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.
Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—Harry G. STEEL
SYDNEY D. CHARLES, City Editor
Office: Hote IChitina Building. Cordova Office: Daily Alaskan
ADVERTISING RATES
Made known upon application. They will be found reasonable for the
service given.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
One Month... 5 -50
Six Months. 2 00
One Year. 3 50
LET US MINE OUR OWN COAL.
CHITINA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1911.
SECRETARY FISHER’S VISIT.
The visit of Secretary of Interior Fislier to Chitina will
eventually result in much good to this section. He remained
over night here and lost no opportunity to avail himself of
every possible means of obtaining information first hand as
to the resources of our country, the needs and desires of our
people. His thorough and systematic methods of investiga
tion impressed everyone with the belief that he was anxious
to learn the exact truth as to existing conditions and secure a
useful fund of accurate information and knowledge for use in
his future recommendations to congress. Mr. Fisher’s judge
ment will of course be much sought by those who honestly
desire to learn the exact truth from a reliable and official
source and his suggestions and recommendations will have
great weight with officials at Washington.
The coming of Secretary Fisher was a red-letter day for
Chitina, and indeed every Alaskan has reason to rejoice at his
timely visit.
-oooo
CHITINA TO HAVE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Chitina is to have a school in the near future. When
Governor Clark was at the interior town on Saturday evening
a petition was presented to him by the citizens, setting forth
the necessity for some immediate action upon the part of tin.
government. The Governor expressed a willingness to make
the proper recommendations providing it could be shown that
20 pupils would be available. With a couple of families that
are soon to move to Chitina there will be 21 children of school
age and upon this explanation the Governor advised that
preliminaries be taken immediately. It will first be necessary
that an election be held and directors be elected, the treasurer
will then be required to give bond for twice the sum of the
amount required for the first year’s maintenance.
Application to the district court will then be made, after
which the governor will request the department at Washington
to send check for the amount of estimated appropriation. Foi
a school building $1,000 will be allowed, for a teacher about
$125 per month, and for light, heat and janitor service a
reasonable sum. It is expected that the school can get started
in November.
-oooo
GET IN AND BOOST.
It is just as easy to get in and boost as it is to knock.
Once get the habit and opportunities will appear where be
fore only barren wastes showed.
In every part of Alaska, and in this part especially, is the
making of a great commercial empire. Already a railroad
has been built, permanent towns with many of the adjuncts
of civilization, have been started and great mineral and other
possibilities in an industrial way are being opened.
But a few years ago when operators and miners suffered
actual hardships in getting in their outfits over the wintei
trails, the building of a railroad up the wild and little traveled
reaches of the mighty Copper river seemed a far-away dream.
Yet these men, strong in their faith that some day transpor
tation would be made possible, kept on plugging away and
their efforts in showing up great mineral wealth brought
about the very thing desired.
Today the railroad is an actual fact. It is but another step
to harnessing water falls for electric power, to operate with
modern improvements and large payrolls and to establish
industries which will in turn build up towns and cities. In
another five years there is every reason to believe progress
will be much more rapid than during the past five years.
Already many of the big industries are in their preliminary
stages. It does not need any gifted powers of second sight
to realize what the near future has in store, as the signs and
practical evidence is met with on every hand.
Only those who can see beyond the end of their nose will
be in a position to take advantage of the changing conditions,
and they are the real boosters, seeing encouragement in a
thousand signs which form the stumbling blocks to the other
class, which measures everything by the day’s business re
ceipts. Once the communities get the boosting habit as a unit
progress will be much more rapid.
-oooo
COURAGEOUS MOUNTAIN CLIMBER.
Miss Dora Kean and associates made a creditable attempt
to scale Mount Blackburn, with its 16,200 feet of rugged height.
That they were not successful in accomplishing what no other
individual had ever done was no fault of the heroic young
lady. The adverse weather conditions were such as made
the attempt absolutely impossible of accomplishment.
