9
' V MfSl Eg
THIRD YGAR.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1012.
M MBK.it II.
OF GENERALJFORMATION
VALDEZ, Dec. 27—The grand
Jury has completed its work and was
discharged yesterday afternoon. A
lengthy report was submitted, filled
with wise suggestions and valuable
recommendations.
The report urges the appointment
of a game warden at Seldovia, a
deputy Marshal at mining town of
KUamar, and a deputy District At
torney at Cordova.
They also urge the construction of
a government building at Cordova
and the establishment of a land office
in some part of the Third division.
A much needed dyke to protect
lives and property at Valdez from the
ravages of the glacial stream is de
clared as absolutely necessary and a
government appropriation for that
purpose is recommended.
United States Commissioners, who
are now remunerated by the fee sys
tem, should be paid salaries, in the
opinion of the grand jury.
An all night cable service is a re
quirement that the jury fully set
forth.
. . Tlio advisability of the establish
ment of a postal savings bank at Val
dez is referred to.
It is recommended that a law be
passed making it a felony for a no
tary public to impeach the signature
of those who presumably have made
affidavit before him. In other words
when lie certifies that an individual
has “subscirbed to and sworn before
me,” that the act must be one of
fact, and if it be otherwise and the
notary so testifies in court then he
would lay himself open to an action
that is punishable by a penitentiary
sentence.
The grand jury considers that the
opening of the coal fields of Alaska
is essential to the development of the
territory and to the prosperity of
the people. Congress i s strongly
urged to take such action as will
bring aliout the much desired result
and to permit the territory to develop
along natural lines.
Nearly a week ago the grand jury
at Juneau issued a secret indictment,
the nature of which soon leaked out
and caused much commotion in court
circles. The man indicted is Joseph
McDonald, formerly superintendent
of the Treadwell mines, but who has
lived In Mexico for several years past.
A wire this morning states that his
arrest was caused yesterday at Guan
ajuato. He is charged with the mur
der of N. C. Jones, about eight years
ago. The latter was a religious fana
tic and frequently importuned Mr.
McDonald to close down the mines
on Sunday and to have religious in
struction among the employees. One
morning these two men met on the
street and high words followed, after
which McDonald pulled a gun and
fired a shot. The bullet proved fatal.
A coroner’s inquest had a hearing
and returned a verdict that the kill
ing by Mr. McDonald was done in
self-defence. It seems that there has
always been considerable doubt as
to whether the grand jury heard the
true version of the altercation. But
the matter has been allowed to lie
dormant until recently, when it was
again agitated and finally “rought to
the attention of the grand jury, with
the result that an indictment was re
turned against McDonald. He will
likely be brought to Juneau at once
and be tried at this term of court.
-O—o—a-—- -
Judge Overfield has made the first
ruling under the provisions of the
organic act creating the territory of
Alaska. The question arose over a
divorce action wherein attorneys for
the parties at interest asked for a
trial before a referee. Judge Over
field ruled that under the provisions
of the bill creating the Alaska legis
lature passed by the last Congress
that all divorce cases must be tried in
open court and the application was
refused. Large number of cases
have been referred to referees in
Alaska courts in the past, and the
ruling will make considerable differ
ence to attorneys and litigants in
bill Is more than a home rule bill,
some cases.
Thus we find that the home rule
Under “Legislative Power Limita
tions,” the bill creating an Alaska
legislature says: “No divorce shall
be granted by the legislature nor
shall any divorce be granted by the
courts of the territory, unless the ap
plicant shall have resided in the terri
tory for two years next preceding the
application, which residence and all
cases for divorce shall be determined
by the court, on evidence adduced in
open court.”
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 31—The
federal court room was crowded yes
terday afternoon when the labor lead.
Prs convicted of dynamiting buildings
in various parts of the country came
up for senetnce. Judge Anderson
in passing sentence said: “The evi
dence shows that some of the defend
ants were guilty of murder, and the
evidence in this case would convince
any impartial jndge that a govern
ment by injunction is inflnately pre
ferred to a government by dynamite.”
The court gave Ryan a seven year
term in the penitentiary; Clancy,
Rutler, Young, Hockin and Munscy,
six years each; P. J. Smith, Cleve
land and Barry, four years; Bern
hardt, Ray, Shoupe, Phillips and
Waclimeister, one year and one day;
Higgins, Painter, Spireman, Houli
han, two years; Beaum Rennel,
Smythe, LegITetner, Anderson, Busey,
Morrin, Redden, Hannon, McCain
and Bi-own, three years. Sentence
was suspended in the cases of Far
rell, Cody, Coughlin, Murphy, Kline
and Clark.
