SECOND YEAR
CHITISA, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1812.
NO. 21.
• -
Capt. Northway arrived from Fair
banks Monday evening with two
passengers.
Tom Holland left for Slate Creek
with several montus’ supplies and
will spend the summer there.
John McCrary has purchased a
lot here and is putting up a house
and barn for his use on his regular
trips to Chitina.
Jack Lawrence left for Copper
Center.
Try Rockford at tue Chitina Hotel.
Heinie Esterbrook left on Sunday
for Katalla.
Word has been received that
Charlie Schelly, known all over this
country as a freighter, accidentally
shot himself while out hunting. He
was at Wortman’s on the Valdez
trail with an outfit for the interior.
Those who knew him will be sorry
to learn of his death.
This is indeed a healthful climate
but we would feel more secure if we
had a competent doctor in our town,
instead of being entirely without
one.
Preparations are now under way
for flooding the lake that the skat
ers may enjoy some sport before
the spring weather breaks up the
ice.
The heavy spring travel to the in
terior which is just beginning, will
have an excellent trail that will prob
ably last longer than usual, due 10
the heavy snow fall this winter.
Charlie Smith and Jack Hendricks,
well known old sourdoughs, arrived
recently from Fairbanks. They de
clare that the condition of the trail
and weather made the entire trip a
regular outing.
Call for anything you want at the
Chitina Hotel.
T. J. Bingham, of Willow Creek,
Is in Chitina this week. He will take
out a ton of feed, but next summer
by devoting most of his time to farm
ing he hopes to raise all the feed ue
will use during the following win
ter.
During the months of January and
February the freight received at
Chitina included 62 horses and
mules, 625 cases of eggs, 37 tons of
fresh meat, 94 half-barrels of beer,
100 cases of beer, 5 barrels of whis
ky, 77 cases of whisky.
Jimmy Dennis, tramway foreman,
has a new system of ptarmigan hunt
ing. Upon seeing a bunch of ptarmi
gan anywhere near the tramway, he
carefully makes a detour to a posi
tion from which he may frighten the
birds into flying toward the tram
line. Here the’ frightened birds fly
with considerable force against some
of the numerous cables, and a num
ber usually fall to the ground,
stunned, to be picked up by this 20th
century nimrod. Occasionally the
birds fly in the wrong direction, so
this system isn’t exactly infallible.
WAR DECLARED
WANTED—I will furnish a free
license and free rent to any doctor
or druggist who will put in a stock
of drugs on Chitina Heights. Inquire
of Peter Cordes, Chitina.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 1.—To
morrow the district attorney will ap
pear in Judge Dunne’s court and
move for the dismissal of all pend
ing indictments in the so-called graft
cases. A representative of the dis
trict attorney announced that the
motion would be made because of
the ruling by Judge Dunne that he
could not dismiss indictments
against Abraham Ruef, formerly po
litical boss of San Francisco, without
acting upon other pending indict
ments. Rttef’s testimony is believed
by the district attorney to oe abso
lutely essential in the case of former
Mayor Eugene Schmitz, now on trial
before Judge William P. Lawlor.
Among the men Indicted are former
Chief of Police Jeremiah Dinan and
Jas. Wt Coffroth, boxing promoter.
SEATTLE, March 1.—The break
in the cable betwen this city and Sit
ka is causing much inconvenience to
business men of Seattle and Alaska,
although urgent messages are;sent to
Southwestern Alaska or the interior,
via Ashcroft, Eagle, Fairbanks and
Valdez, at an advance In the cost. As
yet the place where the break oc
curred has not been located.
TACOMA, Feb. 26 —Mrs. John
Brown, of Puyallup, and John Wll
- son, a Tacoma butcher, were last
night found murdered on the road
way. The woman's husband has dis
appeared and suspicion points to him
NEALYISM AND THE DISGRACE OF IT
(BY 0. A. NELSON.)
