THIRD YEAR.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY' 4, 1913.
M'MBKK 10.
OF GENERAL INFORMATION
Copies of the Congressional Record
received indicate that bills for the
relief of the destitute have been in
troduced in the House by Delegate
Wiekersham and in the Senate by
Senator Nelson, of Minnesota, for the
relief of the destitute in this terri
tory. Both bills follow the recom
mendation of Governor Clark in pro
viding that the sum necessary be
provided by taking a percentage of
the Alaska fund. The House bill is
quite elaborate and provides for the
disbursement of the fund by United
States marshals and their deputies.
The Senate bill is simple and merely
provides authorization for the use of
a certain percentage of the funds.
Speaking of the necessity for the
relief of the destitute, and the efforts
made to secure the passage of a law,
Governor Clark said:
“This season is a season of the year
when we must regret more than ever
that no provision has been made for
the relief of destitution in Alaska.
As is well known the cases which are
objects of charity are comparatively
few iu this territory and usually are
the result of physical accidents. A
bill was passed by the Senate in May,
1911, setting aside five per cent o>'
the Alaska funl for relief of indigent
white persons. When I went to
Washington last winter I urged the
House committee on territories to
take some action on this bill, which
had been pending in the House for
nearly a year. The Senate bill was
soon passed by he House, but in a
radically amended form. If the bill
had taken its natural course it would
have been sent to a conference com
mittee of the two houses with the
object of reconciling the differences
and reporting it back for final pas
sage. So far as I can learn no con
ference committee ever acted on the
measure. I have gone as far as I
can appropriately in the matter, but
it is regrettable that this bill which
has become so nearly a law has not
been finally acted upon.”
-o—o—a
When It. Takes Pound Rates.
If a parcel weighs more than four
ounces it will take the pound rate in
shipping under the new parcel post
law as applied to Alaska and will
cost 12 cents. If your package
weighs less than a pound, the only
way to beat the game is to hoist in
a boulder or two until the full six
teen ounces are attained. Photo
graphs do not come under the pro
visions of the new law.
-o—o—o
Stikine Blew Some.
"Yes sir! that ere Stikine can blow
SOME.” "I’ve seen it blow till the
sand from the river bars shot out
across the straits like a yellow tongue
of fire. Yes sir it blew so far oncet
that the sand tickled the elephant’s
nose and the old Woronkofski up and
sneezed—K-snif.” Who am I?—
Why I’m the guy that put the stik in
Stikine.”—Wrangell Sentinel.
A direct steamship service it is
said will be inaugurated next Spring
between Vladivostock and Prince Ru
pert and Vancouver to carry 4,000
families of Russian peasants who
have decided to settle on farms in
the northern part of British Colum
bia.
Ten dollar share of the Alaska
Gold company, holding company for
the Alaska Gastineau company, are
selling at $19 a share on the Boston
stock exchange. It is predicted this
stock will ultimately sell at $40 a
share.
--o—o—o ■ -—
Coarse gold, impregnated with
quartz, has been found in the Salcha
ket district, and prospecting for plac
er and quartz has received a fresh
impetus.
-o—o—o
Juneauites are anxiously awaiting
an appropriation by Congress to pro
vide quarters for the first Alaska
legislature.
o o ■ ■ o- .- -
Mine inspector Smith has gone tc
the states for a brief vacation.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30—The
Naval committee learns that it cost
$75 a ton to mine 855 tons of coal
from the Cunningham claims in the
Bering river field, near Katalla.
This work was done under the super
vision of the Bureau of Mines for the
Navy department, who desire to make
a test of the Alaska coal on battle
ships. The expedition started last
fall and consisted of forty miners.
Through numerous mishaps and ac
cidents in attempting to make a land
ing at Katalla some delay was oc
casioned and a great loss sustained.
The barge, with all of the provisions,
tools and machinery aboard was lost
and had to be replaced.
The $75,000 appropriation for the
expedition has been expended and al
though the coal has been mined, sack
ed and piled there are not sufficient
funds left to transport this fuel to
Bremerton.
The naval committee is now asking
Congress for an appropriation to be
used in shipping the fuel to the navy
yard on Puget Sound.
