WASHBURN-CROSBY’S
Gold ftfiedal Hard Wheat Flour
SPERRY’S
Drifted Snow Soft Wheat Flour
Both Are the Best Grades of Flour Milled. They Are
in Keeping with the Rest of Our Goods
The Highest Grades Only
Sam’l Applebaum
GET BUSY WITH
YOUR KODAK
Now is the time to take
pictures, while the light
is good We keep a full 1
line of Photo Supplies
and Kodaks, do Developing
and Printing at reasonable
prices
If you need Shoes, Clothing,
Sox, Underwear, Hats,
Or anything in the Drug line, 1
can supply you writh better
goods and at lower prices
than any place in the camp.
Ansleys
I DITAROD. ALASKA
j
MRS. L. C. THORNTON
GENERAL
LADIES’
FURNISHINGS
FINE WATCH REPAIRING
NUGGET JEWELRY TO ORDER
J. L. SALE, Flat City
SOMEBODY IS PEDDLING
UNRELIABLE INFORMATION
The Fairbanks Times of January 24 pub
lishes the following "news” item:
“Advices received from the Iditarod indi
cate that it is hard to get wood there at
any price. Wood was selling for from $20
to $23 a cord, and Iditarod has had a i
mighty hard winter. For quite a while j
during the month of December the ther- |
mometer registered below 25 degrees below 1
zero, and the people there had to ust up |
a lot of wood to keep warm. It is a long :
haul to Iditardo ,and wood is scarce,, so 1
the consumer is forced to dig up at least
half as much for four-foot wood as the
F'airbanksan has to dig up to get the wood
and have it sawed."
For the information of the Times it may |
be said that the ruling price for four-foot j
wood in this city during the present winter !
has been from $12 to $13 a cord. Wood j
is not “hard to get.”
--4
Copies of The Pioneer of June 5, 1915, ^
containing full text of territorial mining law :
as applied to placer claims, still on sale at j
this office.
:-♦
Job Printing at Pioneer office.
DATE NOT DEFINITELY SET
FOR IDITAROD COURT TERM
Pome time ago Percy Charles, as secre
tary of the Iditarod Commercial Club, wrote
to Judge Bunnell asking for definite in
formation as to the date of the term of
court to be held here this year. In the last
mail he received the following reply:
“Fairbanks, Alaska, Jan. 31, 1916.
“P. G. Charles, Secretary Iditarod Chamber
of Commerce, Iditarod, Alaska.
“Dear Sir: On my return to Fairbanks
your letter of December 11 was handed to
me. Replying to your inquiry as to when
a term of court will be held at Iditarod, and
the probable nature of the same, I can ad
vise you that it is our present intention to
hold a term of court at Iditarod soon after
the opening of navigation. It is hardly prob
able that a grand jury will be called at
that tmie.
“Several letters have been received from
the lower river making inquiry regarding
the holding of a term of court at Iditarod,
and in one communication it was insisted
that the residents of the Iditarod section
should be informed not later than December
1. This, of course, was entirely impossible.
You will readily appreciate the fact that
no one can tell definitely how long a gen
eral term of court will have to be in session
at Fairbanks in order to dispose of pending
criminal matters; neither is it possible to
tell how long it may be necessary to keep
court in session to attend to civil matters.
I can assure you that when court convenes
at Iditarod it will be lor the purpose of
attending to such business as may be be
fore it for action.
“I am in receipt of a copy of The Pioneer
under date of December 18, in which con
siderable speculation is presented as to when
court will be held. The idea seems to be
conveyed that the coming term of court
will be subject to some fanciful political
situation. You need not fear that anything
of that kind will arise.
“I. of course, appreciate the fact that
not only the people at Ruby, but also at
Iditarod, prefer to have a term of court
held there during the winter season. For
many reasons unnecessary to enumerate
this is entirely impossible.
“Very truly yours,
“CHARLES E. BUNNELL,
“District Judge."
The article in The Pioneer to which Judge
Bunnell refers was in the nature of sur
mises indulged in by many citizens, to the
effect that the holding of court in the early
summer might be due to the desire of Judge
Bunnell to take the stump during the polit
ical campaign which is now approaching.
