Miners & Merchants Bank
IDITAROD, ALASKA
• Capital, $50,000.00
General Banking Business Transacted Gold Dost Bought and Assayed
Drafts Issued on Any Part of the World
SEATTLE CORRESPONDENT: SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN RANK
OFFICERS:
CHAS. ROSS, President
JOHN HOLMES, Caihiar
R. C. BUTTON, Ant. Caihiar
OCKOKtCKKfcK*
I MERCHANTS CAFE |
| Caters lo Large and Small Parties
PRIVATE DINING ROOMS
6 Popular Prices Everything First Glassjs
CHAS. E. MILLER, PROP. |
REPLY TO THE DAWSON NEWS
To My Canadian Cousin: As an Ameri
can citizen, I take it upon myself to thank
you for your kind invitation to come to
Dawson and pursue your mining law's,,
which you deem a criterion for all future
mining regulations. But, my dear cousin,
l deem what is particularly applicable in
your section and to your people would not
apply on this side of the border line. As
each nation has distinct traits, the traits
must of necessity govern the laws which
will \ye applicable to each nation's people.
The real American is the true prospector;
he is the one who starts with no capital
and banks his wits against time to make a
fortune; hence he is the real discoverer of
nearly all new camps, and as a rule he gets
hi? grubstake from the hills in which he
prospects. It is very seldom that we find
such a man stake anything until he has
made his discovery. After he has made
his discovery and given the news to the
world, then follows the stampede. Here, it
is true, as you have stated, the professional
stampeder does not take time to make a
disco very. They are as a rule grubstaked
by speculators, who go after ground, and
it is these men that the clause in regard
to discovery checks. It is the intention of
the American mineral law that the original
locator will locate no more ground than he
can work himself; and it has been the aim
of our legislature to frame the laws so
that it will curb the land grabber. When
a claim has been located the law intends
that it should be developed immediately.
The Canadian is a speculator. His idea is
to get the ground, prospect it at his own
* weet will, and hold it for a profit. In the
course of events he will develop said claims
a point where he can make the English
l ather believe that it is a good investment.
The dear cousin sells. But to develop a
country so that it will be the greatest good
to the greatest number is to so legislate that
the mineral land will be owned by the in
dividual miners and operated as individual
claims. I believe that the last 65 years of
American placer mining is a good demon
stration of that fact. As a rule, if the
original locator fails to develop anything
rich enough to work by the individual
method, the speculator can buy him out for
a nominal sum. All that is required is to
see to it that the locator has complied with
the mining laws in regard to locating; and
the speculator is as safe in regard to his
title on the American side as anywhere
*lse. It might be well for the speculator
when he buys to pay a shyster lawyer a
few dollars to look over the title. A shyster
will do as well as an eminent attorney;
taking your word for it, it is always a
shyster that finds the defect in the title
after the speculator has purchased. We
have many court decisions of high author
ity which define just what a discovery of
mineral is. To a man that is not trying to
dodge the issue of discovery, the law is
“ry plain. It behooves all American citi
• iiH to rally and petition our representa
e in congress and our worthy territorial
'H::itor (Roden), requesting them to let the
milling laws remain in full force as they are.
*hir cousiu stated that our court decisions
are based upon the locator’s good intent.
We are quite fortunate that our cousin is
! in error in this statement. There would be
j very little safety in our American institu
! tions if our judges were permitted to con
strue what in their opinion would be a
j man’s good intentions, and render a deci
i sion thereon. A nation that would permit
! its laws to be ignored in like manner would
be lax indeed. The court records show that
the first in law is the first real possessor of
! any of our public domain. As our govern
ment makes no provision to declare a for*
i feiture itself, it depends upon the slippery
gentry, or the man w'ho has the courage,
when he finds that the laws have not been
i complied with, to intervene. W’hen the case
comes to bar. our courts give the man who
has complied with our laws the decision.
They do not make a hero out of the man
who has intervened; but they do appreciate
the fact that through such men are the only
means of enforcing our mining laws.
