FOURTH YEAR.
CHITINA, ALASKA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1913
NUMBER 1
Late Telegraph News
CHICAGO, Oct. 17.—Quite an excitement was caused at
the Hotel Sherman this morning. The report of a shot startled
the guests and some preceding to the room from which it
emanated found the door locked. It was forced in and a man
was found .staggering about the room with his throat cut. On
the floor was a woman, dead from the effect of a bullet wound
and with her throat cut. It was soon learned that the couple
were Mr. and Mrs. William C. Ellis, of Cincinnati. He is a
wealthy leather merchant, and explained that they had come
to Chicago to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their
marriage. They formed a suicide pact and after cutting their
throats he stated that his wife sought to effect a quicker
ending of life and so shot herself.
-o—o—o
BERLIN, Oct. 17.—A fatal accident occurred this
this morning, when the Zeppelin HI was destroyed in mid air.
This is the largest air ship yet built and was carrying a large
number of military men who were making a trial tirp. Twenty
six were killed, including the military representatives except
ing the entire admiralty board who were making the trial trip.
The ship was 500 feet above Mail Street, Johannesthal, when
an explosion occurred and blew the machine to pieces. She
was to have been the flagship of the new German aerial navy.
It was in November last that the German war office recom
mended the building of 20 additional dirigibles during 1913
for the aerial fleet. Each was to be capable of a speed of 51
miles an hour, gas and petrol capacity for a continuous trip of
50 hours, and a carrying capacity of one ton of explosives. The
LII was the largest of this type and was making a trial trip
preliminary to acceptance as the flagship. The Emperor was
at Bon when he heard of the terrible calamity. He was greatly
shocked, but declared that it was God’s will and that Germany
must bear the blow courageously.
w V V
ALBANY, Oct. 17.—Governor Sulzer was found guilty of
articles one and two, for falsification of his campaign state
ment, and for perjury in swearing to the campaign statement.
The vote on each article was the same, 39 to 18. He was also
found guilty on two other charges, but was declared not guilty
on the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth counts. A vote was
taken on the question of disqualifying Mr. Sulzer from ever
again holding office in New York state, but by unanimous vote
this proposition was negatived. On the formal motion to
remove the governor from office the vote stood 43 to 12 in
favor of the motion, which accordingly terminates all his right
to the position to which he was elected last November. The
vote on this proposition, as sent out yesterday, was an error.
Late this afternoon Lieutenant Governor Glynn was sworn in
as governor of the state, and immediately took possession of
the executive offices. Former Governor Sulzer is planning to
again run for governor at the next election, but it is thought
that he may be prevailed upon not to enter the contest. Since
his recent trouble his health has been very much undermined.
-o—o—o
VALDEZ, Oct. 17.—It has been agreed upon that the trial
of Dan S. Reeder, charged with assault and attempt to kill
Billy Rowe, will go over until November 27, at Valdez. E. E.
Ritchie has been retained to defend Reeder. This trial will be
at the special term which has been called for November 17,
and will be presided over by Judge R. W. Jennings, of the
Juneau division. There are several small cases that Judge
Brown is disqualified from hearing, and for that reason the
attorney general has requested Judge Jennings to come here.
Jurors have been drawn for this special term. Those from
Cordova are as follows: A1 Lund, B. A. Miller, John Gamble,
Tom Teets, F. M. O’Niel, L. F. Cox, Charles Greeber, J. M.
Johnson, L. B. Cochran, Ben Elliott and TV. TV. Phillips. A
number of witnesses who came over from Cordova to testify
in the Reeder case before the grand jury will return on the
Alameda this evening.
__n_n_
ALBANY, Oct. 16.—Late this afternoon it was reported
that the impeachment court had formally voted in secret
session to remove William Sulzer from the office of governor of
New York. The ballot was 145 to 43. A vote was taken to
disqualify Mr. Sulzer from ever holding another office under
the state, but it is said that this was lost. The verdict was not
unexpected as it was generally considered that damaging
evidence had been offered against him. And when he refused
to go on the stand and testify in his own behalf liis friends were
fearful of the result.
-o—o—o
VALDEZ, Oct. 16.—The grand jury is hard at work, with
Charles Dickey as the foreman. A number of citizens from
Cordova appeared before this body yesterday afternoon and
this morning, in the Dan S. Reeder case. This afternoon the
grand jury reported a true bill against Reeder. He is charged
with assault with attempt to kill. He shot Billy Rowe while
the latter was in attendance at a public affair in Eagle Hall
about the middle of June. The grand jury also returned a true
bill against Frank Lipps, of Seward, on the charge of assault
with a deadly weapon.
-o—o—o
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.—In a dispatch received from
Nelson O’Shaughnessy, charge d’affaires at Mexico City, he
intimates that President Huerta has received the greatest
encouragement from the British minister to remain firm.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.—President Wilson has written
a letter to House Leader Underwood in which he expresses
the opinion that the currency reform bill would be reported to
the Senate not later than the first week in November. He
further adds that he believes that it will be passed in two or
three weeks after it is reported from committee. The banking
and currency bill was passed by the House on September 18
by a vote of 286 to 84. Three Democrats voted against it and
24 Republicans voted for it. The bill was changed only slightly
from the form in which it came from the Democratic caucus.
