VOLUME 4, WO. 29_VALDEZ. ALASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1905. OFFICIAL CltY FAF2K.
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European Plan Rat* Reasonable
HOTEL ST. ELMS
(Only First Class Hotel in Valdez.)
Headquarters fdr Mining Men [
and Commercial Travelers
DEB/S Eg a ROOT, Proprietors.
Keystone Ave. Valdez, Alaska.
OWL DRUG COMPANY
Pare Fresh Drags
MEDICINE OUTFITS FOR THE TRAIL
Stationery Phone'40 'Newspapers, Magazines
yteiT to THE MZIXA.
PRICES ARE
RIGHT
1 »-*-*■
Wholesale and
-Retail Dealers
' '*• —-■* h_:_
GIVE US A
CALL
Beef, Mutton, Pork
Poultry and Game.
Hotel -Holman, Copper Center,
has enclosed a 40-acre tract of first
class pasture for the accommoda
tion of its patrons.
Dr. Rystrom, dentist, returned
on the Excelsior hut will leave
again for the Westward On the
'Santa Ana about the 2'fith. In the
'meantime he is prepared to attend
Lto all who need his services.
Muscogee, I. T. Aug. I'l—A con
tention of whites and the chieftains
•of the five civilized tribes met here
today and petitioned cun-ri-.-r- ...r
statehood, and prou-sting against
‘the union with Oklahoma.
The men employed by Mr. Mc
Kenzie, who purposes laving out a
route for a railroad from the head
of Cordova bay to and up the Cop
ier river, have completed the sur
vey for the terminal townsite and
wharf, and have built several good
houses. Otiier houses will be l>e
gun in a few days. There is every
assurance that the road tapping
the eoal and oil fields of Kayak
will be pushed to completion.
Itubber stumps marie on short
notice at Proapecior Printery.
Showing Up Well.
The Debney property in Solomon
basin across the bay from Valdez,
is proving to be a very large ledge
of copj>er ore. It was recently
purchased on a small showing by
by the Had(ey Smelter people and
immediately upon the closing of
‘the deal men were put to work to
investigate the property. The
ledge being partly in evidence on
the surface the first work attempt
ed was to strip the surface and as
certain its width, which work was
completed early this week. It was
found to extend a distance of 82
feet from wall to wall. Mr. Rhine
hart, the manager in charge, hav
ing ascertained this satisfactory re
sult has put his men at work sink
ing a shaft to get at acturl1 results,
and the work of development will
be going right along.
I -—
The steamer Excelsior left here
on the 10th of the present
month on her way to the westward
and when near Cloudman's island
in the sound, saw a small sloop,
about thirty feet in length, going
to pieces on the rocks. The steam
er was a considerable distance from
the shore, but the rudder of the
ill-fated sloop was seen floating
near by. No one was seen either
on the sloop or on the shore. In
fact there is no shore upon which
to obtain a footing, the cliffs rising
perpendicularly from deep water
and to scale which would be impos
sible. It is believed that those
who occupied the boat have been
lost. It was proposed to the cap
tuin of the Excelsior that he lower
a lioat to investigate, but as there
! was a very heavy sea on at the
time he did not think it prudAat
to ri.-k the lives of his men in what
was evidently a Useless tinderlak
iug.
R J
Ample Capital Assured and Construction to Commence at Once
Wharf and Bridge Materials Ordered. Bids for Piling:
Will Be Received
Probable Murder
Whal proves to be a very mys
terious affair occurred near the
mouth of Copper river on Eyak
lake in June last. Early in the
season Nick Meckam and C. D.
Porter left here bound for their
quartz property near Alganac there
to s|iend some time doing assess
ment work. On the way to their
holdings they stopped at Orca, to
which place their mail is generally
addressed, and requested Jack
Shepherd to forward any tha'
might arrive. On June 20, in com
pliance with the request, Jack hired
two natives named Mike and
Stephen and sent them off with
several letters. They each took a
oanoe, paddled down the Sound to
Eyak, portaged overland to the
lake ahd'eventually delivered the'
mail on the 21st. When al>out to
return they were given several let
ters to take to Orca hut neither the
natives nor their canoes have been
seen since.
The evening they received the
return mail they are known to
have camped near by the place of
departure and left the next morn
ing. Instead of putting back to
Orea they went across the Copper
River delta and camped at Castle
slough, one of the branches of the]
branches oi the Copper, evidently
to secure food as part of the car
cass of a seal was found at their
camp.
The.’r delay in returning to Orcu
caused uneasiness among the bal
ance of the tribe and a party was
sent out to look for them. Their i
trail was carefully followed up and 1
the last camp was disco1 ered
where clothing and other articles
were found saturated with blood.
There were unmistakable signs of
a conflict and upon close inspec
tion what appeared like a grave
was seen. The searching party
Is-gan to dig but were driven out
by the stench. Not discouraged,
however, they followed up the
trail, evidently of the murderers,
which led them to the fish house
of the Copper river, three miles
distant, a building used by the
cannery people when catching sal
mon. Here was discovered a pair
of shoes smeared with blood and
life letters that were given to the
missing natives to post at Orca.