I do not agree that Judge Lynch has
been much in evidence, with his guns and
ropes, in Alaska; in the few instances that
he has been in evidence and administered
his barbarous remedy to the object of his
hate, the miner had nothing to do with it.
The most vivid instance of his court is the
Hesse murder, in Southern Alaska. And
here our courts duly punished the man who
j perpetrated the atrocious crime.' In this
instance one of Judge Lynch’s constituents
brought the messenger of death to himself
with his own hand. The affiuvia arising
from this murder should be sufficient to
make any editor think twice before he puts
in print anything that would even suggest
that such a course as that of Judge Lynch’s
would be tolerated or even thought of where
we have courts of justice in our land.
W’hile we Americans realiie that there
are defects in our laws, we do not look
with envy upon the laws of any other na
tion. W. H. B.
STORK MAKES UP FOR
LONG YEARS OF NEGLECT
Portvue, Pa., I)ec. 11.—Twenty-one years
ago the stork dropped into the home of
Mrs. Philip Calderton, near here, and left
a boy. After more than two decades' ab
sence he called again last week and left
three bouncing babies, two girls and a boy.
Calderton, who is a mill worker, laid off his
'turn,” saying he wished to spread the good
news among his friends. When first he
heard the tidings of his fortune he said:
“Well, I’ve got a good job, and I’m glad
they got here all right.”
Distance Lends Enchantment
“I wish I was a star,” the dude sighed,
smiling at his own poetic fancy.
“I would rather you were a comet,” she
said, dreamily.
“And why?” he asked, tenderly, at the
same time taking her unresisting little hand
in his own. “And why?” he repeated, im
periously.
“Oh,” she said, with a brooding earnest
ness that fell freeiing upon his soul, “be
cause then you would come around only
once in 15 years.”
And he took his hat and went out into
the shmmering moonlght.—Ex.
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Warm, Clean Well Ventilated
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TUP PDflODV Massage and
12“ utlUuD! Bath Parlors
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Caribou St., Bet. Black and Willow Sts., on Waterfront
Electric and Faradic Massage Treatments by Expert Attendants
Lighted by Gas Heated by Steam
[ ALASKA
More than a hundred teams are working
to deliver freight along the government
road from Valdez to Copper Center. J. E
Wilson, the freighter, has a large numbei
of teams working from Beaver Dam tc
Tonsina. He also has a number returning
from Fairbanks, where they went with 12
tons of steerage mail from Chitina. The
teams are now en route ot Valdez for more
freight, which Wilson has contracted to de
liver to the military stations along the gov
ernment road. -Valdez Miner
Max Lichtenberg reached Valdez last
Monday evening to report to the federal au
thorities the death of his partner, Fred
Grenough, who died November 26, five
miles south of the Tazlina lake, where the
two men were camped while on a hunting
and prospecting trip, says the Valdez Miner.
Grenough was Bick for 21 days prior to
his death, and for 14 days was unable to
keep any food on his stomach, and during
the last seven days could not be induced
to eat. Lichtenberg hoped when the vom
iting ceased that Grenough would get better,
but in spite of every effort the man died.
Unable to bury his partner because of the
frozen ground, Lichtenberg wrapped him in
his blanket, placed the body in a tepee to
protect it from animals, and started upon
his return to the coast, deciding to come
out over the Tazlina glacier, then drop down
on the Columbia and Shoup glaciers to
reach the mining camps which he knew
were established in the Shoup bay section.
He had a terrible experience on the trip
out.
Jim Carruth of Douglas is in the hospital,
where physicians are trying to locate a re
volver bullet in his breast. He was shot
by a colored woman named Cleo Williams.
Carruth was trying to collect a bill. The
woman, who is under $1,000 cash bail,
claims to have shot in self-defense after
having been struck over the arm. The
amount involved wras 25 cents.
Owing to the number of “hop” joints
which have sprung up in Juneau during the
past few months, the city council has found
it necessary to put a quietus on the sale of
' cocaine, morphine, opium, etc. The new
order makes it a misdemeanor punishable
by a fine of $100 and imprisonment for
any person other than a licensed physician
to sell any of the drugs. The smoking of
opium in any place other than one’s own
home is punishable by a fine of $100 or im
prisonment for 90 days, or both.
