Miners & Merchants Bank
IDITAROD, ALASKA
Capital, $50,000.00
general Sacking Business Transacted Gold Oast BoagM and Assayed
Drafts issued or Any Part of tire Worfj
SEATTLE CORRESPONDED!. SCASDIKAVIAN AMERICAN EARN
OFFICERS:
CHARLES ROSS, President
JOHN HOLMES, Vice President
R. C. BUTTON. Cashier
MAY LAY STEEL
ON TRAMWAY
Pave Mutchler was a passenger for the
Outside on the launch Tramp, which left
on Thursday morning last for St. Michael
To catch the last steamer from Nome. Dave
will meet his wife in Seattle. She left here
ini September 21
The main reason of Mr. Mutchler'.* visit
to the Outside at this time is to purchase
vuotor cars for the Iditarod-Flal City tram
Wav If is i fit1 proven l intent ion to run next
two heavy car* of low gear for the
handling of freight, and the present light
I'ord will be fitted up for passengrr traffic.
The experience with the light car ihis sum
mer has demonstrated to the satisfaction of
the Mutchler Bros, that the traffic of the
road can be handled in this maimer to great
advantage.
While Outside Mr. Mutchler will also look
into the question of equipping the road with
Meet rails. The present wooden rails, while
they have made possible a means of trans
portation unattainable otherwise, are ex
pensive to maintain, and far from satisfac
tory Mr. Mutchler is firmly of the belief
that it would be a paying investment to
equip the road with steel, and this will be
done if possible. He points out that there
will be enough freight shipped to Hat and
Otter creeks during the next ten years to
justify the expenditure and to pay a hand
some profit. In case the arrangements are
made for this improvement it is the inten
tion of the Mutchlers to extend the line to
Otter creek. It is believed that the cost
of the extension will be amply justified.
One of the main reasons which prompts
Mr. Mutchler to attempt the improvements
and extension to the road is that the fuel
problem will soon become a big factor in
the transportation business in the district.
It is said that within a year or two at the
PIONEER CREEK AGENCIES
FLAT CITY . Mrs. C. C. Chjitick
DISCOVERY OTTER - Harry Donnelley
j BEST LIQUORS AND CIGARS
I Tto-Times-Movs Bar
1(Formerly the Stanley House)
JOHN BAGOY. PROP.
GOOD ROOMS CLEAN BEDS
FLAT CITY__i
i most it will be impossible to secure fuel uny
where within hauling distance of flat uuu
Otter ereeks. This eventuality was to a
j pvut extent guarded against by the 1 ukon
i Gobi Company when it built its new power
jJant on the lditarod river, where fuel is
I obtained much cheaper than elsewhere, it
; is believed that the fuel used for thawing
! and steaming purposes on the creeks will
j soon have to be rut on the upper lditarod
I river and thence floated down to lditarod.
where it could be handled by the tramway
I were it equipped with steel rails and tide
i quale power.
1 The saving effected by providing a cheaper
means of transportation of material to the
near-by creeks will mean much to the Idita
rod district, as it undoubtedly will enable
claim owners to work ground that is no*'
lying idle because of the high cost of opera
<tion.
tom McKinnon returns
Tom McKinnon, the well known mining
operator, returned to the city early last
1 Saturday morning from 1-airbanks, after a
trip to the Tolovana. He speaks encourag
ingly of the new camp, and says that with
development it may become a good small
camp. ., ,
Mr. McKinnon lett on Sunday morning
for Candle creek, where he is largely inter
ested. and will return later -and go over
the trail to the new camp.
A REMINDER
That 1 still retain niv business and stock
until after the first of January, and that my
Cut Glass. Silver Deposit and Christmas
Novelties are selling at prices most reason
able.
All Hamilton and Howard Watches at a
factory tagged price.
WILLIAM TAYLOR. Mat City.
JOE NEE IS A DADDY
(Dawson News, i>ept. 141
A fine bis boy was born Monday night
'to Mr and Mrs. J. M. Nee. at the Occiden
tal. Both mother and son are doing nicely.