J. Peter McDonald, of Katalla,
who is here fighting for title to his
coal claim on Caribou Mountain, ad
joining Bering Lake, has made a lib
era! offer to the Navy deyartment to
furnish it with fuel from his mine.
He agrees to furnish 2,000 tons of
coal for $12,000, which is at the rate
of $6 a ton. This proposition has
created considerable interest here.
Donald says he wants to demonstrate
the fact that he not only has a mine
but can produce coal at a figure which
would be a great saving to the gov
ernment.
Jack Underwood, formerly of
Nome, writes the following interest
ing story of the first coal land patent
in Alaska:
“Bill” Whorf, the man to whom
the patent was issued was one of the
few' who did not lose confidence.
“Three years ago,” he said “I went
to Washington and put the whole
thing up to President Taft. I told
him of what I and my wife had •'>n
dured to secure the claim. I told
him that I had been selling coal to
the United States government, landed
at my dock, at Port Graham, at $5 a
ton up till 1908, when I was stopped
by an agent of the interior depart
ment, who threatened me with prose
cution.
“I told him that, from that time
on, the government paid $7 a ton for
Canadian coal and paid me $2 a ton
for the privilege of landing it on my
dock. Mr. Taft promised me he
would look into the case personally,
and that he would see, if what I said
was true, that a patent would be is
sued.
“Notwithstanding the delay I al
ways have had the greatest faith in
the honesty and integrity of Mr. Taft,
and I am glad that the patent was
granted for two reasons—-that I was
not mistaken in my judgment and the
fact that myself and my family and
those who have assisted me fiancial
ly will be able to reap the profits of
our efforts. We shall open up the
mine and place the coal on the mar
ket next spring.”
Just how the interior department
is going to reconcile the decision in
the Whorf case with other decisions
that has been rendered is a problem.
Clarence Cunningham and other lo
cators applied for patent under al
most precisely similar conditions and
paid the government $32,000 for the
claims. The patents were denied and
the money retained in the United
States treasury. There is no method
by which they can recover it other
than by a special act of Congress.
Jules Redelsheimer, well known in
Seattle, has greatly assisted Whorf in
getting the patent to the sixty-flve
acre tract. The fuel is classed as
subbituminous running all the way
from 35 to 75 per cent in fixed car
bon. It is not of a grade that could
be used in a smelter—the kind of
fuel so badly needed in Alaska—but
is good steaming coal and will be
used largely by coal burning ships
plying in Alaska waters.
RUUNG ON NEW PlACBt UW
_.
The local land offices in Alaska are
in receipt of a circular letter which
expounds the intrepretation of the
department of the interior on the new
placer mining law passed at the last
session of Congress. The rulings are
precise and should be carefully con
sidered in connection with the ne-'
law, several sections of which con
tain a certain amount of ambiguity.
The letter follows:
Gentlemen: Your attention is di
rected to the act of Congress ap
proved Aug. 1, 1912 (Public No.
250), entitled “An act to modify and
amend the mining laws in their ap
plication to the Territory of Alaska,
and for other purposes.” a copy of
which appears below.
It is important to note that this
act applies exclusively to placer min
ing claims located in Alaska on or
after Aug. 1, 1912. It does not in
any manner relate to lode mining
| claims, or to placer mining claims
located prior to said date. The
terms of the act lay strict limitations
land conditions with respect to placer
location made upon or after said
date.
Section 1 of the act provides that
no association placer claim shall be
located after Aug. 1, 1912, in excess
of 40 acres. This limitation is possi
tive, whatever may be the number of
persons associated together or what
ever the local district rules or regu
lations may permit.
Said section further provides that
on every placer mining claim located
in Alaska after the passage of the
act, and until patent therefor hts
been issued, not less than $100
worth of labor must be performed or
improvements made during each
year, including the year of location,
for each and every 20 acres or excess
fraction thereof included in the
claim. This means that the first an
nual expenditure on such a piece-’
mining location must be accomplish
ed for and during the calendar jear
in which the claim is located instead
of during the calendar year succeed
ing that in which the location i3
made. Moreover, the amount of an
nual expenditure is dependent upon
the size of the claim, it being re
quired that at least $100 must be
expended for each 20 acres or ex
cess fraction thereof embraced in the
location.