Miss Kjean has secured fame by reason of previous success
ful exploits in mountain climbing. When she crossed the
continent from her Quaker City home to invade the interior of
Alaska, all of the people of this section hoped that her daring
and courage might be rewarded. That it has not been will
not prove a discouragement to the hopeful and sanguine nature
of the young lady.
WORDY RELIEF FOR ALASKA.
Statesmen all over the country are directing their atten
tion to the salvation of Alaska. Every imaginable kind of
relief has been suggested. Congressman Sulzer, of New York,
who has mining interests near Ketchikan, makes the latest
free will offering. He proposes to divide the district into
three separate territories, the Southeastern, the Southwestern,
and the Yukon section.
These three territories would each have a delegate in
Congress, they would each have a local legislature capable of
enacting local laws and a territorial form of government sim
ilar to that of the other territories of the Union. He says it
would be an economic government and would cost the tax
payers of the United States nothing, and law and order would
be conserved.
The Congressman would go further and in a recent ad
dress declared “The government should build more dirt roads
in Alaska. And then I would have no objection to the gov
ernment building a railroad in Alaska to open up her valleys
and to give cheap transportation to her people. This is a
good way to check private monopoly. And the railroad would
pay for itself in a few years on the coal proposition alone.
This is the way to conserve the resources, and I shall take the
matter up when congress convenes next winter and see what
can be done in the premises.”
Continuing in another strain Congressman Sulzer said:
“What is the trouble with Alaska? I know. You know. The
chief trouble is that so few people know anything about Alaska.
Many yet believe it a dreary waste of ice—no place for a white
man or for .a decent government. Then again, Alaska has
become the plaything of the ‘muckrakers,’ and the football ot
petty politicians. This is all wrong, and every true friend of
Alaska must do his best in the interest of truth and justice
to stop this propaganda of ignorance, and this campaign of
villification concerning Alaska. If the people of the country
and the members of Congress knew as much about Alaska as
I do, Alaska would get her rights, ignorance would be dis
sipated and slander would cease.”
-:-oooo
The further away from Washington that Delegate James
Wickersham gets the less reluctance he has to return to the
national halls of legislation.
-oooo
Mr. Taft has a Rooseveltian directness of utterance when
the occasion warrants.
SOME WRONG IMPRESSIONS CORRECTED.
It was truly a strong party of government officials who
recently visited the Bering river coal fields. They are the
foremost men in their particular departments, and are in a
position to do much toward righting the many errors existing
with reference to the coal fields of Alaska. We refer to Walter
L. Fisher, Secretary of the Interior; Joseph 11. Holmes, direc-;
tor bureau of mines; Alfred II. Brooks, head Alaskan mineral
resources; Henry II. Schwartz, shief of field service; Sumnei
S. Smith, mine inspectoi^for Alaska.
It is safe to say that all of these men will return to the
states with a wider knowledge of true conditions and with a
few former fallacies destroyed. These men paid particulai
attention to the quality and quantity of coal deposits in the
Bering river district. And they have learned that the maga
zine accounts of wealth and extent has been grossly exaggera
ted. They found that many of the reputed valuable claims
contain seams of coal that when taken out crumble and is
almost worthless. Then many locations were made where
there is merely an outcrop.
These officials realize that there is much valuable coal,
but that it is more limited and will be much more costly to
mine than they expected. And furthermore that the local
market is limited and much time will be required to establish
a market in competition with British Columbia and Washing
ton coal. And they further realize the justice of the demand
that Alaska coal should be mined for Alaskans.
Another erroneous impression that has been dissipated in
the minds of the visitors is with reference to the advantages
of Controller bay as a harbor. After their recent experience
in the effort to board the revenue cutter Tahoma, in com
paratively mild weather they are willing to concede that Con
troller bay is only a “possible” harbor And they are more
inclined to look with favor upon the idea that the safest and
most economical method of bringing the coal to a seaport is
over a railroad into Cordova, where there is an all-year and
safe harbor. •
-nnnn- »
Hon. James Wickersham, the famous Delegate to Congress
from Alaska, is now enroute to liis temporary home in Fair
banks, his wife remaining below. He quietly packed his grip
the other day in Seattle, and as quickly as lie shook the dust
of Congress and Washington from his shoes did he sail away
from the city where he was formerly accustomed to banquets
and laudation.