-♦
REGISTRATION FOR ELECTION
Elsewhere in this issue of The Pioneer
is published the registration notice for the
city election. The books are to be open
from March 23 to 31, at the United States
commissioner’s office. The public should
heed this notice, as compliance simplifies
matters considerably for the election offi
cials. _
CLOSING-OUT PRICES
All Drugs at Outside Prices
I Bird Seed and Sand.5 .25
X Java Hice Face Powder..... .75
X Kuo's Fruit Salts ... 1.25
X Peroxide .25c, 50c and 1.00
X Pond's Extract .50
X Witch Hazel . .50
X Jockey Club Perfume, 4-oz. bottles 4.00
X Violet Perfume, 4-oz. bottles... . 4.00
Universal Mending Tissue. .25
X Vaseline Hair Tonic.50
X Rubber Bath Sponges. .50
Toilet Paper, 1,000-sheet rolls.
s lor .51.00
Hoi Water Pottles.52.00 and 2.50
Mellin’s Food . .75
Marvel Whirling Sprays. 3.50
Dubois Specillc Pills . 2.00
Chichester Pills . 1.00
Emmenagogue Pills . 1.00
Pennyroyal and Tansy Teas.25
Path Brushes .51.50 and 200
Filter Paper, 100 sheets. 1.00
I SMITH’S CUN STORE i
♦ Iditarod, Alaska $
C. R. PECK ■ FLAT CITY
|
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
IN DIRE POVERTY
Deplorable Condition of Natives,
as Reported by Returned
Flat City Men
—
Bill Lee and Joe McDowell returned from
the Hot Springs of the Kuskokwim on Fri
day of last week. Mr. Lee tells an interest
ing story of the trip, and says that it took
the party twenty days to make the journey
from Flat City. Their stay at the springs
was shortened by the fact that one has to
pull more dog feed than grub. They had
twenty dogs, and it takes about all a dog
can pull over an unbeaten trail to feed him
se|f.
Mr. Lee states that the springs are all
that they expected. The water is extremely
hot and heavily-mineralized, especiady with
sulphur. Accommodations are poor al pres
ent, especially as there are from ten to fif
teen people there. But a few of the visitors
are putting up permanent cabins to while
the hours awya between baths, so accom
modations soon will be better.
Mr. Lee states that the grub question
ocnnected with such a trip is a serious one.
To pull provisions from this side, a distance
of nearly 200 miles, he regards as fol.y.
Ordinarily about all that could be taken
would be enough for the trip there and
back, leaving nothing to live on while there.
But another bad feature is the fact that
most of the trading posts on the Kusko
kwim in the vicinity of the springs are
short of grub. Sleitmut, thirty miles above
Georgetown, is the nearest post to the
springs.
Wretchedness of Natives
Mr. Lee tells of the deplorable condition
of the Indians on the Kuskokwim. He
says their poverty has been brought about
by the lack of game in the country. There
are no schools nor government officials to
take an interest in them. Sleitmute is said
to be the largest village on the Kuskokwim,
some eighty natives living there, and at
present all they have to subsist on is
straight dog salmon, and they devour it in
much the same manner as animals. Last
summer's run of salmon wax so poor on
the river that they have no fish to trade
for flour, tea or other provisions from the
posts. The Indians, says Mr. Lee, follow a
white man just as would a hungry dog.
When camp is made and meals are pre
pared they sit around at a distance and
watch eagerly for scraps thrown to them,
when they all fight for them just as dogs
do. Old and young join in this scramble,
and the survival of the fittest is the only
law they know.
Mr. Bishop, the trader at Sleimute, has
| been trying to induce the government to
i aid the natives in his vicinity for the past
| three years, but to no avail.
Mr. Lee states that one could hardly give
j credence to these stones of misery and want,
right in the midst of a country where the
j white population is prosperous and well fed,
unless he saw it himself.
-*-.—_
LEAP YEAR DANCE AT FLAT
WILL BE UNIQUE AFFAIR
A unique entertainment is planned to be
j given by the ladies of Flat City on St.
| Patrick’s day, Friday, March 17. The plans
I are not fully matured, but enough has
been learned to warrant the prophecy that
it will be the event of the season. The de
tails will be furnished next week.