Papa Joe is having the time of his life ac
cepting the congratulations of all the old
timers.
STEAMER PUP BRINGS FREIGHT
The steamer Pup. operated by Harry
Watson and Bert Thorson. arrived from
Holy Cross on Tuesday morning last, bring
ing about ten tons of freight which arrived
too late for the regular steamers to Dike
jimn. The shipment included late orders
( which had created some anxiety among the
•.local merchants concerning their possible
arrival prior to the freeze up.
H. BOAS ~
A Full Line of Clothing, Gents’ Furnish'ngs, Rubber Boots, Pacs,
Boots, Shoes, etc.
THE BEST OF GOODS PRICES REASONABLE
* FINNEGAN & CASVfERON?
£ POOL ROOM CIGARS AND TOBACCOS %
! FLAT CITY I
X *
T . - . . * . - aaaaaaaaaAaaaaaaaa a AAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA1
I MERCHANTS’ CAFE
HERBERT E. RILEY, PROP. I
The Best of Everything the Market Affords—Our Sunday Dinners |
Are Famous g
TABLES FOR LADIES TELEPHONE 1
'’•KscsoasswseKec
GRAND BAR nothingTuTthe best'
The Place to Meet
FLAT CITYYour Friends
NICELY FURNISHED ROOMS BY DAY OR WEEK
Warm, Clean Well Ventilated
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
massage and
Bath Pariors
MEDICATED, MINERAL VAPOR, STEAM, WP%
TUB, SALT AND FRESH WATER CTcjjljlff
Caribou St., Bet. Black and WillowSts., on Wat&rfront
i Electric and Faradic Massage Treatments by Expert Attendants
Lighted by Gas Heated by Steam
!MNY LEAVE 01
LAST BOAT
Sailing away in the darkness of the Oc
tober nigh! in a wild rush to catch the Iasi
outgoing steamer from St. Michael, to the
I farewell cheers of the big crowd of friends
| gathered at the dock to see the start of the
1 somewhat hazardous viSyage, the little gas
launch Tramp, with about twentydive pas- ■
sengers on boar<l, left Iditarod at midnight j
on Wednesday last. She was in mmmai-.d !
of Hay Henderson. Frank Farson and Paul'
Christen accompanied the vessel to St.j
Michael, and will attempt to bring her back j
lo Iditarod prior to the freeze-up. which j
is regarded as rather a risky venture.
The passengers consisted mostly of oper
ators mid miners who had utilized every
possible moment in working claims prior to
lhe departure of tin* last boat, and who are
on their way Outside for the winter. Some !
few of the passengers will stop at Marshall
City.
It has been Henderson’s custom to make
up a party each year bound for the Outside
who desire to stay to the last moment prior
to the freeze-up. At this season of the year
there is a certain element of risk in the
trip, owing to the fact that severe weather
may be expected at any time. Past year j
Henderson left on the same date and had to
cut through ice at the mouth of the Yukon, j
Outside collections. There has been no nr
vere weather this fall so far, and the indi
! cations are that no bad weather will be en
| countered on the trip.
The launch had been fitted with a canvas
house, with bunks for about twenty-five per
sons. It was equipped with heating facili
ties. and even should the weather be ordi
narily severe the passengers would be fairly
comfortable. Among the passengers were
two ladies, Mrs. Charles Kslmere and Mrs
Jerry Ford. William Petering, who was se
verely injured on Otter creek last Monday,
was taken out on the vessel.
The sailing of the “last boat of the sea
• son” was quite an event. Many persons
I from the creeks came in to see the de
parture, and the streets and resorts pre
| seated a lively appearance. Apparently no
| one went to bed until after the departure
of the Tramp, and there was a good-sized
crowd on the dock to see the departure.
Housing cheers and “God bless you’s” were
exchanged between those departing for tlie
Outside and those destined to remain in the
ice-bound Interior during the long winter
months.
