Iditarod Pioneer
One Dollak Per Month. IDITAROD, ALASKA, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1910. Two Bits Per Copy
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THIS AFFAIR BEAT
OUT THE SCHEDULE
TLie high water mark in social
endeavor was the party tendered
to the public last Monday night by
the Northern Commercial company
vvheu the new store building was
properly dedicated with music, dan
cing and good cheer. John Dun
can and his associates acted in the
role of hosts, and when i. became
apparent that the building was
hardly large enough to hold the
crowd of merrymakers they were
more tickled about it than any
body.
In addition to the music which
was furnished by Bourret and
Drake, there were good eats and
plenty of punch. The floor was
simply a dream, as described by one
of the ladies present, and it is al
leged that seven carpeuters fell
down when they started to resume
building operations in the place
next uay.
Dancing continued with una
bated zeal until about three o’clock
of the morning, but it was only
toward the last that one had room
for successful operations, free from
treading feet and proddiug elbows.
The affair was the biggest tiling
that has happened in Iditarod City
since the birth of the town and will
long he pleasantly remembered by
those present.
HUNTER FINDS
MISSING SKULL
K mile and a half from the spot
where the body was located at the
head of Slate creek, the head of Rob
bert Brown was discovered by William
Gillis last Friday near a woodchopper’s
cabin, where it had evidently been
carried by a malamute or a wild ani
mal.
The ghastly relic, of course, lacked
all semblance of the living shape so
that its finding will add nothing to the
eonclusiveness of identification. It was
brought in by the officers and will be
used at the inquest.
COMING AND G01NG_
Billy Marks, the pioneer carpenter
ol Chena who has been spending the
summer hereabouts, left last week to
spend a winter on the Outside, and
will make his headquarters in Seattle.
The Johnson Mattress and Hose Co.'s
buildiag on Willow street has been un
dergoing many improvements during
the past two weeks which greatly add
to ij,s appearance and comfort.
Jimmy Farrell came in from Flat
creek Wednesday. He is thinking se
riously of making a trip to the new
diggings on the Kuskokwim.
Jim Hiland, of Flat creek, reached
tho city Thursday. He lately returned
from a trip to Julian creek and vicin
ity.
Jim Orr and B. W. Stiekney hiked
out of town Friday to catch the steamer
Tana going down river. Kenneth Mc
Leod and Perry Warner were also on
their way to other spots. The bunch
will probably stop at Manley’s Elot
Springs for a spell after which Orr,
McLeod and Warner will go outside.
They all have a little ready cash that
is burning their pockets for they have
sold some of the richest ground on Flat
creek, and what is more, they got the
money.
Arthur Shonbeck, the Discovery City
merchant, has been in town for a
day or two looking for some cfioiee se
lections of food stuffs that he feels need
ful for the winter solstice.
1^. N. Markle, restaurant man and
miner, has gone to Fail banks to take
up a profession there which he tem
porarily abandoned to visit the Idit
arod.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Slater have re
turned to Fairbanks. Mr. Slater spent
a few weeks investigating the vagaries
of the Celene fraction. He will now
resume mining on Ester creek.
Roy E. Bigham, the young attorney
who met with an unfortunate accident
with an ax some weeks ago, has im
proved to such an extent that he can
walk to a slight extent on the injured
foot. He is assisting, during his con
valescence, on the books of the Miners
& Merchants bank.
Anderson Bros. & Nerland have the
genuine Rubber Flaxine Rooting Paper
the best in the world.
FOR SALE—Ten-foot portable French
range. Apply this office.
Get a regulation “safety” at The Tin
£hop. __
Large stock of furniture will soon
arrive for Sickinger.
BULLET HOLE IN OLD MAN’S SLICKER
There is little doubt in the minds of those who have
viewed the body that Robert Brown, the old man whose
remains were found at the head of Slate creek last
week, came to his end by foul means. The investiga
tors found a bullet hole in his slicker, indicating that he
had been shot in the back, while the considerable roll
of money which he had on him was gone. Reports as
to the amount of money which he had vary greatly from
$495 to $1,500.
