gg= ; --■■a—!
FROI FRIDAY’S DAILY
Continued Fron Last Weeks Weekly
Mild curing
Mild curing is a very desirable and
popular way of handling tho salmon
and makes of it a most palatable
food. Tho process consists of lightly
salting the fish and keeping them at
a low temperature until rendy for
the consumer or for smoking, us is
often the method of treatment before
thoy are finally marketed. The mild
cuiing business has reached consider
able proportions and tho popularity
of the product lias exteudod over
two continents. The industry is con
fined to the utilization of king salmon
and to a small extent cohos.
In Alaska during tho past season
thcro was trouble between the mild
curers and the fishermen. It reach
ed such porportions in May and June
that it threatened to demoralize the
entire business. The fishermen charg
ed the mild-curing establishments
with refusal to accept a large part
of their catch. On the other hand,
the niild-eurers warned the fishermen
in niapy instances that they could
not use over three red-meated kings
per boat per day. and that if they
brought in more they would not be
received. This created discontent and
disorder, which resulted in the waste
of many thousands of king salmon,
both red and white rneated. In some
easeo it was proved conclusively that
after fishermen had brought their
catch to the dock they were offered
HO cents for the red kings under 20
pounds, $1 for rods over 20 pounds,
and nothing for tho white king salmon
To some extent, however, matters
were adjusted temporarily and work
continued. Of course, this situation
must not occur another year.
There is something to be said on
both sides of the controversy. Irre
spective of whether the fish caught
are of large or small size, the fisher
men must not catch more than the
total number they are instructed to
bring in for each day’s catch, and or.
the other hand the fishermen must
bo assured that all fish brought in
to make up this daily quota will be
accepted. Tho success of a fisher
man’s efforts thus becomes a matter
of chance, for his profits will be in
proportion as he catches large fish.
One of the things that caused great
dissatisfaction during the season was
the fact, that many of the fishermei
were instructed to bring in only thre
red kings a day. If all were small
it, might mean only 90 cents for r
whole day’s work. This would en
courage them to throw away all smal
fish as fast as caught, in anticipation
of taking three larger ones that
would bring $1 apice. On the othe:
hand, the buyers of king salmon nuts:
and should take care of both red am'
white king salmon, of all sizes
brought to them on contract; ami i
tliov are not willing to thus utilize
the small red-meated fish and a'
the whites, they should not be allowei
to operato.
As a matter of information, it ma
be well to give an idea of the size
of sides obtained from some of tli<
fish used in mild curing. For examph
a 25-pound salmon will make two 8
pound sides, and an 18-pound salmoi
will make two 6-pound sides. Side
under 6 pounds are not profitable i
mild curing and. it is said, will no
stand smoking.
The question of cold-storage oper
ations applies hero, and while it i
understood that king salmon undo
18 or 20 pounds do not produce side
that can be profitably mild cure
there is no sufficient reason why re
kings under that weight, and al
white kings, should not he accepted
for freezing purposes. It is impera
live that none of these valuable fis'
shall be wasted either by the fishe»
men or mild carers.
Power Boat Trolling
Powor-lioat trolling is a new fen
tore, comparatively speaking, in A
aska waters. It is confined cliiefl
to the capture of king salmon durin
the spring and early summer. Thei
rs no question tut that these boat
have worked great harm and hav
keen injurious to the fishermen’s in
terests. as many of them now realiz>
On account of tiie speed of the boatc
the fishermen necessarily troll wit'
linos high in the water, and for th■
re ison a large percentage of th
catch consists of small fish. Th
larger fish are found at lower dept la
The large portion of small fish wn
ihe cause of the unfortunate eontro
versv between the mild-enre buyer
aa I the fishermen this year. Anoth
er unfortunate feature is that th
fishermen on power boats lose man
"f the fish which are hooked am
V' ich afterwards die. This applie
rsneoiallv to the large fish. It is i:r
possible to play them as from a row
boat, and this playhjg is sometime
4
In u gnme replete with thrills and
real basket ball playing. Ketchikan
defeated Metlakahtla at tho Rink
last night with a score of 14 tol2.