In refusing to grant a liquor license to
Chris Petievitch on December 14 last,
S Judge R. W. Jennings again reiterated his
previous declaration that there are already
too many saloons in Juneau, and that he
will not grant any more liquor licenses until
after the end of the fiscal year that ends
June 30 next. The refusal of the Petievitch
application was based soiely upon that con
clusion. Judge H. B. LeFevre, who repre
sented Petievitch, thanked the court for rul
ing on the real point of the case rather than j
in deciding it upon some technicality.
Monuments marking the Chisana trail
from McCarthy, relief stations and other
precautions that have been taken along the
trail to prevent loss of life are being wan
tonly destroyed by vandals of some kind.
The Cordova Chamber of Commerce has
wired Colonel W. P. Richardson and the
war departmnet, requesting that a patrol
of soldiers be assigned to protect the trail
from this kind of highwaymen and looters.
Another dredge will be added to those
now working in the famous “third beach
line’’ at Nome next spring. J. W. Winter,
a well-known mining man, has given an op
tion on several claims on Cooper gulch and
in the vicinity of that creek to San Fran
cisco parties, who have announced their in
tention of installing a large dredge to work
the ground.
Delegates from seven different native In
dian settlements met in convention in Ju
neau on December 1 to take initial steps in
the formation of a society to be known as
the Alaska Native Brotherhood. The main
idea is to unite all of the natives of Alaska
in one common brotherhood and stamp out
tribal relations, with the ultimate object of
demanding the rights of citizenship. They
have adopted as their slogan, "No taxation
without representation.’’ Said one of the
best known of the delegates: “Every mem
ber of the brotherhood that is to be formed
will be eligible to citizenship so far as mor
als and education are coverned. W’e hold
that to tax us without the rights of citi
zenship is unjust and un-American.” The
following settlements were represented by
delegates: Sitka, KiUianoo, Klawock, Sha
ken, Wrangell, Klukwan, Hoonah and
Haines.
Returning from a four months’ trip to
the Outside, Henry Gohres, captain of the
Fairbanks fire department, reached that city
December 28, having made the last lap of
the journey with A. C. Taylor, the express
man. Most important of the many experi
ences encountered on the Outside by the
fireman was the world’s championship base
ball series, which he attended at New York
and Philadelphia. The Fairbanks man is also
the proud possessor of the last ball pitched,
hit and caught in the final game. The
much-coveted sphere was a present from
Eddie Murphy, one of tire stars of the Ath
letic team, who sent it back to Alaska with
his kindest regards.
For the five years ending with De
cember 31 the Fairbanks district has pro
duced almost $1,000,000 in gold from its
quartz operations, according to figures and
estimates furnished by the different oper
ators, experts, and the two banking insti
tutions of Fairbanks. Fiver since the quartz
operations started, in 1909, the output has
increased by leaps and bounds until the
amount of gold taken from hard rock dur
ing the past 12 months has been almost
equal to the total production of all former
years. To those interested in quartz the
figures are very interesting, but more pleas
ing is the prediction of the leading operators
of the camp that the Tanana valley quartz
mines will produce fully one million dollars
during the year 1914, says the Times.
Rear Admiral Griffin, who is in charge of
the tests being made of Alaska coal for
naval purposes, advises the navy department
at Washington that the second test of the
Bering river coal was disappointing, and
not what it was expected to be. Referring
to the test, he said: “While the result is
disappointing to me, I am not yet con
vinced that we are justified in rejecting
this coal. I shall have another test made,
with coal washed and screened properly, and
it is then possible that I will have a more
satisfactory and satisfying story to tell of
Alaska coal.”
IDITAR0D PEOPLE ARRIVE
AT CITY OF SEWARD
(Seward Gateway)
C. Nelson and Roy Vance arrived in
Seward yesterday from Iditarod, after one
bf the hardest trips reported this year. They
left the interior city on November 28 and
were 23 days on the trail. They were com
pelled to snowshoe from Richardson's road
house to the coast, and the trail was in a
horrible condition.
