COL RICHAR ISON ON AUTO TRAIL
President Alaska Road Commission Approves of Effort of Fairbanks Com
mercial Bodies to Secure Big Abpropriations to Put In
terior Trail in Condition for Summer Mail
Valdez Oct. 17.—When shown the
news dispatch from Fairbanks this
morning which stated that the com
mercial club of that city desired the
civic bodies throughout Alaska to
take similar action in presenting a
petition to congress for increased
road appropriations, Lt., Col. W. P.
Richardson, president of the Alaska
road commission, said:
“Unquestionably the greatest need
at this time for the development of
the resources of Alaska (in addition
to aids to navigation) is the exten
sion of the wagon road system, now
only in its beginning, to all sections
of Alaska which promise mineral or
agricultural development. It is also
quite true that probably one-half of
the total gold output from the inter
ior of Alaska is eaten up in trans
portation charges and that this bur
den would be greatly reduced by a
system of good roads, and the better
the roads naturally, the greater re
duction.
“The board of road commissioners
has secured special appropriations
for several years past through the
military committees of the Senate and
House of Representatives for the
construction and maintenance of mil
itary and post roads in Alaska, fol
lowing the precedent of early days of
the middle frontier in the states
where tne army aided in opening up
the country in connection with giv
ing protection to tne settlers from
the Indians. These allotments have
been charged to the support of the
army, and the board of road com
missioners, therefore, has been limit
ed in its estimates to sucn sums as
might properly be considered neces
sary to lay out and construct prim
itive pioneer roads and trails, which
may be considered as having some
military and postal uses. Of course,
incidentally these routes have been
beneficial also for commercial pur
poses but the commercial feature is
one which military committees cannot
take directly into consideration.
“The time has arrived when it
would seem only proper that increas
ed appropriations should be made for
general development of the territory
and a united effort on the part of all
who are interested in the develop
ment of Alaska, would, no doubt
bring results. The amount of money
now accruing from the ‘Alaska fund’
together with what is likely, under
the present system to be appropriat
ed by congress, will no more than
suffice fof the repair and mainten
ance of the system of roads already
constructed by the board so it will
be necessary to get some increased
appropriation through some channel
in order to extend the system. As to
the amount which could be judi
I
ciously and economically expended j
each year, I am of the opinion that on!
account of the necessity for making i
surveys and getting definite data as
to cost on new roads, that perhaps
half of the amount namdd would be
more reasonable for say, two years,
when no doubt a million dollars a
year could be expended to great ad
vantage for many years to come
thereafter.
“The most important of all routes,
of course, is the one from Valdez to
Fairbanks, with its connecting
branch to Chitina, all of which should
be made available as soon as possible
for all-year-round mails and traffic
•of every kind.”
Helena, Oct. 21.—The government
claiming that there is wild game in
the national parks charges those
who hunt there are guilty of lar
ceny.
WILSON HAS NOT
RESIGNED
Livingston, Oct. 21.—President
Taft denies the rumor that Secre
tary of Agriculture Wilson has re
signed.
CRYING NEED OF BRIDGE
ACROSS XIZIXA RIVER
Col. W. P. Richardson and Lieut.
Edgerton returned Saturday evening
from a trip to the interior where
they inspected the Nizina river with a
view to erecting a bridge over that
treacherous stream for the accomo
dation of the miners and prospectors.
It was found that a structure about
700 feet long will be necessary and
to an Alaskan representative Col.
Richardson stated that he hoped to
be able to do this piece of work, al
though he could not say definitely
at this time whether the road com
mission could proceed with this
work.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that all
business of the Golconda Mining Co.,
must be O. K.’d or signed by Edwin
H. Sellars, Seperintendent and Gen
eral Manager.
DOWJJEEP
Newport Oct. 21.—The submar
ine boat Salmon established a record
depth of one hundred and forty
four feet.
JURY WOULD RELEASE DUNN
Fairbanks friends of Bob Dunn are
making an effort to secure a pardon
for him. Two years ago, at Fair
banks, Dunn was convicted of the
murder of Carl Ebling and sentenced
to serve twelve years in the Me-j
Neill’s island penitentiary. The ap
peal for clemency has already been
signed by eleven of the jurors and
a large number of friends of the pris
oner. An effort is now being made
to secure the co-operation of Judge
Thomas R. Lyons, who presided at
the trial.