By section 2 it is provided that no
person, as attorney or agent for an
other, may locate any placer mining
claim unless duly authorized by a
power of attorney properly acknowl
edged and recorded in some record
er's office within the judicial division
where the location is made. Fur
thermore, an authorized agent or at
torney can act in making locations of
placer mining claims for only two in
dividual principals or one associate
principal during any calendar month,
and during that period may not law
fully locate more than two claims
for any one principal, either indi
vidual or association. No placer
claim can lawfully be located except
in compliance with and under the
limitations of the act.
In order that the land department
may be fully advised in the prem
ises, the following requirements must
be met with regard to applications
for placer mining claims located in
Alaska on or after Aug. 1, 1912:
(a) Where location is made by
agent or attorney the power of at
torney must be in writing and must
be executed and acknowledged in ac
cordance with the laws of the terri
tory, or district in which it shall be
executed. It must be recorded in
the proper recorder's office as pre
scribed by the act. The application
for patent must be accomplished by a
certified copy of such power of at
torney, which must show the record
ation thereof, but tt will be suffi
cient if such certified copy is at
tached to and made a part of the ab
stract of title.
(b) One of the principal purposes
of the act is to limit the number of
| placer mining locations made in Al
taska through agents or attorneys.
An agent or attorney cannot at one
time represent more than two idi
viduals or one association under pow
ers of attorney. A duly authorized
agent may make two locations for
each of two individual principals, or
for one association principal, during
any calendar month, but he can make
no further locations during that
month for those or other principals.
The application for patent should
accordingly be accompanied by the
sworn statement of the agent or at
torney setting forth specifically the
names of all placer-mining claims, to
gether with the date of location and
names of the locators, which were
located or attempted to be located
by him under powers of attorney
during the calendar month in which
the placer claim applied for was lo
cated.
(c) By section 3 it is prescribed
that ho person shall directly locate.
or through an agent or attorney
cause or prucure to be located, for
himself more than two placer-mining
claims in any calendar month, pro
videded. however, that one or both
I of such locations may be included in
an association claim,
j Whenever a person or an associa
tion has participated in the locating
'of placer-mining claims in Alaska to
, the extent of two such claims in any
j calendar month, such person or such
association thereby exhausts the
| right to make placer locations for
that month. The application for pat
ent. therefore, for a placer-mining
'claim located in Alaska on or after
!Aug. 1, 1912, must contain or be ac
companied by a specific statement,
under oath, as to each locator who
had an interest therein, showing
specifically and in detail all placer
locations made by him, or in which
he was associated, either directly or
.through any agent or attorney, dur
ing the calendar month in which the
claim applied for was located. If no
locations in excess of those permitted
by law were made during such cal
endar month, a specific statement,
under oath, to that effect should be
submitted. This showing must be
made in addition to that hereinabove
required of the agent himself.
Section 4 of the act prohibits the
patenting of any placer mining claim
located in Alaska after the passage
of the act which contains a greater
area than that fixed by law or which
is longer than three times its greatest
width. The surveyor-general will be
careful to observe the above require
ment and will not approve any sur
vey of a placer location which does
not in area and dimensions conform
to the provisions of law.
By section 5 of the act it is de
clared that any placer mining claim
attempted to be located in violation
of the provisions and limitations of
the act shall be null and void and the
| whole area covered by such attempted
location may be located by any quali
jfied person the same as if no such
j prior attempted location had been
made. Consequently, any attempted
placer location not made in conform
ity with the act is a nullity, and the
\i nd covered thereby is open for and
subject tc proper location at any
time.
It will be observed that the act
does not affect the number of claims,
lode or placer, and if placer whether
located before or after the passage i
o*' the act, which may be included ill
a single application proceeding.
NEW SUPERINTENDENT fOR ROAD
SEATTLE, Feb. 3—Caleb Corser has been appointed Superintendent of the Copper River
& Northwestern railway, announcement of this fact having been made upon Vice President R.
W. Baxter’s return from New York, where he has been in attendance at a meeting of the Board
Directors of the Alaska Syndicate. Mr. Corser succeeds Superintendent Geo. Geiger, who has
held the position for the past seventeen months and resigned some time ago.
