THE GOBBLING
GUGGENHEIMS
A New York special telegram to the Chicago Record Herald
of recent date says:
“Shall the mineral wealth of Alaska enrich the Guggenheim
trust or the United States treasury?” This question is the theme
of an article in the January issue of McClure’s Magazine. The
fight over the billion dollar coal deposits in the Bering river sec
tion of southern Alaska that brought about the Glavis episode and
the trouble between Secretary Ballinger and Chief Forester
Pinchot is viewed from a new angle - the interest the Guggenheims
have in the case.
Under the title “Billions of Treasure,” John E. Lathrop and
George Kibbe Turner review the history of the discovery of the
anthracite and bituminous mountains of Alaska, and the manner in
which various syndicates the past eight years have sought to get
full possession of the mineral treasures. Then they assert that
control of Alaska is drifting into the hands of the Guggenheim
family, which bids fair to get a grip on the whole future develop
ment of industry on the Pacific coast.
Like Belt end Barnato
“The control of all exploited countries,” says the article, “es
pecially mining countries, in the last 20 years has come inevitably
into the hands of great syndicates. For the last 10 years, and es
pecially in the last five, the control of Alaska has been drifting
steadily into the hands of the Guggenheims- exactly as the dia
mond and gold fields of South Africa came into the hands of the
great diamond speculators, Albert Beit, Barney Barnato and their
associates.
“At the present time the Guggenheims’ final acquirement of
the district seems inevitable. They started there in a small way
nearly 10 years ago, in the Nome district, through the Northwest
ern Commercial Company. They now hold the great part of the
famous gold district of the Klondike, with their $17,000,000 Yukon
Gold Company, and they have a practical control of the ocean
transportation to the district.
Transportation Control
“In all their companies exploiting Alaska capital is repre
sented aggregating $40,000,000 or $50,000,000. As in the West,
they pay especial attention to the question of control of transport
ation, which is the key to the control of all mining business.”
In discussing the various groups of claimants which are trying
to get patents and full possession of the big billion dollar prize the
article pays particular attention to the Cunningham claims, which
brought for the Glavis incident. The Cunningham group com
prised Idaho and Washington millionaiies, the management of the
syndicate being in the hands of Clarence Cunningham, its pro
moter, and in showing the influences through which it worked the
article brings in Senator Hey burn of Idaho.
Quotes Cunningham
It quotes from Cunningham’s journal under date of Sept. 19,
1903, the journal being part of the documentary evidence that Gla
vis secured in preparing the coal land cases:
“‘Have agreed with W. B. Heyburn in consideration for his
services as attorney to carry him for one claim of 1G0 acres in the
coal, free of cost to him, and he agrees to do all our legal work in
procuring titles, etc., free of expense to us.’
“This arrangement would bring high compensation to Mr.
Heyburn if the Cunningham claims went through. From the pres
ent estimate of the value of the coal in this property each claim
would have a value of $1,500,000 in commercial coal. In 1903 it
was perfectly clear that each share would be of great value. It
would certainly constitute a great fee, demanding valuable ser
vices. In September, 1903, Mr. Heyburn was a United States sen
ator, having been elected by the Idaho legislature eight months
before.
^ Prospector “'Jesd In Vain”
“The basic unit in political or legislative oratory concerning
Alaska is the ‘hardy prospector.’ Everything is done in his name.
In the spring of 1904 Mr. Heyburn introduced in the senate, for
the benefit of the ‘hardy prospector of Alaska,’ the Alaska coal
bill of April 28, 1904. This broke the circle in which the law of
1900 had placed the government’s coal in' that district, and allowed
it to be taken over by persons who had surveyed it at their own ex
pense.”
Reverting to the question of Guggenheim dominance in
Alaska, the article says:
“On July 20, 1907, A. B. Campbell, Clarence Cunningham and
M. C. Moore, ex-governor of Washington, acting as representa
tives for the Cunningham claimants, signed and delivered to Daniel
Guggenheim, the head of the American Smelting and Refining
Company, a ‘representation and proposal’ to form a coal company
with $5,000,000 capital, give Guggenheim half the stock on his pay
ment of $250,000 working capital into the company’s treasury and
to sell to his railroad the company’s output of $1.75 a ton for its
own use and $2.25 a ton for general use.”
Claims of Hugs Value
% as to tne value of the coal lands over which the dissensions
arose that led to the discharge of Glavisand the Ballinger-Piuchot
controversy, the articles says:
“The main vein on the Cunningham claims, the most carefully
experted property in the district, is 24 feet wide, worth $12,000
an acre on a basis of 50 cents a ton, without counting the other
veins on the land. The price charged by the government for this
land to the claimants is $10 an acre. A tract of 2,560 acres of the
Cunningham property would produce at least 45,000.000 tons,
worth $22,500,000. The government price to the claimants, under
the former liberal Alaska coal laws, would be $25.600. The coal
on it, in other words, would yield a profit when developed approxi
mately one thousand times what the government sells it for.”