The game was culled at 8:05 with
Jack Rounsefell as umpire. Drake
landed on the ball on the jump off.
and in just twenty seconds of play
Rockio throw a basket for Ketchikan,
and it was evident that a real game
was on. Metlakahtla came right
back with a field basket, tleing the
scorc( but it didn’t stay there long,
for on a double foul Metlakahtla
missed, while Kubley made his, and
Ketchikan was one to the good.
From then on until tho last few
minutes tho game seesawed back
and forth, with first one team nnd
i then tho other ahead, but a safe throw
' from the foul line nnd a field goal
by Drake put Ketchikan safely to
the good, and the first half stood
8 to 5 in her favor.
In the second half, Everett Hud
son of Metlakahtla went in as um
''pire, and the natives nailing the
ball on the throw-up made their first
goal in half a minute’s play, with a
foul basket immediately afterwards.
Kubley then threw a basket from
the foul line for Ketchikan, and the
local team was ahead. Metlakahtla
rallied at this point nnd put up some
good playing, which gave them two
goals from field, netting them twelve
points in all( all they were able to
and Ketchikan had all tho best of
it the rest of tho game, Kubley throw
ing a goal from the foul line nnd
lirako and Rookie one each from
field, making the Ketchikan total
11.
Before the game started, it was
agreed that the halves were to be
each fifteon minutes long, with a
five minute interval between, and
when time was called at the finish
of the second interval of play, some
of the natives protested on the
ground that the rules called for
twenty minuto halves but as It was
fully agreed before hand that the
play was to be for but fifteen min
utes at a time, their protest was over
ruled.
The game was a good one, without
i dull moment at any time. Moran’s
guarding was simply elegant, and
his interference all that it could be.
■Radenbaugh. Rockefeller, Kubley and
Drake all showed farked ifprove
aient in their team work, and tho
game was by long odds the best that
has been pulled off here this year.
The Natives did not play as good a
game this time as the last, although
their team work was as good as ever.
*rhey threw poorly, in the last half
having four tries for the goal from
the foul lino, and making it only
once.
The line up of the teams was
Ketchikan Position Metlakahtla
Drake Center Leask
Rockefeller Forward Verney
Radenbaugh Forward Scott
Kubley Guard Bolton
Moran Guard Bryant
It is understood that a team is
being organized here in town under
the captainship of Hendricks, and In
•hiding Moran and Radenbaugh, that
iromises to give the first team a
run for its money. It is to be hoped
that it is put through so that then
vill bo a chance for real practice
'or whatever team may be selected
lo represent Ketchikan in matches
a the future.
.erv necessary in order to save these
;amy fish.
There were over 200 power boats
in the west coast of Prince of Wales
sland and vicinity during the early
mrt of hist June. While some fish
•rmon use these boats only as n
neans of transportation, fishing
tom their dories when they arrive
n tlie fishing grounds, almost all ot
hem fish directly from the powei
oats on account of the saving in
annual labor. The result is that
hey are injuring and permanently
mining their business. Hand trollers
:m fish deeper, they get larger fish
liey lose fewer fish, and the result?
inve proved fnr less injurious than
ho new method of power-boat troll
ng. I would strongly’ advocate thi
rohil ition of powerboat trolling ii
.laska waters.
Salmon Salteries
The salting of salmon In Aluska is
s now confined chiefly to the Bcr
•ng Sea region, where the red o>
mckeye salmon is available fnr this
urpose. In southeast Alaska the in
i histry has declined very perceptibly
n recent years, chiefly because of the
net that in this section most of the
nlinon salted have been pinks, the
rnrket for which in the last fen
ears lias not I eon strong. Moreover
he mildeure field has been much
lore »profitable and attractive to
ost of those formerly engaged in
ilting operations. In southeast A1
ska red salmon are less abundant
nd are therefore considered to be
lore valuable .for canning than for
salting.
FROM SATURDAY’S DAILY
N
Closing Streams To
Commercial Fishng
Owing to the over increasing de
mand on nearly all waters of Alaska
for almost their entire supply of
salmon, it seems absolutely necessary
in the interests of tho future of the
fishery to make further closures of
streams to all commercial fishng. A
number of waters have already been
dosed by order of the Secretary ot
Commerce, and it is recommended that
six other waters be similarly closed
as enumerated.