JUNEAU, Dec. 28—Since the meet
ing of the grand lodge of the Arctic
Brotherhood at Vancouver last
month, there has been much dissatis
faction upon the part of the mem
bers in Southeastern Alaska. After
a contest it was decided to establish a
camp at Seattle and to hold the next
annual meeting at that city. When
the news of this decision was flashed
throughout the northern territory
there were murmurs of protest that
have since found an outlet in various
ways. The camp at Haines took the
initiative in a movement to secede
from the mother organization. On
Thursday evening the camp at Sitka
decided to call upon all northern
camps to remain loyal to the original
intentions of the order, and to con
fine membership to Alaskans. After
consultation with other towns it was
decided to hold a convention at
Juneau on March 12th next, during
the session of the Legislature, and to
then take action as will secure con
trol of the next grand lodge and to
confine its membership to northern
ers, or if that move is not thought
advisable to form a new organization.
W!ord is now being sent to all the
camps asking them to participate in
this convention. It is believed that
practically all tbe Southeastern camps
will join in the movement and it is
expected that the camps in other divi
sions will largely endorse the move
ment.
VALDEZ, Dec. 2N—The prosecu
tion against, banker E. T. Barnette,
after months of preparation and the
expenditure orf vast sums of money
have to their credit the fining of the
defendant for a misdemeanor. Capt.
Bai-nette was before Judge Lyons to
day for sentence on the misdemeanor
charge of hat ing published an in
correct statement of the affairs of
the Alaska-Washington bank. This
was the only indictment on which a
jury found him guilty. Judge Lyons
imposed a fine of $1,000 against
Capt. Barnette, after the latter had
made a statemen t to the court.. The
Judge then took occasion to say that
“if the facts as you relate them to
me had been brought out in the trial
you would not have been convicted.”
Trial of Hawkin.s and others indicted
will proceed, but most of those in
terested in the defense of Capt. Bar
nette will leave on the Mariposa to
morrow. ^ j
Cordova, Dec. 27.
E. F. Gray, one of the owners and
general manager of the Great North
ern Development Company mining
property at Copper Mountain, was
an arrival on the steamer Mariposa
last night. He was in New York
when the recent snow avalanche
buried and killed nine of his em
ployees and completely destroyed
all his buildings and machinery. He
states that when he was informed by
wire of the terrible fatality he could
scarcely believe it possible, as there
had never previously been any indi
cation of a snow slide at this particu
lar part of the mountain, and he
wired back for confirmation of news.
During his trip outside he had ar
ranged for adding to his plant and
putting in heavier machinery, so as
to more effectively and rapidly se
cure depth and still further open up
the mine so as to make it a steady
shipper, in anticipation of the early
construction of a branch line of the
railroad from Strelna to his prperty.
Now all his plans are changed and
it will be necessary to arrange for an
entire equipment. In the meantime
the mine is closed down, and must of
necessity remain so until new build
ings are erected and machinery in
stalled. Unless it is possible to de
cided on new plans, order material,
have it shipped from the outside and
hauled over the snow and ice from
the railroad junction, a distance of
sixteen miles, all within the next
three months, it will be necessary to
wait until next winter. While Mr.
Gray is hopeful that he can get things
in shape to soon resume operations,
he fully realizes the strong probabili
ty that the mine will have to remain
practically closed down for rhe en
suing year.
Mr. Gray will leave on the first
train and go direct to Copper Moun
tain to look over the situation and de
termine upon location for new build
ings. He will then go on to the Re
gal property, located near Keunecott
glacier and about four miles from the
terminus of the railroad. His men
have been engaged in packing sup
plies to this property, which he pro
poses opening up on a la^rge scale.
He will then return to Cordova and
hopes to be able to catch the rteamer
on January 8th for Seattle, and from
there to go on to New York to con
sult with his associates and definitely
decide upon plans for future working.
While deeply deploring the loss of
life that recently occurred, Mr. Gray
is particularly anxious to do all with
in human power to prevent a repeti
tion of any such sad catastrophe.
While on his recent trip east Mr.
