The Chitina Leader
CHITIXA, ALASKA.
Entered as second-class matter. November 12. 1910, at the poatofflce at
Chitina, Alaska, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
ONLY NEWSPAPER IN CHITINA
Published every Saturday by
WHL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—KASKY Q. STEEL
Office: Hotel Chitina Building. Cordova Office: Dally Alaskan
Seattle Office: 551 Colman Building.
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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.
CHITIXA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1012.
CATCHING UP TO JOHN BULL
Our neighbor across the line, the editor of the Dawson
News, assumes that the House and Senate conferees will get
together and give us territorial legislation, lie thus comments
on the subject:
“As to the virtue of the home rule measure, the Dawson
News always has advocated a measure of local government for
Alaska. The News is foreign to Alaska, but has sympathy with
a northern neighbor, and has discussed home rule from the
ethical standpoint keeping consistent to its Yukon advocacy
that the people of the North should have representative govern
ment. Legislators sitting 5,000 miles away in Washington can
not understand the wants of Alaska. A local assembly will
reflect directly the sentiment of the people, and be able to
eliminate many of the fruitful sources of irritation to the people
of the territory and to the nation. Now that Alaska has home
rule, let her get the right to vote in congress as well as to
speak, and she will be on the same level with the Canadian
territory of Yukon, which, although under the British flag, has
far more representative advantages than has the great terri
tory under the Stars and Stripes. Taxation without represen
tation obtains in Alaska as much as it did in New England and
the thirteen original colonies under George the Third. Such
is not the case anywhere in Canada. It is time for Uncle Sam
to come out of the hay, catch up with the procession and be
come as representative and democratic as John Bull. The
home rule bill is the first step. Follow it up.”
-oooo
TURNING OF THE TIDE
Alaska lias good reason to rejoice today, because of the
practical passage of a measure in Congress that will be the
starter of what we hope may soon bring relief to an impover
ished section. While many will be glad that there is soon to
be an election at which a legislative body will be selected, there
is still even greater cause for congratulation. What we need
now more than anything else is development. And a step in
that direction will be the appointment of a railroad commission
to select a route from tide water into the interior that will
connect with our extensive coal fields. If the government in
tends to build a railroad the sooner the route is selected the
sooner will coal operation begin. All competitive points in
Alaska are agreed to submit the decision to an unprejudiced
and competent commission, and the home rule bill makes pro
vision for such a commission. The clause bearing on this phase
of the situation is as follows:
“That an officer of the Engineer Corps of the United States Army, a
geologist in charge of Alaska surveys, an officer in the Engineer Corps ol
the United States Navy, and a civil engineer who has had practical ex
perience in railroad construction and lias not been connected with any rail
road enterprise in said Territory be appointed by the President as a
commission hereby authorized and instructed to conduct an examination
into the transportation question in the Territory of Alaska; to examine
railroad routes from the seabourd to the coal fields and to the interior and
navigable waterways; to secure surveys and other information with respect
to railroads, including cost of construction and operation; to obtain in
formation in respect to the coal fields and their proximity to railroad routes;
and to make a report of the facts to Congress on or before the 1st day of
December, 1912, or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, together with
their conclusions and recommendations in respect to the best and most
available routes for railroads in Alaskn which will develop the country and
the resources thereof, and the best system of constructing and operating
railroads and coal mines in the said Territory for the use of the Government
In naval and military operations and for the use of the people of the
United States: Provided further, That the sum of $25,000, or so much
thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated, out of any money in
the Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, to defray the expenses of said
commission. “
Former National Committeeman Shackleford scored a
great triumph in his home division. The candidate of the
Republican party secured about J50 votes out of the 1,200 cast.
Shack is light of frame, but he certainly is a heavyweight—
when it comes to delivering votes for the opposing candidate.
Our esteemed contemporary in Valdez insisted during the
campaign just ended that the voters of Cordova intended to
vote for Delegate Wickersham because the latter was working
overtime to secure a federal building for this town. Both
statements were far from being correct.