First: Tho present fishing at the
mouth and delta of Copper lUvor Is
all the stream ought to stand, and to
insure a certnin number of salmon
reaching their swnwning grounds it
is advisable to close this stream above
the data t« all kinds of fishing ex
cept for domestic purposes, and al
low no fish to be shipped out in any
shape or form.
Second. The Ankow River near
Yakutat should be protected against
all commercial fishing. This might
result, in some hardship for the
Indians who rely on this stream for
thoir winter supply of fish.but such
fishing might be allowed with re
strictions and without any of the
catch being utilized for commercial
purposes.
Third. At Lake Bay the waters
above the entrance to Barnes Lake
should be elesod to all commercial
fishng These waters embrace Gold
and Galligan Lagoons, Sweet Lake,
Lyman Creek. and Lester River.
Lyman Creek is a soekeye stream and
Lester River is a silver and hump
hack stream. They are worthy of
every protection that can be afforded
1 hem.
Fourth. In Whale Passage Lagoon,
at Thorn Arm. near Lake Bay. there
sliolud be no commercial fishng. At
the present time two traps are lo
rated there, and to a great extent
they prevent many of tho fish from
ascending to the spawning grounds.
Fifth. Mink Arm, one of the trib
utaries of Boca de Quadra, should be
closed to all fishing. Under present
conditions this water seems highly
valuable for salmon breeding and for
hatchery work.
Sixth. Hetta River and Lagoon
and Klawak Inlet, both on the West
coast of Prnce of Wales Island, should
tip closed, to afford bettor protection
to the hatcheries drawing their supply
of brood salmon from these waters
If Congress passes a law prohibit
ing all fishing within a half a mile of
stream mouths as suggested in this
report, it. may not he necessary tu
havcspeoial closing orders for all ol
the waters named above.
Obstructon In Streams
While the overfishing in Alnshe
waters which has had much to do
with the waning supply In some
sections, necessitates an imperative
curtailment in tho methods nnd ex
tent of fishing operations, there nr<
other ways of benefiting the future
supply, the responsibility for which
rests entirely with the Government
in many good streams in Alaska
there are obstructions which, to «
great extent, prevent the salinoij
from ascendng to their spawning
grounds. These obstructions an
either of tho nature of natural fall*
nr of barriers formed by jams o
wind-fallen trees. Seine of the full
•ire so high that, it is imposshilo fo
1lu> salmon to ascend in any season
There are others of leaser heigh
which at certain stages of the wate
may be ascended by the salmon, bid
with more or less difieulty. I person
illy investigated n number of stream:
in which obstacles to the ascent o'
salmo? exist, and while not every
thing along this line canlio done a'
once there are six streams whore 1
recommend that early action be tab
on to correct the existing conditions
These streams are as follows:
Ketchikan Creek—This ereek
which has always boon famous as i
humpback stream, has three obstruc
tions today. Thcreare two falls o
IS feet and 2d feet each in height
and a long. high, log jam which is in
creasing in size each year, and v«r,'
few salmon can get over or under it
[ The partial removal of this log jar
would cost very little. The remove
of the two falls is impracticable, bu
fish ladders could be erected at a cos
of about $1,!500.
Gray Crock_This crock, the out
let of which is Anan Lagoon, is :>
splendid humpback stream, yet man
of the fish 1 saw dead this venr haii
fought the rapids anil falls so Ion
that they fell back to be killed b;
various enemies. For about $2.d0
noitir.il of ttiese steep falls could be
Id ‘mi out, which would assti-e tlo
fish asccding the cticam to nntura'
spawning grounds.