BULLDOG ATTEMPTS
TO INFORM PINCHOT
Opponents of the Pinchot policies
in Alaska are telling another “one”
on Pinchot, according to Earle Hyde,
a mining engineer, who was at Sew
ard when Pinchot arrived.
“There is a battle-scarred bull ter
rier at Seward ” said Hyde, “that al
ways hikes to the wharf whenever a
steamer arrives. He greets some
strangers w'th a stick in his mouth
and a tail-wagged invitation for the
stranger to throw it for him.
‘ When Pinchot arrived, however,
‘Bruiser’ picked up a large chunk of
Canadian coal that was lying on the
dock, brushed up against the ex-for
rester and dropped it at his toes.
“Pinchot, smiling, picked up the
coal and hurled it down on the dock,
smashing it to bits.
“Hey, be careful of that coal. We
got to import that from Canada and
pay duty on it,’ shouted a longshore
man.
“Then the crowd nearby laughed
and someone remarked: ‘Even the
dogs here are trying to show Pinchot
that he’s wrong on the Alaska coal
problem.’ ”
AGAIN A
New York, Oct. 21.—William Ran
dolph Hearst returns to the fold of
the Democracy, although he announ
ces that he will continue to fight
Tammany.
New York, Oct. 21.—The Review
of Reviews seeks to enjoin Postmas
ter General Hitchcock from sending
its magazine by freight, while the
Outlook goes by express.
New York, Oct. 21.—Theodore
Roosevelt declares that people must
control the judiciary.
“More Aids to Navigation Demand
ed for Alaska Waters,” is the subject
of an in interesting article appearing
in the current issue of the Railway
and Marine New's. The publication
gives a list of seventy-nine vessels
lost on the coast of Alaska from 1878
to 1911 and asserts that $6,710,000
has been paid out by underwriters
for total losses and that a sum nearly
as great has been paid out for vessels
that have met with disaster and sub
sequently salved and restored to their
owners.
Up to the Government.
In discussing the subject, the Rail
way and Marine News says:
“While many of the losses in Alas
ka waters can be attributed to mis
takes of mariners and other causes,
by far the greatest percentage can be
charged against the United States
government for failure to provide
[sufficient aids to navigation. Not
only is our government responsible
to a great degree for all this loss of
property and with the great loss to
the underwriters, but it is also re
sponsible for the loss of many lives.
“In direct contrast to the large
fleet operating to Alaska from the
United States ports is the small fleet
of vessels operating from Victoria
and Vancouver to Southeastern Alas
ka ports and British Columbia ports
as far north as Prince Rupert.
Cnnuda Provides Aids.
“In a stretch of water not much
more than 600 miles, the British Co
lumbia government has provided 105
aids to navigation of different char
acter and all of the highest effi
ciency. The fleet of Canadian ves
sels engaged in this northern traffic
consists of seventeen, the largest of
which are the Prince Rupert and
Prince George, of the Grand Trunk
Pacific fleet, each of 1,500 net tons.
Next in importance, as far as size is
concerned are the Princess May,
the Princess Royal and the Princess
Ena, of the Canadian Pacific fleet.
These vessels are about 900 net tons
register and ply as far north as Skag
way.
“Surely, if the Canadian govern
ment can afford to supply 105 aids
to navigation along a stretch of water
not more than 600 miles, the United
States govei'nment with such an em
pire as Alaska, can afford to be as
[ liberal.”
? IS YOUR HOUSE READY EOR THE WINTER 1
We will makethe following prices on lumber delivered in Chitina
on cars in car load lots, terms cash.
Rough timber and dimension 2x3, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, 2x12 up
to 22 feet at $42.00
1x8 shiplap, mixed lengths.$42.00
6 in. drop siding.. . 50.00
6 in. Rustic.50.00
4 in. flooring, tongued and grooved, slash grain in short
lengths 4’-5’-6’-7’-8’-9’-1 O’, $45.00
4”«flooring V. Q. 4’ to 16’ $60.00
lx4’-5”-6”-8”-10”=12” surfaced four sides finishing lumber $60.00
Shingles $5.50 per thousand. Lath $6„50 per thousand.
*
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We also carry plaster, roofing pitch, tar paper, P. & B. Building
paper, flalhoid roofing, nails and sash and doors on which we will
make SPECIAL PRICES.
ARCTIC LUMBER CO.
CORDOVA