The change of most significance was the reaffirmation of the
act of March 14, 1900, fixing gold as the single standard. The
measure was immediately sent to the Senate and referred to
the Banking and Currency Committee, of which Senator Robert
L. Owen, of Oklahoma is chairman. Hearings before this
committee have since been in progress. An effort to close them
so the bill could be reported October 4 was uncussessful.
-o—o—o
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.—There is to be a great congre
gation of warships at Hampton Roads early in 1915. All the
leading nations of the world have accepted the invitation of
the United States to celebrate the formal opening of the
Panama canal. They will send some of their battleships to
Virginia and in connection with many of our own they will all
be reviewed by President Wilson. After that they will all
proceed through the new waterway and continue on to San
Francisco, to participate in the exposition.
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 30.—President Huerta has disposed
of various reports that have been in circulation the past three
days, by declaring. “When I'resign it will be to seek a resting
place in six feet of soil. When I flee, it will be to shoulder a
rifle and fight the rebels. Seventy-four of the members of the
house of deputies have been arraigned on charges of rebellion
and sedition. The rest of the 125 who were arrested several
days ago have been released.
-o—o—o
A postmaster has been named for the new gold diggings.
He is known by name as Theodore Kettleson, formerly a
steamboat man at Fairbanks. The official designation of the
office will be “Chisana.” A semi-monthly service between
McCarthy and the new country has been in vogue for some
time past. The mail has been going to the office of the
recorder. So soon as Captain Kettleson has furnished a bond
he will assume official charge of the Chisana office, although in
the meantime he will undoubtedly look after the mail that
arrives at the new diggings. Chief Mail Clerk Eames has been
dispatching the mail every two weeks by pack trains that run
from McCarthy. A regualr contract may later be given some
particular outfit that is regularly engaged in the business of
going to and from McCarthy. •
-o—o—o
Cordova, October 17
Volney Richmond, manager of the Northern Commercial
( ompanv, with headquarters at Fairbanks, is now in Cordova
and will go oiit on the Alameda tomorrow night. He will spend
the winter in San Francisco, He states that owing to the sharp
competition and low passenger fares put into effect by the
steamers of his company as well as the steamers operated by
the White Pass & \ukon Railroad, that there was a great
outpouring of people from Fairbanks and the Tanana valley
country. During the closing days of navigation they went both
ways, up the river via Dawson and down the river via St.
Michael. As a consequence he looks for a very light travel
this winter from Fairbanks via Chitina and Cordova. However,
he thinks the number returning by this route will greatly
exceed the travel of last winter. He figures that about 1,200
people went out on the last boats, and starting in December
they will begin to return and will continue until spring, thus
affording a big travel through Cordova.
Mr. Richmond states that in his opinion there will be a
great number of miners and prospectors go from the states to
the new Chisana gold diggings this winter. He believes that
more than two-thirds of them will go via Cordova and
McCarthy. He is convinced that this is unquestionably the
shortest and easiest route as his investigation satisfies him
that double enders can go with 1,000 pounds to the horse from
McCarthy up the Nizina river, 30 miles to the Nizina Glacier
and from there across the glaciers and moraines 35 miles to the
headwaters of the Chisana. It is then from 5 to 10 miles to the
various claims that have been worked. This distance will be
covered in from three to four days and freight he thinks can
be hauled for less than 10 cents per pound.
Mr. Richmond states that his company experimented on
the project of getting passengers and freight on small boats up
the river from Fairbanks. With one steamer they reached the
mouth of the Nebesna river, where passengers and freight was
landed, and the steamer returned, making the round trip in
nine days, the shortest time required by any vessel that left
Fairbanks. The company also considered the idea of operating
from Dawson and up the White river, but this was abandoned
after an investigation. It was so apparent that the only feasible
way to take freight to the new diggings, either in summer
or winter, was from Cordova and McCarthy, that the Northern
Commercial company concluded that it would be a losing game
to try in any way to compete with the superior advantages from
McCarthy. He says that there is much talk about what Ole
Dickeson of the White Pass is going to do, but he believes that
it is done largely to divert travel to White Horse and that
if his scheme does not succeed many of his promises will be
found to have been mere words.
O—0—o~* ■ ■
All reports from the Nelchina placer camp indicate that
it is a big district well worth the prospecting.
By S. R. REID
DAN CREEK, Oct. 11.—On the morning of September 14,
1912, George Howard Birch stood on the bank of Dan Creeic
and gazed with dismay upon the remnant of a tine hydraulic
plant which he had been operating for three days. Dan Creek
stream had gone mad the previous evening and gave vent to its
fury by rushing down the valley carrying dams, pipe-lines,
old-time prospectors cabins, sluice boxes, and huge trees all
in mad confusion to be finally picked up by the Nizina river
below. Sharp points in the creek and high bars, cuts, and
ground sluices were all levelled and the creek valley, and for
three miles or more the creek had taken on the appearance of
a glacial moraine.
