THE ALASKA PROSPECTOR.
H. H. HILDRETH, Editor. \V. H. C’RARY. Associate Editor.
JOS. A. BOCRKE. Business Manager.
Published at Valdes, Alaska, every Thursday hy the Prospbptoh
Prni.isHiNo Co. Phonk. Main 1.
Municipal Government.
J. L. Steele. Mayor.
H. H. Hiluheth. Clerk.
J. (». Snyder. Treawreh.
Hon. J. \V. Leepy, City Attorney.
Hr. A. Vo.n(» i'xther.
Health Okvk er.
Adam]Swan, Preh. School Board.
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COI'M'ILMEN.
James McHie. I). S. Osonnn.
A. P. Olson. Kn. Wood.
C. N. Chary. Ciias. Crawford.
J. L. Steele.
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HinscMITHIN RAT*X
One Yent*.$3.00
Six Months.2.00
Three Months. 1.00
Single Copy.10
AOHTISINU HATCH.
Single column. $1.00 per inch per
per month. Larger ads in pro
portion.
AlTIIORIZKI* A«KNTS*.
E. C. Dark. 04-t>'> MerehantaEx
ehanjte San Frnm-iaeo Cal.
(Iko. P. Rowki.i. a Co., 10 Sprint
Stm-t New York.
Jamkx Hkffkrmax, 212 Colum
bia Street. Seattle.
WHATTHK NEW STRIKE MEANS FOR VALDEZ.
The discovery of rich new placer gold mines on the Chitina river,
a few days ago. that produced over #'2.00 to the pan. and that in :
frozen ground.Jwas welcome and eneouraging news to the |icnplc of
\ aldcz, ji;id caused a stampede of the few jK-ople who were here!
to the scene of the new discoveries.
This new strike indicates more for Valdez and the Copper river
country than can at onee Ihj realized. If the new strike is ns rich as j
at-first reported, and there is no douht hut that it is much richer. • it |
will prove Is-vond a question of douht that the Copper river valley,'
taken as a whole, possesses the richest mineral lu-lt in Alaska.
Tin sc discovcrns are simply the foreruners of many other)
rich discoveries that will undoubtedly Ik- made in the Copper river
valley on ground that has heen run over hv many people hut not
pro|K-rlv prospected. »
It means that the Copper river valley will Ik- the most thickly
populated section of Alaska, and that Valdez will Ik- the metropolis
of the North. It means that the building of a railroad from Valdez
over an all-American route to the Yukon will Ik- commenced at a
much earlier date than has heretofore been anticipated by those who
are directly interested in its construction. The discoveries of large
areas of placer mining ground contiguous to the great copper prop
erties will hasten action on the part of the railroad people.
rhe new strike will bring hundreds of people to Valdez who,
have capital to invest in mining or other property, and thousands
of prosja-ctors and miners will Hock into the country, and many
new mines will Ik? found on the hundreds and thouands of rivers,
creek and gulches throughout the district.
It is rather lute for a rush of people to this place, hut they arc
lmund to come. Throughout the whole country the people know of
Valdez, and hundreds are only awaiting such news as they will now
receive to to decide them to start for this place. Probably most of
those who come at this season will Ik- men of means, and a rush of
prosjK-ctors may not commence until next spring, hut it will be
well to prepare for them.
. *
*
NOW IS 'J'HK TIME TO ACT.
There seems to Ik* no doubt whatever that work will be com
menced in the near future on tin* Valdez-Yukon railroad. In
fact, we may contidentally expect to see a corps of engineers here
within the next month to commence the surveys, to Ik* followed
very closely by a force of InUtrers and mechanics.
The railroad has I men thoroughly organized, and one of its suit-;
organizations is a townsitc company. Railroad companies build!
railritads for the purpose of making money. In nearly every case
and especially in a new country they lay out their own townsites,
and build their own towns and terminals. Strenuous efforts tire
being made by different townsitc companies to induce the railroad
to start from their townsites rather than from this place. The mat
ter has not yet U*en definitely decided and will not be until the
engineers arrive here.
