OUR FRESH GOODS
Over Lake Lebarge Have Arrived
Our Swift's Premium
Hams and Bacon
THE BEST IN THE MARKET
We guarantee the prices and quality of all our goods to give
the utmost satisfaction.
ALL ORDERS PROMPTLY FILLED
Sam’l Applebaum
General Ladies’
FURNISHINGS
Ladies' Furnishing Store
MRS. L. C. THORNTON, Prop.
GEORGE RILEY RETURNS
FROM TOLSTOI COUNTRY
J. E. Riley was a passenger from Dike
man on the Prairie Belle, arriving last
Wednesday. He came from Tolstoi, where
he has been for some time past looking over
his operations on Boob creek. He reports
that work on the Emmet fraction has been
discontinued for the present, owing to
sloughing in the drifts. The paystreak is
directly under the bed of the creek, and
is thawed to a considerable distance. The
plant is now being moved to discovery
claim.
Reports at Tolstoi are to the effect that ;
Harry Madison is taking out good money !
on Esperanto creek. Work is also under j
way on one or two other creeks, but most j
of the prospectors have left the district
temporarily, and it is rather quiet in that
district. Mr. Riley expects to see a re
newal of prospecting work in the fall.
--♦
LEO CLIFFORD MARRIED
On Monday last The Poneer received a
dispatch from Cordova announcing the mar
riage in that city on June 22 of Leo Clifford
and Miss Jessie Lee Smith. The happy j
couple were said to be leaving on their
honeymoon for Iditarod, via Skagway and
the Yukon river. Mr. Clifford left here
on June 4 for Nome to meet his
fiancee, who for the past year has been a
teacher in the public schools of that cit-v.
-♦
USEFUL ROAD MAP
The Pioneer is in receipt of the map of
Alaska issued by the Alaska road commis
sion, which shows the activities of that
body in all parts of the territory. These
maps are for sale, and may be obtained by
anyone for one dollar each by addressing
the Alaska Road Commission, Valdez,
Alaska.
and Supplies
|
Just arrived. Get a new
Kodak for July Fourth at
Outside prices.
If you need anything else,;
do not waste valuable time
looking for it. Come to us
and get it.
9 6 9
Ansley's
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
IDITAROD. ALACXA
IDITAROD TERM BEGINS
AND JURORS ARE DRAWN
TO REPORT NEXT WEEK
The special Iditarod term of the United
States district court for the Fourth division
of Alaska was opened by Judge Charles E.
Bunnell at A. B. ha'! in this city last Mon- j
day morning. The docket, while quite
lengthy, contains few cases of importance,
and while the amount of criminal business
to be handled is problematical until after
the meeting of the grand jury, it is not
thought that the term will be a very busy
one. The grand jury, drawn last Monday,
has been summoned to meet next Monday
morning at 10 o’clock, and the petit jury
is summoned to appear on July 6, rl-n at
10 a. m. The following are the names
drawn for grand and petit jurors:
brand Jury
jacK nose
John Gerhold
Jonas Brewis
W. B. Thomas
L. Barnhill
F. J. Riley
A1 Chapin
Harry Williams
N. P. Spadin
C. R. Peck
Ivan Wales
George Young
rw vuiui*
Chester Brink
A1 Rowe
J. E. Kettlewell
Harry Johnson
C. G. Lamont
Charles Bowman
William Toms
Charles Krutsinger
W. W. Nelson
P. Riley
Petit Jury
E. ,1. Davis
I. Hill
Peter Weise
Charles Strandberg
Ralph Warburton
Donat LaChance
A. Ware
Dan Hartnett
George Phillips
A. J. Patterson
J. J. Gallagher
J. E. Fullerton
Harry Leland
Peter Miskovitch
William Knox
A. J. Weiss
John Ritto
Ben Marone
J. Haslete
Len Groner
James Lewis
Ed Minard
Emil Jensen
William Osborne
George Kay
Adolph Jestland
C. B. Atwell
John Bagoy
A. J. C; lwell
C. V. Pierson
Court Notes
Liquor licenses running to December 31.
1916, have been granted to the Northern
Commercial Company, at Iditarod, and A1
Currie of Flat.
The case of John Greer vs. Nellie Bates
has been dismissed.
