GLIDING DOWN THE TAN AN A
By JOHN KZHOE
[Note.—Out of consideration for Mr. Kehoe his contribution was at first declined with a “josh.” It appears he
feels injured by its non-appearance: so it is now printed, with due apology to himself and other patrons.—Editor,]
Good ideals ennoble human life. It’s well to have an end in view from the beginning. Our ideals and our accom
plishments may be at variance, for man is a creature of circumstance—and sometimes the victim. My present condition
is a case iu point. My aspiration is to be with the sane and free, but circumstances place me in association with a vile
and demented creature, who, pacing our narrow quarters like a caged beast, uttering deep, unintelligible gutteral
tones in apparent imprecation at his confinement, striving at times to rend his prison bars or in frenzy of despair set
ting fire to the roof above us. Either because of his mental condition or from inaoility of retention, his clothing and
bed are saturated with his bodily excrement, form a sight annoying and disgusting. I retire to my narrow cell and
there rise in contemplations running to scenes of mental vision impressions received from Nature, the realities and
prospects of scenic Alaska. It is one of the God-given powers of the huraau mind to hold intelligent communion o*
thought with his kind. With some amusement to myself and perhaps some interest to the reader, I will impart my
impressions if he will imagine, with me, that we are gliding down the Tanana.
We are gliding; down the Tanana,
Our boat is light of draft:
The dimpled waters ripple off
From the wake of our speeding craft
That springs forth as a thing instinctive
From the strokes of our sweeping oar,
While the fragrance of summer verdure
Wafts o'er us from the shore.
Through the fair domain of Nature
We are gliding fast along
■Where birds are carroling to their mates
Their festive summer song:
Borne down the flashing water
By a golden sunlit path.
Feeling joys and inspirations
No miser ever hath,
Nor the artful proud of city life,
With its fevered throbbing throng,
Where the weak fall helpless victims
To base repression's wrong.
There is a sense of independence here
Though the scene is lone and wild,
Where nature spreads her gifts profuse
That greed has not despoiled.
The salmon tribes on the right and left
Are passing our boat in schools
And the trout and greyling spring to the fly
Along the rapid shoals:
Then the heart goes wildly beating
At the grand and startling sight
When the bull moose with webbed frontlet
Breaks from cover in full flight.
Here Nature’s meads ungarnered
O'er hills and valleys spread
And Nature's orchards hang with frui.
In clusters blue and red.
It's a summer scene of plenty
Each can its fullest share,
Nor is it doled with scanty part
Where nature spreads her fare.
Here hope is ever bouvant
Unless the heart be weak
Of him who delves for golden veins
Or the rich elusive streak.
We know our remote station,
Our winters long and cold.
But o’er fairer scenes of summer
The sun has seldom rolled.
Here flowers in wild profusion
Follow fast the departing snow,
The sun that warms the Arctic rose
Close by the glacier’s floe:
The endless day of summer
Leaves scarce an obscuring line
When the reluctant sun casts o’er her
Its passing midnight shine,
Alaska from her headlands
Looks over Bering strait,
To join hands with the Orient
She has not long to wait,
Cast on the lines of nature
The nations must traverse
When the girdling steel of railroads
Will compass the universe.
Then interchanging nations
Will pass the vale along
With ever-increasing life throb
In currents deep and strong.
Via Tanana the Golden
Will pass the general route
Of inter-continental lines
In traffic north and south,
Coach and carriage, human laden,
Will speed its course unspent
And the march of mighty armies
Passing down the Orient.
We have blazed their course of glory
And it’s good for to be here
in the true commune of mankind
Our salvation will appear.
GROWN ENJOYED
HARD-TIMES BALL
The “hard times'’ party given
by the local camp of the Arctic
Brotherhood last Saturday night
at the lodge room proved a most
pleasant gathering. The hall
was crowded with costumed ladies
and gentlemen who made the af
fair look like a flock of hard luck
people for fair. There were no
prizes offered the most original or
comic costume, and it was right
that such was the case, as it
would have been a very difficult
matter to decide who would be
entitled to first money as so many
were really first class. A. G.
Frenzel acted as orchestra leader
and the dancers enjoyed good
dance music.
The date of the camp’s next
social dance has not been an
nounced by the entertaiment
committee, but will probably be
about the 13th of this month
half way to Thanksgiving day—
and on that holiday a hi-yu blow
out will be programed.
JENNIE DAVIDSON
INQUIRED FOR
Minneapolis, Minn., Sept. 19,1909.
Postmaster, Tanana, Alaska:
Dear Sir—I am writing you to see if
you can give any information in regard
to a young lady by the name of Jennie
Davidson. Her mother has not heard
from her for about a year. She has
written a good many letters but gets
no answers, and is a good deal worried
on account of it. The girl is subject to
spasms. Her name is Jennie Davidson.
She works a good deal as dining-room
girl. Her mother is very anxious to
find where she is, and, if she needs it,
will send her money to come home.
Tanana has been her address fora long
time, and we thought, perhaps, it
would not be too much trouble try to
find out if she is there.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Carrie Davidson,
No. 8 First Ave. South.
MR. BRYAN FAVORS
ALASKA HOME RULE
Seattle, Oct. 13.—In the chief
address of the day, William J.
Bryan last night literally tore to
pieces President Taft’s recent ut
'teranceson the subject of Alaska.
