IDITAROD PIONEER
I_I____—--—
1'fUI.ISllKD KV1-UY SATl'Hl'AY MOHNIN0 AT 1D1TAHOD, ALASKA
Ir0t g Geo M. Arbucklc. Publisher No. 33
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notices. It is. therefore, imperative that such notices he clearly written, particu
larly as re pa ril s names ami dales.
THE EIGHT-HOUR LAW
The territorial eight-hour law, which was amended by the last
legislature, and which went into eect on July 20 last, reads as follows:
Section 1 Kmpl".vment in underground mines, underground workings, open cut,
open pit workings, smelters, reduction works, stump mills, roller mills, concentrating
mills, chlorination processes, cyanide processes, gypsum mines and other quarries, coal
mines and in and around coke ovens is hereby declared to be injurious to life and limb.
St e. 2. That the period of employment of workingmen in underground workings,
underground mines, stamp mills, roller mills, open cut and open pit workings as applied
to metalliferous mining, underground placer mining, smelters, reduction works, concen
trating mills, gypsum 'mines and quarries, chlorination processes, cyanide processes, coal
mines and in and around coke ovens, shall n« I exceed eight (S1 hours wi’hin any twenty
four UM' hours, except on such days as a change of shift is made, excluding, however,
any intermission of time for lunch or meals, and excluding also the time required in de
scending to and ascending from or otherwise going to or coming from the place where
work factually carried on. whether going to r coming from the place of work he going
on or off shift, or going to or returning from meals or lunch; it being the intention of thi.
act to limit the hours of employment in any twenty four '24 > hours to eight (S' hours
of actual labor at the face or other place or places where the work or labor to be done is
actually performed, except in cases of emergency where life or property is in imminent
danger, or in case of urgent necessity, the period may be extended during he continuance
of such emergency or necessity; providing, this act shall also aoply to and include rock
quarries, gypsum quarries or workings, coal mines, metalliferous lode mining, under
ground workings in placer mining claims, and all other kinds of undergrt und workings of
any kind or character whatsoever.
See. 3. Any person, persons, body corporate, general manager or employer who
shall vii l:it<. or cause to be violated, any of the provisions of this act. shall t>;' deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of not less
than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollar.-, «>i* by imprisonment m the
federal jail for not less than ninety days nor by more than six months; or by both such
tine and imprisonment. Kvery day s violation ol the provisions of this act shall consti
tute a separate offense.
Sec. 4. If r shall be adjudicated that any portion, section or part of any section
of this act is unconstitutional and invalid for any reason, any adjudication or invalidity
of such portion, section, provision c r part of any section of this act shall not affect the
validity of the act as a whole or any part thereof.
As is the case with so much of the legislation enacted by the tern
torial law-making body, question has already arisen as to its interpre
tation and application, with reference especially to what methods
oi mining really are covered by the statute. It was the general under
standing that the eight-hour law already in force as applied to quartz
mining had been amended to include placer mining, and in the cam
paign last year for elections to legislative positions this had to some ex
tent been an issue. Yet two of the legislators who sat in the last session
are quoted in a Fairbanks newspaper as saying that the law does not
apply to open cuts or dredging operations.” It is hard to understand
why the law can be held not to apply to at least one of these methods,
as Section 2 explicitly includes “open cut and open pit workings as ap
plied to metalliferous mining.”
In the Fairbanks district it appears that many of the operators are
ignoring the law and are operating under the old ten-hour basis. They
are extremely bitter against the “ignorant Russians” who quit work
rather than assist in the violation of the territorial statute. One Fair
banks newspaper says that “if there had been more American miners
here it is quite likely that they would have agreed either to work the
full ten hours or to have received pay for the eight hours required by
law.” It is difficult to believe that American miners would have been
found to underbid the foreigners in the matter of compensation and
hours of labor.