Many an older engineer would have been complete!v
appalled with the wrecking of his plant and the loss of $70,009,
but Mr. Birch proved equal to the emergency and with his
veteran assistant Charles Range, began at once the work of
selecting what remained of value and drawing plans for an
almost new plant.
The plant now completed has been constructed with a
view of withstanding any unexpected floods, in fact to stand
anything except cyclones or earthquakes. In some places the
pipe lines have been placed 00 feet above the level of the
creek. The main dam is at the canyon about 3 miles from the
mouth of the creek. Over 10,000 feet of pipe line varying from
30-inch to 15-inch is now in place and 050 feet of flume leads
the water from the dam to the pen-stock.
About 1,800 feet of 5-foot flume has been built and the
riffle blocks are 12 inches. Two 6-inch giants will be worked
in the cut. while a 5-inch giant will be used for stacking
tailings, the plant also includes electric and telephone equip
ment, a 10,000-foot per day saw-mill, blacksmith shop, store,
finely equipped bunkhouse and a well appointed mess house.
Twelve years ago Dan creek was in its infancy and held
by individual prospectors who prospected the ground but did
but little practical work although it was known that a rich pay
streak existed. The ground was thawed and the boulders were
too large to hoist with ordinary windlasses.
The Dan Creek Mining Co., with head offices at 45 Broad
way, N. Y., became interested and gradually began to acquire
interests on the creek and benches.
mi
xue company s interests now embrace 700 acres of high
grade gravels. The extremely high cost of moving freight
kept the company from going ahead and but little was accom
plished until after the advent of the railway to McCarthy.
Three years ago it might be said the company began to
prospect a little. Last year the plant was only installed in
season to be destroyed by the flood. Mr. Birch, who is a
graduate of the Columbia School of Mines has with his force
of 25 men accomplished a splendid season’s work and bids
fair before this time next year, to get good returns. Mr. Birch
like other operators in the district would like to see the
go\ eminent build a bridge across the Xizina. Discussing the
matter recently Mr. Birch said:
“The bridge will improve the interior mail service and
will eliminate the dangers encountered by travellers on foot,
and will reduce the cost of general freighting. As it is now,
if a piece of machinery is broken and duplicates are required,*
it is likely to be right in highwater season, thus causing a
week or even two weeks delay before you can reach "the
railroad.”
«*:***1W* *'’***’-*- -i
-V—V.
Falcon Joslin, of Fairbanks, ar
rived in Cordova this afternoon en
route to Seattle. He is one of the
most enthusiastic men in the terri
tory over the future possibilities of
Alaska. He views a great develop
ment in the course of a few years,
and no man in this northland is giv
ing more personal effort to bring
about the results that all are hoping
for. Each winter Mr. Joslin spends
considerable of his time in Wash
ington appearing before the various
departments and congressional com
mittees giving information on sub
jects under consideration. He is one
of the best posted men in the terri
tory on all the problems which con
cern the people so vitally. He has
given much interesting and valuable
data on the transportation and coal
problems. His views on railroad
construction in Alaska are briefly
given as follows:
“There are two great navigable
rivers in Alaska, viz., the Yukon,
with its tributaries, constituting
approximately 4,000 miles of navig
able water, and the Kuskokwim and
its affluents, having about 2,000
miles of navigable water. Plainly
the first steps in railroad develop
ment is to connect those two river
systems with tidewater on the south
coast. This will require two separ
ate lines of approximately 450 miles
each. The construction of these two
trunk lines with certain spurs to
the coal fields is recommended in
the report of the Alaska railway
commission.
“It is a law of growth of rail
roads that as soon as a trunk line
is laid down it begins to throw out
spurs and branches very much after
-VJ
the manner of plant growth. In
normal territory the spurs and
branches very soon exceed in length
the main trunk.
"If the two trunk 1’nes in Alaska
are built and provision made for the
building of branches as required,
railroad growth will go forward
there as it has everywhere else, and
In due time the country will be well
served with roads.
“The cost of construction of rail
roads in Alaska would depend on the
character of railroad built. A rail
road, like a house, can be made to
cost little or much. A standard
gauge railroad could be built into
Alaska at a cost of from $25,000 to
$200,000 per mile, depending upon
the specifications. The 71 miles of
Alaska Northern track is said to
have cost about $60,000 a mile. It
is over the ruggedest portion of the
route. The Copper River & North
western Railroad is said to have
cost nearly $100,000 per mile. Its
construction is very substantial, and
the physical difficulties contended
with were very severe. Probably no
other railroad in the world had
greater difficulties to overcome than
this line. It is probaVle that under
government construction, especially
if the work were carried on by what
is called “force account,” or by
day’s labor, the construction would
cost from 50 to 100 per cent more
than if done by a private company.
“If the problem is rightly solved
the lines will not only pay for
themselves, but the country will give
back vast returns in trade and in
national wealth. New and populous
states can be created there sufficient
to form a nation within themselves.”