Unless the town of Valdez offers extraordinary inducements, the
rsiilroad will not start from this point on the bay. We had let
ter face these facts now and acknowledge them than to wait until
it is to late. NOW is the time to take this matter in hand ami
do something if we want the road to stairt from here. We must
act at once and offer every inducement }H>ssible to the railroad
people. We have the U*st location on the bay for a town and for
the railroad terminal, but that alone will not bring the road. The
ChamUr of Commerce or City Concil, should act at once in this
matter.
t
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•
All olistaeles to the establishment of a coaling station by the
navy department at Dutch HarUtr have lieen removed. After a long
delay the interior "department has designated a tract of land there
lor use as a site for the proposed coaling station and a proclama
tion to U* signed bv the president placing this land at the disjKtsal;
of the navy department is n.ow lieing drawu up. Admiral Bradford
chief of the bureau of equipment, has long been anxious to estab
lish a station at Dutch Harlior for storing coal and for coaling naval
ships. The land now aUmt to U< turned over is now a part of the
lighthouse reservation adjoining the property of the N. A. Company.i
AN UNTRUE STATEMENT.
“When the snow nn<1 ice of north
ern Alaska give up their dead it
it will lie'scen at what an awful sac
rifice of human life the treasures of
that frozen land are lx-ing ol*
tained,”
It was with such a remark as
this that M. C. I). Bristol, the sen
ior niemlx-r of the commercial firm
of Bristol A Lindard.of Nome City.
Alaska, who is s|*ending the winter
with his wife and family at No.
•>!M>1 Windsor place, prefaces any
of his remarks alxnit the country
where he has lx-en hx-ated since tin
spring of 18JW. Mr. Bristol s|x-nt
a year in mining along the ftouga
rock Hiver after leaving St. Louis,
and during the three years he has
lx-en hx-ated at Nome dealing in
mining outfits he has established an
acquaintanceship with miners and
Indians extending all over the
Sumner Peninsula, and has -* fund
of information front this source
alone that makes him well quali
fied to speak of the conditions pre
vailing throughout the country.
"Over a third of those who leave
the camps and towns of tin- coast
in splendid physical condition are
never heard of again, and -ft) per
cent, of those who get hack to the
point of their departure die while
seeking recovery from the hard
ships they have endured.” Mr.
Bristol continued in the course of
an interview. "The horrors of the
Sumner Peninsula, in which is lo
cated Nome City, are almost un
Ix-lievahle in the I'nited States. Of
every two men who leave this coun
try to prospect up there it is safe to
say that only one will return alive,
and it is safe to say that even tin
dead laxly of the other may never
lx- found unless he has died on tin
coast.” St.Louis (i)nlx--Democrat.
Such rot as thealxive is a slander
on Alaska.and a fabrication that no
sane man should Ix-lieve. It sounds
like the story of a grub-staked
man who came to Alaska, sat down
in his tent, ate up his provisions,
and than went home and bad to in
vent some awful story of hardships
and misfortune in order to paeifv
the party who put up for the ex
penses of the trio.
Many persons in Alaska, espec
ially the prosjtector. have no per
manent residence or near friends
here, and often when they leave a
camp, there is no reason for their
writing hack to any one. of their
wherealnnits, and consequently
they are not heard of again in the
camp they left. That is no indi
cation that they have met with a
atal accident or lost their life on
the trail.
The statement that "of every two
men who leave this country (the
States) to prospect up_ there it is
safe to say that only one will return
alive,” is a most rediculous and
false, statement, and shows a la-!
mcntahle lack of knowledge of
prevailing conditions here.