However, irrespective of the merits of the law as applied to con
ditions in Interior Alaska, of which the miners and operators them
selves are the best judges, is it not strange that coercion should be used
upon “ignorant foreigners” to compel them to assist in the violation of
laws, presumably made in their behalf? At some future time these
same foreigners may come up before a court as applicants for citizen
ship, and among the questions likely to be asked them is, Do you be
lieve in the enforcement of the laws?” What would be the truthful
answer of men confronted with such a situation as exists in the mining
industry today?
The eight-hour day is bound to be universally observed sooner or
later, and it would seem, now that it has been made the subject of
legislative enactment, that it would be the part of wisdom to endeavor
to adjust conditions to conform to it. And the juresent era of unem
ployment would appear to be the ideal time for its introduction.
In a recent publication of the Smithsonian Institution, H. M. Ca
dell, in his report of the Klondike and Yukon gold fields, describes
Skagway as “a wretched little town with decayed wooden houses and
grass-grown streets, the scene of many robberies, riots and murders at
the time of the gold rush, which the police authorities had neither the
power nor energy to control. Skagway is not, and never can be, of
much use to the United States, except as an obstruction to Canadian
progress, but might be of some advantage to the vast Canadian hinter
land less than twenty miles inland.” Which effusion arouses the Skag
way Alaskan to just indignation, and brings forth a well-merited re
buke of the writer, with uncomplimentary references to his intelligence
and antecedents.
GROCERIES FOOTWEAR
Tom McMahon,
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
FLAT CITY
MINERS' OUTFITS HARDWARE
Fresh
SesondSt. SDSTAROD IV! EAT CO. Phone 15
____ _
THE RELIGIOUS WELFARE OF IDITAROD
The Pioneer is in receipt of the following communication, called
forth by an article published last Easter, in which mention was made
of the fact that there had been but one religious service conducted in
Iditarod by a minister of the gospel during a period of two years:
Editor Iditarod Pioneer: Seward, June 30, 1915.
Dear Sir: Some person in Seward recently told me that he had seen an editorial
in your paper stating that there were no religious services being held in your town. Now,
1 am the superintendent of file Methodist missions in Alaska, and naturally am somewhat
concerned about such a situation existing in a town like Iditarod. If nothing has been
done hv any other Protestant church to remedy such a situation, 1 wish that you would
kindly let me know, and also furnish such information as you may judge vital about
population, permanence of camp, probable number of religious people in the camp, and
general feeling of the community as to the desirability of having a minister among them.
Believe me, sir, that I most heartily deplore the fact that any community should
be deprived for any length of time of religious services. If my work did not tie me
up for the present I should take the trail tomorrow for the Iditarod.
It is barely possible that I may be able to do something, however, in the near
future. Very sincerely,
R. C. BLACKWELL.
Box 267, Juneau, Alaska.
We may as well be entirely frank with our correspondent, and m- i
form him at the outset that it is our firm belief that there is no pressing
demand for the services of a minister in Iditarod. Not that we
are an irreligious people—far from it. Nor need the reverend gentle
man be unnecessarily concerned about the “deplorable fact” that we
are deprived of religious services. The people of the Iditarod section
are of such a cosmopolitan make-up that it is extremely doubtful if
there could be round enough adherents of any one religion to form a
congregation. The population is rather widely scattered, and travel
between the different sections is extremely difficult at certain seasons
of the year.
It is probable that the only kind of minister who would be at all
popular in this section would be an exponent of “muscular Christian
ity.” Such a person, devoting the business hours of the day to manipu
lating a No. 2, and his leisure hours to spiritual ministrations among his
co-workers, would find a splendid field.
As it is, the religion of the camp is represented in the golden rule;
and probably nowhere else is that splendid guide to human conduct
more generally followed than here. If a member of the community is
afflicted with sickness, his wants are attended to. whether he have the
price or no. When death visits the community, the victim is given
Christian burial regardless of his condition of wealth or poverty, lhere
is no potter’s field in this district. When misfortune in its varied shapes
overtakes and overwhelms, the expansive heart of the Alaska miner ,
and “roughneck” prompts consolation and practical assistance. The ;
community is full of “ministers”—men who minister to the spiritual
and physical wants of their fellows without money and without price. |
And their ministrations are just as effective as though they were or-1
dained and licensed by a recognized religious organization.