The new head of the railroad has been identified with this enterprise since its earlist days.
Through efficient service he has rapidly advanced and until his last promotion held the posi
tion of Division Engineer. He left Cordova early in December on a sixty day’s leave of absence
on a visit to his parents in Minneapolis.
Mr. Baxter says that Mr. Corser is due in Seattle in time to sail from here for Cordova on
the steamer Alameda, leaving next Saturday.
i -....■■■—■ ■ ■ 1 ——— ■ ■ ■■■■ ■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■ ■■■ —
MOTHER CAMP WILL
NOT BE MOLLIFIED
Camp Skagway, No. 1, the mother
camp of the Arctic Brotherhood, will
have none of the eleventh hour re
pentance of grand camp officials ac
cording to Senator-elect J. M. Tanner,
who is now in Juneau.
“There is only one thing that will
satisfy Camp Skagway,” said Mr.
Tanner, “and that is the creation of
a new grand camp entirely within the
jurisdiction of the order. The
grand camp violated the constitution
at its last session and by its own acts
became an outlaw of the order and is
not entitled to any recognition at all.
Cam Skagway holds that there is no
longer a grand camp of the order
and the camp will hold itself aloof
from any entangling outside influ
ences. When the convention is held
in Juneau on March 14 there
will be regularly elected delegates
from every camp in the order and
there is every indication that a new
grand camp will be organized entire
ly within the jurisdiction of the
order.”
H. P. M. Birkinbine, of Haines, en
dorses practically everything put
forth by Mr. Tanner. Mr. Birkinbine
says that Camp Haines will stick by
the plan to cut off entirely all outside
Influence and that the subordinate
camps are the real power of the or
der—no half way measures will do
for Haines; the outlaw organization
will have to go.
-o—o—o
Airship lane for Alaska.
Facoln Joslin, of Fairbanks, is in
Germany, investigating the workings
of the Zeppelin airships, with a view
to establishing a line in Alaska, pro
viding they are feasible for passen
gers and light freight traffic.
-o—o—o——
With regard to a President who
rides a blcyle, the point is noted that
you can’t make n nhetr'^raph of him
and his steed I, aping a five-bar
fence.
I OF ■
Hon. Robert D. Gray, representa
tive-elect from Katalla, is enjoying a
short trip to the states prior to en
tering upon his new duties at June
au.
Speaking of the future of the Ka
talla section, Mr. Gray said: “Every
body in our section is cheerful and
hopeful. We have the natural re
sources, coal and oil, and it will be
developed and used. That the new
administration will deal justly with
Alaska, is the belief of everyone.
The people who are entitled to coal
claims will get them and every fair
minded person should be satisfied
with that—but of course distress oc
casioned by the lack of action on the
part of the government will never be
recompensed. After the sweeping
order reserving all of the coal lands
it became impossible to get money to
carry on our oil development a>d of
course, Katalla started backward.
Some of us held on and we have been
doing the best we could under the ad
verse circumstances.
“With the election of Mr. Wilson to
the presidency things took a more
hopeful tone. Since election day
some money has been found available
for development work in oil lands
and plans are now under way for still
greater activity.
“Some day Bering river coal will
hauled down to Controller bay for
shipment. It is not possible to say
off-hand what group of capitalists
will build the road, but the road will
be built—it is the only logical thing
to do. When the coal mined by the
government for experimental pur
poses has a test, something will be
started. I have never been a strong
believer of government ownership of
industries but I am getting to think
it a good plan to have government
built railroads in Alaska or at least
to have railroad building encouraged
and rates regulated by the govern
ment. We should have several traffic
arteries leading back to the great
valleys of the interior and then our
country would fill up with home
seekers and reach a high state of
development.”
Mr. Gray says that although the,
organic act seems to place many re
strictions on the powers of the new
legislature that he believes much
good can be accomplished if the mem
bers of the new branch of Territorial
government attend strictly to tl»5
business which calls them together
and resist the temptation to play at
politics.
--*»—o—o
Cordova, Jan. 29.
The accumulated interior mail has
at last reached Cordova and the local
postoffice force worked all night as
sorting it, which was dispatched to
Seattle on the steajner Northwestern.