One of the great advantages of the Alaska territorial bill,
if it becomes a law, is the clause that provides for the appoint
ment of a commission to report on the most feasible route for a
railroad from tide water to the coal fields.
With the report that L. P. Shackleford gave the Republi
can managers the double cross at the Chicago convention, comes
the reminder that he did the same thing with Candidate Orr
two years ago.
At first it was feared that pernicouous political activity
might be charged against the Alaska road commission for
sending the men who are working on the Willow creek cut-off
into Chitina to vote. But when it was learned that only four
of them cast votes, and that some of that number were for dele
gate Wickersham, all talk of investigation ceased.
In the fourth division Delegate Wickersham nearly re
ceived a majority of the votes cast. Chairman Herron main
tained his headquarters at Fairbanks, and now some are won
dering why Candidate Gilmore only received 107 votes out of
the 669 votes cast in that town.
George E. Baldwin, campaign manager for Delegate Wick
ersham in this section, can give the Guggenheim interests a
clean bill of health so far as their participation in the recent
election is considered. He declares that neither the railway or
Bonanza mine officials endeaored in any way to influence their
employees as to how they should cast their ballots. And George
knows, for he spent the past couple of weeks in the Copper
river country, although the vote recorded has already proven it.
The recent election closed forever the political domination
of one L. P. Shackleford. He has been a barnacle on the party
for the past four years. He has been finally shaken off and there
is now hope that a rejuvenated Republican party may conduct
its affairs in this territory at least with some honor and credit
to itself
Those stately sentinels that constitute Alaska’s forest re
serve are receiving so much moisture these days that there is
little chance of them withering to death.
When the party of forty expert mining men and geologists
swarm down upon Katalla the patient old burg will for a
moment see visions of a great coal metropolis.
There is already talk that unless the various elements in
Alaska get together before the next election that the Socialist
party will relieve them of any responsibility of conducting the
affairs of the territory. The next contest will likely be in
November, over the election of members of the legislature.
Delegate Wickersham will start on a tour of the territory
the latter part of the month. He seemed to know that it wasn’t
necessary before the election. As a matter of fact the Judge
seems to have the right dope on the method of public office
holding.
Tuesday’s election will go into history as the one particular
contest in Alaska that was entirely devoid of any mud slinging
or unpleasant personalities. While the result lias some disap
pointments, there is no bitterness to rankle.
On the Mauretania a passenger whose name is suppressed
was accused of cheating at cards, and declared that he is an
official of the Standard Oil Company. It is not stated whether
he presented this as a vindication or an explanation.
Matrin Harrais thought that he was in the running for
delegate to Congress, but it turns out that only a few personal
friends wished to give him a complimentary vote.
Candidate Krauczumas received twelve or thirteen hundred
votes in spite of his name.
The man who predicted the millenium for this year has
postponed it till next year. A study of the political situation
s enough to convince even the most confirmed millenium pre
dictor that it will have to be put off. And then again we presume
he wants Alaska’s new territorial legislature to have an oppor
tunity to find out what it was created for.
With the view that half a loaf is better than none the
Interior Department will soon convince the people of Alaska
and the western states that there never was anything just so
?ood as a government leasing system.
-oooo
DAWSON, Aug. 15.—Adding another triumph to her many
achievements Miss Dora Keene, the intrepid woman mountain
climber from Philadelphia, reached Dawson a few days ago.
She crossed the Alaskan Alps through Scolai pass, and came
down the White river, and is the first white woman out simply
for pleasure to accomplish the trip. It is known that Mont
gomery, an old-time Klondiker, and wife were in the district
and crossed the same range in early days, and possibly one or
two white women have been over the course. Mrs. Elizabeth
Schmidt and husband, formerly of Seattle and Dawson, started
over the route two years ago, but have not been heard from
since, and are supposed to have been lost in a crevasse of the
Scolai glacier.