Unheralded he appeared in Juneau and Skagway, and gave
as the excuse for his unannounced appearance the reason that
( he had but little time to meet his supporters in any of the
Alaskan towns. He added that he was hurrying back to Fair
banks to be present at court when certain litigation was called
for trial.
After spending several days at Skagway the Judge took
the train on Sunday last for White Horse, where lie expected
to catch a boat for Dawson. At Juneau he declined to make
any political statement. At Skagway, however, he permitted
himself to say that there was absolutely no foundation in the
statements he had previously made that he would not again be
a candidate for Congress. He further declined the position of
Governor of Alaska, declaring that he would not have it under
any possible circumstances. And the sun was shining brightly
at the time.
- —oooo
Mr. Taft is to make an attempt to ascend Mount Rainier’s
14,000 feet. That is what it will be—an attempt.
—— -.—oooo
Now the socialist party has a split. It seems to be aU
the style.
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IN THE KAW Of THE CUT
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FORFEITURE NOTICE.
Notice is hereby given Charles Gar
wood that his interest in the Tjose
vig rgoup of mines, will cease at the
expiration of the publication of this
notice, unless he pays $50 as his
share of the assessment work for
1904, $50 for 1905, $50 for 1906
and $50 for 1909.
CHRISTIAN TJOSEVIG.
Dated this 14th day of Aug., 1911.
1* H O T O G R A I* H Y
We do all kinds,
DEVELOPING:
3A Films.10 cents
3A Prints or postcards ...7 cents
Other work in proportion.
NELSON & NELSON
Cliitina, Alaska.
When in need of job printing of
any kind give us a call.
D: A GRIFFIN,
DENTIST
All work guaranteed. Prices reason
able. In Tibbs’ Building.
Chitina, Alaska.
DR. CHAS. THOM
Physician and Surgeon
Now permanently located at Chitina,
Alaska.
..
SAVOY
• » •
:: RESTAURANT \
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• •
• » i •
| \ Opposite Chitina Trading Co. •'
«» «»
■» «i
| The Only First-Class Cafe in |
! I Chitina I.
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■ > ■ '
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; American and European Plan a 1
.
» «.
» *k
: Dinner 75c up i:
» •.
I A la Carte all day \ ’
.
. . i
• - < ■
■ Cater to special dinner parties. +
T
•Si
Chitina
Pharmacy
Drugs Toilet Articles
and magazines our
Specialties
Parisian Chocolates
The Best of the Bast
Mi Eleccion Cigars
An All-Havana Smoke
A. G. MOREY, Proprietor
Chitina, Alaska.
Pete’s Lodging
House
AND
SECOND HAND STORRE
CHiTiNA HEIGHTS
Bunks 23c; Beds 50c.
PETER CORDES. Prop.
Chitina
News
Stand
All the Latest
MAGAZINES & PERODICALS
Cigars, Tobacco’s, Confection
■ ery and Soft Drinks
POOL AND SOLO TABLES
| Barber Shop in Connection
You can play or read while
J awaiting your turn
AL CHURCH & TOM BRAD V,
Proprietors
nTTVTTTTV A i *' T 'A' *1*'f fPI
| Just Open
• HM
»
; Billiards jjj- Pool
CIGARS
i
Confectionery
Soft Drinks and
Solo Tables
>
»
i l
i Bowling Alley
• L_—
» |n-|rj| . y. r.
i TIBBS BROS.
■
!•♦»♦■«■« nimii i
:: Chitina Bakery
:: & Coffee House
►
►
; GESSNER & RTANGNETH
* Proprietors
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FRESH BREAD
►
; Cakes and Pastry
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► Always on Hand
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*
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- Main Street, — Cliitina.
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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.
| Log
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