The affair is to be in the nature of a
leap-year ball, and it is stated that the
ladies will exercise their special quadrennial
privileges to the fullest extent. Not only
will the ba’l be given by the ladies, and
all the arrangements made by them, but
they are to pay the expenses thereof. The
ladies will escort the gentlemen to the en
tertainment, and instead of gallivanting
around the hall in search of partners, the
I members of the sterner sex v.-i l decorate
! the benches until they are asked to dance
by some of the fair ones.
The ladies of Flat, who are known as
royal entertainers, expect every resident of
the district to be present on this occasion,
and the probability is that they will not be
disappointed.
SOURDOUGH TAKES KINDLY
TO COMFORT ON THE TRAIL
On his trip to Horsefly creek this week
Frank Morgan, driving his fast team of
dogs, had as a passenger Mike McDermott,
the well-known old-timer. Now although,
as Frank says. Mike has prospected for forty
years, more or less, he never had ridden
in a sled. Often be had mushed dogs and
frequently he had been compelled to “neck
it.” But this was the first time he had
ever traversed the trail in genuine chee
chako style. Wrapped up in a mass of
furs, securely tucked in so that the wind
could find no exposed portion of his anat
omy, Mike started on the trip to Horsefly,
with Frank at the handle bars. At first
he showed nervousness and uneasiness, but
.rfudually as the miles sped by he began to
i^joy the experience, and by the time he
reached Bill Schermeier’s Halfway road
house he had made up his mind that he
had found the ideal method of travel He
fully entered into the spirit of the thing; so
much so that when leaving the roadhouse
he was loudly demanding that hot water
bottles be placed in the eled, saying that he
might as well go “the entire route.”
It is more than likely that when discovery
claim on Horsefly begins to make the ex
pected returns Mike will enjoy his new
found recreation to the limit.
-♦—
MODEST
“Do you think the hand that- rocks the
cradle rules the world?”
“Sometimes,” replied Mr. Meekton; “but
not when Henrietta goes down town and
I leaves me to look after the house,”
Washington Star.
MOOSE SMOKEK A l 1LAI
WAS EVENT OF SEASON
The Moose smoker at Flat last Sunday
night will go down in the annals of the
local lodge as the most successful doin’s of
the season. Chairman A. J. Weiss of the
entertainment committee presided in the
dictator's chair, and called upon the talent ;
to come through. Stories rich, rare and j
juicy came forth in abundance.
Jay Johnson made a great hit with his '
clever Swedish and French dialect stories. |
Ilis story of the Swede at the ball game and
his recitation of “Napoleon Dore” acquired
for him the title of the nonpareil among
storytellers.
A forecast of one of the stunts was men
tioned in last week’s Pioneer. J. W. Far
cell was to spring the latest in submarine
activity. A tub had been prepared by the
committee for the actual demonstration,
and Mr. Farrell discoursed on the invention
that protects man when in the midst of
danger as being the greatest boon in our
age, and to the non-combatant he highly
recommended it. His demonstration of
complete submersion brought forth the
query, “Flow' does he do it?”
A great number of song birds fluttered
forth. Jack Smith sang “A Wee Dock and
Doris”; F. Allen sang “Rolling Home”; Dan
Olson sang “A Claw hi Yak,” and Oscsr
Anderson sang “The Klondike Vale.”
An elegant lunch was served by Messrs.
Ensor and Dehaus.
The attendance was the largest of any
of the season, standing room being in de
mand at midnight.
-»
PROSPECTOR IN DISTRESS
IN BEAVER COUNTRY
In the last mail Deputy Marshal Percy
Charles received from Commissioner Viual,
at Ophir, information that a man named
William Carey was sick end destitute in a
cabin in the Beaver country, and request
ing that a dog team be sent to bring the
man to that city for treatment.
Mr. Charles, who has no funds at his
command for such purposes, nor authority
to incur expense, immediately telegraphed
the facts to Judge Bunnell at Fairbanks,
and it is expected that that official will or
dor the use of money from the indigent fund
for the desireil purpose.
Commissioner Vinal's letter gave no de
tails, but it is presumed that the case
is an urgent one, and it is regarded as most
unfortunate that there is no method of
granting relief in such cases without delay.