At this point the clue ended as far
as the natives were concerned, but
a representative of the marshal’s
office who was near the scene but
at a much later date, hearing of
the occurance, undertook to inves
tigate the affair, but the sea was
too stormy at the place of the sup
posed tragedy to make a landing.
Enough evidence was collected to
warrant the marshal’s office to
make a further attempt.
Strange to say the boats used by
the lost natives have not lieeil dis
covered up to date. The marshal,
however, «iii more than likely un
earth the whole-plot.
| Seattle, Aug 23—Alfred 11. II.- j
[arrived in this city to-day from th<
east and announces that th^ Val
dez A Northern Railroad Company
will huild a road from Valdez to
Eagle. This corporation, which is
1 a merger of the Copper River A
[Tatiana, Valdez A Northern, Val
dez, Marshall Pass A Northern and
the Akron, Sterling & Northern
railroad companies, w ill make the
• present site of the tow n of Valdez
the southern terminus of tlie new
road. Mr. lies states that the com
l-pany has jive millions of dollars in
[the treasury, a stock issue of ten
1 millions and a bond issue of twen
ty millions. It is tlu* plan of the
officers of the road, one <>i whom i
Col. Swanitz, now in Valdez, as
soon as (tie road reaches the Cop
per river, to huild a branch line
line sixty-five miles in length to
tap the Chittvna copper country.
The trunk line will then he extend
ed on to Eagle, with another
branch, running from the most
convenient point on the main line,
to Fairbanks.
Iii 1111 interview with Col. Swan
lit* this morning a confirmation of
the statements of Mr. lies was se
cured. The Colonel states that
money in abundance has been for
warded to him by the company to
[take up the work of construction.
A pile-driver outfit, powder, horses,
etc., have been ordered in Seattle,
and as soon as they arrive a suit
able wharf will be erected in Val
dez. Files will also he driven for
the railroad across the Hats. Three
schooner leads of bridge timbers
have been ordered in Ballaid and
will soon l>c on the way here. Col.
Swanitz is now prepared to receive
bids for getting out the necessary
piling. As many men as can he
1 secured will lie put to work at once
; add as much work as possible ac
complished before snow flics.
1
Marooned on Middleton.
About eighteen months ago two
prosjjectors left the main laml in a
small boat and succeded in land
ing on Middleton Island, taking
writh them less than one year’s
supply of provisions. Xo one has
touched there since and the men,
if still alive, must l>e in destitute
circumstances. Two men from
lOrca attempted to render them as
sistance with a small bout hut
neither the men nor 1mmt have
! been heard of since. About a
'mouth ago the tisiieroieu at the
mouth of the Copj>er river discov
ered ihe 1m» ly of a man on the
4>ar» and buried him near by, the
corpse was unrecognisable. It was
however, supposed to he one of the
men lost in tin end. .ivor to reach
Middleton Island. This island,
while within easy reach of the
| steamers coming to or leaving Val
1 dez, is scarcely ever touched, so
that a party might remain there
; for years if they could support
themselves, without hein_r rc>cued.
Anottier Bi^ Capper Strict•»
Another valuable strike of rule
i per ore was made this sea-on by
James McCarthy on Nugget ereek,
in the Kotsina country. Several
horse loads of the ore, which con
sists of hornite and glance, were
brought to town hv Mr. McCarthy.
The ledge from which the ore was
I taken is, by aetual measurement,
160 feet wide on the surface, and is
1 stripped for a distance of over 1 M»
: feet. flu; location is on the side
| of the mountain, and is w« li sit u
! ated for operating. Nature lias
j already done a vast amount of
j work on the icdge nd deposited an
! immense dump at the foot of the
| hill. The location comprises four
|claims. besides the above Mr.
i McCarthy has also located a ledge
of free-milling gold quartz, an as
! say of which gives five dollars a
ton in gold and one ounce of sliver.
Mr. McCarthy went in over tho
i snow last spring, taking with him
^ four men to work on his old !oca
i lions. Work was done* ior 2 '
claims, and consisted principally
oi stripping and proved the ledges
j lo he much larger and richer than
had previously been supposed.
Considerable powder was used in
[sinking on the ledge, and while
ore on the surface is very rich it in*
! crease largely in value with depth.
Survey Nearly Completed
A, B. Lewis, who took a con
I tract from the government to es
! tahlisli an oftieial base line for the
| Copper Kiver country, has aliout
| eompleteil his task and three of his
men have returned to town. The
work was started early in the sum
mer, beginning at a point on Wil
low ereek at the north end of Stick
mountain near Tonttfna. The line
! runs north 72 miles anil thence
| east 72 miles ami thence north
again :i<) miles which brings it
i within tWo miles of the Tanaira
river at a point aliout It) miles
east ot the Crossing.
Mr. Lewis and Dan Sheehan
went back from Copper Center to
the Oakona river to put up some
monuments oil the line of survey.
Thi, being accomplished the work
will he compleded and the last of
the party will he hack ill town by
the end of the month.
Chicago, Aug. 21—Mayor l>unm
was arrested yesterday h r fast an
lomobile driving.