We honestly wish to be as fair as it is humanly possible
to be. Our interest in the welfare of Chitina is sincere and per
manent, and believing that Healy is and will be a detriment to
the town as long as he holds the office he now does, we shall do
our utmost to depose him. Our opposition to Healy is not on
any personal prejudices. The popular distrust and contempt
felt for the man make him absolutely unfit for the place.
When he first came to Chitina looking for an opportunity
where his “pull” would put him in a position to gracefully
extract the dollars from American citizens, he came in contact
with many people in the rude conditions of camp life where the
real qualities of a man soon show up. He was invariably de
spised. He located a trading post on the line of the coming
railroad in a place that showed either supreme ignorance or the
intention of holding up the railway company for imaginary
damages. The general acceptance of the unsavory stories re
garding him previous to his coming to Chitina show what sort
of impression he has made here.
Most falling of all, he pretends to mete out justice to
American citizens and at the same time reiterates his pride in
the fact that he is not one. Any man w.ho lives in this country
21 years and tries to hold office without becoming a citizen
deserves to be kicked out in the same unceremonious manner
we would expect in his country. The golden rule is surely fair
enough.
The discriminations made in the road tax, which was large
ly collected by M- R. Healy’s, brother, is a libel on the Amer
ican idea of justice. Thos£ who support him admit that such
discriminations were made and that the responsibility lies with
him.
Healy is so narrow-minded there was never any room for
anything but himself in his thoughts, and his egotism is ludi
crous.'
A petition was circulated last fall praying for his removal.
It was signed by nearly a hundred American citizens who be
lieved he was not good for Chitina or the district over which
he presides. To circulate and sign such a petition is certainly
one of the rights of all free people in this country. Such a peti
tion having been signed and presented it was up to the official
to acquit himself He failed to do so. A counter petition
which should have been unnecessary, and which lmd no prop
er excuse for existence, was circulated to retain him in office.
That Healy expressed the same sordid resentment toward all
those who signed neither article that he did toward those who
attached their names to the first, shows a narrow-minded;"
so unwarranted that it really bespeaks a guilty conscience.
He has expressed the wish so often that his official position,
as a judge would give him the opportunity to “get even” with
those who had opposed him that he is utterly unfit to preside
as a judge over free American citizens.
In view of everything that has come to light we believe
that Healy is a nuisance and a menace to Chitina, and the ter
ritory around. In the mining camps and on the trails are men
who have as much interest and right to be heard as the peo
ple of Chitina, and there one will find no uncertain feeling of
dislike and distrust for the puny little czar.
There are a few people in Chitina who support Healy. Most
of them admit that he has ever been a hindrance and disturb
er to this section, because of the strife he has and will engen
der as long as he holds office. A few selfish ones uphold him
for most irrelevant and personal reasons, and some "fear to fall
in disfavor lest he continue in office and would lose no oppor
tunity to “get even.”
Chitina has a future which nothing can interfere with, but
which Healyism can much retard and tarnish, and of this we
are convinced and determined; he must and will go.
Some inquiry has been made as to whether the Daily
Alaskan and the Chitina Leader intend to cease the fight
against the alien Healy, who has not yet resigned the position
of United States commissioner of the Chitina precinct. It
would seem scarcely necessary to give assurance that such
could not possibly be the case. But it necessarily takes time
to bring about the much desired result of displacing this alien
from the exalted position he now holds. Now that the matter
has been brought to the attention of the presiding judge of
this division, it behooves all concerned to maintain a patience
while the ends of justice are being worked out.
That the result will be satisfactory to the people of the
Chitina valley is evidenced from an expression of Judge Cush
man, who is now holding court at Seward. We wired our cor
respondent there to ask him for an expression Tin the matter,
and this is the reply:
“Judge Cushman says in reference to the Healy ease: ‘I
have started an investigation into the charges, but have had
no report, hence have no immediate action to take’.”