NATIVE FAMILY DROWNED
The death by drowning of a native fam
ily consisting of three persons, a man, a
woman and a baby, in the chill waters of
a slough bordering the Kuzitrein river,
about the first of the year, is the story
brought to Nome by Hans Larsen, the
Nome K. ugarok freighter, which appears in
the Nome Nugget John Otok was the name
of the unfortunat man, and the woman
! end baby were his wife and child. Ac
cording to the story told to Larson, Otak
left Mary’s Igloo with a dog team some
time around the first of the year, with
the intention of going down the river. The
trip apparently proceeded without mishap
until they attempted to cross a slough to
avoid traveling around a bend in the river,
and here they came to grief. The high
winds prevailing about that period had
backed up the waters in the sloughs to a
depth of several feet, forming wide lakes
w'hich were covered with a thin coating of
ice, which to ali appearances was perfectly
safe for passage. From all indications the
natives did not realize the treacherous na
ture of the ice, and attempted to cross,
with the result that all three broke through
and were drowned, together with their dogs,
in the icy waters. Some two or three days
afterward a native named Kulick, journey
ing in the locality, found evidences of the
fatality, and a search revealed the bodies
of the trio beneath the overlying coat of
ice w'hich had formed over the spot where
they plunged to death. The bodies were
close together in about five feet of water,
that of the infant bein’ still ensconced be
neath the hood of its mother’s parka. As
the depth of water was slight, it is pre
sumed that the natives after falling through
were unable to extricate themselves, owing
to the frail nature of the ice, and after
becoming chilled and exhausted, at length
succumbed and sank beneath the water.
Otok was a cripple, and Larsen was told
that he would probably have been almost
helpless under such circumstances. He is
said to have had a fair education in the
native school at Igloo, and was known as
something of an artist, having drawn many
clever and interesting pictures illustrative
of the customs and habits of his tribe be
fore the coming of the whites.
WELL-KNOWN KLONDIKER
IS KILLED IN BATTLE
(Dawson News)
A letter in the Vancouver Province from
one of the men of Tobin’s Tigers in France
confirms the report received here a few
days ago that Hugh T. Stewart, better
known here as “Ginger” Stewart, of this
city, has been killed at the front. “Ginger”
originally was a member of the Boyle de
tachment, from Dawson, but switched to
the Twenty-ninth under Tobin while in Van
couver. He was a son of Sir Norman
Stewart, retired British general, and was
born in Agra, India, February 5, 1886. His
home was Vine Cottage, Norwood Green,
Southall, England. When the war broke
out “Ginger” received several letters from
his mother urging him to enlist as soon as
possible, and he lost no time in doing so.
LOST—Maiamute pup, five months old,
weighing thirty-five pounds; color red, with
white breast. Return to Mrs. Frank Daw
son, Glen Gulch.
-*
Job Printing at Pioneer office.
We Can Fit
Tail, Short and
Stout IVIen
A.J. WEISS,flat
THE HOME OF HART, SCHAFFNER & MARX
COUNCILMEETIM
Busy and interesting Session at
Which Much Business Was
Disposed Of
The city council met last Tuesday night for
the purpose of cleaning up a certain amount
of business which had accumulated since
the last meeting, and also to relieve the
mayor’s chest, which appears to have been
in a somewhat clogged condition. Before
adjournment both objects of the meeting
were achieved; all business before the coun
cil was disposed of, and the mayor’s chest
was lelieved without serious damage to the
city hall.
The school board was allotted funds to
meet all expenses to be incurred up to the
time of the installation of the next council.
The lire chief, J. C. Currin, applied for a
few days’ leave of absence, which was
granted, and Fred Sou e was appointed to
perform the duties of the office during Mr.
Currin’s absence. It was upon this latter
subject that his honor poured out his soul
in words of burning eloquence, but the
council turned a deaf ear to his plea.
The chairman was directed to make all
arrangements and appoint the necessary of
hcers for the annual election to be held in
Iditarod on April 4.