Miss Keene started her trip from McCarthy’s, at Mile 191,
on the Copper River and Northwestern railway. From there on
it meant hard mushing. Crossing the Scolai pass with a man
for guide Miss Keene met the copper claim owners at the head
of the White river, and rested at their camp about two weeks.
She saw Mr. and Mrs. James and Messrs. Slaggard, Kingston,
Griffith and others. Skelly, from Dawson with advices sent up
by F. J. Nolan, arrived at the head of the river about the middle
of July. He soon started back, and was accompanied by Miss
Keene and Mr. and Mrs. James. The entire party came down
in a small boat.
PEKIN, Aug. 20.—There is great dissention in the National
Assembly. Impeachment proceedings are threatened against
President Yuan. He had two generals, member's of Dr. Sun’s
party, executed, and unless he can give satisfactory reasons
therefor, serious trouble is apprehended.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20.—An unconfimxed report was
circulated this afternoon that Dr. Sun had been murdered in
Pekin.
-oooo
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20.—President Taft sent a special
message to Congress late yesterday afteraoon. In it he suggests
that in the Panama bill, which permits American ships free
passage through the canal, that a clause be incorporated which
will allow foreign nations to test the legality of the act by suits
brought in the United States court. This message is the out
come of the cabinet meeting on Sunday afternoon, at which
time every phase of the question was carefully considered and
the attorneys in the cabinet agreed with the President that this
method was the wisest and most expeditious.
Searching through leports, bulle
tins, and other documents issued by
various departments of government
and in other peaces whee authentic
and valuable information sometimes
is found, the following salient facts
about Alaska have been disclosed.
The coast line of Alaska, measur
ing around nil of the islands is ap
proximately 26,000 miles long
more than the distance around the
world.
One mine in Alaska ha3 produced
four times as much gold as the Uni
ted States paid for the entire terri
tory. This mine, the Treadwell, op
erates the second largest stamp mill
in the world. It is exceeded in size
only by the DeBeers mine on the
Witswatersand. South Africa.
Aalska contains approximately
21,000,000 acres of coal lands. Of
this amount 32,000 acres were stak
ed by the men who discovered these
lands. According to the estimates of
competent engineers and geologists,
the coal in Alaska is sufficient to
sustain the people of the United
States for 5.300 years at the present
rate of consumption.
$!SOO,000,000 in Commerce
During the past ten years the
commerce of Alaska with the United
States—in and out—has amounted
more than $500,000,000—several
millions more than the trade of the
United States with the Orient.
The mineral production of Alaska
from 1883 to 1910 amounted to
$206,000,000, more than $195,000.
000 of this amount being in gold.
The avoirdupois weight of the gold
out of Alaska—roughly figured—is a
little more than 4 00 tons. This does
not include several million dollars
in gold brought to the United States
by the Americans from the Klondike
region.
Since occupied by citizens of the
United States, Alaska has yielded
in fishery products—walrus ivory,
acquatic furs, fur seals, whalebone
and fish—$210,000,000. The food
fishes at the close of the fiscal year
1910, had netted $129,301,482, and
the fur seals $50,366,767.
The gross area of Alaska is 590,
804 square miles. The governor's re
port states that the area in acres
is 369,539,600. It cost the United
States Government less than two
cents an acre.
The area of Alaska equals the
combined area of the states of Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachu
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylva
nia, Delaware, North Carolina. South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi and Tennessee.
Dedicated to Solitude
A large portion of the easily ac
cessible land of Alaska has been
dedicated to solitude in the shape of
forest and other reserves. These for
est reserves in some places have been
made to extend over agricultural and
mineral land where it is impossible
to find a stick of timber thicker than
a man's wrist.
A large portion of Alaska lies in
the same latitude as Sweden, Nor
way and Finland, has a much better
climate, more fertile soil, and it is
larger than all three of these coun
tries put together.
There is more agricultural land in
Alaska than in all the Scandinavian
Peninsula, which supports a popula
tion of more than 10,000,000 stock
farmers and agriculturalists. This is
exclusive of the tremendous reindeer
grazing lands stretching northward
front the Yukon river to the Arctic
ocean.