The body was found about four miles from Discov
ery Otter, near the head of Slate creek, the discovery
being made by McLaughlin and Blair, two Kuskokwim
stampeders who were just starting out on their journey
to the new diggings. They came back long enough to
report the matter to Lon Doggett, at 1-Above Otter,
and then went on their way.
Doggatt immediately notified the officers of the
law, and went out himself, accompanied by George
Burg, deputy marshal, and a few others who went along
to view the remains.
The body appeared to have lain in its present state
for a month or six weeks. The upper part, including
the skull, had been carried away by wild animals, leav
ing the pelvic portion and the lower limbs intact, en
cased in overalls. On the feet were low arctics, and
about ten feet away, covered with blood, was the slicker.
Believing that the body should not be touched until
it could be viewed by a coroner’s jury, little search was
made. A gold watch was found laying near, which, in
a measure, weighs against the theory that he was tnur- j
dered for personal gain.
Having heard that Brown left Flat creek early in
August, Deputy Marshal Donovan was much disturbed
by hearing that an unknown person accompanied the
old man, thus making it readily apparent that he had
been murdered by someone who knew he had money.
This view of the case, however, was dispelled Friday
by news from Dave Nelson, in the Kuskokwim, who
was to have started out with Brown, and who knew that
he went alone.
Four other men were found who saw the old man
going up Flat creek, some of them remonstrating with
him on the lightness of his pack. He was going to a
supposed strike and said he was coming back at once,
wherefore he had only taken a four-day ration.
He carried a military slicker secured at Fort Gib
bon, and it was this garment by which he was identified.
As soon as possible, an inquest will be held over
the remains, with a chance that additional information
will be gathered in the meantime to conclude specula
tion as to the manner of death.
(
Sunshine Factories for Creeks, No? Yes?
__
With the assurance that three men are on the way
to Fairbanks ready to bleed and die for the cause of
creek liquor licenses, there has come a remarkable
change of sentiment on the part of creek people who
have of late been thrown into deep gloom because of the
Kuskokwim stampede. It seemed that every live citi
zen and his brother had suddenly departed across the
divide, leaving the teeming streets forlorn and de
serted, while the erstwhile busy grocer dangled his feet
from the counter.
Now this is changed for it looks as though there is
something to these Flat creek applications, and it is
probably a two to one bet that they are granted. And
that isn’t all. Having heard that Flat City was after a
commissioner and licenses, Discovery City began to sit
up and take notice. They say they are entitled to a
saloon license if Flat City is, and they mean to have it,
basing their applications on the fact that they are
within the two-mile radius if a commissioner be estab
lished at Flat City. There is some doubt on this sub
ject, but it would seem that taken in a direct line, Dis
covery is not more than two miles from Flat.
Billy Casey, the well-known saloon man of Fair
banks started the “music” when he came down here and
bought in at Flat City, taking over Charley Taylor’s big
building next to Frank Stanley’s and boosting it up one
story to convert it into a roadhouse. It then became
known that he has a large stock of liquors here and will
be ready to set up for business at once upon the arrival
of his license.
As soon as it was learned that there might be a
chance for creek licenses, Jack Connolly, of the River
side lodging house of Flat, immediately got busy get
ting his petition signed and was off to Fairbanks, fol
lowed closely by the representative of Ed Anderson, of
this city.
The announcement that creek licenses might be ob
tained caused considerable speculation since it presaged
a vast difference in the construction of the law as placed
upon it by Judge Lyons and by Judge Overfield. Judge
Lyons, in the opinion of well-informed men, construed
the law too strictly, bringing out in forcible manner
what government by courts really mean.
Under Judge Lyons’ regime the law was more
strictly enforced in the Fourth judicial district than any
other in Alaska, and had reached a point where it was
practically impossible to secure a liquor license any
where outside of the few main towns.
Judge Overfield is probably predisposed in favor of
the more liberal construction given the law at Nome,
where he resided for some time, and may be willing to
listen to the people who should be able to decide for
themselves whether they want the presence of saloons
or not.
JUDGE OVERFIELD WILL HOLD COURT HERE IN NEXT SPRING
Yielding tp the demands and representations made
by the citizens of this district, Judge Overtield at Fair
banks has at last expressed his intention of visiting the
Iditaiod next spring for the purpose of holding a term
of court here.