The results of such practical religion are shown in the fact that
when the district court convened here this summer on its yearly pil-1
grimage to this remote section, there was no necessity for the calling of
a grand jury, and there were no criminal cases arising during the past
year requiring the attention of the court. It is shown in ihe fact that
while the government maintains a jail here, there are no occupants,
and that at the present time one lone deputy marshal is more than suffi
cient to maintain order in the extensive and widely scattered district.
As for the children of the community, their religious training is
not neglected. Besides their home instruction, noble-hearted and
gifted women have provided Sunday schools for them, and every mem
ber of the community takes a special interest in them. And it is pleas
ing to record the fact that better behaved nor more healthy and happy
youngsters cannot be found anywhere.
Visiting this district at the presnet time is a man whom all Alaskans
should delight to honor—a man whose faith in the future of the terri
tory and whose thorough knowledge of her resources, geography,
geology and conditions generally were of the utmost service to con
gress when the bill for the construction of a government railroad here
occupied the attention of that body. As a member of the railroad
commission which investigated the advisability and feasibility of rail
road construction in Alaska, Dr. A. H. Brooks, head of the Alaska divi
sion of the United States Geological Survey, rendered a service to
Alaska and the country generally which was no small factor m the
decision of the national legislature to undertake the colossal enterprise
which will occupy the attention of government engineers during the
next few years. When the work is completed, and Alaska’s resources
are opened up for the benefit of the people, the name of Dr. Brooks
will be written high on the roll of those whose genius and ability made
possible the opening up of a great empire to American homeseekers.
The excuse of Germany for wanting to retain control of the wire
less station at Sayville was that they desired to have a means of com
municating the truth about the war to the American people. There
I has been organized and put in operation what is termed tne German
! Press Service,” which furnishes “news” to those publications which
' will use it. In the main, this “news” consists of continued reverses to
the arms of the allies in all the war ones, internal disturbances in the
British isles and in the British colonies, the inability of the British gov
ernment to raise a war loan, and intimate details of disasters of various
kinds to Germay’s enemies which,^granting them to be true, constitute
a splendid tribute to the German spy system. One of the important
items sent by wireless from Berlin via Sayville tells of twenty-five Ger
man residents of New York who have become insane through worry
ing over the Americans helping the allies in the great European strug
gle.” The Germans would be sorely handicapped without the Sayville
wireless.
The death of the notorious O’Donovan Rossa, the Irish “patriot,
which occurred recently in New York, calls forth the following from
the Whitehorse Star: “The Rossa who came to Alaska in 1898 was
not the Irish patriot and later ‘sancT-lot agitator,’ O’Donovan Rossa, but
his son. The young man was a printer, and worked for the editor of
the Star in Skagway in the spring of 1898. He was employed for only
one week, as he was too expensive to have around a printing office. As
he weighed 345 pounds, he broke down every chair and stool in the
office during the time he was in our employ, and to have continued his
services would have necessitated the employment of a cabinetmaker,
and our office was too small for so many industries. The only thing
that would hold Rossa was a fir stump.”
A picture of almost unimaginable heartlessness and depravity is
that given by the Cincinnati Enquirer of Hanz Hardenberg, who is in the
Tombs prison, New York, where he is being held by the federal au
thorities in $2,500 bail to testify at the hearing of Gustav Stahl, the
German reservist who is under indictment on a charge that he swore
falsely regarding the Lusitania being armed when she left New York.
Hardenberg says that although he knew the Lusitania was to be tor
pedoed, he urged his Irish sweetheart to make the trip on the boat, so
that he might be able to board the ship the day she sailed and ascertain
whether she was an armed vessel. His sweetheart was drowned when
the ship sank.