An order of dismssal has been entered
in the case of the Goodyear Rubber Com
pany vs. A. B. Rome.
In the case of Waechter Bros. & Gardner
George Hoffman vs. D. E. Stubbs.
In he case of Waechter Bros. & Gardner
vs. J. D. Johnston a default has been en
tered.
An order vacating a previous judgment
has been made in the case of the Northern
Commercial Company vs. Julina Bennett,
and a new judgment was entered.
An order dismissing the case of C. R.
Peck vs. L. T. Erwin, marshal, without
prejudice, has been issued.
Naturalization Matters
Judge Bunnell has designated Monday
evening next for the hearing of applications
for citizenship.
George W. Hoffman of Napamute ha
made application for final citizenship papers.
Declarations of intention to become citi
zens have been filed by Peter Miskovitch,
John F. Monkman, Ole Andreas Hofseth.
Albert Berg and Toivo Uotila.
-__-«
Dan Gillis’ launch, the Loew-Victor, ar
rived from the Yukon early last Sunday
morning with a load of king salmon, for
which there was a great demand.
-^
FOR SALE—Three pool tables, in good
condition, complete with all necessary
equipment. Inquire at postoffice, Flat.
Tub and steam baths at all hours. Sny
der House, Flat.
WILL HAVE A FULL LINE OF
LANG’S
Stoves and Family Ranges
BY FIRST BOATS IN JULY
C. R. PECK, FLAT
TENTS, TARPAULINS
ALL SIZES
MOSQUITO BED-COVERS SHOTGUN SHELLS
Pitch
Oakum
Calking Cotton
Oars, Paddles
Oarlocks
Pike Poles
Picaroons
Paints
Stains
Linseed Oil
Turpentine
Greyling Nets
Whitefish Nets
Fishing Flies
Canvas
SMITH’S CUN STORE
IDITARODj ALASKA PHONE 6 SECOND AND WILLOW
BIG CONSIGNMENT OF JUNK
UNDER NAME OF MAIL
IS FINE OBJECT LESSON
If there should have happened to have
been any inspectors of the postal depart
ment, or any officials of that useful branch
of our government wandering around in
Alaska at this season of the year, they
could have gained an insight into the work
ings of the service with relation to this
section of Alaska that would have been a
valuable object lesson had they happened
to drop into Iditarod during the past week.
More than 250 sacks of mail matter,
weighing some seven or eight tons, was
dumped into the local postoffice on Friday
night, June 22. A very large proportion of
this was second-class, consisting of news
papers, periodicals and the like, with a con
siderable amount of parcel post matter. In
this collection were literally tons of stuff
that could be classed as nothing else but
junk—newspapers and magazines dating
from last September, advertising matter of
Thanksgiving and Christmas specialties for
1910, and sack after sack of material that,
had it been dumped into the bay at Sew
ard, where it had peacefully reposed all win
ter, would have saved expense to Uncle
Sam in transporting it, and time and trouble
to the postoffice force and the recipients.
For it was of no earthly use to anyone.
Complete tiles of newspapers addressed to
The Pioneer from all parts of the United
States could be gathered from the bunch
of worthless “mail” consigned to this office,
dating from September until the present
time. The files would be complete, as not
one of them managed to find its way.
through the mail blockade during the long
winter months. Magazines whose very ex
istence had been almost forgotten made their
appearance for the first time since last sum
mer, and the price lists, catalogues and
other advertising matter were so out of dale,
in view’ of the rapid changes in quotations,
that orders based upon them would now
seem like voices from the dim and misty
pest.
The Pity of It
Many citizens, as they lugged homeward
armload after armload of this belated mail
matter, thought regretfully of the dollars
wasted in the endeavor to provide literary
provender for themselves and families dur
ing the winter, and were inclined to be
somewhat resentful of the apparent lack of
interest on the part of the department in
not making some effort to remedy such a
deplorable condition.
Whatever the cause, it is and has beer,
apparent for some time that certain maga
zines and periodicals find their way to In
terior Alaska oftener than others; indeed,
some of them can be expected to be deliv
ered with a fair degree of regularity. This
is becoming known to the inhabitants, and
naturally it works to the benefit of some
publications and the detriment of others.