People- who are familiar with the work of Judge Healy
during the past few months and desire to see justice done to
all parties, can congratulate themselves that the end is in
sight. They know what a careful and impartial investigation
will bring forth. And they further know what additional
facts would have been brought out before the recent grand
jury sitting in Cordova had it not been for the feeling of un
certainty and timidity that prevailed. And we all know that
by his own admission Commissioner Healy was not, in Novem
ber, and is not now, and probably never can be, an American
citizen. Here are a few excerpts from the report of the grand
jury, which was submitted Nov. 28 last:
“This grand jury is opposed to the practice of appointing' persons to
public office unless they are by birth citizens of the United States of
America, or have become citizens thereof by fully qualifying as such un
der the naturalization law.”
“It has been testified to before us by the present United States Com
missioner at Chitina, Alaska, that he has not taken out his dual naturali
zation papers; that his first papers were secured twenty years ago. We
feel that no person should accept or aspire to public office who is not a
qualified citizen of the United States.”
“It has been notoriously rumored and it has been repeatedly testified
to before us that a condition of extreme drunkenness has prevailed for
some time in and about the saloons of Chitina. It is repeatedly reported
by travelers and it has been testified to by citizens of Chitina that there
is a prevalence of general disorder.”
“\\ e do not concede that an officer has a moral right to arrest or pass
judicial action upon a qualified citizen of the United States unless the of
ficer himself is a qualified citizen. We do not approve, therefore, of the
appointment of l nited States commissioners who are not fully qualified
citizens of the l nited States and we believe it is the intent and purpose of
the Alaska code, and the national constitution as well, that no persons
hold judicial office who are not fully qualified citizens.”
“The members of this grand jury are familiar with conditions in fron
tier towns of the Pacific states and Alaska, and judging from what we
have heard currently and from what has been testified, we believe that,
the condition of drunkenness is proportionately much in excess in that
town (Chitina) as compared with other frontier towns of like nature. In
fact, we believe the situation is more or less beyond the physical control
of the United States officers; this has been testified to by the officers sta
lioned at that point.”
As one of the evidences that the
fair-minded people of the Copper
niver country do not propose to
meekly sit down and allow a foreign
:yrqnt to rule or ruin them, it may
ae cited that the administration of
iustice(?) by U. S. Commissioner
Uealy and Deputy Marshal Brown
aas been called to the attention of
the department of Justice at Wash
ington, and to other officials of Alas
ka. While satisfactory results will
Likely be acnieved long before At
Lorney General Wickersham can
make an investigation, it simply
shows that there is no disposition
ipon the part of the Chitina people
.0 quietly submit and allow the
ifficials of the government to con
:inue their persecutions. We pub
llsh herewith a copy of the letter
written by Mr. Macaulay, which was
mailed to public officials at the re
quest of many citizens. In one in
stance Mr. Macaulay is mistaken. He
states that Judge Healy received his
naturalization papers last December.
He simply made application for them
and it is a grave question whether
he can ever become a citizen of the
United States. The letter follows:
Chitlna, Alaska, Feb. 1st, 1912.
Attorney General Wickersham,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sir—A petition addressed to
the proper judicial authorities in this
district concerning the abuse of of
ficial power and the general misoon
duct of one M. R. Healey, at present
the United States Commissioner at
this place, has met with no response.
Therefore, as an American cit i,3n.
and as a resident of Chitina, I d.isire
to call to your attention the fa.ts in
the case.
During the summer and fall of
1911, the discrimination shown in
the .'WAleclton of t>“le Poll tax amount
ing ftp eight 4oli.*rs per head, served
to arouse the lVfi. of all Americans
who desired to see 'tins tax collected
in a just, impartial manner. This
was not aone by any means. * * *
This tax was collected under the di
rection and direct supervision of the
united States commissioner, Healey,
who had during the early part of the
summer of 1911 appointed his
brother, recently arrived from Chi
cago, tax collector.
