Many Placer Locations
Are Made at Mile 146
The announcement in last week's1
Leader that placer gold had been dis
covered in the gravel pit at mile 146,
has caused a small stampede, and by
last Monday afternoon there were
twenty locations recorded with Judge
Ferguson at the commissioner’s of
fice in Chitina. Among some of the
early and prominent locators who,
fortunately, were right on the
ground, are Superintendent Samuel
Murchison, P. J. O’Brien and H. R.
Simpson, as well as a number of oth
er officials at the front, and wise
ones who were first to get down their
stakes. Of course, no one knows as
yet as to whether gold will be dis
covered in paying quantities along
this Strelna river gravel deposit, but
as gold has been panned out and sev
eral nuggets found in the gravel pit,
where the steam shovel is at work,
it may prove to be a big dredging
proposition in the future. Anyway,
it isn’t every road that can boast of
being surfaced with gold-carrying
placer gravel, and when next spring
the rains will have come to wash
away the frozen dirt from the grav
el on the road bed, who knows but
what some one may kick out a bunch
of nuggets between the ties, or that
the Copper River and Northwestern
railway may have all kinds of trou
ble in keeping the frenzied gold seek
ers from washing away the gravel
their trains have been hauling from
the Strelna river gravel pit this win
ter.
Old-Time Alaskan Praises
The New Chitina Route
M. N. Sorensen, one of Alaska's
pioneers, who has been outside for
the past fourteen months, returned
on the last trip of the steamer Vic
toria, arriving in Chitina on Mon
day evening's train. Sorensen Bros,
are well known in the Tanana coun
try, having been in business in Fair
banks and on the different creeks in
the vicinity of the interior metrop
olis for the past ten years. One of
the brothers is now in business in
Seattle as proprietor of the German
Bakery, while the other will look
after some claims in which they are<
' interested on Esther creek. Mr. Sor
ensen remarked to a Leader repre
sentative that going outside was a
snap this year, and that the mush
from Chitina was a pleasure trip
compared to a few season's ago. He
spoke of a number of trips made
over the Valdez-Fairbanks trail, and i
said he could only look out of the
windows of the passenger train on
the way up and note the contrast to
his last trip inside. As he goes di
rect to Fairbanks he’ll be a big bovst
er for this route, and states that the
majority of the travel is bound to
come this way.
First Sleighing Party
Over New Cut-Off Trail
Road Overseer Bert McCutcheon
gave the first sleighing party of the
season on Wednesday of this week,
and as the party was the first to
leave from Chitina over the new cut
off trail, quite a few of the citizens
bundled up in real Arctic style and
gathered around the sleigh to have
a picture made of the start by Ken
nedy, the photographer, who, for
tunately, was in town at the time.
Mr. McCutcheon was a splendid host,
and by providing two large, warm
robes and quilts at the bottom, prov
ed that he was familiar with trail
riding in the north. The party con
sisted of Mesdames. Burrows and
Newhouse, Messrs. McCutcheon, Ben
nett and Alba, the latter owning the
horse and sleigh. The party went
as far as the first roadhouse on Pop
pel lake, a distance of between nine
and ten miles, where hot coffee and
lunch were served, returning and ar
riving in town as the evening shades
were falling. The only objection
that could be possibly made at the
present time to the trail is the in
sufficient fall of snow for good
sleighing, there being only about an
inch of snow on the ground. The
lakes along the line are frozen hard
enough for a horse and party to trav
el over, the three lakes lying be
tween here and the first roadhouse.
While the thermometer hovered
close to 15 below zero not one of
the party suffered from the cold or
any discomforts, and the ride was a
most enjoyable one.
Local News
Deputy Marshal Geo. Goshaw was
an arrival in Chitina on Monday ev
ening from Tiekel. After remaining
here a few days George hied himself
back to the coast, and says that
while he can get but few to agree
with his way of thinking, poor old
Valdez still looks good to him. The
genial deputy had several weeks of
strenuous work while at Tiekel and
along the line, and made good, too,
but his friends say that the peace
and quiet of the glacier city and a
desired change or rest from his duties
here are not the only reasons Valdez
looks good to him. Who knows?
Through an oversight in last
week's issue of the Leader, we fail
ed to chronicle the important fact
that the Honorable John Hot Airj
Jones, more familiarly known to all
I
old-timers on the line as "Deacon.”
is furnishing all the hot air needed
on the Kuskalina bridge. Of course,
we mean by that he is in charge of
the engine furnishing the compressed
air and steam for the riveting ma
chines. Alf the steel gang say Super,
intendent O’Neil was, as usual, far
sighted in retaining the “Deacon,”
after the completion of the Miles
Glacier bridge, and doubt if the Kus
kalina job could be completed with
out him, owing to the cold weather.
All they need to do to keep warm
all forenoon is to feed the deacon
a generous sUce of Bootjack five min
utes after breakfast and the ice lad
en atmosphere is immediately per
meated with a sufficient quantity of
hot air of the real unadulterated ar
tide to keep the boys in good hu
mor all day.
A. u. Baker, Dr. Whiting and J.
Reedman are three well known and
prominent men who have recorded
placer claims on the Strelna riv
er at mile 146.
Peter Dobrobolsky and Henry
Henwood were brought before Judg*
Ferguson last Monday on the charge
of vagrancy. The commissioner find
ing both guilty as charged, fined
Dobrobolsky $200 and costs, and
Henwood received a light fine of $10
and costs. Report has it that un
less several others now lying around
Chitina with no visible means of sup
port begin to get busy soon, they
will be the next called upon to pay
a fine or serve a sentence out ax
Hotel de Brown.