The boys say they wrould have made a
little better time but for the fact that a
lady, Mrs. Grant, was on the trail and
was very sick the entire distance, and they
assisted Sam Adams in caring for the in
valid lady.
Mr. V ance is an electrician and has been
employed with the Guggenheims the past
season. Mr. Nelson is a dredger man and
has also been working on one of the Gug
genheim dredgers. They report things very
quiet in Iditarod this winter, and state
that the days of the hand mniers are over
in that camp, as all the work is being
done with dredgers. Last summer was ex
ceptionally bas. as there was a great scar
city of water.
The gentlemen report more snow in the
interior at this time than has ever been
known, and the trail, espeially between mile
74 and mile 71, is almost impassable.
Messrs. Vance and Nelson will leave for
the Outside on the Northwestern.
Says We Will Have More Dredges
W. W. Clark of Iditarod City, who has
been in Seward for a couple of days, wait
ing for a steamer to Seattle, is planning on
returning to the interior camp via Seward
some :i me in the late spring. Mr. Clark
said that next summer should be the ban
ner season of the Iditarod, and after that
it will be a dredging proposition, and no
place for a pick and shovel miner
At this time there is one dredge working
on Flat creek. Ililey & Marston have an
other dredger landed on the ground ready
to be set up and one being built on the
Outside that will be shipped in on the first
boat in the spring. With the installation
of these new gold diggers the day of the
individual miner in the Iditarod will be a
thing of the past, although there will al
ways be more or less prospecting. It is
also being planned by interior operators to
install two more dredges, one on Moore
creek, on the Kuskokwim side, and one on
Gaines creek, in the Innoko. That will
make five dredges in a radius of 100 miles,
and will make that section quite a dredging
center.
John F. T. Was There Also
Six mushers from the Iditarod reached
Seward last evening, and are registered at
the Hotel Seward, awaiting the next boat
for Seattle. John F. Baird, a prominent
mining man and owner of the Budweiser
cafe, in Iditarod; W. S. Clark, formerly of
the widely known Dawson mercantile firm
of Mercereau & Clark; J. 0. Yoder, W. H.
Richardson, C. H. Marsh and J. Saupc
compose the party.
WELL-KNOWN JAPANESE
CALLS ON GUGGENHEIMS
The following bit of gossip is taken from
an Outside paper:
Jurio Wada known throughout Alaska
as a champion musher and as the discoverer
of Fairbanks and other rich gold camps,
tells an interesting experience he had while
calling on the Guggenheims, the multi-mil
lionaire mining promoters, in their New
York office a few weeks ago. Wada visited
them to tell them of a rich claim he had in
Alaska, hoping to make a sale of the prop
erty. After a long wait, one morning he
was ushered into the office of one of the
Guggenheims, but as it was lunch time, food
was suggested, and Wada was told to wait
a while.
A few minutes later an office boy came
out to Wada and said:
"Mr. Guggenheim says you may have an
egg or ham sandwich.”
Location Notices at Pioneer ofl>e
lUl Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska £1|
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DEMOCRATS
ORGANIZE
The adjourned meeting of the temporary
Wilson Democratic Club was called to or
der by Temporary Chairman Charles Est
mere in the Ford building, on Front street,
Flat City, Alaska, at 2:45 p. m. Sunday,
February 1.
The minutes of the last regular meeting
were read and approved.
When reports of committees were called
for, the committee from Flat, composed of
Messrs. Jenkins, McGrath and Ford, was
read, showing the committee had enrolled
29 members and collected the membership
fee of $1 from each, which amount was
turned over to the temporary secretary. It
was observed that the names of several
ladies appeard on the list of members en
rolled at Flat.
It was then moved by Mr. Ansley, and
seconded by Mr. Christoph, that the report
of the Flat membership committee be ac
cepted as read, and a vote of thanks be
tendered the committee for their excellent
work, which motion, when put to the
house, was duly carried.