This instance, coupled with the
fact that this commissioner had
borne an unsavory reputation before
acquiring his position, and had made
threats as to the punishment he
would mete out to certain individ
uals in case they ever appeared be
fore him in his official capacity,
caused the circulation of a petition
during tne latter part of November,
1911, praying for the removal of
this man. This petition was general
ly signed by the workingmen of the
community and contained upwards
of one hundred signatures. It was
forwarded to the District Court, at
tiiat time sitting in Cordova, and
copies were tuere made of the peti
tion, including a list of the signa
tures, and returned to the Chitina
commissioner. He, ably seconded
by the United States deputy marshal.
Brown, and assisted by the proprie
tors of the dives and saloons, then
began a campaign of intimidation di
rected against the signers of the pe
tition. Each signer was requested
by the deputy marshal to give a sign
ed statement as to his reasons for
signing the petition, and when the
writer, standing upon his rights as
an American citizen, refused to do
this, he was threatened with arrest
by the deputy marshal and told that
he would be brought before the com
missioner’s court. Pressure was
brought to bear on officials of the
railway company to remove those
employes that had taken an active
part in the tight for decency, and in
one case that has come to my notice
the employee was removed.
In conclusion, I desire io siaie that
at the time of the circulation of this
petition, and until some time in De
cember, 1911, this man was not even
a citizen of the country which he so
notoriously misrepresented, but was.
as far as I know, a British subject.
After testifying before the grand
jury convened at Cordova in De
cember, tnat he was not an American
citizen, although holding the posi
tion of United States Commissioner,
he took out his papers.
I believe that an investigation will
show that this man is a menace to
the community, and tuat in intimi
dating citizens he is endeavoring to
abridge such fundamental rights of
American citizens as tuose relating
to free speech and petitioning for the
redress of grievances.
Trusting that this matter will re
ceive attention, X am.
Yours truly,
T. C. MACAULAY.
Copy to Governor Clark, Delegate
Wickersham and Commissioner M.
R. Healey.
COMMITTEE TO REPORT RAILROAD BILL
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.—Congressman Flood, chairman
of the Committee on Territories, has presented a bill which of
fers a solution of the somwhat complicated situation of a com
mission of three, to be composed of one officer of the engineer
corps of the United States army, one competent railroad con
struction engineer and one competent coal mine operator, all of
well known ability, to be appointed immediately upon the pas
sage of the bill. The commission is authorized to call for as
sistance from every department of the administration and to
go to Alaska and collect all maps and get all possible informa
tion pertaining to railroad routes to the coal fields and the in
terior, and to make a recommendation to Congress by Decem
ber next. This will eliminate the bickering and quarreling
that has been carried on before the committees in regard to the
various proposed routes. The bill will be reported out of the
committee at the next meeting and placed on the calendar for
passage. It probably will head off all other proposed railroad
legislation.
Mr. Flood takes the position that it would be foolish in the
extreme for the government to appropriate a large sum of
money to build a railroad in Alaska without definite and ac
curate information as to where the railroad would start and
where it would end. He thinks the selection of a proper route
is most vital to the successful development of the coal fields
and he bases the argument on the fact that the cost of the
transportation of coal will cut a most important figure in the
ability of the operators to market the fuel.
ACTIVITY AT KENNECOTT DIME AND MRTHY
\ . ,
McCarthy, March 1, 1912.
Yesterday witnessed the closing
of the banner month of the year at
the great Bonanza copper mine. The
product of the mine for the month of
February, valuing copper at prices
now quoted, has considerably ex
ceeded one-half million dollars, a
iact which must be very encourag
ing to the owners and which ought
to make the cynics feel as cheap as
“thirty cents.” The beautiful weath
er we have been enjoying may have
had a little something to do with
rushing outside work, but the great
est factor, apart from the continuing
richness of the ore, has been the
splendid organization now so admir
ably perfected.
The genial superintendent, Mr. W.
H. Seagrave, has his work well in
hand and the visitor notes the uni
form activity throughout the differ
ent departments. The number of
men employed radiates la the neigh
borhood of 150, a good number of
whom are employed at*outside work.