He declared at Taft’s attitude to
ward Alaska was imperial, and
.inconsistent with his attitude to
ward the Philippine islands. If
he gave home rule to the Fili
pinos, why not to the Alaskans?
It was the pioneers who have
built up Alaska who are asking
for the right to govern them
selves.
The speech was cheered to the
echo, and the enthusiasm of the
audience was boundless. After
the speech, Judge W. H. Mellin
presented Col. Bryan with a 20
foot totem pole for his Lincoln
residence.
EITHER AN ANANIAS
OR A G. WASHINGTON
Grant Creek. Oct. 23.
Editor Tatiana Leader:
Sir—In your issue of October 14 is a
fictitious account of a cache lifting epi
sode, in which ffm. Dunkle is pictured
as the villian. For the sake of right
and to correct any wrong impression
which your statements may create, I
wish to state that Wm. Dunkle did not
steal any grub here, nor was he ordered
out of camp by the miners.
The truth is that he had a drunken
squabble before he left, and left here
of his own accord while sobering up.
Yours truly,
John R. Mac Donald,
Grant Creek.
[The above letter establishes
its author as either the George
Washington or the Ananirs of
his district—and it is not for us to
say which. However, when Wil
liam Dunkle gets down to busi
ness he disregards the forms of
law in such cases made and pro
vided, and goes off with the
goods, leaving his neighbors only
the title as their share in the
transaction.—Ed.]
Just Paid for Civil War Duty
Warsaw, Ind.—The State of Ohio
has just sent a check for $13 to Webb
Nye, of this city, for his services as
one of the “squirrel hunters” who to
the number of 25,000 rallied from all
over the state to defend the city of
Cincinnati and to prevent Gens. Bragg
and Kirby Smith from crossing the
Ohio.
It chanced that all soldiers were at
a great distance when the invasion was
threatened and the state authorities
became alarmed. They called for vol
unteers, receiving 25,000. These men
had no uniforms, and their weapons
were an odd assortment of shotguns
and rifles, on account of which they
were called "squirrel hunters.” They
served a week, but were to receive a
month’s pay.
The Ohio legislature made one ap
propriation, but it was not sufficient to
pay them all, and Nye did not receive
his money from the last appropriation
until now.
T|ICDC IS SOMETHING you
inCnL want and you do
not know where to look for
it, a Tanana Leader classified ad.
will find it for you. Try it.
1
GATEKEEPERS
GOT THE SPIRIT
Seattle, Oct. 11.—Examinations of
the accounts of the admission depart
ment at the exposition have disclosed
the fact that some of the gatekeepers
have been systematically stealing
money at the entrances where they
were in charge. Investigation so far
has shown that 828,000 was lost in this
manner. The keepers who were found
guilty have been discharged, and oth
ers are expected to follow. When the
evidence is all secured, the offenders
will be prosecuted criminally.
The ice slopped flowing at
Birches, 81 miles below Tanana,
at 3 p.m. last Sunday.
The Leader is delivered by carrier to!
all parts of the city—$1 per month.
NOTICE OF HEARIN6 OF FINAL ACCOUNT
In Probate.- I i the Commissioner’s Court for
the Rampart Precinct, Division No. 4, Ter
ritory of Alaska —In the matter of the es
tate ot Michael Izzo, deceased.
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned
administrator of the above entitled estate has
rendered and presented his final account of his
administration of said estate, for settlement in
the above entitled court,and that Monday, the
Sth day of November, 1909. at 2 o'clock in the !
afternoon of said day. at the court room of said
court, at Rampart, Alaska, has been duly ap
pointed by said court lor the settlement of said
accouut and the distribution of the residue of
the estate, at which time and place any person
interested in said estate may appear and file his
objections to the said final account and settle
ment thereof. Dated this 14th day of October,
1909. Charles B. Allen, Attorney.
M. p. Flikschmax,
Administrate;- of the above eutitled Instate.
NOTICE OF HEARING OF FINAL ACCOUNT
In Probate.—In the Commissioner’s Court for
Rampart Precinct. Division No. 4. Territory
of Alaska.—111 the matter of the estate of
Peter Avignone, deceased.
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned
administrator of the above entitled estate has
rendered and presented his final account of his
administration of said estate, for settlement in
the above entitled court, and that Monday, the
Sth day of November. 1909, at 3 o’clock in the
afternoon of said day, at the court room of said
[court, at Rampart, Ala ka, has been duly ap
pointed by said court for the settlement of said
account and the distribution of the residue of
the estate, at which time and place any person
interested in said estate may appear and file his
objections to the said final account and settle
ment thereof. Dated this 14th day of October,
1909. Charles B. Allen,'Attorney.
M. P. Flieschmax,
Administrator of the above entitled Estate.
H. L. HEDRICK,
GENERAL
BLACKSMITH
AND MACHINE SHOP
Horseshoeing Repairing
Near Cor. Campbell ave. and 2nd St.
Rear of Yukon Saloon.
BILLIARDS
AND POOL
Elegant New Tables
Gibbon Bar
BEST Or WET GOODS
There* II Be
Mushers
Galore
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
Tanana Leader makes a specialty of printing large and small
CLOTH
SIGNS
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.
| Send in your order at once for the “business
promoters” and be prepared to do business when
winter travel starts in
THE LEADER
Tanana, Alaska
On Ong of the Last Steamers We Received Our Yearly
Supply of Paper for
Commercial Job Printing
OF MANY KINDS