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VOLUME XIV. VALDEZ, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, I9I J • ] NUMBER IS
FIRE THREATENS ENTIRE BUSINESS SECTION OF CITY
I -
TABLE QUEEN BAKERY AND DELICATESSEN,
LOUIE’S CAFE AND APARTMENTS OF MR.
AND MRS. ALBERT WHITE DESTROYED BY
EARLY MORNING FIRE WHICH ORIGINAT
ED IN BAKE SHOP—FIRE DEPARTMENT
DOES GOOD WORK IN PREVENTING FLAMES
SPREADING TO LIBERTY THEATRE AND
LOVE-WHITLEY BUTCHER SHOP —HIGH
WIND AND FOURTEEN BELOW ZERO MAKES
FIGHTING OF FLAMES DIFFICULT.
Flames which originated in tho bake shop of the Table
Queen Bakery and Delicatessen shortly after 7:00 o’clock
this morning destroyed property to the value of more than
fifteen thousand dollars and for a time threatened the de
struction of the entire business block along McKinley
street between Broadway and Alaska Avenue.
The fire started in the ceiling of the shop and spread
with lightning rapidity over the bake shop owing to a bal
loon ceiling. When tlie baker discovered the flames he im
mediately turned in an alarm and began fighting the fire
with ajhand chemical extinguisher.
The prompt work of Central in the Alaska Water,
Light and Power Company’s office in notifying the mem
bers of the fire department individually after turning on
the electric alarms, is declared by Fire Chief Finical to
have enabled the department to control the fire and pre
vent its spreading to adjoining ^uildmg».
Norman Leopold was tEe first member of the fire de
partment to reach the scene and securing a hand chemical
extinguisher from the Buffet he broke open the front door
of the bakery to aid the baker in fighting the blaze. Real
izing that the flames were gaining headway he raced for
the firehall and secured the large chemical but it proved j
useless as it froze as soon as exposed to the fourteen below j
zeroweather. !
The high wind which prevailed fanned the flames and'
for a time it was feared that the entire block extending
from the Pinzon Cigar store, at the corner of McKinley i
anti Broadway to the Seattle Hotel, corner of McKinley
and Alaska Avenue would be destroyed. Prom the bakery
the tire spread to the White building, the ground floor of
which was occupied by Louie’s Cafe and the second story
by Mr. and Mrs. Albert White as a residence.
Three streams.of water were soon playing on the!
flames from the firehall, but the department was hampered
for a time by the severe cold weather. Soon after the alarm
was turned in a line of hose was laid from the court house
and the electric pump started working. The hose lacked
about one hundred feet of reaching the flames but was kept
playing on the adjoining buildings and aided materially
in checking the fire from spreading.. .
One of the greatest aids in fighting the fire and pre
venting it spreading to the Love-Whitley shop was furn
ished by the electric pump installed last year by that firm
in anticipation of just such an emergency. The pump
worked to perfection and kept a two-inch stream of water
pouring into the burning buildings. The flames brQke
through the wall into the butcher shop but were quickly
extinguished.
' The property loss caused by the fire is estimated to be
about twenty thousand dollars, and is partly covered by in
surance. Mr. and Mrs. Albert White are the heaviest los
ers, as they owned the building in which Louie’s Cafe was
located and lost all their furniture and personal belong
ings. When they were awakened their rooms were filled
with smoke and they escaped just in time. Mrs. White
saved some of her clothing, but her husband got out of the
building partly dressed.
Andy Marovich, proprietor of Louie’s Cafe, suffered
a loss of more than two thousand dollars and carried no
insurance.
^ Rudolph Schmidt, of the Kitchen Queen bakery and
delicatessen, lost his stock, which is estimated to have been
. worth five thousand dollars. The building occupied by Mr.
Schmidt was owned by Dr. Daggett, of Seward, and is a
total loss. It is not known if it was insured. !' f
Soon after the alarm was sounded hundreds of Citizens
responded and were ajetive in assisting the. members of the
department in fighting the flames or aiding the, occupants
of the threatened buildings to remove their furniture and
effects into the street* out of reach of the flames.
' For a time It was believed that the Liberty Theatre
was doomed, but the flames from the White apartments
were prevented from spreading in that direction owing toj
(Continued on Page Three.) “
• • • ,*
REPORTED VILLA
BEEN CAPTURED
Dispatches Received from Mexico are
Conflicting and are Not Re
lieved by Americans.