“When a man goes into a restaurant in any part of the United
States and asks for imported limburger cheese and then devours it
feeling that he has imported cheese, he is merely the victim of a delu
sion,” said August Daub, a cheese manufacturer, who was a visitor in
Seattle recently. “In the first place, there is no imported limburger
cheese sold in America, and in the second place, American limburger is
suprior to any manufactured in Europe. Swiss cheese from Switzer
land is better than our products, but Wisconsin limburger can hold its
own against all comers.” The truth of the closing assertion will be
admitted generally.
ROOSEVELT ON BRYAN
(Interview in Seattle Post Intelligencer!
Mr. Bryan resigns the foremost position
in the American cabinet end immediately
addresses a large meeting of Germans, where [
he was very properly received with uproari |
ous applause as a faithful servant of the j
present German government, as a man who, .
however amiable his intentions, had in fact 1
stood against the honor and interest of j
America. Now, if Mr. Bryan were a Ger t
man, the German government would not for j
one moment permit him to make the kind !
of address against Germany that the Ger- >
mans applauded him for making against his j
own country and ours. The success of the j
German policy of blood and iron largely de
pends upon their possible rivals and op- !
poncnts adopting a policy of milk and j
water. The blood-and-irr n statesman of j
one nation finds in the milk-and-water |
statesman of another nation the man pre- 1
destined through the ages to be las ally
and tool.
TROUBLES OF THE EDITOR
OF BELLICOSE NEWSPAPER
John Frame, editor of the Commoner, |
published at Valdez, noted for the vigor j
with which it assailed all who aroused the j
editorial displeasure, has come to grief, hav- j
ing encountered a series of misfi rtunes that j
would overwhelm a less intrepid soul. The j
Prospector thus details Frame’s troubles:
“John W. Frame was found guilty by a |
jury in Commissioner Love's court of the j
offense of assault and battery against Dr. j
Dalton. The jury wrestled all night, and
after twelve hours of agony brought in a |
verdict of guilty, with a recommendation to j
clemency.
"Judge Love imposed a fine of and
costs, the latter amounting to ? 172.20. The j
defendant gave notice of appeal.
"Mr. Frame claimed that l)r. Dalton
pointed a kodak at him in the street, and !
that when he went into the Valdez drug
store and asked why Dalton had taken his |
picture, talking abusively to him; that he j
told Dalton he would not stand for such
language in the street, and started to back j
out when Dalton grabbed him by the coat
and the war started. Dalton explained that
he and a lady were testing the action of the
camera and pointed it at several persons.
Also that it was too dark to take a snapshot.
The hour seems to have been shortly after
9 in the evening. Dalton denied that he
used abusive language toward Frame, and
asserted that Frame, after entering the store .
and starting to talk civilly, threatened to
slap him, following the threat by striking
him. It was then that John Biggs mixed
into the scrap. Biggs stated that his chief
interest was to save his show case? from the
wreckage of war. which evoked a smile all
arountl. Biggs corroborated Dalton on most
points. Other witnesses testified to small
details and to the finish. j
“About the same time that Frame was ar- (
rested his printing plant was seized on an
execution against him. The marshal took
the plant and it is now stored at the Valdez ;
dock, and is advertised for sale. The Com
Dinner has suspended publication without
notice to its subscribers. Several attempts
have been made by Senator Hubbard, as ,
attorney for Frame, to get the court to re
lease the attachment, but have been of no
avail. Meantime much speculation exists as !
to who owns the Commoner plant. Frame ’
swore in hi** postoffice return that it was ]
owned by Charles M. Day. In some of the
proceedings in the present case Frame has !
submitted unverified papers claiming an ex- ;
emption. which amounts to an assertion of :
ownership.
“To acid to the sum of Mr. Frame's i
troubles, the women of Valdez, as members i
of the Valdez Civic League and the Valdez !
Study Club, have addressed a resolution to j
the council asking for Frame’s removal as !
city clerk. They classed Frame as an un
desirable in a red-hot set of resolutions.
“The Valdez city council at its last meet
ing failed to take any action upon the re
quest for the removal of Frame from his
position of city clerk. Mayor BovF*. to
whom had been sent the registered letter
oontainine the complaint and charges, stated
that he had not received the letter, and
consequently nothing was done.”