-Mountains ana i.iuciers
Alaska has the highest mountain
—Mt. McKinley—in the continent of
North America. Its utmost altitude is
20.464 feet.
The glaciers in Alaska, many of
which are easily accessible from the
coast, and some of which can be
reached by railroad, are much larger
than any other glaciers in the world.
The scenery encountered on the
journey through the inland waters
of Alaska compares quite favorably
in majestic grandeur and gorgeous
beauty with fjords of Norway, and
Alaska’s mountain scenery is said to
be quite equal in magnificence to that
of Switzerland.
The Yukon River has a total
length of nearly 3,000 miles, and it
is about the fifth largest river in the
world. It is navigable for small river
vessels for a distance of about 2,400
miles.
The copper product of Alaska for
the year 1911 was worth $2,830,000,
an increase of more than 400 per
cent over the production of the pre
vious year. Geologists and mining
engineers estimate that the territory
contains more copper than Arizona,
Michigan and Montana combined.
Alaska contains the only tin mines
of any importance on the continent
of North America.
Besides gold, copper and tin, Alas
ka produces silver, gypsum, marble,
graphite, petroleum, mica, lime and
mineral waters of various kinds. In
metals and minerals prospectively
valuable, but not produced in com
mercial quantities, include tungsten,
lead, arsenic, antimony, manganese,
scheelite, bismuth, quick-silver, cor
undum, slate, zinc and garnets; and
many other materials have been
found.
Great Iron Deposits
Tremendous iron deposits, both
magnatite and hematite, have been
discovered in many places, and opti
mistic geologists predict that when
the bituminous coal of Alaska is
made available to use, many steel
mills will be established in the ter
ritory.
Alaska was the first country in the
world to use the wireless telegraph
system for commercial purposes.
Alaska, according to government
geologists, contains more coal than
Pennsylvania and West Virginia
combined.
The population of Alaska as given
by the last census is 64,356, made up
I of 36.556 whites, the balance being
composed principally of natives and
a few Chinese and Japanese engaged
in the fishing industry.
The principal industries of Alaska
at the present time are fur hunting,
fishing and gold and copper mining.
It is generally conceded, however,
that coal mining, farming, and stock
raising will be added to these indus
tries within the next five years.
Alaska is one of the few parts of
the United States that ofTers the
sportsman a reasonable degree of
certainty of securing moose, caribou,
mountain sheep, mountain goat, and
bear trophies. The largest and most
ferocious bear found in the United
States today is said to be the brown
and Kodiak bears which inhabit the
Alaskan Peninsula and the adjacent
islands.
The only commercial telegraph
and cable system operated directly
by United States government owner
ship is Alaska.
It is estimated by the bureau or
fisheries that $20,000,000 have been
invested in the Alaska fishing indus
try.
The cod banks of Alaska are said
by the United States fish commission
to be among the finest in the world.
The same is true of the halibut
banks.
The herring which swims the wat
ers of Alaska is said to be quite the
equal of the Norwegian variety.
Alaska contains about twenty ac
tive volcanos.
Alaska contains a tremendous
amount of timber, but a large pro
portion of it has very little other
commercial value than for making
wood pulp.
There is but one life-saving sta
tion in Alaska. It is located at
Nome, on the coast of Bering Sea.
During the five years since it was
installed its members have gone to
the relief of 287 ships in distress
and have rescued many persons from
drowning.
No Vote in Congress
Alaska has no vote in Congress,
but is represented by a delegate, who
has the privilege of introducing bills
for which he cannot vote.
Fifteen newspapers are published
in Alaska, many of them receiving
tne telegraphic dispatches daily from
the outside world.
Cattle raised on government sta
tions in Alaska under the department
of agriculture are wintered with less
mortality than in the states of Mon
tana, North and South Dakota or
Kansas.