There is always a certain amount of sen
timent connected with the departure of the
“last boat.” Friends who have been inti
mately associated in work and business arc
separated, and in some cases it is realized
inai me jimmaie reiauun." ucvn maj
renewed. Persons going Outside expecting
to tome back in the spring find their plans
changed by unforeseen circumstances, and
altogether there is an air of sadness con
netted with the event. Indeed, so depress
ing is the event with some sensitive persons
that they cannot indulge in the sight of the
departing bout, and keep closely to their
abodes. The fact that the last connecting
link with the Outside world has been broken J
and that a semi-Arctic winter must be j
looked forward to, with no means of egress ,
except the long and arduous trail to the I
coast, has a depressing effect on many, and
especially those who are comparatively new
comers to Interior Alaska. To the old
timer the occasion is the signal for a little
celebration. Toasts are drunk to the tie
parting ones, and good wi-hes are expressed
in true Alaska style. The admonition to
“drop us a line” is frequently heard, in
many cases to be lightly regarded, and in
others, especuJiy those of the old sour
doughs who have spent many winters in
the North and realize the pleasure conveyed
by a letter from a friend Outside, to be
gladly complied with.
On the day following the departure of
the "last boat” those remaining look around
and take stock of their neighbors, noting
those who are missing and laying plans for
the winter’s work or play. Each resident
seems to have acquired a more elastic step
and a more pleasing expression of coun
tenance, and altogether they seem to realize
that there are far worse places in which to
spend a winter than in an Alaska town,
with familiar faces and sights to be met
every day and a cheery smile and kindly
word to be given and received. Soon those
who remain will assume a rather sym
pathetic attitude when referring to the ab
sent ones, and will speculate on the length
•of time it will require for them to wish
I themselves back again. And they generally
j come back.
DE MAUPASSANT ON WAR
(Boston Globe)
One man who diagnosed war as it was
and was not afraid to express his mind was
Guy de Maupassant, the brilliant, eccentric
French writer of the last generation.
De Maupassant marveled that people did
not rise in rebellion against the govern
ments at the word “war.” He quoted “a
clever artist in such matters, a slaughter
ing genius, M. de Moltke” -note that the
name is that of a great German general,
Gallicized—as replying thus to an address
by some peace delegates:
“War is holy and of divine institution;
it is one of the sacred laws of Nature; it
keeps alive in men all the great and noble
sentiments—honor, disinterestedness, vir
tue. courage; ’in one word, it prevents them
from falling into the most hideous material
ism”
Here we have the Germanic doctrine of
1870, which forty-five years does not seem
to have changed. Let us read De Maupas
sant’s answer to it:
“To collect a herd of some half million
men. march day and night without respite,
to think of nothing, study nothing, learn
nothing, read nothing, be of no earthly use
to anyone, rot w'ith dirt, lie down in nure,
live like brutes in a continual besotment,
pillage towns, burn villages, ruin nations,
then meeting another similar agglomeratio
of human flesh, rush upon it, shed lakes of
blood, cover plains with pounded flesh
mingled with muddy and bloody earth; pile
up heaps of slain; have arms and legs blown
off. brains scattered without benefit to any
one. and perish at the corner of some field
while your old parents, your wife and chil
dren are dying of hunger; this is what is
called not falling into the most hideous ma
terialism!”
China wrill soon start to mint more than
$700,000,000 in silver.
Fresh Olympia and Eastern Oysters, $1.50
per can. Iditarod Meat Co.
Location Notices at Pioneer office.
FRIDAY’S WRESTLING MATCH
WAS SOMETHING OF A FIZZLE
The wrestling match scheduled to take
place al A. B. hall on Friday of last week
between Hiyeda, the Japanese athlete, and
George Fey, turned out to be a rank fizzle.
There seems to have been bad blood be
tween the contestants, and in arranging the
rules it was agrepd that the contest should j
hinge on one fall, a fall to be called when
one or the other cried enough. Any and j
all hold* were in order. By prearrangemeut j
it was understood that in case the one de !
siring to quit could not use his voice he j
should tap with one hand on the flour.