EL PASO, Jan. 21.—Private ad
vices have been received here from
Jaurez stating that General Villa,
leader of the Mexican rebels, had
been captured by Carranza soldiers,
and that he now faces execution. Con
flicting rumors are in circulation
here and the news of the capture has
not been ccflt firmed although the of
ficials have made every effort to get
into communication with the Mexi
can officials.
According to the dispatch receiv
ed here this morning General Villa
was wounded in a fight and was un
able to escape when his army was
routed. Other rumors are to the ef
fect that he was seized by some of
his own men and turned over to the
Carranzaistas to secure the reward of
fered for his capture by the Mexican
government. The reports are discred
ited here by the officials.
PPOELS, ARK.
COMING ON ALAMEDA
SEATTLE, Jan. 21.—The steamer
Alameda of the Alaska Steamship
company, sailed last night for Va:dez
and other Southwestern port3. She
carries one of the largest lists of pas
sengers of any steamer leaving for
the north since last summer and i3
taken to indicate that the tide of
travel northward has begun. The
passengers for Valdez are- Miss L.
White, C, J. Lawson, Mrs. C. J Law
son, W. Cuddy, H. Ashby. Mrs. Ar
thur Lang, Raymond Meyer and Dr
Smith of Latouche.
Notice to Eagles.
The regular meeting of Valdez
Aerie, Fraternal Order of Eagles
has been postponed owing to the in
clement weather.
C. J. TODD, Secy.
RePUBLIGANS ARE
FIGHTING BILL
Make Determined Effort to Strike
Alaska Appropriation from
the Emergency BUI.
* _____________
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 21 —
The Republican members of tbe
House made a determined fight to
have the emergency appropriation of
two million dollars for the AlaBkan
Engineering commission’s railroad
work stricken from the urgent ever
gency bill. The Alaska railroad the
minority members declared, vas a
luxury which the government could
not afford at the present time when
it was resorting to special taxation
to provide revenues.
Representative Gillette of Massa
chusetts, led the fight against the
Alaska appropriation and declared
that the government had been delud
ed into buying the Alaska Northern
railroad which had been found to be
practically worthless. He stated that
more than one-half of the Alaska
Northern track would of necessity
have to be abandoned as the grades
prohibited tonnage being brought
Item the Interior to tbe coast, over. it*.
Representative Mann #of t’onnsyl-'
vania, characterized the construction
of the government railroad in Alaska
as a “sumptious enterprise,’ and
urged that the two m'.’lion dollar
item for continuing the work be
stricken from the emergency bill.
Chairman Fitzgerald of the House
committee on appropriations, who or
iginally opposed the government un
dertaking the construction of a trunk
■ine from^.tidewater to interior Alas
ka, now favors the emergency appro
bation and declares that the go 'em
inent must complete the emori ri3e
uo matter what the cost,
WANTED: Experienced woman de
sires work as cook Or maid. Refer
ances given. Address Prospector.
Valdez Drug Company have a fine
line of Sehf.ol Stationery.tf ~
AMERICA NEEDS 8IG ARMY
DECLARES GENERAL WOOD
TELLS SENATE COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS THAT FOR
EIGN ARMY OF ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND MEN
COULD BE LANDED ANYWHERE ON COAST OF UNITED STATES.
FAVORS INCREASING REGULAR ARMY AND A CONTINENTAL
FORCE IF DIVORCED FROM MILITIA— GENERAL WEAVER OF
COAST DEFENSE, TAKES EXCEPTION TO REMARKS REGARD
ING FORTIFIED CITIES.
WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 20.—
Brigadier General Wood, command
ing the Eastern Division, appeared
before the Senate Committee on Mil
itary affairs yesterday and informed
the members that a foreign army of
one hundred and fifty thousand men
could easily invade the United States.
General Wood told the committee
that the British had landed an expe
dition of one hundred and twenty
thousand men on the Gallpoli penin
sula, '^{though the Turkish govern
ment' Bad taken the precaution to
mine and fortify every landing place
along the coast.
The general Urged* Increasing the
regular army to two hundred thou
sand mein and if this number cO'uld
not be secured through the plans al
ready outlined that some sort of con
scriptions might be necessary. He
favored the creation of a continental
army; the men to -receive three
months each year for three years.
when they would be placed on fur
lough subject to three months addi
tional training before taking the
field. He wished the regular or con
tinental army to be divorced from
the militia.
General Weaver, chief of the Coast
Artillery department,' followed Gen
eral Wood in offering advice to the
committee regarding the national de
fenses. While agreeing that a for
eign army could be landed at many
places en fh«f: coast of the United
States he took exception to General
Wood’s statement that troops could
be landed at any of the fortified cit
ies.
