The Chitina Leader
v>y>"-*■
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.
-——i
Published every Saturday by
WILL A. STEEL—Editors, Managers and Proprietors—Harry G. STEEL
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. $ .50
Biz Months. 2.00
One Year.. 3.50
LET US MINE OUR OWN COAL.
CHITINA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 1911.
-A^>--... ■ -- ■ ■ --
CHITINA GATEWAY TO INTERIOR
It requires neither prophetic vision nor the wisdom of a
seer to look into the future development of the country contig
uous to the Copper River & Northwestern railway. The citizens
of Chitina are especially proud of the prospects and possibilities
of this immediate section, and business interests anticipating
future needs are preparoing to handle a large volume of busi
ness that is sure to follow the opening of the government trail
to summer travel- This is the logical point of general dis
tribution for the interior, as well as for a base of supplies for
prospectors and operators for hundreds of miles. The entire
country along the well beaten trail to Fairbanks, some three
hundred miles distant, and that paradise of miners, the Little
Bremner and Tebay countries look to Chitina as the gateway
for all traffic t© and from the outside.
Nestling in a densely wooded valley, surrounded by stupen
dous mountains, the town of Chitina has no fear of an unhealthy
boom nor the dread of stagnation of business. We have a sure
and direct outlet to the finest harbor on the Alaskan coast, and
the advantages of navigable rivers in three directions, and a
comparatively mild, dry climate. In a word we are not ashamed
of onr natural resources, nor the railroad that has made their
development possible, nor of the good men and women who con
stitute our citizenship. We are not ashamed of Chitina. Watch
us grow!
- wvvw
THE COAL QUESTION.
* . * u* . ...
I
That we Alaskans are not agreed as to the best means of
the opening of the coal fields of the territory is made manifest
every time a meeting is held where an opportunity is aceorded
to give expressions to our views. But we are all agreed upon
this proposition—that these coal fields should be opened,
under some system, and at once. The present state of affairs
here is unbearable. It is driving men and money away from
this country, so much iu need of both- Those in authority are
to be criticised for not investigating these alleged coal frauds
soon after the withdrawal order was made—in 1906. Then
evidence of fraud, if fraud exists, was easily available. The
government is doing now what should have been done five long
^years ago. It comes with authority that those persons who
have entered coal claims in good faith will receive patents.
Well, why don’t they get them? How many examinations and
investigations does it require before a decision is reached ? We
take it that Alaskans are not so much concerned as to the
policy with regard to the disposition of these coal lands—
whether under the leasing plan or government ownership and
operation—as they are with the question as to when something
-shall be done. This uncertainty, this 'i’.elay, is what exasperates
us, is what is ruining us finan/"‘aily.
The honoi-able secretary cf 4 he interior, when here, asked
the question: “How shall e open these coal fields!” By
reason of his governmental position, the matter is largely up
to him, and he must stand or fall by his decision. He has the
last say. What we want to know is, when is the administi’a
tion going to do something? When is it going to announce a
definite policy so that we living here may govern ourselves
accordingly? If this country is to be bottled up for an in
definite period, we want to know it so we may pack our war
hag and go to the Philippines, which appears to be the es'
pecial protege of the present administration. This whole mat
ter could be solved and settled by a scratch of the pen by those
in authority.—Seward Gateway
-oooo
THAT AUTOMOBILE ROAD.
Come to think of it. an automobile road to the coast would
mean more to Fairbanks than a casual observation would reveal.
It would give us mail from every boat that would land in Cor
dova in 48 hours and would land mail at Cordova from here in
the same length of time. Thus merchants would be given the
means of protecting themselves against shorts that they do not
now possess. As far as the mail is concerned, we would be put
3,000 miles nearer Seattle in the summer time than we are now.
Again, an automobilg road to Fairbanks from the coast would
make it the most popular touring route on the American con
tinent. and hundreds and perhaps thousands of touring cars
would come to Fairbanks every summer. It would indeed sur
pass any other trip on the continent in beauty and magnificence.
It would be hard to compute the benefits that Fairbanks would
derive from such a travel as that. It would put us in close
touch with the outside world, and from the tourist alone we
would derive more financial benefit than from our quartz mines
for some time to come. It would lessen fares and express, and
would give a much longer season in Fairbanks to those who
spend their winter outside. They could leave here on the first
of November and geet back the first of Ma» and thus have the
whole open season here with their business
Besides when that road is completed for a summer road,
it jnust not be forgotten that it will be a winter road for the
auto for the whole distance except about 50 miles, and the.
autoist may be depended upon to stick up pole fences and sheds
to keep the road open over those places and assure a winter
as well as summer auto road to the coast.—Fairbanks Citizen.1
THE LIES OF A MUCKRAKER.