The mail considered mostly of first
class matter, including forty-six
pouches of registered letters and
parcels.
A large number of people gathered
at the station shortly after midnight
to welcome the train and return of
the men who have been to the front
so long battling against the elements
to open traffic. It was 1:30 o’clock
when the train arrived, which con
sisted of the small rotary, three en
gines, caboose, three outfit cars, two
flat cars, two tank cars and one oil car
There were aboard about one hun
dred men who had been employed at
various points along the line, and all
seemed glad to get back to Cordova.
This train also brought the interior
mails that have been delayed since
the blockade set in, which was
promptly dispatched to the states.
Some necessary repairs will he
made to the rotary and engines be
fore they again return to the front.
Engine No. 20 is also to be changed
from an oil to a coal burner. It is
estimated that by Sunday or Mon
day everything will be in readiness
to start ouf fully equipped to go
through the canyon and supply the
rotary and engines at Mile 55 with
fuel and send them back to Cordova.
A gang of about sixty men will be
taken along to shovel out drifted
snow in the sheds and canyon.
All of the llrst-ciass mail north
bound having reached Chitina several
days ago dog teams left there yester
day for Mile 53 to transport the paper
mail to Chitina.
--O-O-O '
Dr. A. \V. Crane, a scientist of note
and a member of the faculty of the
University of Pennsylvania, who is in
Alaska investigating coal resources
of the territory in the interests of
outside capitalists, lias become gr^ it
ly interested in the placer gold de
posits on the Kenai river.
I’rof. Crane returned to Seward
recently and speaks in glowing terms
of the contry and the panning that he
did while out.
Prof. Crane declares that the Ken
ai river is soon destined to become
one of the greatest dredging fields in
the world, and expresses his surprise
that big capital has not grabbed all
of the valuable ground.
“I panned on the river from the
upper Kenai river to the lower lake
and got gold in every pan that I took
and some of the pans showed a
mighty tine placer prospect indeed,"
Prof. Crane said. “There is an abun
dance of black sand, and I have sel
dom seen fine gold that seprates from
black sand as easily as the deposits
on the Kenai river.
“At the head of the river we found
course gold, but 1 notice that as we
went down the river the gold kept
getting finer and finer, although the
pans appeared to be of apparently
the same value. High up on the
hills on the lowed river I found in the
pan coarse gold that was rough and
sharp cornered, showing that it was
not long free from the ledge.
“There is every evidence of quartz
ledges on the hills back of the lower
lake, and I will be greatly surprised
if some very valuable mining prop
erty is not developed in this section
in the near future.
‘ The greatest drawback to the
thorough prospection of that section
of the country is the thick moss that
covers everything, making it hard to
locate the ledges. I examined one
property where the owners are work
ing on a four-foot ledge of high grade
gold-bearing quartz that would be
considered a sensational showing
were it anywhere but in Alaska, and
up here it is looked on as a very or
dinary showing 1 think it is very
valuable property.
“i also visited the dredging ground
that was recently taken over by the
German Syndicate of Seattle and was
surprised at the uniform richness of
tlie gravel. I think that the Kenai
peninsula is the richest mineralized
country that I ever visited, and I
prdict that within the next few years
you will have a big, rich, prosperous
quartz camp with the Kenai river
surprising the dredging end of the
mining world.”
-o—o—o ■ ■ ■
JUNEAU, Jan. 31—The local land
office has recommended to the Inter
ior Department that a patent issue to
Judge G. C. Britton, of Katalla, for
his coal claim at Carbu:. .mountain
in the Bering river field. After an
exhaustive investigation the land o.li
ce is firmly convinced that there is
no legal reason why Britton should
be longer deprived of his rights.
When questioned as to the likeli
hood of other claimants being ac
corded their just treatment Receiver
Boyle declined to commit himself,
but made the following statement
that will be of interest to all Alas
kans:
“With the exception of the Cun
ningham claimants, not a single Alas
ka coal land applicant who has paid
his fees and his purchase money has
been finally rejected.”
———o—o—o
Eight months for deliberately
destroying the mail in letter boxes
seems a very ladylike sentence for
those London Suffragettes.
DETROIT, Feb. 4—The criminal
trial of the officers of the bathtub
is now on.