The match was of short duration Fey
early in the game secured a two-handed hold ;
on the neck of the Japanese, which did not |
seem to inconvenience him much, and in a
feu minutes the Japanese flipped Fey to the |
floor and secured a strangle hold. Unable I
to speak, as his wind was shut off. Fey beat J
a tattoo with both hands on the floor, fear j
ing that the Jap might overlook the signal ;
if he used but one hand.
The match concluded so suddenly that the
audience had not yet assembled. George
Marsh paid his admission fee just in time
to hear the referee decide the contest. He
was not in time to witness the “wrestling."
The performances of the little Japanese
have caused a great deal of sporting talk,
and attempts have been made to arrange
other matches for him, but without suc
cess. The latest aspirant for honors on the
mat was Bob Cockburn, who posted a for
feit of $50 for a match with Hiyeda for
$500 a side. When it came to arranging
the terms of the match, however, Bob in
troduced some conditions relating to holds
which probably had never been heard of I
anywhere outside of Newcastle-on Tyne, |
and the little brown man refused to j lay j
against a game he did not know.
FIRST MAN TO CLIMB TO
SUMMIT OF MOUNT McKINLEY
William R. Taylor, the first man to reach
the top of Mount McKinley, arrived in Se
attle August 27 to pay his first visit to the
Outside world in eleven years. He is on
his way to vjsit the exposition at San Fran
cisco. Taylor and Pete Anderson, sour
dough prospectors representing the Lloyd
expedition, stood on the top of the North
American continent on April 3, 1910, after
completing what explorers regard as the 1
most remarkable feat in the annals of moun- ;
tain climbing. Taylor and Anderson took
eighteen hours to complete a journey ihat •
subsequent expeditions have labored hard
for two weeks to make, at the same time
packing a fourteen-fool pole, three inches i
thick at the top, from the 11,300-foot ele-j
vation to the top of the mountain, 20,oU0
feet above the ocean level.
The story of the climb of the Lloyd party :
is one of bravery and loyalty, of adventure !
and fortitude, in which a prank of fate and !
an vjrMPnt; imrlil r»nr» i V-.i 7 m/1 fn I
withhold recognition of victory from the ;
rightful persons for three years. Expedition j
after expedition went to the mountain after j
the Lloyd party first came to the outer •
world from the ice fields of the Alaska range,
but it was not until June, 1913. that the
first meager confirmation of the Taylor
Anderson ascent came, with the return of
the Karstens-Stuck party from the ascent
of the south peak.
For three years Taylor, an honest®rugged
type of pioneering Alaskan, had. lived among '
the people of Interior Alaska. There were j
some, his friends, who believer! hint and his
story of the climb, but there were others;
who scoffed at him behind his back. The j
miners of the Kanlishna, where he lived, 1
had fait it in him to the man. It was a
happy day for Taylor when, on a bright I
June morning, a message came humming j
over the wires to Fairbanks from the lower
Tan an a. It was a message that “Billy"
Taylor and Pete Anderson had really climbed
Mount McKinley in 1910, and had done
something more wonderful than that -- had 1
currier] a flagpole up nearly perpendicular
slopes and unfurled an American Hag on
the north peak of the highest eminence on
the North American continent.
The Lloyd party established its base camp
at the 11,599-foot level of the mountain.
Taylor and Anderson left there the morning 1
of April 3, 1910. Each had a six-foot staff
with two hooks on one end and a sharp I
spike on the other. They wore mocassins j
and had crude ice creepers tied to the bot
toms. Their equipment was the makeshift
mountain tools of the sourdough; they didn't
have any expensive tools or special clothing
or appliances. Their last meal at the base
camp consisted of beans and caribou meat.
Taylor and Anderson took with them, when
they started the terrific spurt to the top.
which they had decided to make that day,
a thermos bottle filled with hot sweet choc
olate and several doughnuts, which they had
made themselves.
it Wts.-: Z :6\j O CIOCK in me aueiuuun vwirn
they reached the top. After a simple hand
shake to mark the completion of the climb,
they dug a hole four feet deep into the ice j
and stuck the pole into it. They banked ;
the base up with rocks and fastened guy
lines to the top of the pole. Then Ander
son stood near the flagpole, while Taylor
opened the kodak which they brought with
them and took a picture. When they re
turned to civilization the pictures were de
veloped as proof to the scientists that the
top of the mountain had been reached. But
the film contained nothing. It was the first
time Taylor had operated a camera and the
picture was a blank.