An editorial in the News, of Newark. X. J.. of September.
6th, entitled “Light on Alaska.’’ opens with this paragraph:
“Mr. Lathrop’s letters from Alaska have disclosed a sit
uation which Congress ought to face squarely. It is evident
that a good deal of misrepresenting of the true conditions has
been going on and that it continues.”
Just a word or two directed to the editor of the News, of
Newark. N. J. We have received clippings of Mr. Lathrop’s
articles and the News has received clippings of some of the
replies thereto. One of these articles deals at great length
with our esteemed fellow-townsman Mr. Jack Dalton and his
suit against the Cop}>er River & Northwestern people, in which
Mr. Dalton has sought the aid of the courts to prevent the
construction of wharves, etc., in front of his residence. It
would be unbecoming to discuss a matter of this kind while
it is being tried in the courts, but is merely mentioned to show
how small matters are magnified into great stories when pub
lished in the muckraking papers east of the Mississippi river
The article is accompanied by a picture of the Cordova wharf
and Mr. Dalton’s residence, and as we pass it every day and i
know all the ins and outs of the legal proceedings, it is quite j
amusing to have this picture as a sensation in the Newark
paper over the signature of John E. Lathrop.
Mr. Lathrop is also endeavoring to square himself for
his connection with the Dick Ryan letter and his positively
known connection with Delegate Wickersham of Alaska.
It is also pertinent to again remark that Mr. James Wiek- i
crsham, Mr. Jack Dalton, and Mr. Gifford Pinchoc have been i
the ones most prominent in giving Mr. Lathrop his information '
first hand.
But returning to the editorial in the Newark News ot j
September 6th. Paragraph three refers to Mr. Lathrop's ver
sion of no competition in steamship business. If the editor of
the Newark News will walk over to the city passenger office i
of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Newark and ask for a copy j
of the official Railway Guide or folders, he will find that at j
no point in Alaska is there anything but competition, the com- j
panies operating being the Canadian Pacific (Pacific Steam
ship lines); Grand Trunk Pacific (Pacific Steamship lines);]
Pacific Coast Steamship Company; Alaska Coast Company;
Northland Steamship Company; Humboldt Steamship Com
pany and Northern Navigation Company.
Paragraph five of the editorial shows that Delegate
Wickersham has the hearty endorsement of all classes in the
territory. In his reply to this the editor of the News is sent
copies of extracts from editorials from the Iditarod Nugget,
Nome Nugget and Fairbanks News-Miner, the latter published'
in the home of Mr- Wickersham, and each of these three places
being remote by hundreds of miles from the scene of the in
dustrial activity of the syndicate which Mr. Wickersham is
assailing through Lathrop’s papers.
The whole editorial is based upon Lathrop’s writings, and
we again state for the benefit of the editor of the Newark News
that all of his articles are made out of whole cloth and his 1
arguments and deductions are absolutely and unqualifiedly |
false.
-oooo
THE PANIC OVER ALASKA.
I
The congressional panic for fear somebody will get some
thing in Alaska out of which he will derive more wealth than |
a living profit looks childish from this side of the fence. It is
warranted neither by present facts nor by past history. Those j
who are acquainted with the difficulty of extracting natural'
resources from that part of the earth’s surface which is pink
on the map and which is marked “Alaska,” and who know
what a heavy toll transportation exacts in the territory, cher
ish few illusions about “wealth beyond the dreams of avarice”
in the coal and copper mines of Alaska. To such, the frantic
efforts of our congressmen to ward off danger of which tliey
liavc but a vague conception, and which may exist only in
the imagination of wild conservationists, might be amusing
did they not result in positive harm
It was the struggle of the individual that penetrated the
wilderness and built up civilization from the Mississippi to
the Pacific coast. The individual was untrammeled by office- j
made regulations, nor was his field of endeavor limited and cut
off by government reservations. The government did not re- J
tain possession of the lands and parcel them out in small farms j
or mines or timber tracts to the settlers, as landlord would to j
tenant. Individual ownership has always brought out a man’s j
best efforts, and will continue to do so. In the effort to pre- j
vent monopoly, our congressmen would have our government;
own coal mines, railways and steamship lines. The conserva*|
tionists, whose avowed purpose is to avoid waste, propose to
rule out individual energy, which is the most saving and most
productive, and to operate enterprises by government machin
ery, which is notoriously indifferent and wasteful.