Mill Creek.—In this crook whirl
empties into Eastern Passage op;n
! sit.- the north end of Wrangell Id
II nn.l, there is great opportunity fo
il eunlitfr wiirk. The fish ctrngn^ot
*
•R multitudes at the foot rf these
rapidse very year. If tlio water
happens to be low. none can get up.
and they full nn easy prey to the
seines. With nn expenditure of about
■ 4250 those falls could be lowered In
■inch a way as to insure tlio ascent
of humpbacks and soekoyes to waters
i where tlio conditions cannot be im
! proved upon for breeding grounds.
| This creek is the outlet of Virginia
Luke, and its headwaters nro ideal
spawning grounds for sockeye sainon
Hofstad Crook.—This creek einpitcs
into Vixen Bay, and I found many
humpbacks nnd chums present. At a
. point one mile from its mouth arc
| step falls that present an obstruction
I to many salmon that start to ascend
1 ho stroam, which extends a number
I of miles above. Blowing out these
falls with dynamite is impracticable
' but a fish ladder could no doubt lie
I erected here at a coBt of about $SO0.
Sweet Lake tributnries_This lake
I
lies on the north side of Prince of
Wales Island, and the two upper trib
, utnries nro Lyman Creek and Lester
, Kivor, the first a sockeye stream and
! the second a humpback and silver
salmon stream. On oaeh of these
streams. 4 miles frpin. their mouths
i there are almost impassable fall;
known as Sockeye Salmon and Silver
Salmon Palls, which could bo re
i moved at a cost of about $250 each.
In the early part of September. 1914
[ stood at Silver Salmon Palls and
watched the salmon try to ascend at
the rate of about 50 a minute, hilt
very few of them ever worked uj
the stream, as was clearly shown by
i observation below the falls and a
i long the still waters, where hundred;
of these fish lay dead bruised, and
cut from their efforts. The Invest
mena of a few thousand dollars or
all of these streams would mean a
great return in the future, as tin
result of opening up additions’
natural spawning grounds ns yet nl
most wholly untouched.
Natural Enemies of Salmon
It is nccosary to study carefully
1 all agencies, both nsiturnl nnd other
l wise ftemling to deplete the supply
; of salmon nnd other food fishes ii
! the waters of Alaska, and to apply
ns far ns possiblo proper remedial
j measures, Thnse ongaged in th<
J great fishing industry say the blaim
t for the diminished numbers of sal
men is due largely to natural on
einies, which include bears, wolves
eagles, gulls. terns, mergansers,
hair seals, trout. and sculpins
These enemies undoubtly destroy cn
ornums numbers of salmon and thei;
j eggs. But this condition has gom
in for years, and would cnntimu
without serious detriment to the sup
nly if it were not for the added
lrain resulting from heavy fishim
now carried on in Alaska waters
It is evident from close observatim
that man has had much to d>
with the waning supply of snlnio:
now apparent in sonic sections. O
course, this great natural resource
was made for man’s use, and w<
mist reegonize, in every way pos
<ible. the fact that he lias firs'
■laiiii and that the fish are then
to be taken, but properly and wit!
discretion, so that thn future sup
■ily will not be jepardized. Unde
he present head, however, it is th'
mrpose to discuss chiefly the mon
nportant natural enemies of the sal
non.
Bears.—We will consider first th
ears which do their greatest dam
go during the spawning seassor
•Vhcn the salmon are up in shallow
(reams seeking suitable places to de
osil their eggs, these animals haun
he shores, andwith their huge paw
lap the fish out of the water, firs'
fton playing with them, and late
nrliaps eating a portion of them
I'his condition is worse in some sec
'ions of Alaska than in others, dll'
mrtly to a lack of other foods am
mil partly to theconditions of th
eaters. Also, bears are much mon
dentiful in some parts of Alask
limn in others. I should like t
■ite a few instances of actual cor
lit ions ns 1 saw them, e.oncernln
the destruction of salmon where the
had not yet spawned.