There are hardships here, as
there are in all^new countries, hut
it is doubtful if ten per cent, of
those who come here to prospect
loose their lives on account of these '
hardships. There is no healthier
country than Alaska and the death j
rate is very small. Nearly all the
accidental deaths or the loss of life
from the sup|H>scd hardships of
this country are caused from the
lack of judgment, rccklesness. or a
lack of knowledge of the prevalent
conditions hy those who loose their
lives.
If you have anything for sale or
trade list it with the Copjker River
Mining, Trading A Development
Co.
Miners Hotel.
ft i
Furnished Rooms with
Board if Desired. Com
fortable Quarters, Light
Airy Rooms.
MRS. JOHNSON,
Professional
Card.
L. K. RILEY, m. D.
Physician and Surgeon
VALDEZ.
Office and Resilience A I,ASK A
215 Keystone Avenue.
GOODELL & EDWARDS
Lawyers.
VALDEZ, ALASKA
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FRED M. BROWN,
Lawyer.
Mining and (.and Laws,
Sjiccialtics. 12 Years Ex
jicricnce in Minin); and
laind Laws.
VALDEZ, ALASKA
LEEbY & KELSEY,
Attorneys and Counselors.
Keystone Ave. ValdezJ
A. JUDSON ADAMS,
Civil Engineer and Surveyor.
r. s. DEPUTY MINERAL AND
LAND SURVEYOR.
Next dcor to Merchants Cafe.
H. H. Hildreth,
Notary Public and
Conveyancer.
Phospectok Office.
DR. ALEXANDER,
Dentist.
Office with l)r. L. K. Riley.
B. F. Hillard
Is Prepared to Ex
amine. Take Options on
and Purchase Mining
Properties.
nuts mo i Tint (oJ
Complete abstracts of title
to all mineral and other
claims in the Valdez Min-.
inn district, including the
Prince William Sound,
Copper River, Chistuchi
na and the Chisna dis
tricts.
Abstracts Furnished to Valdez
Town Lots.
Valdez, Alaska
Thos J. Coles
Carriage Making, !
Blacksmithing,
GeneraPJobbing*
(i LACIER Sr. ,\xn McKIXLEY Av.
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The Keystone
WINES, LIQUOR
AND CIGARS.
BEST QUALITY.
Hall Adjoining. Music.
Cor. McKinley St. and Keystone Ave.
The Steamship Santa Ana
New Modern Wooden Steam Ship, Electric Lighted and Steam Heated
Sails from ARLINGTON STREET DOCK, SEATTLE,
on the 15th of each month, for
Sitka, Yakutat, Ellamar,
Valdez
AND
llliamna.
The Santa Ana is under Contract with the government
to make regular monthly trips l>v a schedule not exceeding
Seven Days l«etween Seattle and Valdez, thus affording Quick,
Safe and Comfortable service.
SAILING DATES;
Leave Seattle on the loth of each month northltound.
Leave Valdes on the 2nd of each month southbound.
FOR FREIGHT AND PASSENGER RATES APPLY TO
FISH BROS, Agents.
A VALUABLE ALASKA NUQQET
Is the PROSPEC TOR. Sample copies will
1«' sent to any address
FREE UPON APPLICATION.
The ALASKA PROSPECTOR gives all the
news of this rich district from Unaluska to
the Yukon. Subscription. per year.
THE PROJPECTOR V&EZ, ALASKA.
_
DOARF £> MACKINTOSH.
Blacksmith Shop.
All Kinds of Iron or Steel Work
bone in the Best Manner.
HORSESHOEING SLEDS
AMD BEER SKIMS
McMillan fur wool co.
EXPORTERS AND IMPORTERS.
• 200-212 First Ave. North, Minneapolis, Minn.
for Our Circular and Seo tho Prices We Pay."'*!
J. J. YAKSHAW,
Valdez Sheet Metal
and Plumbing Shop.
Metal Work of all Kinds. Camp Stoves and Air
Tight Heaters.
Cok.nkk Glacier St.“a.\i> McKinley Ave.