According to a statement in the Fairbanks News
Miner Judge Overfield will ba busy there until next
spring, and cannot get away to this camp this fall as
Iditaroders had hoped. But since he can doubtless
clean up his docket in nice shape this winter, it seems
likely that he will be down here, perhaps for the spring
breakup since the early spring traveling by trail will
not be bad. The Fairbanks paper goes on to say:
“The Iditarod obviously should be part of the Nome
district as it falls in that division quite naturally
through its location. If a part of the Second division
it would be much better for all concerned, as the Second
does not have near the litigation found in the Fourth.”
ROUTE OF IDITAROD-SEWARD WINTER TRAIL HAS BEEN DEFINITELY LOCATED
The route of the new trail from Seward through the
Kuskokwim into the Innoko and Iditarod districts has
been fixed so that those who intend opening up roadhouses
along the way can do so without fear of having the route
changed.
This is the statement made by Major Richardson, head
of the Alaska road commission just before leaving Fair
banks on his buckboard trip to Valdez.
This trail will unquestionably be the uext great high
way of Alaska, and with the blazing out that will be done
as soon as the freezeup, there is every probabilily that it
will be traveled to a great extent this winter.
The Seward route starts from the end of the Alaska
Northern which now has its terminus at Kern t reek and
goes across country to Susitna statiou, across country to
| the Shwentna branch of the YenUia river and up that
stream to the head waters where the Alaska range is crossed
by Raiuey pass. To the west of the mountains the road
follows down the south fork of the Kuskokwitn and then
across country to the mouth of the Takotna. At the forks
of the Takotna it holds north to Ophir City in the Innoko
or westward toward the Iditarod. The distance from Se
ward to Ophir by this route is given at 441 miles and to
Otter City to the Iditarod at 516 miles.
MINING NOTES
Although they are just strippiug
the ground preparatory to real
sluicing, it is said that Craig and
Britt, laymen on the Homestake
association at the mouth of Flat,
have been making expenses in the
gold that is caught from the waste.
Finding the paystreak too light
| to bring them in more than wages,
j King Brothers and Jnles Spencer,
I laymen on the Wildcat association
on Willow creek threw up the
proposition some time ago and are
now following other pursuits. Mr.
i Spencer is assisting Karl Thiele
who has a large pool room at Dis
covery City, while the King boys
are working out a wood contract
for Manley and Aitkeu.
Contrary to belief, earlier in the
season, the Willow paystreak did
not pan out as desired, at least
where they are working on the
right limit and several outfits have
quit. Tilings are looking up on
the left limit and a new paystreak
has been discovered.
Tom Maher and Jim Hagen are
in from Flat creek while the pros
pecting goes merrily on out on Flat
on the claims below the Glen where
Tom Aitken recently took a. lay
and where Greg Stewart is work
ing. Ed Britt, Maher’s partner, is
now on his way to Fairbanks.
Beattie’s New Lodgings
The new Beattie lodging house on
lower First avenue i9 being rapidly
constructed, and when completed will
be one of the mcst attractive structures
in the new metropolis. It is built of
choice peeled logs, is 26x42 feet in size,
and has two stories.
The Cascade Steam Laundry has bathrooms
especially fitted up for ladias—porcelain tubs
and clear well wafer a specialty.
The Regina Hotel
To Open Wednesday
With as fine a lot of rooms as
can be found in the city, the Re
gina hotel at the corner of Second
and Willow, recently erected by I.
Nyholm is about to open its doors
to the public, the formal event be
ing booked for next Wednesday.
The hostelry is one of the big
buildings of the city and its interior
decorations are all to the good.
SAM LANGFORD MATCHED
TO MEET TOMMY BURNS
It has been announced by Hugh
McIntosh that be has arranged a
match between Tommy Burns and
Sain Langford. The fight is to
take place in London next Decem
ber and is scheduled for 20 rounds.
Ad Wolgast has also signed ar
tides for a match with Frankie
White to take place before the
Fond du I,ac club in Milwaukee at
an early date to be agreed upon.
This will be the first important
engagement for Wolgast since he
put it over Bat Nelson.
Buy your outfit at Sickinger's.