At Union Bay, Clcvland Peninsula
f spent over a day in mid aroun.
the region of Black Bear frock. I
walked the middle of tlio stream
also examining both banks for a
much as throe miles. I found tli
greater part of the shore, sometime
for 100 to 150 feet back from tli
stream, trodden like a pasture in wel
defined paths that looked as if mail
by cattle. Over all this area, frr
quanted iiy bears during the salmo
runs, I saw hundreds upon hundred;
of humpbacks, silvers, and chum;
that had been thrown out of th
water by these animals. In the
majority of eases the fish were no'
mutilated, only bruised by the mar,
.f the bear’s paw on their backs
limving the characteristic way o''
tossiug tlio fish out of tbo water
The bear is very fastidious nnd pro
fers the cheek of the salmon to any
Jttflr |firrt. Is mWft chstfa tlrt! re
maining portion of cacli fish is left
untouched. One can readily realize
that a largo, healthy hear would re
quire n groat many Hnlinon cheeks to
satisfy his ravenous appetite. The
stench along tho strenm was most
unpleasant, and besides the fish in
varying stages of decomposition there
wero many bones that gave indi
cation of the large number of salmon
destroyed by tho bears.
I found n similar condition on
l’rince of Wales Island below Silver
Salmon Kails, whero thousands of fish,
unable to ascend tlies nnturnd barrier,
had fallen bnck tired and worn out.
only to be cast ashore by boars. If
the hear would take out of the water
only what ho actually eats, this con
dition would not he nearly so bud;
hut the destruction of so many fish
from pure maliciousness, or play
fulness, makes it a serious matter.
Tho foregoing examples of Union
Tiny and Prince of Wales Island nre
merely typical of many other places
where black bears are very plcnti
fgul and the destruction is correspond
inglv heavy. On Admirality and Bar
anof Islands, where the 'M own and
grizzly bears are more common, these
conditions nre just as bad as on other
streams in Southeastern Alaska which
empty into arms of tho sea.
And not alono in this section of the
country arc the salmon interests effect
ed by thedepredations of bears, for
in many localities in the central and
western regions tho same effects at
certain seasons of tho year arc ob
served. On Kodiak Island, whero the
largest bears i the world are found,
they frequent the strenms ami spawn
ing grounds of the soekeye and the
humpback salmons A native told
me that one of theso animals can eat.
in a single day. a third of its own
weight. This may be somewhat exag
gerated, but when one realizes that an
adult specimen of this bear weight
about three-forths of a ton he can ap
preciate tho number of salmon need
ed for its subsistence. As in other
parts of the Territory, this bear also
throws considerable numbers of fish
out of the water, many of which it
may never care to touch for food.
Wolves.—Wolves play a part sim
ilar to tho bears in the destruction
salmon, but to n less extent, owing
to the fact that they perfer to hunt
game, especially deer.
Eagles.—In southeast Alaska, par
ticularly, the ongle is a contributing
cause in tho destruction of salmon
! during the spawning season. T noted,
on one cluster of rocks on Admiralty
Island, between 40 and 50 of these
birds that had been satisfying their
appetites on salmon in a stream close
by. Below Silver Salmon Falls,, and
on Ilofstml Creek, and again on
Black Bear Crook, I observed hun
dreds n fthem early in the morning
and in the evening, ravenously eating
salmon that had been making an ef
fort to reach their goal. British Col
umbia has a bounty on these destruc
tive birds, and I think that it would
be the menus of saving many salmon
and their spawn if the United States
Government placed a similar bounty
an them in Alaska.
There is an other feature worthy of
consideration showing the depreda
tions of the eagle. It hardly comes
under the jurisdiction of the Bureau
if Fisheries, still it is n line wth
■onservaton and protecton. I not
only observed, but have beard from
carious reliable sources, that eagles
kill many fawns. I saw where a mini
t or of cages had destroyed two fawns
and I have no doubt that many hull
I reds are killed every season.
Guls ami terns_Of the birds
probably tlie most destructive of fish
life are the gulls and terns. It is dif
ficult to state adequately the amount
of damage they do and tho menace
they are to the futuro supply of sal
non. To make this clear. I will cite
one experience I had in western A1
a ska at Sierra Creek. I inspected
this-stream on a rainy day at low
tide, and ns I approached it at tin
mouth my attention was attracted by
a movement of birds in the wate
along the banks. As I drew nenre
T saw thousands of salmon fight in
their way np the shallow stream, an
among these fish were tho guls. pie.l
out first one eye and then the other
I flushed this enormous horde o'
guls, which I believe numbered at
least 10,000. Going closer to th<
stream I found humpback salmon flo:
ping everywhere, with their eyes
gone and otherwise mutilated from th<
picking and clawing of these birds
I estimated that on this creek alone
there were within sight 5,000 fish,
either dead or living, that had never
spawned. In southeastern Alaska, la
Anan Lagoon, which is supplied by
Orny Creek, I noted a similar eon
dition, and picked np ninny salmon
that had been unable to .get farther
lip tho stream, on account of n
natural obstruction, and were thus
killed by gulls and other enemies be
fore spawuing. I could enumerate
many other instances which woub1
merely confirm tho results of thos
dbVdfV iitidns.
