its way to attack
France. Another German army passed through the independent duchy of Luxemburg, invading France near Long
wy, and a third army endeavored to break through the French defense between Toul and Epinal.
The French line of defense, speaking broadly, runs from Verdun to Nancy, to Epinal. to Belfort, to Besancon.
Each of these cities is the center of a group of fortifications all facing the German border. It Is because of the
strength of these positions that Germany made an effort to surprise France by invading her through the neutral
territory of Belgium and Luxemburg.
COURTESY IS DEMANDED
President Alexander of the Pacific-Alaska Steamship
Company, has adopted the slogan “courtesy,” and is impress
ing upon all the employees of his company the advisability
and necessity of treating the traveling public, and all doing
business with any agent, with politeness and consideration
Most of the'employees of that company will require but little
coaching to give the public courteous treatment. They have
always done it. They are built that way and just can’t help
it. The grouches working for any corporation, usually require
more than a few kind words to induce them to be civil. They
are more of a detriment to a company than to the public. In |
these days of strong competition the choice of doing business
usually lies with the public. Xo longer does a supercilious
clerk lord it over the man or woman who wishes to patronize
his company, but don’t have to. Where once it may have been
the exception in most of the railroad and steamship offices of
the United States to receive decent treatment it is now the
rule. The higher officials demand that their patrons receive the
same considerate treatment as they would in a store or hotel.
A New York woman says the vote would end women’s
unrest. It hasn’t worked that way with men.
That “movie marriage” on the battleship New York
suggests a protest that we did not raise our navy to be a film
factory.
Fortunately the shifting of the half million dollars worth
of copper ore on the steamer Seward occurred before the
vessel reached the open water of the North Pacific.
The war is costing Britain $150 a second. There is a very
general opinion that it is not worth it.
An Illinois court has ruled that the Republican party
has a right to prevent any other party posing as the “G. 0. P.”
on a ballot. However “grand” the new organization might
claim to be, it could not possibly claim to be “old.”
ROME, May 29.—General Codorna is planning the careful
domination of all Alpine pass strategic points. He is now
holding many of these points while others are being taken.
BERLIN, May 29.—Archduke Eugene will command the
Austrian troops on the frontier of Italy, and it is expected soon
to resist the attacks of the Italians and drive them back.
BERNE, May 29.—Advices from Rome state that there is
a general fear of aerial raids. An air fleet is keeping watch
There has been litigation for some
time past over some property in the
neighborhood of Valdez that is valu
able for its water rights. The land
office at Juneau has just rendered a
iecision in the matter that results
in the forfeiture of the "Ida May” j
lode claim and placer claims known
is the "Huckleberry” and “Solomon
Falls” which were located by Ida F.
\I. lies. Failure to comply with the ;
governmental regulations concerning j
development work and to establish I
proof of the. presence of mineral, is ;
announced as the cause of the action
taken. The case has recently been
investigated by the Juneau land
office at the request of the General
Land Office at Washington, and the
charges made by the government
sustained.
This forfeiture will directly affect
the Alaska Water, Light and Tele
phone Company of Valdez, which
owns and operates a plant on the
ground in question. This plant is
the supply for the city of Valdez,
and under the ruling the company
will have no valid title to the site
they now occupy.
The Katalla Company, a subsid
iary part of the Copper River &
STorthwestern Railway Company, has
just received title to 22 acres of
land adjoining the town of Cordova
on the north. The area adjoins the
3omet and Juneau fraction lode
tlairns owned by Jack Dalton and
\1 Lowe. The final certificate was
ssued last Thursday by Register
Walker and Receiver Boyle, of the
luneau land office and is designated
is U. S. survey No. 829. This is the
termination of former litigation be
tween the Katalla Company and Dal
ton and Lowe. During the progress
of this case, the decision of which
oas settled the question of the right
of possession of this particular prop
erty and of the lode claims,
DETROIT. Mich.—Complete muni
cipal ownership and operation of the
Detroit street railway system before
the end of the present summer is in
prospect. After more than a decade
of bickering between the city and the
Detroit United Railway Company,
terms for the actual transfer of the
property to the city have been prac
tically decided upon and there is
every indication that by July the
municipalit will be in actual control
of the system. Sale of the property
to the city will give to Detroit the
largest municipally controlled street
railway system in the world. Value
of the company’s property has been
variously appraised at from $1S,
000,000 to $35,000,000. At a spe
cial election, to be held during the
latter part of June, voters of the
city will be asked to give their final
approval to the purchase plan.
NEW YORK —The Twentieth
annual convention of the National
Association of Manufacturers opened
at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Prominent manufacturers from all
parts of the United States were as
sembled to discuss the effects of the
year's political and economic de.vel
opements, internal and international
on their business. William Howard
Taft, former president of the United
States: Senator Warren C. Harding,
of Ohio; and other speakers of na
tional reputation addressed the man
ufacturers.
LOS ANGELES, Cal.—Not only
may Los Angeles girls learn to cook,
and sew in the public schools, but
they ir.av become students of baby
culture with real live, gurgling,
wriggling babies to practice on. A
course in the care and nursing cf
infants has been added as a perma
nent feature of the curriculum of
the Polytechnic Evening High School
and the. first class, numbering 3.5
pupils, includes a dozen young
mothers, and prospective brides as
well as younger girls.