Notice
To whom it may concern:
I hereby give Wm. Barrett full power
to collect any and all amounts due me
in the Innoko valley. (Signed)
Aug. 10, 1910. E. T. Barnette.
FOR SALE—Log building at Dis. Ot
ter, frame front, plate glass, one
story, 22x32 feet, best location in
town, owner must go Outside imme
diately; bargain for right party. Ap
ply this office.
Cross cut and one-man saws, single
and double-bitted axes, wedges and
sledges at Sickinger’s.
NEWS FROM
_MANY PLACES
Mayor Gaynor, of New York
city will recover from the wound
inflicted by one Gallagher who shot
the mayor in the neck as he was
about to go aboard a steamship for
Europe. According to latest ad
vices he has been able to walk
about the hospital for several hours
a day. His assailant prays night
and day for his recovery'
Tariff revision will be the key
note of the Republican campaign
according to President Taft, both
this fall and two years hence. He
says the Payne-Aldrich tariff law is
the best the country ever had, but
that it can be improved.
Governor Haskell of Oklahoma
wants to pick the capital up and
set it down at Putnam City, five
miles out of Oklahoma city. He has
stirred up an awful fuss.
Wm, J. Burns, the detective who
was so valuable to Francis Heney
in the Sau Francisco graft fight
has been arrested on charge of
subornation of perjury, preferred
by federal Land Agent Hunt.
The greatest forest fires of years
has been raging in the Northwest,
and the entire state militia of Idaho
and Montana are in the field fight
ing. Over fifty lives have been lost
and twenty million in money gone
up in smoke.
F'ormer Senator Wilkinson Call
of Florida, was striken with apo
plexy about two weeks ago.
Mrs. John P. Cudahy of Kansas
City, has secured a divorce from the
rich packer who made u vie ms at
tack upon Jere Lillis last March.
She denies that she is going on the
vaudeville stage.
Senator Aldrich, retired, will
spend $400,000 of the money he re
ceived from the Steel trust, build
ing a nice little house at Warwick,
Rhode Island.
Auacortes, Wash., goes wet by
a fair majority.
Sixteen American laborers who
went to Vancouver, B. C . under
contract to work on a railroad, were
refused admission and ordered to
return to the states.
The spur of the White Pass rail
road built from Whitehorse to the
Paeblo copper and iron properties
has been finished and inspected by
Governor Henderson. Shipments
of copper ore will begin at once at
the rate of aoo tons daily. A con
tract has been closed with the Ta
coma smelter for next year calling
for the delivery of 1,000 tons daily.
Having quietly soaked up all the
industrial, political and moral ac
tivity of the country, Japan has
moved in on Korea and has taken
active charge of affairs.
Speaker Cannon is stumping
through the Northwest. He is
burning up the Insurgents who
made life so miserable for him in
the House.
The famous orchards of Puyallup
valley were seriously injured by
frost late last month.
Inquiry is made by Charles Staf
ford of Auburn, N. Y., for infor
mation concerning Patrick N. Staf
ford. His brother believes him
dead.
At the residence of Mr. and Mrs.
Eddie Suter in Fairbanks, Elmer
E. James and Mrs. Kirkpatrick
Lake were marrjed on the ev -'ing
of Aug. 24th. The bride came from
Kingman, Arizona, and the mar
riage was the culmination cf a long
romance. They will live at Richard
son, where James is mining.
Believing that the facilities they
now have at hand insufficient to
handle the quartz shipments of an
other season, the Tauana Valley
I railroad at Fairbanks will purchase
1 a new and powerful locomotive and
, other cars for next summer.
A cauvas of the banks at Fair
banks places the output for the
season in that district at six mil
lions.
The steamer LaFrance returned
last month from a trip up the Por
■ cupine river where she went with
[supplies lor Cadzow’s Post. Sid
[ Barrington reported that there were
' at least fifty thousand caribou feed
mg back of Rampart House.
A quiet wedding took place in
Fairbanks on the 22nd of August
[ when Lawyer Thomas Marquam
was united in marriage to Mrs:
Iowa V. Allmon. Rev. Condit per
; formed the ceremony with Judge
Louis K. Pratt, John W. Troy and
Mrs. E. A. Herring witnesses.