The big crushing plant, It is ex
pected, will be completed in less
than ninety days and will be in
charge of Mr. John Cox, a celebrated
metallurgist, late of Ely, Nevada.
It is estimated that the donkey en
gine will reach the top of the moun
tain in about 30 days. For nearly
four and a half months this machin
ery has been slowly moving up tho
mountain slopes, and is now past
any dangers from snowslldes. With
the exfceptton of hauling the machin
ery for the steamboat Chltina over
from Valdez, a few years ago, this
moving the donkey engine, and ac
companying machinery up Bonanza
mountain is perhaps the greatest
piece of engineering accomplished in
Alaska. The engine will be used in
conjunction with a large scraper to
load the cars at the big slide where
untold millions await the rock
crushers.
Two more of the claims owned by
V,* - -
the company are to be opened up
soon. They are the Jumbo, about a
mile and a half from the Bonanza,
and the Erie, which lays about live
miles distant, and both Of which are
within the limits of the Bonanza
zone. Freight is now being rushed
to these claims with double-ender
sleds. A number of Fagenberg’s
teams are engaged in the work. The
Jumbo already has a 60-foot shaft
which is said to be in high grade ore,
and the Erie, too, gives much prom
ise.
Charley David, who superintends
the company's logging camp down at
the Lacklna, will shortly have
charge of the outside work around
the property. He has already deliv
ered half a million feet of logs at
the railway track, where a crew will
be kept large enough to load the
cars. The company was fortunate in
securing some fine timber for their
mill use this season.
Hundreds upon hundreds of ptar
■rwsVTfy m ,' ■ nil rn;
migan flew down from the summits i
yesterday to the low timbered flats.
This migration means (so old timers
say) a big storm in the near future.
Fred Tracy, foreman for George
Max Esterly, is busy getting stock
and sleds ready for freighting in
more hydraulic supplies.
Mr. Latin, the obliging station
agent at McCarthy s, is getting a fine
collection of ores typical of tne dis
trict. New comers will be delighted
and it will be an excellent advertise
ment.
Kennecott, Feb. 26, 1912.
Excellent. progress is being made
moving the heavy machinery from
the lower camp to the mine. This
'has proved a large undertaking this
winter and nas kept a force of from
, eight to ten men busy for several
months. Among the machinery be
ing moved Is a large-size donkey en
gine. In order to move this expe
[ditiously over snow drifts 18 to 20
on this and uses its own steam for
hauling itself and the balance of the
machinery up. The toboggan sled
is very successful in supporting the
weight of the engine over the deep
snow.
Great interest and delight was ex
hibited upon the arrival of the Daily
Alaskan and Chitina Leader, making
expose of conditions in Chitina. Both
papers were in great demand, and
upon all sides were heard warm
words of praise and commendation
of the stand the Daily Alaskan had
taken. Many of the men, grizzled
sourdough miners, had suffered per
sonal injustice at the hands of the
unjust judge and his satellite, the
deputy marshal, and these were
made especially happy by the wel
come news.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Traumpen gave
a Five Hundred party Friday evening
which was enjoyed by a number of
their friends.
The popular mill tallyman, “Ro
feet in depth, it was found neces
sary to construct a sled of three
eighths inch iron, eight feet wide by
sixteen feet in length, with the front
end turned up in the shape of a
toboggan. The donkey engine rests
tary Jack*' McLean, who has been on
the sick list, has,resumed his duties
in' the sawmill.
The sawmill, under the capable
supervision of H. J. Hunt, is running
steadily. Friday broke all previous
records for cutting, the tally sheets
showing 9,500 feet for that day. The
native spruce makes a good lumber, i
taking an excellent finish and the i
interior woodwork of buildings at
Kennecott would prove a revelation i
to Puget Sound lumbermen. 1
Trail-breaking to the Jumbo mine,
a nearby property of the Kennecott
Mines Company, l8 progressing rap
idly and all Indications point to a i
seasoh of Intense activity in the vi
cinity.