Gray states that he noticed a most
decided change from the radical con
servation sentiment that had been
poisoning the minds of the people
against Alaska and the western
states. Now instead of favoring the
indefinite tying up of the resources
of this northern country, the people
generally believe that a great injus
tice has been done and they are anx
ious to see favorable legislation such
as will encourage the large expendi
ture of capital and start the wheels
of industry and prosperity, in Alaska.
Among the large capitalists in
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and
other eastern cities, Mr. Gray found
that there was much apprehension
with reference to titles in Alaska.
They feared that if Secretary Fisher’s
leasing policy were to find support
and endorsement by Congress that
ere long not only the coal, but the
mineral lands as well, would be plac
ed under the ban. However, sine;
the recent election the sentiment has
greatly changed and there is a gen
eral feeling that the Democratic poli
cy will be a liberal one toward »*Hs
ka, and that development will be
favored along the same lines that re
sulted in the successful opening up
and growth of the mineral states of
the west.
Mr. Gray believes that the report
of the Alaska Railroad Commission
will be favorable to Cordova as the
sea coast terminus of a trunk line.
But from what he could glean he had
doubts about it being the policy of
the Democratic administration to en
gage in railroad construction and op
eration. He rather inciiuss to the
opinion that they will ia»or some
other method of securing the desired
results for Alaska. Possibly guaran
teeing the bonds of a railroad com
pany, allowing them a subsidy, or in
some substantial way extend en
couragement such as would induce
the building of railroads in Alaska
by one or more companies. He says
that Vice President Thomas Marshall
is particularly interestel in this
northern country and that he has
been making an investigation of con
ditions for several months past.
Mr. Gray is particularly optomistic
ever the dawn of a near and bright
future for Alaska. He believes that
the time is almost at Hand when rail
road construction, the opening of
the coal fields, the shipment of vast
quantities of copper ore from various
properties, the construction of smel
ters, the establishment of various in
dustries. the development of fertile
agricultural valleys, will tend to
justify the faith that a patient peo
ple have exercised during the days
of adversity.
Sumner S. Smith, mine inspector
for Alaska, accompained by his es
timable wife, arrived in Cordova last
night from Katalla, where he and R.
Y Williams, a mining engineer,
spent the past three months in charge
of the technical work of the govern
ment expedition into the Bering river
coal fields. C. A. Fisher and W. R.
Calvert, consulting geologists, repre
sented the Navy department, which
received an appropriation of $75,000
just before the last Congress adjourn
ed to investigate Alaska’s coal for use
in the navy.
Mr. Smith states that while the
work of mining the coal was slow and
expensive the party had 855 tons of
coal sacked, piled in great heaps
along the trail and ready for ship
ment. It is planned to haul this
fuel on sleds for six miles to the head
of navigation for small boats, during
the present winter, and transport it
to the mouth of Bering river, a dis
tance of twelve miles, next Spring,
where it can be loaded on scows.
Dr. J. O. Downing, paymaster of the
expedition, has remained at the coal
fields, with a crew of seven or eight
men, and will superintend the work
of seeing that this coal is finally land
ed at the Bremerton navy yard.
The money for this expedition was
appropriated to the Navy Department
in order to determine the availability
of the Bering river coals for use on
our battleships. The bureau of mines
was intrusted with the duty of exam
ining the field and of extracting a
sample of 800 tons of the coal that
might be considered as representative
of this district. This sample of coal
is later to be burned in an actual test
on board some battleship.
The quality of coal is a very high
grade of Bituminous and the only
field prospected was that portion
marked, by the Geological Survey, as
bituminous, as this was the kind of
fuel the navy desired for testing pur
poses. Twenty-one days was spent
in actual mining, during which time
855 tons were taken out and the
proving up of seams on Trout creek,
twenty-six miles inland from Chilkat,
which is nineteen miles south of
Katalla.
The precipitation in this vicinity
reaches 200 inches per year, and this
party entered the field during the
rainy season. The first 43 days con
tained only two clear days; and yet in
all this rain, the building of trails,
the construction of camps, and the
work of prospecting went bravely
ahead, and with never a murmur
from the men.
The first exciting experience of the
members of the exhibition occurred at
Katalla September 6, a few days after
their arrival in the North. The barge
with all their provisions, tools and
machinery aboard, was swept out to
sea and lost in the storm. Several
men who were attempting to land it
had narrow escapes from death.
When the second order of supplies
arrived at Katalla in the early part
of October, the launches, which were
carrying it, were swept up on tiia
beach and wrecking methods W3'.‘
necessary to save the provisions and
tools.