-oooo
A Philadelphian dropped dead while writing home to his
wife and another man who was sending his better half a
telegram had his pocket picked of $50- These items may be
of interest to those husbands who have run out of other ex
cuses for not writing when away from home.
FISHER IN FAVOR OF
CANADIAN LEASING BIEL
Kansas City, Sept. 29.—At the Conservation Congress J.
B. White was elected president. Secretary of Interior Fisher
says that President Taft agrees with him in his Alaska policy,
which favors the leasing of the coal under a system similar to
that in force in Canada.
The conservationists recommend the early opening of Alas
ka, the leasing of the coal and the construction of highways
and railroads by the government
Jesse Martin, manager of the Orr
stage line has resigned his position
and will move to Valdez where he
has large interests that demand his
undivided attention. His successor
has already been named and is ex
pected to arrive at an early date.
Under the management of Sir. Mar
tin the business of the company "as
handled very efficiently and the pub
lic regrets the going of Mr. Martin
and his accomplished wife.
Stump pulling in the principal
streets of Chitina is progressing rap
idly and grading will be begun at
once. The streets now look as though
a cyclone had struck the town but
order will be brought out of chaos
in the next two weeks> to the de
light of every citizen. Some of the
stumps were large and let go their
hold very reluctantly but the donkey
engine in charge of Engineer Tibbs
eventually won over all obstacles.
Many moss roofs have been leak
ing very badly during the late rains
which proves that more substantial
coverings must be provided for our
dwellings.
J. N. Steffgen, Ed Sellers and
Leslie Rice are in town from the
Goiconda where tney have been put
ting in a hydraulic outfit this sum
mer. They report the work finished
for the season on the Goiconda.
S3 GOI
■, r i. r •
The snow sheds at mile 53 where
so much trouble was experienced
with snow slides last winter have
been completed and little trouble is
expected in this locality this winter.
The operation of a railroad in Alas
ka entails a heavy expense and much
patience on the part of the officials
who are constantly being confronted
with new problems in economic oper
ation. Unfortunately the pioneers
in the business in this country may
not draw upon their past experiences
for the solutions of these mighty
problems, but must work them out
to suit the changing conditions as
they rise. A few years hence it will
not be so, for the experience gained
each year will be carefully treasured
for future use.
Mr. J. L. Gage departed for Cor
dova Saturday where he was to meet
Mrs. Gage who arrived from Seattle
on the Northwestern.
fW Hot i
SEATTLE
CffAS. PONY, MM.
tut BtSTorramHiNa *
in thetffMTorman
135too>isVliTHBMH-50SywLEBooMS
FORFEITURE NOTICE.
Notice is hereby given Charles Gar
wood that his interest in the Tjosc
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.
PHOTOGRAPHY
We do all kinds.
DEVELOPING:
3A Films.10 cents
3A Prints or postcards . . .7 cents
Other work in proportion.
NELSON & NELSON
Chitina. Alaska.
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.
Just Open
Billiards jj- Pool
CIGARS
g* " " "■ 1 ■'»
Confectionery
Soft Drinks and
Solo Tables
► _
k -
| Bowling Alley
i mmmmmmmimSmmmm
TIBBS BROS.
******* SMI *********
Chitina Bakery
& Coffee House
GESSNER & STANGNETH
Proprietors
FRESH BREAD
Cakes and Pastry
Always on Hand
Main Street, — Chitina.
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.
OSBORNEi
’ .
THE ]
j
PRACTICAL 3
<j
Jeweler
<
CORDOVA, - ALASKA «
«
Watches and Jewelry at ,
«
«
Outside Prices j
4
Leave Your Work at the Leader.
4
4
Office 4
4
4
.4
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTl'TTTTrrTIT'
Pete’s Lodging
House
AND
SECOND HAND STORRE
FREE COOKING HOUSE
- ,
__ *
•i
CHiliNA HEIGHTS
Bunks 25c; Beds 50c..
PErER CORDES. Prop.
«
1
•
:
:
«
«
«
«
-- - -----