TROY, N. Y.—Securely packed
for safe ocean transportation, eleven
huge bells, shipped by the Meneely
Bell Co., of this city are on their,
way to the new million dollar Bible
Institute at Los Angeles, Cal. Ship
ment was made via the all water
route, and this chime will e.njoy the
two-fold distinction of being the first
set of bells to pass through the
Panama Canal and the largest in any
building on the Pacific Coast. A
new chiming system, similar to the'
one used in connection with the fam
ous chime, in Trinity Church, New
York, will be employed for ringing
the Los Angeles bells.
BIRMINGHAM—A big field day
demonstration of the Alabama Safety
Association was held here Saturday
afternoon in Rickwood Park, excit
ing contests between teams of miners
being the feature of the day.
NEW YORK—The Stadium do
nated by Adolph Lewisohn to the
College of the City of New York was
dedicated today by a Greek play pre
sented by Granville Barker and his
cast of famous outdoor players. “The
Tronjan Woman,” of Euripides is
the play that was enacted by the
Barker Company. More than 15,000
attended the dedicatory performance,
including the 7,000 students of tho
College and their friends. City offi
cials will also witness the Greek
tragedy.
DENVER, Colo.—The war is not
interfering with arrangements for
the International Soil-Products Ex
position and the International Dry
Farming Congress to be held In this
city from September 27 to October
9 inclusive. From present plans it
appears that the local Exposition
will vie with the fairs in California,
at least in agricultural interest. The
United States government will have
the most comprehensive display of
its agricultural work that it has ever
made at any exposition. Several of
the neutral nations have indicated
their intention of being represented
and the Farming Congress officials
have sent representatives to the bel
ligerents to obtain exhibits.
WASHINGTON — The conference
between members of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, members of
State Railway Commissions, and
representativse of railroads is now
on.
The Peoples’ store at First and
C streets continues to be the busy
bee hive. Fresh goods and prompt
service are. winning favor and even
more trade than was expected. “Co
Operation” is the winning slogan.
At about Mile SO on the C. R. &
X. W. Railway the Bremner River
runs into the Lopper River, and
since the early days, long before the
building of tne railway, prospectors
have been looking for placer gold
on the Bremner and Little Bremner
rivers. They have been successful
to a limited degree. But the wan
dering of prospectors has resulted
in the discovery of considerable gold
quartz in that locality. At various
othex localities off from the railway
both gold and copper has been dis
covered hnd many locations made.
In a recent report by Fred H. Mof
tit, of the 1'. S. geological survey,
the following reference is made to
that locality:
“Claims have been staked on a
number of quartz veins on the lower
part of Bremner River and on the
Little 3re.mner. Most of these veins
are small, but a number reach a
thickness of several feet and can be
traced for some considerable dis
tance on the surface. The. larger
veins show a slight mineralization
and are reported to have yielded
small amounts of gold when assayed.
Xo development work has beeji done
on them.
“Several properties between
Chitina and Tiekel were visited by
members of the survey party, but
time to visit all of them was lack
ing. Near the railroad, at Mile 104,
an adit 4 0 feet long had been driven
to crosscut a vein of quartz that ap
peared in the schist on the surface
j above. The. vein, which is four feet
I thick, strikes X. 10 degrees E., and
dips slightly to the east, carries gold
and a small amount of galena. A
short distance to the south is
another property on which assess
ment work has been done, and vVhicli
is reported to carry gold in varying
amounts up to $4 5 a ton.
• “Tlie property of the Standard
Mines Co., is on the ridge near the
head of Eagle Creek, over 4,000 feet
above the Copper. A shallow verti
cal shaft was sunk on a quartz vein
in schist. The vein, which strikes
north and dips slightly east, is about
13 inches thick at the surface but
is a little larger below. It carries
visible free gold associated with
pyrite and galena. Assays of $00
to the ton have been obtained, as
well as much higher values from
picked specimens. Xearby proper
ties show the same sort of surface
croppings, but carry a little chalco
pyrite in addition to the sulphides.
“Other gold-bearing veins nearer
the coast on Copper River and in the
mountains between Copper River
and the Military Road have had con
siderable work done on them but
have not developed into mines.
“During the summer of 1911 a
considerable number of men were
engaged in prospecting on the west
side of Copper River between the
Chitina and the coast. Gold-bearing
quartz float was found at various
places and many small gold-bearing
veins were discovered. A few of the
veins give basis for mining projects
but have not yet been opened up
sufficiently to prove their value, al
though more or less work has been
don“ on them.
“A number of copper claims have
been staked in the mountains be
tween Canyon Creek and Chitina
River and at the head of Canyon
Cre.ek. One of them, the Blakney
property, near Taral, is patented.
On three or four others consider
able work has been done, but on the
remainder operations have, been re
stricted to the assessment work
Alaska has contributed some little
amount exceeding a million and a
half dollars for the betterment
roads and trails in the north. This
is in addition to the sums appropri
ated by Congress. The facts were
brought out before a roads discus
sion at Juneau at a meeting of a
legislative committee. A letter
written by Capt. Glen E. Edgerton.
a member of the Alaska Road Com
mission. and under whose direction
the money was expended, gives the
following informatoin:
"The exact amount from the tax
fund expended on roads other than
‘military and post roads’ in each of
the. divisions is given below. The
figures are to the end of the last
fiscal year.
"In, addition to the above, all of
the special appropriations and a
small part of the tax fund have
been expended on the. routes con
sidered as ‘military and post roads’
within the meaning of those words