The temperature at many points
In Southeastern and Southwestern
Alaska is not so cold as Washington,
D. C., or New York City in the win
| ter, nor as warm as either of these
places in the summer. The atmos
phere in this section of Alaska is
tempered by the Japan current. East
of the Coast range, however, the
thermometer drops to 72 degrees be
low zero in winter and rises to 106
degrees in the shade in summer. A
temperature of 106 in the shade was
recorded at many of the settlements
on streams euterlng Kotzebue Sound
and the Arctic Ocean last year.
The rivers of Alaska teem with
edible fishes of various kinds, the
principal specimens being salmon,
grayling, many kinds of trout and
white fish.
Alusku’s Game Birds
Alaska's game birds include wild
ducks, wild geese, swan, plover, par
tridge, grouse and many other spe
cies.
At the close of the fiscal year 1912
Alaska's account in the treasury de
partment when epitomized, showed
the following result: Debit—Pur
chase price, $7,200,000; cost of
maintenance over and above receipts
in federal treasury for forty-two
years, $8,300,000; total debit, $15,
500,000. Credit—Mineral resources,
$225,000,000, fish and furs, $210,
000,000; other resources. $25,000,
000; total receipts, from Alaska,
$460,000,000. Profit to the people
of the United States, $444,500,000.
Alaska was bought for $7,200,000.
It already has paid to the people of
the United States in products, divi
dends approximating 6,300 per cent
on the investment. It is worth today
not millions, but billions.
Many of the Alaskan placer fields
are in the process of transition to
fields for both placer and quartz
mines. Twelve quartz mills have been
imported into the territory within
the past year.
Great Dredging Fields
Alaska’s northern placer fields of
fer an excellent opportunity for
dredging enterprises, twenty-six of
these gold ships have been installed
within the past two years.
The easternmost point of Alaska
is less than eighty miles from the
shores of Asia. When the climatic
conditions are favorable Siberia can
be seen with a strong glass from
Cape Prince of Wales.
Coaling stations established by the
government on the shores of Alaska’s
mainland are more than 2,0(10 miles
nearer to the Philippines than the
coaling station at Mare Island Navy
Yard.
Nome, the easternmost city in
Alaska is 6,000 miles from New York
and there is a difference of six hours
in time.
Northern Alaska affords one of the
few places where the hunter is reas
onably sure of getting a shot at polar
bear and walrus.
Statistics show that in Alaska
there is less crime per capita than in
any state in the Union.
Alaska has many warm medicinal
springs, and even above the Arctic
Circle, ferns and wild berries grow
in their proximity.
There are many missions in Alas
ka, and every town haB one or more
churches.
No Open Gambling
Alaska does not tolerate open
gambling. Gambling was closed down
tight in the territory in 1906.
Alaska has many fraternal socie
ties. the leading ones being the Arc
tic Brotherhood, Elks, Masons, Rag
es, Odd Fellows and other well known
societies have branches there. The
members of the Mystic Shrine have
made two pilgrimages to Nome.
Alaska, acre for acre, fs uelieved
by experts to be more valuable than
many of the states in the Union. Its
latent water power energy is almost
incalculable.
-o—o—o
PRESIDENT TAFT
WANTS COMMERCE COURT
WASHINGTON. Aug. 20.—This af
ternoon the House passed the naval
bill, which provides for the construc
tion of one battleship, to cost $15,
000,000. This is the measure agreed
upon by the conferees and It will
undoubtedly become a law.
You will find most of your friends
at the Chitina Hotel.
Chitina j
I; Pharmacy!
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CHITINA HEIGHTS
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PUBLIC LAND AND MINING
CASES.
If you are interested in any contest
or any matter before the Interior De
partment, write to Clark & Wright,
registered land lawyers, 902 F Street
N. W. (opposite Gen’l Land Office),
Washington, D. C. Free information
about contests and where to obtain
scrip, locatable upon public lands,
without residence or cultivation.
Feed, Fuel
and
Lumber
HAY, BRAX, OATS, ( HOPS,
ROLLED BARLEY
We can make prompt ship
ments to points on the rail
road. Our feed is the very
best quality.
0. A. Nelson & Co.
CHITINA