There arc other fish that suffer
eq ially as much from tho gulls. On
thi western coast, noar Sitka, and in
other regions, earlier in tho season
th-ir prey is principally tho herring
ami their eggs. Many millions arc
sacrificed in this way. It is be
youd comprehension that this vast
number of birds, so injurious to a
great industry and so destructive to
much valuable food, should bo pro
tected by law. Their only redeeming
feature, as far as I ca see. is that
thoy act as scavengers for tho can
nery proplo who are willing to dump
refuse almost into their front yards
to be eaten up by these ravenous
1 irds. However. I think this is n
poor argument in their favor, for the
cannery men should improve con
dilions by taking cure of this \yaate
material rather than depend on the
present means for disposing ot it.
In some localities and especially on
Forester Island , the Indians have
been collecting the gull eggs foi
food. Since Forrester Island was
made a bird reesrvntion, this has
boon prohibited, but I think that so
far as the gull is concerned the prac
ticc ought to be permitted. While
I do not nt present approve of nni
bounty or gulls, 1 feel that no pro
tective law should apply to them any
where in Aaska. and that the use oi
their eggs for food purposoB should
be permitted wherever desired.
The terns are also very destructive
as their food in some localities eon
sists almost solely of salmon eggs
and young salmon. In several in
stances I observed them diving fo;
these eggs during Ihe spawning season
and upon killing them their crops
would be filled with eggs.
American merganser.—Another do
structive agent to salmon is tho Ainer
ican merganser, commonly known as
the sawbill, Iobservod many instar
cos where this salmon destroyer had
ring up eggs under the water and hai
also swallowed young salmon. In
examining their crops, I found adder
assurance that their food at certair
times of the year, at least, comprise
salmon and trout and their eggs.
Hair seal.—Another very destine
tive agent to all fish is the hair soal
This animal has comparatively littb
value except as it is used by thr
natives for boats, wearing apparel
and for making souveniers. Hair scab
ire very plentiful in certain local
ities and do a groat deal of damagi
to fishing gear and to the fish caugli*
therein. In one instanco I saw tw
hair seals in a trap that had parti
nr.ten or mutilated nearly ever
salmon that had boon caught: nnd thi
is not of infroquont occurrence. Als
in gill-net operations they are ver
troublesome and destructive, ns i:
after happens that beforo a fisher
man can haul in his net these hungr
seals will bite into a large unmbe
of his catch of salmon, thereby spoil
ing them.
Trout.—Much has been said abou
•ho trouts, the Dolly Varden, cut
throaty steelhcad. and rainbow, am
the dnmage they do in consuming s>
many of the small salmon and eggs
Filin is no doubt true in a large meas I
uro, but it is only one of severe
•irincipal contributing causes in th
Instruction of the salmon; and whih
T have seen, from personal cxamln
ition, many trout whoso stomach:
contained small salmon and eggs. J
think that, considering the value o
trout for food purposes, they should
"lot be annihilated as has been ad
vacated by many.
Sculpins.—Attention is also directc
to sculpins, which are very itestruc
tive to salmon. Their efforts arc
•onfined chiefly to eating eggs an*
voung salmon on the spawnin
grounds.
——--r—-—.
FROM MONDAY’S DAILY
After having put up a game fin'
(gainst disease for years, Capt. 1
FI. Caughrean succumbed to the i
evitable yesterday evening, and pm
(cd over the Grent Divide, lie wr
t>3 years of age, having been boi
it Wheeling, West Virginia. F
"sine north in ’»7, going into th
Interior and locating in Ketchikan j
the next year, being one of the lo- '
enters of mining properties on Helm
Ray. Later he went into the gas
tioat business, having one of the
rirst commercial power boats of this
-ogion. He was a sufferer from heart
trouble for years, to which he fin
dly succumbed. He leaves a widow
'(ml two sons, Maynerd and Milo,
' oth residents of Ketchikan.