The confirmation of the story was with
held until Walter Harper, the half-breed In
dian boy who was a member of the Kars
tens-Stuck expedition, happened to see
from the south peak with his glasses the
pole standing on the bare mountain, the
flag whipped off, but the guylines and the
mound of rocks still there.
Mr. Tavlor will leave Seattle next week
for San Francisco. It is his intention to
return to Alaska after a few months to
continue work on his quartz properties in
the KantiiShna district,—Seattle I dst-In
telligencer.
j J! Currie has filed suit in the office
of the United States commissioner against
Wilson W Lockhart on a promissory note
for $150 given in 1909. Plaintiff asks judg
ment on the*note, together with interest at
the rate of 8 per cent per annum, and
costs and disbursements.
Just received, nice assortment of winter
apples. _Crowley & Porter.
Hot Air and Vapor Baths with Electric
Vibration and Osteopathy Massages have the
power to cure such functional diseases as
Lumbago Indigestion
Rheumatism Disorders of Liver
Stiff Joints Melancholia
Dropsy Obesity and
Locomotor Ataxia Gout
THE CROSBY MASSAGE AND BATH
PARLORS
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Paes | | N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska j
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Ball Band Rubber Boots and Paes j | N. C. Co. Sole
JosHn Wants to Lease Telegraph
Fnlcon do.-lin. president of the Alaska
Wireless Telegraph Company, has expressed
a desire !o secure from the government a
[ease on the telegraph lines of Alaska if he
can secure the moral support of the people
of the territory. He is confident that he
eoul.i reduce the tolls materially anti still
operate the system profitably.
O
Seward-Aachorage Telegraph
According to the Seward Gateway, Sew
ard and Anchorage soon will be connected
by a telegraphic system, and the engineer
ing commission already has ordered the in
stnnnents. The system will be under the
commission, and will not be part of the
government signal corps service. There will
be no local service, only the service between
Seward and Anchorage.
Seward Club in Trouble
District Attorney Spence arrived at Sew
ard on September 12 from Valdez. He
came for the purpose of representing the
government in the case soon to he tried
wherein the Seward Commercial Club Will
be prosecuted for selling liquor without a
license. It is understood that the club al
ready had ceased to sell liquor, having aban
doned that plan when first a warning was
issued bv the district attorney.
O
5!uke Box Robbery at Oiatanika
Word received nt Fairbanks on September
12 that the sluice boxes of A. I). Thompson
tV Co., operating on the Chstanika Hat',
about b. If a mile below the town of Chat a
nika, had been robbed of about $1,500. Tin*
robbery occurred between midnight and 0
o'clock in the morning, and the thieves 1 *ft
no evidence behind them other than their
footprints and an old hammer. The ofis
cials are working diligently in an effort to
locate the perpetrator of the crime, and it
was thought that an arrest would be made
shortly.
—O—
High Water at Fairbanks
Not i» the memory of the oldest inhab
itant of the North was the water in the
rivers of Interior Alaska as high as at the
present time, according to statements made
to the Fairbanks Times of September 15.
Idle water was nine feet six inches deep
on the Home bar and was rising slowly
but steadily. All the previous day the water
kept rising, and tons of driftwood kept com
ing down stream. The bridge was in dan
ger all day. anil it was only due to the
work of the powerful caterpillar and the
force of men that the structure was not
washed away.
O
Death in Tail Race
Ed Morrison, an rid timer, met a horri
ble death at Cleary City on September 8,
when he fell into the sluice boxes, was
washed through them and then through
fifty feet of tail race. The accident took
place at Hilty’s claim, on Cleary creek. Mor
rison was working close to the boxes and
above them, and evidently he became fa-r.t
from some cause or another and fell. The
strong head of water carried him through
the boxes and down through the tailing
channel for the distance stated. When picked
up he was unconscious, and never regained
his senses.