The council gave due heed to the wise
precepts and exhortations of the grave and
revered territorial legislature and board of
health, and appointed a municipal health
board. Therefore, all germs of actinomyeo
sis, anterior poliomyelitis, echinococcus (In
case, epidemic cerefcwo-spinal meningitis,
favus, trachoma, trichinosis, opthalmia
neontarum and chicken pox are hereby no
tified and given fair warning to keep away
from this municipality, or they will meet
with cruel and unusual punishments at the
hands of Dr. FI. E. Auringer, J. C. Currin
an E. M. Stanton.
-♦
A WEEK’S TEMPERATURES
The following is a record of the week's
temperatures, taken at I a. m. daily at
the fire station:
Above Below
Zero. Zero.
Feb. 26. 28
I 27.
. 24
iiMr. 1 10
2. 11
3. 14
-p
Fresh Olympia and Eastern Oysters, $1,50
! per can. Iditarod Meat Co.
^AYITQ GET <<M0RE MONEY” FOR YOUR FOXES
| B J\ & O Black, Silver, Cross, Red, White and Blue, Lynx,
Bear, Marten and other Fur Bearers collected in your section. SHiP YOUR FURS
DIRECT to "SHUBERT,” the largest house in the world dealing exclusively in
NORTH AMERICAN RAW FURS—a reliable, responsible, safe Fur House with a CP
unblemished reputation existing for more than “a third of a century," a long, suc
cessful record of sending Fur Shippers prompt, SATISFACTORY AND PROFIT
ABLE returns. Write for “THE SHUBERT SHIPPER," the only reliable, accurate
market report and price list published.
WRITE FOR IT NOW—IT’S FREE
| A. B. SHUBERT, Inc.
TH HOUSE OF QUALITY
RAG MANTLES BATTERIES FOR PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHTS
NICE AiSORTMENT OF SNOW GLASSES
LARGE ASSORTMENT OF FANCY TOILET SOAPS
FLOWER AND VEGEABLE SEEDS
: FOR
I GOOD POTATOES AND CIGARS
[ CALL UP
! HID €$mmmrvsM&dN \ j
We Still Have Some to Wholesale f
♦ ooooooooooooooo<>4
i<> LOCAL AND PERSONAL *
i o <>
»oooooooooooooo<>« ♦
Danny Bryce is back in town front »
Hying trip to the Kuskokwim.
Lars Osneas was in the city during the
week from Discovery, on his way to Horse
fly creek.
Billy Weinog came up from Kolmakof,
on the Kuskokwim, yesterday, on his way
Outside, where he will spend the summer.
Frank Keenan, the vetorun chef, has been
in charge at the Merchants’ cafe on the day
shift during the past week, in the absence
of the proprietor, Bob Soutar.
1 Word is brought by Mr. Soutar that the
mail has been delayed on the Seward end
of the trail, and it is not likely to arnte
here for two or three days.
1 John Novak, who spent most of the win
ter on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers,
arived in the city last week. John spent
the Christmas holidays at Holy Cross, and
was much impressed with the work of the
mission there in the education of native chit
dren.
| Jhon C. Currin will leave in a few days
for Tokotna to perfect his plans for re
moving his family to that promising burg
in the near future. He will be gone but a
short time, and expects to remove with
his family to his new post just prior to
i the break-up.
! Bob Soutar and W, C. Mitchell returned
last evening from a trip over he Seward
trail, where they went to deliver a mas
sage to William Taylor, who is on his way
Outside with his bride, formerly Miss John
ston. Mr. Soutar caught up with the party
i at Sullivan creek, about a hundred miles
from Tokotna. They had caught up with
| Ramps Peterson and wife, who were not
making fast time on account of having
to relay part of their outfit.
SPECIAL MEETING OF PIONEERS
—
There will be a special meeting of IditaroJ
Igloo No. 10, Pioneers of Alaska, at the
Regina hotel, Iditarod, at S p. m. on
Wednesday next, March S.
DEATH OF AN INFANT
The infant child of Mr. and Mrs. J. E.
Kettlewel! of Flat, which was born on
March 1 and lived but a few hours, was
buried from Smith’s undertaking parlors on
Thursday last. Burial was in the Iditarod
cemetery.
RING US UP ANY SERVICE WE CAN DO YOU . RING US UP
NA TIONAL CLUB and MARQUETTE WHISKEYS
GEORGE MARSH BUD WEJSER 1DITAROD FLAT CITY THE BRANCH a. D. CURRIE