After three years and a half as the
star game warde.-i of Alaska, Chris C.
Shea of Seward has been removed
from office by Governor Clark, and
no reason is given for the change.
Very recently cablegrams were
published in the Sound papers to the
effect that following the fall of vol
canis dust in the vicinity of Seward,
the bears had become bold and rapa
cious, and that Game Warden Shea
had authorized their destruction. It
was not believed at the governor’s
office at the time that the statement
as to Shea’s action was true, and it is
not known either, outside of the gov
ernor’s office, whether this incident
had anything to do with the removal.
Governor Clark, beyond the bare an
nouncement of the removal and the
appointment of a successor, declined
to discuss the matter.
The governor has appointed Geo.
J. Cantwell of Valdez, to succeed Mr.
Shea. Game Warden J. C. Tolinan,
formerly game warden at Kodiak, has
been transferred to Seward and here
after there will be two game warden
at that place.
-o—o—o
The Fairbanks banking cass have
all been disposed of and the defend
ants, their att'.f r-y.; and a horde of
witnesses piss^l through Cordova
yesterday, on the Mariposa from Val
dez, en route to the states, where
they will spend a few weeks and then
return to this place and start over
landfor the interior.
There was only one conviction and
that was a verdict against Capt. E. T.
Barnette, president of the bank, for
making a false statement as to the
condition of that instituton. The
court fined hm $1,000, which was
promptly paid.
All but the misdemeannor charge
against receiver Hawkins was dis
missed. On this count the following
jurors was selected: W. M. Hol
land, H. S. Coleman, A. Bell, C. Hub
bard, C. H. Sharp, Janies Kennedy,
Jerry Brennen, G. W. Smalley, Elliot
Stewart. The panel being exhausted,
both sides stipulated to try the case
with eleven jurors. A verdict of not
guilty was rendered.
-o—o—o
PALZER IS NO MATCH
FOR THE MIGHTY MCCARTHY
LOS ANGELES, ..a... J—McCarthy
easily defeated Palzer yesterday. In
fact he had so badlv punished his
opponent that the rr"^ree stopped
the mill in the eighte ;:!h round.
OF_
Cordova, Dec. 28
Last evening at six o'clock the far
famed and staunch little steamer
Dora tied up again at the Seward
dock. And she is not very much the
worse for her three weeks of lying on
the beach. A week ago Capt. E. C.
Genereaux. of Seattle, arrived on the
steamer Northwestern with a com
plete wrecking outfit and extra don
key engines. He at once went to
work and with his usual skill and
success easily succeeded in accom
plishing his task. He first had a
coffer dam built around the steamer
and then went to work and pumped
the water from the vessel. The hole
that was stove in her side was repair
ed, the coffer dam removed, and high
tide easily floated the steamer, which
will be sent to Seattle for a general
overhauling. At the time she went
ashore she had completed her last
trip to the westward for a few weeks,
Arrangements had been made to send
her to Seattle for her annual over
hauling, and the steamer Yukon had
been engaged to fill the Dora’s sched
ule to the westward.
It was early on the morning of
Dec. 7 that the Dora was torn from
her moorings at the Seward dock
and hurled across the narrow stretch
of water and cast helpless, on a sandy
beach while a driving storm of rain
and sleet raged.
Until two hours before daybreak
the Dora held to her moorings, but
the strengtli of the storm then over
powered her, and with a rush she was
torn from the wharf and shot across
the rushing waters. It was low tide
when the Dora struck on the sandy
beach, and with the incoming waters
she was moved shoreward with the
terrific southwest gale and the tre
mendous wave force gonerated by the
storm. High over the smokestack
and rigging the spray was thrown.
Bursting steam pipes added their
confusion to the general uproar, and
the scene was one to inspire terror.
Small waves breaking under the
bilges worked with trip-hammer ef
ect, and their battering seemed to
theaten with surety the complete de
molition of the Dora. But she was
accustomed to rough usage. When
the tide receded at 2 o'clock in the
afternoon, she was perched high and
dry on the white, sandy beach. But
at high tide the angry seas have
pounded her wooden sides and beaten
her planking until it seemed as
though she would surely go to pieces.
However, Capt. Genereaux brought
her to rights and not much injury has
been done.