The temporary secretary read a report
from the Iditarod membership committee
stating that the committee had been unable
to get any members in Iditarod for the
Flat organization, owing to the distance
members would have to come to attend
the meeting. They therefore recmomended
and believed that it would be to the best
interest of all that clubs be formed at Otter,
Flat and Iditarod, in order that all im
portant matters could be handled by as
full a representation as possible.
It was then moved by Mr. Jenkins and
seconded by Mr. Handley that the report
of the Iditarod committee be accepted as
read, which motion was duly carried.
The committee on quarters reported that
they had procured temporary quarters from
Mr. Ford in the building now occupied,
free of cost to the club.
It was then moved by Mr. Ansley and
seconded by Mr. McGrath that the report
of the committee be accepted and a vote
of thanks be tendered them, especially Mr.
Ford, for their services. The motion was
duly put and carried.
The committee appointed to solicit mem
bers at Discovery, Otter, failed to make
any report.
There being no further reports of com
mittees, bills were called for.
Bills for stovepipe and wood amounting
to $4.25 were read. It was moved by Mr.
McGrath and seconded by Mr. Christoph
that the temporary secretary pay the bills,
which was duly carried.
The temporary chairman stated that he
had drawn up a set of by-laws, w’hich the
club, when permanently organized, might
wish to adopt.
It was then moved by Mr. Jenkins and
seconded by Mr. Christoph that the chair
man read the by-laws as drafted, which
motion was duly put and carried.
After the reading of the by-laws as
drafted it was moved by Mr. Jenkins and
seconded by Mr. McGrath that the tem
porary Wilson Democratic Club of Otter
precinct, Alaska, be and is hereby made
ermanent, and that the temporary secretary
turn all money, books and papers belonging
to the temporary organization over to the
permanent secretary when elected, which
motion was duly carried.
It was then moved by Mr. Jenkins and
seconded by Mr. McGrath that Charles Est
mere be elected permanent chairman of
this club. Mr. Estraere Baid he would de
cline, but the membeer would not have it.
Mr. Ansley put the motion, which was
unanimously carried.
It was moved by Mr. Jenkins and sec
onded by Mr. Handley that William Ansley
be elected permanent secretary-treasurer of
the club. Mr. Ansley stated that he ap
preciated the proffered honor and intent of
Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Handley, but did not
think it to the best interest of the club to
have a secretary who lives outside of the
locality of the club meetings, and would be
glad if the gentlemen wounld withdraw his
name and substitute someone who lives at
Fiat City, as it would be impossible for him
to attend the meetings regularly. Jerry
Ford, T. L. McGrath, William Taylor and
others were put in nomination, and all de
clined.
The chairman stated that it would be
necessary to have someone in Iditarod to
look after the club’s mail and other mat
ters, and Mr. Ansley would confer a favor
on the club if he would consent to take the
position of secretary treasurer, for a while
at least, citing several good reasons why he
should do so.
Mr. Ansley then stated that he would
allow his name to be placed before the
meeting if the club would elect an assist
ant secret ary to look after the minutes in
the secretary’s absence.
It was then moved by Mr. Jnkins and
seconded by Mr. Handley that William
Ansley be elected secretary-treasurer and
William Taylor of Flat City assistant sec
retary treasurer, which motion was duly put
and unanimously carried.
The secretary reported that the total re
ceipts of the temporary organization
amounted to $55, and that bills had been
paid by the temporary secretary amounting
to $4.25, leaving a balance on hand of
$50.75.
It was moved by Mr. Ansley and sec
onded by Mr. Jenkins that a committee be
appointed from the Fiat City members to
take charge of the rules or by-laws drafted
by Mr. Estmere and bring in a set of rule3
or by-laws to be taken up by the club and
adopted at the next regular meeting, and
that the chairman shall be one of the com
mittee on by-laws. This motion was duly
carried.
The committee appointed on by-laws con
sists of Messrs. Jenkins, McGrath, Christoph
and Estmere.
The chairman stated that inasmuch as
we had several lady members, he thought
it would be well for the club to give some
kind of an entertainment for the benefit of
the club.