It is conceivable that the outcome of this
condition wd! be that this will become the
exclusive field of a certain class of pub
locations. It is a rather dangerous and un
just condition, too. for if it is worked to
it? logical conclusion the men responsible
for making up the mail consignments could
: lmo.-t determine the class of literature that
should pass through the mail, and to a cer
tain extent direct the thought of the com
munity. Nobody professes to believe that
this has been attempted; but the opportu
nity is nevertheless there.
Remedy Would Not Be Costly
The winter mail service between Seward
and Iditarod should be increased to such
proportions as would allow of the delivery
of all classes of mail with the possible ex
ception of parcel post. Reeding matter, a?
has so often been pointed out, is almost
as essential as food in a country where the
winters are 1 ng and the days are extremely
short. Remonstrances have always been
met with recitals of the extreme cost of
the mail service in Alaska; but Alaska is
not tiie only section of the United States
where mail delivery is costly. The rural
free delivery service throughout the Stafe
consumes much more money than is spent
in the transportation of Alaska mails And
no one pretends that the rural free delivery
service is self-sustaining.
The remedy lies in increasing the weight
limit of the weekly consignments so that
the Iditarod district, consisting of Iditarod,
Flat and Discovery, with the country imme
diately adjacent, would be provided with at
least 400 or 500 pounds of mail weekly. It
is believed that this could be done without
greatly adding to the cost of the present
service. With this object in view The Pio
neer has dispatched to Charles Sulzer, dele
gate in congress from Alaska, the following
letter:
Letter to Sulzer
“We have just received the ‘big spring
mail,’ which consisted of practically all
newspapers and magazines mailed to us since
last September. Of course they are useless
now, and it seems like a fearful waste of
energy, money and material in dumping
this stuff here at this time. You, as an
Alaskan, can no doubt appreciate what a
boon the receipt of all this reading matter
would have been to us during the long win
ter months.
“You might be able to do an inestimable
service to the people of the Iditarod district
by having the weight limit on the Seward
Iditarod mail route increased. The contract
expires next spring, and it is understood that
the new contract is to be let during the
coming summer. The present contract calls
for 400 pounds of mail weekly between Su
sitna and Iditarod. The great territory
served by this route, including the Innoko,
Iditarod and Kuskokwim valleys, cuts the
amount received by Flat and Iditarod to
from 150 to 250 pounds; this amount is
further lessened by the fact that residents
of outlying precincts which are served by
other routes receive a large portion of their
mail here and have it forwarded. The re
sult is that we get little more than first
class mail and local (Alaska) second-class.
During the winter The Pioneer received not
one of its Outside exchanges, not even a
Seattle paper sifting through. For the past
three days the local postoffice force has been
engaged day and night in distributing the
winter’s accumulations, and we are regaled
with newspapers containing accounts of last
fall’s election, the Thanksgiving football
games and the Christmas festivities. Be
sides this, enormous quantities of advertis
ing matter dilating on last fall’s clothing,
Thanksgiving and Christmas novelties are
filling up our waste baskets.
“We are sure the postal authorities do
not realize the conditions here, nor what
an injustice is being done to our people,
who spend thousands of dollars annually for
publications that they never receive until
they are practically useless. A peculiar
thing about it is that certain publications
appear with fair regularity, even during the
winter, while others are never received un
til spring. The rule of the department
that newspapers and periodicals addressed
to newspaper publishers in Alaska shall be
given a certain degree of preference is en
tirely ignored.
“There is a splendid mail trail between
Seward and Iditarod, and individual mash
ers frequently have made the trip in eleven
and twelve days. The mail contract allows
twenty live days. It would be a compara
tively easy task to increase the weight limit
to six hundred or eight hundred pounds, and
thus allow of our getting practically all of
our mail with the exception of parcel post.
And this should appeal to the authorities as
nothing more than right in view of the fact
that the Fairbanks district is provided with
a tri weekly mail service which insures the
receipt of all mail at all times.”
---♦
LOCAL AND PERSONAL
Frank Monkman and Oscar Gardner of
Flat spent several days in the city this week,
while awaiting the arrival of their families
from the Outside.
Mrs. John C. Currin and children left
Monday for the Marshall camp, to join Mr.