At Gibbon on the morning of
Aug. 25th were the Messenger, the
Sarah, the Tanana, Martha Clow,
Monarch and Jeff Davis.
Dissolution of Partnership
Nof.ice is hereby given that the co
partnership heretofore existing be
tween A. F. Morgan, E. Hammer and
H. E. Phillips, as owners and proprie
tors of the Riverside hotel, has been
this day dissolved by mutual consent,
H. E. Phillips retiring from said part
nership. A. F. Morgan.
E. Hammer.
Iditarod, Sept. 1, 1910.
Z. J. Loussac has purchased A. J.
Weiss’ stock of stationery, cigars and
candies. The cigars consist of the high
est grades of the standard makes.
McKAY & HOTTS
STAY WITH GLEN
Although reports for some time
back indicated disappointing re
sults in the prospecting that had
been done on the Glen association,
the recent operations carried ou by
Jack McKay and Pete Hotts on
the discovery claim on Flat creek
have disproved the dire predictions
of the croakers, for it is now said
that they have something pretty
good ou that ground.
They have been sinking holes ou
the lower end of the claim and be
lieve they have enough to justify
them in going ahead with the lay
agreements.
Judge Overfield has just handed
down a decision in the cases at
Fairbanks, whereby he held the In
dependent Meat Market liable tor a
tax ou $5,000 worth of beef killed
and stored outside the city limits,
but to be sold within the city. The
decision will probably result iu the
collection of taxes on goods stored
by Fairbanks merchants on Garden
Island.
The steamer Victoria arrived iu
Seattle from Nome on Aug. 25th.
Among the passengers were Kd. S.
\ Orr, Henry Bratnober, the mining
! man, and U. S. Postoffice Inspector
| Neil._
LACK NOTHING
BUT THE HEARSE
Equipped with a duly located ceme
tary, wherein at the present time no
one ha* taken permanent lodging, and
possessed of all the paraphernalia that
goes to make up first class work, the
Iditarod Undertaking Parlors will soon
be ready to do business with the de
funct portion of the population, guaran
teeing all the frills with the exception
of the hearse. They will open in the
rear of Smith's gunstore, on Willow
street.
The undertaking business has not
been profitable thus far and froa all
indications there will be little stirring
this winter. People are too busy search
ing for wealth to think about such
trivial matters as interviewing the
undertaker, but if it becomes absolutely
necessary, Joe Bradley undertakes to be
there with a finished performance that
will lack nothing but the hearse.
DOME QUARTZ GROUP
AT DAWSON BONDED
On Aug. 24II1, the King Solomon
Dome quartz group, owned by
Lloyd, Summers, Orrell, Nolan,
Segbers and others of Dawson, was
1 bonded for $330,000, the group
comprising 3.2 claims. The develop
ment will be undertaken by* party
of Toronto capitalists headed by
Frank Davidson, who are bound by
the terms of the contract to expend
$40,000 immediately. This group
is close to the Hartman Dome lode
group, where a tunnel has a«.w
been driven into the hill for s ‘dis
tance of more than one half mile.
Cross cut and one-man saws, single
and double-bitted axes, wedges, and
sledges at Sickinger’s.
WILL KEEP NO LOG
OF WATER WAGON
—
Should you drop around to the Bank
saloon tonight, in the M. & M. bank
building, where C. E. Hoxie is just op
ening for business you will probably
meet Col. Bourbon and Marquis Mar
tini in their latest specialty known as
“Passing the Buck.’’
Tom Gin will be (here as well as old
Square Face, while sweet Creme de
Rose will sing that touching ballad, “I
Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now."
They have things fixed up in excel
lent shape at the Bank saloon—the bar
is nicely polished and the glasses glis
ten in reminiscent mood. Should you
go around you would doubtless meet
with some very agreeable inside in
flamation. _________
WANTED—Position by competent wo
man as cook for roadhouse or camp.
Apply Pioneer office.
All sizes of doors, sash and glass at
Anderson Bros, & Nerland, Willow st.
Store fronts made to order.
Large stock of furniture will soon
arrive for Sickinger.
Wi bits tbi but tbit it in the cimp tt
offer—Cascade Steam Laundry,
Cook and heating stoves—Sickinger'*