1 When In doubt d ; 1’arkford.
—- ~ .—el -
BEDE
Cl L
SlEBEi,
WASHINGTON, March 1.—Tho
navy department has issued orders
for revenue cutters to begin cruising
in Alaskan waters about April 1. To
patrol the Bering sea during the ap
proaching open, season to prevent
pelagic sealing the cutters «»cCul
lough, Rush, Manning and Tahoma
have been seclected. The scope of
their work, previously confined to a
limited zone, will be the entire Ber
ing sea. Any American, British,
Russian or Japanese merchant sail
ing vessel found In the North Pa
cific ocean will be seized under the
terms of the new treaty. All sealing
will be done under governmental oi
pervision.
The revenue cutter Bear, as soon
as navigation opens, will make its
usual tour of the Arctic ocean, go
ing as far as Point Barrow'. During
the spring, summer and fall the Bear
in the “policeman” of these waters,
assisting and protecting merchant
vessels and whalers and guarding
the interests of the missionaries ami
teachers of Nortnern Alaska.
SEATTLE, March 1.—Shipping
men agree in pronouncing the early
offerings of Alaska freight the larg
est in years, and with every steam
ship line which operates to the
north pressing all of their available
vessels into service, there will not
be a steamship sail north for the
next several months that is not till
ed with cargo. The Grand Trunk
Pacific, the largest pier on the cen
tral water front, is already crowded
with freight for Alaska, to go north
on the steamships Admiral Sampson,
sailing March 5, and Jeanie, sailing
March 10. Both are in the Alaska
Coast Company serv’fcg
When the Bertha recently wenl
out she was loaded with every tun
of freight she could carry, as well as
75 passengers, many of them can
nery men going north to superintend
or help In the erection of new can
neries, or to prepare for the large
season anticipated by established
plants. She had supplies for two
new Alaska canneries. One shipment
of lumber and building material was
for the new plant of the Fidalgo Isl
and Packing Company at Point Gra
ham, Cook Inlet, and another was
billed to Kodiak Island, for the new
cannery of the Kadiak Packing Com
pany. Both new canneries are ex
pected to produce a good sized pack
during the coming season.
When the freighter Seward sailed
on the 19th of February she had one
of the bulkiest cargoes taken out of
this port in many months, in addi
tion to the big rotary and its tender,
which together weigh about 125
tons, the vessel has 16 carloads of
steel refining tanks for tne new
whaling station being established by
the United States Whaling Company
at Port Armstrong, Baranof Island,
and a large shipment of .lumber load
ed at Port Blakely. The snow plow
is consigned to the Copper River &
Northwestern Railroad and will be
discharged at Cordova. It will be
operated between that town and
Tiekel during the winter and spring
months when snow blockades are
frequent.
The feat of placing a 100-ton
steam plow on the deck of the Sew
ard for shipment to Cordova, one of
the most difficult undertakings that
has confronted officials of the Alas
ka Steamship Company, was accom
plished at Pier 2 without mishap.
The Seward was placed at the face
of the pier and an extension of the
railroad track on the north side of
the dock house built. At 1 a. m.
both wind and tide were favorable
for the loading, the deck of the Sew
ard being exactly level with the
pier and the big machine was pull
ed by one of the winches slowly
aboard the vessel. The Alaska Steam
ship Company was ready to load the
rotary for two days, but conditions
were not favorable until the morn
ing of Feb. 13.
NEW YORK, March 1.-—William
Dean Howells is to be honored by
makers of literature at a dinner
given by Col. George Harrey in cele
bration of the 75th anniversary of
the birth of the distinguished au
thor. Invitions have been issued to
300 well known men and women in
the literary circles of the United
States, and it is said uat the occa
sion tonight will be a notable one.
Meet your friends at the Chitlu*
Hotel.
• . • . . . .4