Many Congressmen Who are In fav
or of Increasing the army in dot In
sympathy with Secretary Garrison’s
plan to Create t COntiM&ttf Army as
they fear It Woulj*- ehbdHWdtd the
milttla which has always been re
ceived into the service-in advance of
any other force in time of war.
WAREHOUSE AND DOCK
AT SEWARD DESTROYED
FIRE WHICH STARTED FROM OVER-HEATED
STOVE-PIPE CAUSES LOSS OF HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF PROPER
TY-FREIGHT AWAITING SHIPMENT TO
THE WESTWARD ON THE DORA LOST TO
GETHER WITH HER SUPPLY OF FUEL—AP
PROACH TO DOCK IS DYNAMITED TO PRE
VENT FLAMES SPREADING TO BUSINESS
SECTION OF CITY—DEPARTMENT FOUGHT
FIRE ALL NIGHT IN INTENSE COLD.
Seward, Jan. 21.—Fire which started in the warehouse
on the dock here at 10:30 last night destroyed the ware
houses and dock, causing a loss estimated to be close to one
hundred thousand dollars. The fire originated from an
over-heated stovepipe in one of the warehouses where per
ishables were being kept for shipment to the westward on
the Steamer Dora.
The fire department was prompt in responding to the
alarm and fougnt the flames all night until they were ex
tinguished after daylight this morning. They were ham
pered by intense cold weather as the mercury stood several
degrees below zero.
The freight in the warehouse which was destroyed had
been unloaded from the Northwestern and Admiral Evans
and was awaiting shipment on the steamer Dora to the
westward. The supply of coal for the Dora was also de
stroyed and will prevent her sailing until the arrival of a
freighter from Seattle with fuel.
When it was realized by the fire department that the
dock and warehouse were doomed a dynamite squad was or
ganized and the dock approach destroyed in order to pre
vent the flames reaching the city. Many of the firemen
were severely frost-bitten in their long fight to control the
flames.
GOVERNMENT WILL REBUILD.
Seward, Jan. 21.—A careful estimate of the damage
done by the fire here last night which destroyed the wharf
and warehouse places the loss at fifty-five thousand dollars.
The loss of the shipments of freight awaiting the arrival of
the Dora from the westward will work a great hardship
on the people of the section of the western coast served by
her as it may be several weeks before the shipments may be
renewed. The local agent of the Alaska Steamship com
pany states that the Dora will be enabled to secure coal at
Valdez or Cordova to make the trip.
The Alaskan Engineering commission suffered the loss
of thousands of dollars when, the wharf was destroyed, and
has announced that the work of rebuilding the structure
will begin at once. It is reported'that much of the mate
rial for bridges in the Anchorage district which was
brought back last fall when the ice prevented its being un
loaded, will be used in rebuilding the wharf and warehouse
and that the structures will be ready for service in two
weeks. _‘_
GILA RIVER SWEEPS
MANY TO THEIR DEATHS
WINKLEMAN, Ariz., Jan. 21.—
The Glia river has overflowed its
banks and is sweeping down the val
ley, bringing death and destruction
to scores of prosperous towns in this
district. The city is under water and
the residents have sought safety on
the housetops. A number of build
ings have been undermined by the
flood and have collapsed. Ten per
sons are known to have perished and
scores are missing.
MATTER WHICH SHOULD
NOT BE NEGLECTED
The owners of hand chemical Are
extinguishers, whose tanks were
emptied at the fire this morning, arc
reguested to bring them to the Fire
Hall without delay in order that they
may be recharged. No charge will
be made for service.
W. M. FINICAL, Fire Chief.
Card of Thanks.
We the undersigned, most heartily
thank the members of the Valdez Fire
department, the citizens of Valf.ez
generally and our kind friends for
their efforts in our behalf during the
fire which destroyed our home today.
We realize that under great difficul
ties and hardship that the depart
ment and citizens by their berole
work saved the city from a greater
disaster.
MRS. AL WHITE.
ALBERT WHITE.
Jack Callln, of the Arcade Cate,
was thoughtful tn providing an abun
dance of hot coffee for the tire fight
ers this morning. He decided net
to move the contents of his restau
rant until the lest moment end for
tunately escaped any damago.
. .. - r «
NOTICE: The regular monthly
Indoor meeting ofthe Cheechaoo Un
wary Society le hitoflnltely poetpen—
ad on account Of either.
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