IDITAROD-SEWARD TRAIL
TO BE IMPROVED THIS YEAR
(Seward Gateway, July 13)
That the legislative delegation of the First
division has cut off its nose to spite its face
by bringing suit to have the forestry road
funds spent almost entirely in the First di
vision is a statement that can be made after
a talk with Colonel W. P. Richardson, chair
man of the Alaska road commission, this
morning. Colonel Richardson arrived last
evening on the Victoria and remained to
look at the condition of affairs in this dis- ,
trict.
Before proceeding with the forestry funds
question it is better to make haste to say
what will be received here and in Iditarod
with feelings of the greatest pleasure, and
that is that the Seward-Iditarod mail trail
will be improved this year for use during
the winter. The colonel is unable to say
at present how much money will be at his
disposal, but that some work will be ac
complished on the trail is a positive state
ment.
THOSE TIRED FISH
(Nome Nugget)
Six of Nome’s prominent sportsmen marie
the journey out to Hobson creek on a fish
ing trip yesterday and spent the afternoon
in casting for the elusive trout. The fish |
were scarce and weary, however, and the j
catch was light.
-- I
For an inexpensive watch to take the
place of a cheap dollar watch, 1 have an j
ELGIN, in a 7-jeweleri nickel case for 56.
Also HOWARD WATCHES from 555 to |
5125. WM. TAYLOR, Flat. 1
RECORD DAY IN SEATTLE
FOR ALASKA COMMERCE
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 20)
Bringing a total of 43,000 cases of canned
salmon valued at approximately $215,000,
shipments of gold concentrates worth $125,
000, gold bullion valued at $250,000, con
bignments of silver and lead ore worth $80,
000, sacked copper ore valued at about
$15,000, whale oil and whalebone, furs,
bulk copper ore and 421 passengers, six
steamers of the Seattle-Ahiska fleet reached
this port yesterday from the North. It was
the biggest day in the history of S-attic',
trade with Alaska.
The liner Senator led the fleet into port,
arriving at 4 o’clock in the morning fi .m
Nome, St. Michael and Golovin with 400
tons of silver and lead ore from the Silver
King Mining Company’s property at Mayo,
(.n the Stewart river, 300 miles south of
Dawson; gold bullion worth $250,000 from
Nome; furs and whalebone and forty-seven
passengers. The Senator's ore shipment is
worth about $200 a ton. It h consigned to
the Selby smelter at San Francisco. The
Silver King mine is owned by Riley A
Aitken. who purchased it from II. W. Mc
Whorter. Rile>’ and Aitken are very -ue
ce.-.-ful in the Fairbanks and Iditarod dis
tricts. Mr. Aitken was formerly a quartz
mining operator in Colorado. The mine
made its first shipment la.-t year. The ore
brought by the Senator was shipped to
Dawson on a vessel of the Side Streams
Navigation Company, then down the Yukon
to St. Michael aboard a vessel of the White
Pass & Yukon route. A shipment of 000
tons of ore from the Silver King mine
reached Seattle recently on the freighP-r
Latouche.
Following the steamer Senator into port
came the Mariposa at 4:45 in the morning
from Southeastern and Southwestern Alaska
with 1.000 ions of sacked copper ore from
the Bonanza mine, at Kennicotf: 7.000
cases of canned salmon, and 140 passen
gers.
Then came the steamer City of Seatt.'1
from Southeastern Alaska at 5:15 in the
morning, with 109 passengers, 13,000 eases
of canned salmon, fifty tons of gold con
centrates from the Alaska Gastincau mine
at Thane, and fifty tons of whale oil.
The steamer Al-Ki reached port at 5:30
hi tin- morning from S utln a-t -rn Alaska
with 14,000 cases f c ini < - ilmon. 500
boxes of frozen fi>h : nd seventy-five passea
gers.
The freighter Redondo arrived at noon
bringing 5,000 cases of canned salmon. TOP
tons of copper ore and seventv five tons of
g- Id concentrate' from the Chicagoff mine.