The collaborators enter into a history of the developments in
the department of the interior and in the land office, showing the
incidents that led up to the dismissal of Glavis, of whom it says:
“The eagerness of this young man to prosecute the Cunning
ham claimants for fraud thus cost him a very promising future in
the service of the United States.”
DON’T FAIL
To attend the Chamber of Commerce
ATA,1. HALL. SATURDAY EVE AT R O’CLOCK
CLEAN AND REFRESHING
BATHS
All Hours Wednesdays and Saturdays
—AT—
Williams' Nevr Barbsr Shop
Front St., Tanana.
GOMFLIMENTARY BALL
BY THE NON-COMS.
Invita ions have been issuetl sn d j
splendid preparations are being j
peil vied l..r a holiday social danc j
..t Post hall, Fort (iibbon, 1>\ lot ,
'imi commissioned staff, on Wa-li <
iiigtoii’- birt d iv, ms Tits \
• veiling at 8:30 o'clock. Tin
hall is a coniplim maty affair t.a
tne guc.-ts, and, to judge trom the
gieat success attendant on the el
torts of the Signal Corps’ ball on
New Year’s, the forthcoming social
with be largely attended and hugely
erjoyed. The Peerless orchestra
will furnish the music.
Sergeant Cuff is chairman of the
committee on arrangements; Ser
geant A S. Kiuzer will act ns door
manager, assbttd by Sergeants C
H. Carpenter, F. J. Warren and
W.J. Tobin.
Indian Chief Wants
Government Dancehall
Dawson News: Chief Isaac is to the
front with the idea that Moosehlde
should have a dancehall at government
expense. He called at the News office
yesterday to announce the fact.
“Wrileum news p a per— write', nr
good,” exclaimed the chief with pop
ping eyes. "Tellum people govevn
ment he ought makeutn big dance
house; yes, dancehall Moosehido for
Injun.
•‘Next summer me wantuni dance
liall. Heap good for Injun.
‘•Tellum people much obliged so
many boys come dance Moosehide dur
ing holidays, and now no more dance
till summer. Coidhye.”
Sc-me Noted exceptions
The Dawson News says, editorially:
■‘Ninety-nine per cent, of the men in
Yukon are truthful. In that respect j
Yukon leads the world.”
Go to 'em, Mr. News; you're a good j
paper and can't be downed.
Started for Koyukuk
Dr Grafton ISurke, the Fort
Yukon missionary physician, ac
compauied by a native guide, lef
laM Monday for his annual visita
tion to the Koyukuk missions and
schools.
BANGING LESSONS
BY MISS BETTLES
Miss Marguerite Hetties has organ
ized a class which is given dancing
lessons twice a week under her tutor
ship. The exercises take place Tues
days and Fridays at A. B. ball, begin
ning at 7:30 p. in.
Job Primin'? at The Leader office.
ST. JAKES’ CHAPEL
First Sunday in each month, Holy
Communion II a. in. Other Sundays,
Evening Prayer. 7:30 p. in.
Winthrop Peabody,
Priest in Charge.
NOTICE OF MARSHAL’S SALE
United States of America, District of
Alaska, Fourth Division.
Public notice is hereby •riven, that,
by virtue of a writ of lieri facias (or
special execution), dated December 8l h,
A.D. 1D0D, issued out of the District
Court of the United Slates, for the
Fourth Division, District of Alaska, on
a judgment rendered in said Court, ou
the 14th day of October, A.D. 1909, in
favor of Peter Vachon, J. S. Sterling
and Andrew Vachon, and against VV.
W. Nelson, I have, on this lath day of j
January, A.D. 1910, levied upon the i
following described real esiaie in the i
town of l'anaua, and District of Alaska,
to-wit:
One (1) lot, sixty ((10) by one hundred
and lifty (150) leet in size, facing on
Front street.
Also building located thereon twenty
(20) by forty (40) feel in size known as
the "Nelson .Restaurant,”
Also a building eighteen (18) by
twenty-four (24) feel in size located on
said ubove lot.
And that I will, accordingly, offer
said real estate for sale, at public ven
due to the highest and best bidder, for
cash, on the 18ih day of February, A.
D. 1910, at 2 o’clock p.tn., at Tanana
in front of the Marshal’s office.
Dated at Tanana, Alaska, January
13th, A.D. 1910.
H. K. LOVE,
U. S. Marshal, Fourth Division, Dis
trict of Alaska.
By JOHN J. DONOVAN,
Deputy.
McGinn & Sullivan,
Plaintiff’s Attorneys.
The above sale has been postponed
to March 4,1910, by ordorof the United j
States marshal.
On the trails this winter looking for good places to stop—
more than ever before known in the history of Interior
Alaska—and the roadhouse and hotel keepers who introduce
their places of business and their accommodations to the
man along the route is the fellow who’ll get the trade. The
Xanana Leader makes a specialty of printing large and small
On Heavy Muslin, designed especially for out-of-door adver
tising—they will endure for years, and will withstand the
rigors of the Northland elements.
Tartans, Alaska
On On of tiia Last tears Wa Roooivoo flur Yearly
Supply of Paper for
OF MANY KINDS