The funeral will be held at C
Methodist Church, tomorrow, Tuesda
(fternoon at one o’clock.
-+
Berne, Jan. 25—Reports come from
pper Alsace that the Germans are
massing their troops in that region,
reparatory apparently to resume the
•ffensivo against the French in the
v’osges. Practically every engage
ient of late has boen in favor of
the Frctnint.
r f
London, Jan. 25—A Gorman raid
ing squadron consisting of four bat
tle cruisers and several smaller ves
sels on their way to attack the Brit
ish coast, wore intercepted by a Brit
ish patrol column yesterday about 75
miles northwest of Heligoland, and in
the running engagement that follow
ed, the German first-class battle
cruiser Bleuchcr was sunk and two
others badly damaged, but tho latter
succeeded in reaching their base. It
is estimated that 750 of the crew of
the Bleuchcr went down with tho
ship.. The British squadron consist
ed of five battle cruisers, the names
of which were not made public by
the Admiralty, and several topedo
boat destroyers. The fight lasted for
several hours, in fact until tho last
crippled ship of tile Germans had
found shelter behind the fortifica
tions of Heligoland and the mouth of
the Elbe.
Tho Bleuchcr was considered ono
of tho German navy’s best, cruisers,
having been launched in 1912 and
put in commission soon after. She
was armed with 12 8.2 guns in her
main battery, with 8 5.9, 15 3.4 and
three smaller guns in her secondary
batteries, and had four torpedo tubes.
She was of 15,550 tons displacement
carrieil a crew of about nine hun
dred men. cost $7,250,000 and was
able to do bettor than 25 knots per
hour.
Berlin, Jan. 25—The Navy De
partment acknowledges the loss of
the cruiser Bleuchcr, but claims that
a British cruiser was sent to the
bottom, too.
-+
JEFFERSON IN AND OUT
The Jefferson on her way to Se
attle, arrived in port about nine o’
clock yesterday morning, and after
taking on fuel and what freight,
there was available, got away about
noon. She had 131 boxes of halibut
on board from Juneau, and loaded
17 more at this port from the New
England plant. She also took on four
boxes of salmon for Roy Thompson.
Among her passengers from this
port were Win. Somar and wife on
their way to Seattle, M. M. Reese
the mining man, and several others.
She will leave Seattle, northbound,
next Friday evening. Jan. 29th.
--1
ON FIRST TRIP FOR COMPANY
All painted iqi and flying tile flag
of the Border Line Transportation
company, the Alki made port about
”ive o’clock Saturday evening. Sho
had 133 tons of freight and four
teen passengers for this port. II. C.
Bradford, Seattle freight agent for
the new company, is on board mak
ing the ’round trip. The Alki is
looked for southbound tonight or to
morrow.
--+-—
FISH COMING IN
Several boats have arrived from
the banks during tho past twenty
'our hours. They include the Con
stance and Van See, which boxed at
lie New England, the former having
38 boxes the latter about 80. Then
there are the G.joa with 33 boxes and
the Alvilda with about 25. Both
•if these boxed at the Ketchikan Cold
Storage plant.
-+
WILL BUILD A SAWMILL
Erick Erickson has applied for
permission from the Forest Service
to build a sawmill on Fresh Water
Bay near Tenakee. He plans to op
■rate a mill of about twenty thou
sand a day capacity. There is con
siderable timber in the region lie
lias selected, so the mill should be a
success.
-+
The halibut schooners Senator and
Pioneer cleared for the halibut fish
ing bauks today.
r WARRANTED FOR ALL TIME.
If you purchase the NEW HOME you will
have a life asset at the price you pay, and will
not have an endless chain of repairs.
Quality
Considered
it is the
Cheapest
in the end
to buy.
If you want a sewing machine, wrlto fof
Air latest catalogue before you purchase.