Several applications have been
made to Governor Clark for the es
tablishing of schools for white chil
dren in localities outside of incorpor
ated cities. Under the present law
the governor says, there is no fund
available for such purposes except in
such settlements as have 20 or more
children of school age. Most of these
calls for aid in the matter have come ‘
from communities where the number
is below the minimum required by
law; such places as Kennecott and
McCarthy’s.
Gov. Clark says there is lots of
money in the school fund—more than
can be legitimately used under the
present provisions of the law. The
governor adds that at his solicita
tion Senator Nelson intoduced and
passed a measure to allow of school
organization in settlements possess
ing 15 children of school age This
bill did not come up in the House.
-o—o—o
Petitons are being ciculated in
Cordova and throughout the Copper
River valley praying the Alaska Road
Commission to expend $20,000 in
the building of a trail from some
point along the C. R. N. W. Railway
to the White River country. They
are being numerously signed and will
shortly be forwarded to Col. Richard
son at Washington.
Nome recently dedicated a new city
hall. Mayor Gilmore was given an
ivory gavel, mounted in gold, during
the ceremoiUej.
VAIjDKZ, Dec. :it—'.Vlth a heavy
wind blowing and llie theremometer
helow zero a lire liroke out at Mix
|o'clock this morning in the residence
owned by James Kish and before the
Haines could be checked the building
was burned to the ground. The lire
j raged so fiercely that it was with dllfi
icnlty the Kish family escaped from
the building in their night clothes.
The property loss is $7,300.
Through the heroic efforts of the
lire department the blaze was con
lined to the Kish lit.me and the Till!
kum Club, upon which $2,000 Insur
ance is carried, ,
The Nelso. ^ „h was
established a couple of years ago up
on tlie request of Don McKenzie and
others interested in the proposed
townsite, will be formally discontin
ued today, although it in reality
never existed. A. B. Cooper holds a
commission as postmaster for Nelson
and is also supplied with a quantity
of stamps and the other paraphenalia
necessary for the conduct of Uncle
Sam's business at a fourth class office.
But as he for a long time occupied
the only house that there is now, or
ever was, at Nelson and the boom
finally failing to materalize he too
deserted the place and has been con
nected with the local postofflce for
the past two years.
The Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General lias issued an order direct
ing that the office be discontinued
December SI and directing that ail
of the public property be turned over
to tlie Cordova postmaster.
-_o—o—o
Tlie Knnecott Mines Company,
which is the name of the Guggen
lie.im corporation operating the Bon
anza copper property in the Copper
river country, is taking out a great
deal of ore and shipping it constantly,
ft is of high grade, and a consider
able part of it is worth $10,000 to the
carload.
This is the statement of William J.
Bowen, a Seattle mining man, who
has returned to his home, after a visit
to the Copper river region.
“The Copper river country,” said
Mr. Bowen, “is an immensely rich
section, and I believe it has a won
derful future in store for it. At the
Bonanza mine rich copper ore is
being taken out and shipped from the
main mine. This is not the richest
ore in the Bonanza, but it is great
stuff.
“There are many other promising
mines in the making of that section,
but before they can be profitable
transportation facilities must be pro
vided."
—-n n n— — ■
A slum time ago it was supposed
that the Mother Lode Copper Mines
Company had arranged to settle its
differences with Jack Miller, but the
matter is still in the courts at Seattle,
where Miller makes his home when
he is not in Slate Creek, Alaska.
The company was incorporated in
1907 for $5,000,000,through the pur
chase o mining claims adjourning the
Bonanza mine, from the locators, J.
H Smith, Oscar Horlund and Oscar
Sail. The corporation now seeks to
procure a one-third interest in the
mine held in trust by Jol.. «r
to collect $235,000 damr , .c
In turn Miller has just filled an
answer and cross-coin pit. nt. llo
charges that he is entitled to 7 50,000
shares of the company’s stock that ho
cannot procure, and that he stau is
ready to turn over the one-third in
terest whenever the company returns
to him approximately $30,000 that he
paid to the original owners and ex
pended in attending to the assess
ment work.
James J. Godfrey, of Seattle, is
president of the corporal ion- J. W.
Robinson, of Seattle, is vice president
and counsel, and C. L. Warner, no'
of New York, is secretary nn't treas
urer. The latter is one of the orginat
locators of the Bonanza mine
-O—o—o
BERLIN, Dec. 31—Foreign Minis
ter Vonkiderlin Waechter died at
Stuttgart.