Currin, who has been located there for
some months.
Dan Olson reached Iditarod early Thurs
day morning, three days from Tolstoi, over
land. He made the “mush” from Fritz’s
roadhouse in one day.
Jim Haley arrived from Tolstoi last Sun
day. He says that it is extremely quiet
in the new district at the present time.
Barney Walsh and Louis Gorman came
over from the Innoko on Sunday last.
ARRIVAL OF PASSENGERS
FROM STEAMER WASHBURN
The steamer Washburn arrived at Dike
man on Tuesday evening last with a large
list of passengers, most of whom came from
the Outside, both by way of St. Michael
and Skagway. The Prairie Belle, arriving
about noon, had the following list of pas
• angers:
J. E. Riley, J. S. Pitcher, Mrs. Van
Kirk. J. Matheeny, William Johnston,
Charles Ross, W. H. Fairbanks, Louis
Schloss, Volney Richmond, Sherman
Brownell, Thomas Lax, E. Ficheli, G. Isaac
son, James Carlson, G. H. Wharton, Giulimo
Dorsatti, C. D. Eshclman, Mrs. Frank Monk
man and child, Harry Yeager.
The Sea Wolfs passenger list was as
follows:
Mrs. and Mrs. R. L. Foster and daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Button and son, Mrs
G. W. Albrecht, Miss C. L. Albrecht, Mrs.
Oscar Gardner and son, Mrs. F. H. Jasper
and son. Miss Myrtle Bates.
FUND FOR BELGIAN CHILDREN
IS STEADILY GROWING
The fund for the relief of Belgian chil
dren, started here at the suggestion of the
governor of Alaska, is steadily growing, and
during the past week many contributions
have been sent in to Treasurer Richard C.
Button at the bank. No canvass for con
tributions is being made, but arrangements
have been made whereby lists are being
posted at Flat and Discovery, be.-ides the
one tt the bank in Iditarod.
Since the arrival of the mail here it ha
been learned that the United States gov
ernment lias placed a generous sum at the
disposal of Mr. Hoover’s commission for
the immediate needs of the Belgian people,
but according to the Literary Digest, which
has been active in the relief work, “While
the loan will meet the immediate pre-sing
needs of the commission for relief in Bel
gium, the peopl of America should not
cease their giving. All v.ho have had an
opportunity t > read Mrs. Charlotte Kel
logg’s book, recently published, on ‘Women
of Belgium,’ will readily understand the
numerous ways in which a charity that is
not merely feeding the bodies can be car
ried out to the benefit of a stricken people
whose rehabilitation deserves the assistance
of the world.”
Dr. H. R. Moore, of the Flat drug store,
has kindly consented to accept contribu
tions for the fund, which he will forward
to Mr. Button.
It is learned that in March last Dr. Moore
sent $25 to the fund of the Literary Digest
for Belgian relief, and this month sent a
like amount.
-♦
N. C. CO. HIGH OFFICIALS
MAKE HURRIED VISIT HERE
Louis Schloss, president; W. H. Fair
banks. vice president, and Volney Richmond,
Alaska manager, were three officials of the
Northern Commercial Company who ar
rived here on Wednesday last on board the
Prairie Belle. They left down river the
same evenng, accompanied by Howard Tur
ner, the auditor of the company, who had
been here for some time.
A._
SUCCESSOR TO CLAUD BAKER
R. L. Foster, the new manager of the
Iditarod Meat Company, accompanied by
his wife and daughter, arrived in the city
last Wednesday from his former home in
Tacoma, Wash. Mr. Foster already has as
sumed his new duties, and Claud Baker,
whom he succeeds, will take up his new
work at the bank next Monday. Mr. Foster
and family are occupying the former home
of Mrs. Annie Cleveland, at the Second
street intersection of the tramway.
at the McDonald
Mrs. E. Haggren, J. C. Moody, C. L. Vaw
ter, H. Bismarck, Joe Saxsmith, George
Paise, Peter Merrick, George N. Yozulich,
Dan Dudsich, George Blanusha, J. Pan
nucina, William Yetta, Angelo Calotainn, B.