It was moved by Mr. Ansley and sec
onded by Mr. Christoph that an entertain
ment committee be appointed to arrange
all social functions of the club, which mo
tion was duly put and earned. The com
mittee appointed was: Mrs. Selma Swan
son. Mrs. T. L. McGrath and Mrs. At
Thorns.
It was moved and seconded that Gust
Christoph be added as chairman of the
committee. Carried.
Moved by Mr. McGrath and seconded by
Mr. Jenkins that the secretary notify other
Democratic organizations throughout
Alaska of this organization and the pur
pose for which it is organized, which mo
rion was duly carried.
There being no further business before
the meeting, it was moved and seconded
that we adjourn until 2 p. m. February 8.
Carried. WILLIAM ANSLEY, Sec.
Location Notices at Pioneer office.
HOWDY, PAP !
The Loyal Order of Moose it now in all the principal camps of Alaska and 1 ukjtn
territories, and Iditarod is to enjoy the same distinction shortly.
The Moose is acknowledged to be the fastest-growing and most popular order in
the world—700,000 members in over 1,500 lodges scattered from Nome to Panama and
from Berlin to Manila—and only 25 years old.
All the members enjoy all the privileges of every Moose club house aaywhere, and
the International Home University, where indigent Moose widows and orphans are cared
for, and Moose children given a college education absolutely free.
The lodge provides free medical attention for each member and his family, weekly
siok benefits when unable to work, funeral benefit in case of death, ete.
Charter initiation fee is $10, and covers all cost of joining. Dues are only $13 a
year, and no assessments.
All interested should send their names and addresses to Basil Clemons, district
director Loyal Order of Moose, at Clemons A Koon's studio, corner Wiekersham and Front
street*, Flat City.
Basil Clemons, the deputy organizer for this district, is daily expecting the arrival
of Mr. Johnson, the regular organizer, from Seward peninsula, where he has been very
successful in ogranizing and instituting lodges of the popular order.
Mr. Clemons experienced little difficulty in securing far more than the requisite
number of charter members, and it is almost a certainty that the new lodge of Mooee
to be organized in this district will be one of the largest in the North.
Hi _ Gold St., Flat City
I nP il#fl Mrs. Swanson, Prop.
I 110 I ^wllvw Dining Room Now Open
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
I nnnmnnn~sAL6oNi j
I Full Line of Cigars g
Optimo, Lovera™ Juan lie Fucai
[ NEW SUPPLY OF BUOWEISER BEER
RUBY NEWS
(Ruby Record Citizen>
An accident which cost the life of Fred
Wagner occurred on Banner creek on
Wednesday last.
Mr. Wagner and Tommy Garneau were
sinking a prospect shaft on Banner creek,
with Wagner working in the hole. He had
just filled a bucket with dirt, which was
being hoisted by Garneau. When almost at
the surface the rope broke, allowing the
loaded bucket to fall on the unfortunate
man, who was unable to get out of its
way.
Mr. Wagner was a member of San Fran
cisco Local No. 24 of the Bakers and Con
fectioners’ International Union of America.
A meeting of the citizens of Ruby was
called on last Monday evening at the office
of Commissioner Hill to try to prevail upon
the postal authorities at Washington to per
mit Mr. Randles to forward 500 pounds of
Ruby mail that has been lying at Tanana
for some time, tied there by departmental
red tape. As a result of the meeting E.
Coke Hill was delegated to telegraph Dele
gate Wickersham on the subject.
There are 125 men on Poorman creek at
present.
DOWER OF ATTORNEY BLANKS.—New
* Form.— Made to conform with the re
quirements of the new territorial mining
law, containing cautionary and explanatory
notes, are now on sale at Ansley’s lri Idiia
rod, II. Donnelley's at Dls. Otter, and at
the Pioneer Drug Store In Flat City.
THE FINEST
WINES AND LIQUORS
SERVED AT
BA COY’S SALOON
DISCOVERY, OTTER
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
Stanley Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Day and Night
CLEMONS & KOON
Portrait and View
Photographers
_FLAT CITY_