W. J. Leser, paymaster for the
contracting company, finished pay
ing off the station men and other la
borers at Tiekel the first of the week,
and moved to the new headquarters
at mile 146, passing through Chit
ina on Tuesday night’s train.
Victor Hugo, chief of carpenters,
and his crew left Chitina last week
for 146, where he will be permanent
ly stationed until th« bridge is in
readiness. Mr. Hugo, who has been
the head carpenter of the road for
the last two years, is a name-sake
and grandson of the famous French
au thor and poet of that name.
On Wednesday morning the ther
mometer registered 25 degrees be!on
sero at Gage’s store on Chitiea
Heights. Thursday and Friday
mornings the officials from Kuska
lina and 146 report the mercury
hovering around the 30 below mark,
while it ran about 20 below in Chit
ina.
Geo. Blouen returned from a bus
iness trip to Cordova this week. Mr.
Blouen has been negotiating with
parties to open a saloon in his fine
building, which is now ready for oc
cupancy, but up to the time of go
ing to press nothing definite has been
decided upon.
Louis Anderson, a character whom
the authorities claim has been lying
around Tiekel and Chitina for sev
eral months past, with no apparent
means of support, was brought be
fore Judge Ferguson on Wednesday
for vagrancy. He was fined 3250.00
and costs and will reside for some
time to come at Hotel de Brown.
HOTEL CHITINA SOON' B*
READY FOR OCCUP.AN'Ci
Contracted Lund is rapidly get
ting the new Hotel Chitina ready for
business. All the outside work is
practically finished, and the carpen
ters are now busy on the hanging
of doors, putting on casings and in
stalling the glass fronts and win
dows. F. A. Smith, the painter and
paper hanger, who arrived from Cor
dova the first of the week, has been
hard at work lining the rooms ready
for papering, and says when the
stoves and furniture arrive it will
be but a short time until the hotel
is ready for guests. Mr. Breedman,
the proprietor, who is now in Cor
dova, is expected out next week, and
has announced that the furniture and
hotel supplies will be shipped in a
few days. When the passengers for
the interior leaving Seattle on the
16th will have arrived in Chitina the
hotel will be ready to accommodate
them.
CHITIXA BUSINESS MAX
FALLS FROM TRESTLE
On Monday of this week Tommy
Brady, an old-time railroader, but
now in business with A1 Church in
the store they recently leased from
Kimberlin, received a nasty fall off
the approach of the trestle near camp
133. Tommy fell about fourteen
feet and landed head first among a
miscellaneous collection of scrap iron
and bowlders. No one was near at
the time of the accident, and the
unfortunate man laid for a consid
erable time insensible. He was just
regaining consciousness when some
one from the engineer’s camp hap
pened along, and he was carefully
and tenderly careH for until he could
be taken to camp 146, where Dr.
Whiting put him in the hospital, and
from the last reports he was doing
nicely.
I FRED M. SCHAUPP j
::: ::
4 Manufacturer in <>
4 4
Sheet Metal
o 4 ¥
4 4 -
:: stoves, ::
:: ranges ::
:: and ::
:: heaters ::
4 > * ►
Copper River
Trading Post
XEWHOUSE ft CO., Props.
Opposite Chitina
MILE 133
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
Seattle Prices
Cheapest Place 1b Copper Belt to
Buy Supplies
RED GROSS DRUG CO.
MRS. C M. KING
Drugs, Stationery, Fruit
Tobaccos, etc.
Mile 133
a
*T»
03
H
>
H
w
03
o
<
M
W
f<
o
Q
a
►
u
H
5S
iis-iiiTiiiiiiririiiifi
SAVOY
RESTAURANT
Opposite Chitina Trading Co.
I The Only First-Class Cafe in
Chitina
American and European Plan
Dinner 75c up
; A la Carte all day
Cater to special dinner parties.
BRADY HOWARD
General Contractor
Log or Frame Building
CHITIXA HEIGHTS
Satisfaction Guaranteed
STRINGER'S j
“The Hangout”.
Where you will find your friends
POOL
And Solo Tables, Cigars, Confec
tionery, Magazines, Periodicals and
Stationery.
Watch this Space
Something Doing all the time
L. C. STRINGER, Proprietor
L J. ST. CLAIR T. W. CLONINGEB,
Proprietors
THE WORKINGMAN’S RESORT
LOG CABIN BAR
WINES, LIQUORS,
AND CIGARS
....Restaurant and Good Lodging House in Connection....
CORDOVA’S BIG STORE l
S. BLUM & CO.’S I
WE SOLICIT YOUR ORDERS t
♦
_ :
4
♦
We Carry the most complete stock of ♦
GROCERIES, HARDWARE, SHOES, CLOTHING, |
FURNISHING GOODS,. AND FURNITURE. : : : : : 1
WRITE US FOR PRICES |
Prompt Attention to Mail Orders |
We Will Save You Money Cordova, Alaska. ♦
HARDWARE GROCERIES CLOTHING
• * *
CHITINA TRADNG CO.
!:: :
h * «
. > *
j: :
< > <
General Outfitters
< . <
' ' ■
' • '
:: :
« i «
« » 1
:: :
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FURTHER
< > <
„ ANNOUNCEMENTS
, » «