The la<t of the day’s arrivals was the
steamer Dob Tin at 7 in the evening with
4.500 cases of canned salmon and fifty pas
sengers.
INTIMATE FRIEND OF BRYAN
SAYS COMMONER IS DEAD ONE
(The Nebraskan)
' Strange as it may seem, I think that a
last Mr. Bryan is practically out of the
Democratic party. I have no idea that he
realizes it, but I think it will dawn on him
in a very short time. Mr. Bryan's resigna
tion created the most tremendous sensation
in the history of American politics. I have
lately been visiting in Kentucky and Ten
nessee. as well as in Washington, and
wherever I have gone, in hotels and on rail
road trains, the Bryan resignation has been
the chief topic of conversation.
Generally Mr. Bryan is not credited with
having given the real reason for his retire
ment from the cabinet. At this moment
Bryan's stock is lower than at any time in
his history. This does not mean that any
one imagines that he will be without politi
cal influence.
But in an international controversy there
is only one leader for Americans, and that is
the President of their country. In this in
stance there is such widespread confidence
in the President that no one can even seem
to contend with him and win public favor
Everywhere one hears predictions on the
outcome of this matter, and today the gen
eral prediction is that Bryan is forever
dead.
A GOOD DAUGHTER
(Ruby Record-Citizen)
Born, to Dr. and Mrs. William Good.
Monday, July 19, at 8 a. m.. a daughter.
The little stranger weighed eight and a half
pounds, and she and her mother are doing
fine.
Professional
Michigan, 1881 Alaska, 1910
Kentucky, 189 1
George Woodruff Albrecht
COUNSELOR AND LAWYER
IDITAROD, ALASKA
The Pioneer vttorney of Iditarod
E. M. STANTON,
Attorney at Law
Office: Corner Willow and Second Sts.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
CHAS. E. TAYLOR,
Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK
. First Avenue Iditarod
DR. rVsCORE.
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
DR. H. E. AURINGER,
Office: Flat City Hospital, Flat City
Consultation Hour? in Forenoons and Iy
Appointment
DR Hi. BEHLA,
DENTIST
Appointments by Teleohone
FLAT CITY
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
Arcade Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Dav and Night
_
i OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
j
! CAFE
FLAT CITY HOHBACK & DURAND
Bet. the Grand and Banov's Bars
i THE BEST ALL THE TIME
I
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
—
r
|
First-Class Accommodations i
COMMODIOUS LOBBY
LARGE, AIRY ROOMS
1 YOUR PATRONAGE SOLICITED
j MRS. N. P. GILMORE
CARD OF THANKS
Tan ana. July 23, 1915.
To those in Iditarod and vicinity who
kindly stood by us in our recent trouble
and sorrow we wish to use this means of
, expressing our sincere thanks.
\Ve certainly appreciate the true value of
friendship and sympathy, and although wo
may never be able to fully reciprocate, w e
! will never forget.
! It seems incredible that fate could have
dealt so very unkindly with us, but we will
try to find the silver lining of this dark
i cloud that so completely envelopes us at
this time, and most sincerely hope and trust
that there may be a ray of sunshine for us
somewhere in the near future.
We hope that no one will feel that we are
vindictive in this matter, for we hold malice
! towards none. All we ask is the untied
1 effort and support of all towards any rem
edy that may seem possible for our benefit
or relief
Mli. AND MRS T. 1.. THURSTON.
John Holmes, Henry Weir. Ramps Peter
son and George Marsh took a trip down
the river Saturday on the launch Hunter.
| Returning Sunday evening.
| Job Printing at Pioneer office.
TL” . ■ Gold St.. Flat City
fill drano
Nicely Furnished Rooms Barn for Horses and Dogs Baths in Connection
Seward Gold Sea! Pacs
ARE THE BEST ON THE MARKET
H. DONNELLEY,
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
Caribou Cafe
FIRST AVE.
GOOD MEALS
SHORT ORDERS
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
ROBT. soutar
Prop.
Job Printing at Pioneer Print Shop