B. Gramk, E. Wagealea, J. F. Monkman,
0. Gardner, Jose Berzama, Jerr Weendum,
Mike Blanusha, S. J. Wright, Dave Strand
berg, Frank Dawson, Harry Meehan, John
Saul, A. Lindstrom, C. O’Halloran, Dan
Olson, Mr. Price, Mr. Kelley.
DR. G. H. WHARTON, DENTIST
Dr. G. H. Wharton, an old-time Alaska
practitioner, arrived here on Wednesday
last, and will be in Flat until July 20, pre
pared to do all knds of dental work. He
has just returned from the Outsde.
The 4 th of July
Day of our independence, is nearly here. If you intend to cele
brate the occasion you should dress properly for it.
JUST RECEIVED
New Clothing from Hart,
Sohaffner & Marx
New Hats from John B.Stetson
New Shoes from Nettleton
A. J. WEISS
The Home of Hart, Sohaffner & Marx Good Clothes
JOHN HOLMES IMPROVING
The many friends of John Holmes, vice
president of the Miners <fc Merchants Bank
of this city, will he pleased to learn that he
is greatly improved in health. Mr. Holmes
left here last summer a very sick man, and
was taken to a sanitarium in California,
where his life was despaired of. During the
winter he was removed to Seattle, and now',
while still under the care of a nurse, is able
to be around, and has almost regained his
normal weight.
-♦ - -
Mitchell’s sawmill, at the mouth of the
Tdstoi, on the Pitna, is reported to have
started sawing on June 16.
-—
Watches and Diamonds
At
STRICTLY OUTSiDE PRICES
J. L. SALE
i_
Frank Dawson was in the city Monday
and Tuesday of this week. He reports that
the dragline scraper installed by himself and
partners, Messrs. Bates, Beaton and Long
tin, on their ground on Otter creek, is
working beautifully.
8ditarod-Flat
TRAM
Summer Sdhedule, Beginning July 2
Leave Flat 7 :30 a. m.Lv. Iditarod 7 :30 a. n:.
10:00 a.m. 10:00 a. m
1:30 p. m. 1:30 p. m.
4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Passengers must be on time at the Terminals
Special Cars for the Big Fourth of
July Celebration at Flat
Next Wednesday
Join the Crowd!
AND ENJOY THE BIG
4th of July
CELEBRATION
AT FLAT CITY
Next Wednesday
SPORTS START AT 1 P. M.
Prizes
First Second Third
Baseball game, Iditarod vs. Flat.$50.00
One hundred-yard dash. 10.00 $ 5.00
Iwo-mile men's race, free for all. 20.00 10.00
Quarter-mile relay race, four men. 20.00
Ladies’ fifty-yard dash. 7.50 5.00
Ladies’nail-driving contest... 7.50 5.00
Ladies’ egg race. 7.50 5.00
Boys’fifty-yard dash (under 10 years). 3.00 2.00 $ 1.00
Boys’ 100-yard dash (under 14 years). 5.00 2.50
Boys’fifty-yard dash (under 8 years). 3.00 2.00 1.00
Boys’ three-legged race, fifty yards. 5.00 2.50
Pie-eatmg contest . 3.00 2.00 1.00
Girls’ fifty-yard dash (under 10 years). 3.00 2.00 1.00
Girls’fifty-yard dash (under 8 years). 3.00 2.00 1.00
Men’s three-legged race, 100 yards. 10.00 5.00
Standing broad jump. 10.00
Running broad jump.-. 10.00
Shot Put . 10.00
Mule race, one-fourth mile. 20.00
Saddling contest . 15.00 5.00
| Tug of war, Discovery vs. Flat. 50.00
• ---- --
Big Dance in the Evening
i
J. W. Farrell,
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
Discovery, Otter
rront Street, Hat City Pormerly the bagoy Premises
Flat City Hotel Beds' “Vi^soc
Mrs. J. E. Gunning, Prop. Special Rates by the Week and Month
H. BCAS, THE CLOTHIER,
Now Located at Flat City
And Is Closing Out His Big Stock of Men’s Clothing and Furnish
ings at Greatly Reduced Prices
BIG BARGAINS FOR ALL IN HIGH-CLASS GOODS
FOR
GOOD POTATOES AND CIGARS
CALL UP
We Still Have Some to Wholesale