Bristol Bay Salmon Pack
One million cases is the salmon pack for
the Bristol bay canneries for this season,
according to the estimate of A. H. Mitten
dorf, the principal merchant of Nushagak,
who arrived at Seward on September 4, en
route to his home in San Francisco. The
season has not been up to the expected
standard,” said Mittendorf to the Evening
Post, “but it’s far from being as bad as was
predicted before the run was over. The faith
of the salmon packers in the future of the
district is shown by the fact that more can
neries are under construction, in addition
the one to be rebuilt which was de
stroyed by fire.” _
Wireless Will Compete With Cable
Within a few days, says a Juneau dis
patch, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Com
pany will have its Juneau office open for the
acceptance of messages to'all parts of the
world, in competition with the United States
army cable. A. H. Ginman of San Fran
cisco, general superintendent of the com
pany, is here with “Jack” R. Irwin, super
intendent of the Northern division. “Oui
rates will be 25 per cent lower than those
of the signal corps,” said Superintendent
Ginman.” C. E. Bence, formerly operatoi
in charge of the station here, is to be man
ager of the city office. The operators at
the station will be J. A. Marriott and W. J
Manahan.”
—O—
Alaska Northern Transferred
The Alaska Northern railroad has form
ally and actually been transferred to the
United States government, and all the nec
essary formalities were gone through soor
after the payment of the first $500,000 £
j couple of weeks ago, although nothing was
j given out officially at that time about th:
event, anxious as the people were to hear
it, sayt the Seward Gateway of September
8. The first real work by the engineering
commission for the improvement of the
railroad will begin tomorrow, when a gang
of men under Herbert Tozier wall -;tarl at
Mile 2 to clear the right-of-way for fifty
feet at each side of the track. With the
railroad were also transferred the docks,
etc., so that L’ncle Sam is in complete
control.
—O—
Tolovana Flood Losses
A telegram from Brooks, the new town
in the Tolovana, dated September 17, says
that as a result of the recent heavy rains
the Tolovana river has overflowed its banks
to such an extent that great damage was
done at the mouth of the west fork, where
several of the merchants and mining men
had supplies stored. The two sawmills were
the heaviest losers, a? all the saw logs they
had on hand were washed away. The M ooity
mill is reporter! to have lost 30,000 feet of
logs, while tire Fisher outfit lost about
75,000 feet. The merchants who lost heav
ily were James Gibbs, the Tolovana Cloth
ing Company and Paul Ringeeth. Sam God
frey and Dave Caseaden, mining men, lost
a big part of their outfit, which they sent
into the new district. After landing the
property at the west fork it was piled up
along the shore in a convenient place, from
which it could be freighted. The water
rose so rapidly that it was impossible to
move the tons of goods, and the property
was washed away.
Tc “Scare” Children
That Charles Peterson of Kenai a few
days ago nearly shot both the little girls
of “Shorty” Mann, who were in his garden
taking turnips, while trying to shoot over
I their heads in an effort to scare them, was
the word brought in by Ned Edlleman, who
1 is or liis way to Valdez to attend court,
| says the Seward Gateway. It seems that
the little girls went into the garden to get
i some turnips to eat, when Peterson, looking
I out of his cabin, saw them and, thinking he
j would teach them a lesson, picked up hi
| .44 rifle and thought he was shoot.ng over
I their heads. Instead the bullet hit both
| of the children, just grazing each of their
: cheeks, so that if the aim had been an inch
< or so off it would have killed both of them.
I according to the story. When “Shorty
I Mann heard of the affair he had a warrant
drawn out against Charles Peterson, but
| on hearing that it was an accident h° with
' drew the warrant and promised that he
! would not prosecute.
O
Queer Doings of Wiialing Company
Thi? has been a good season for the
whalers at Akutan. The tots! catch by the
j steamers Kodiak anil Unimak for the sea
j son includes 217 whales, which yielded
I 8.000 barrels of oil. C. E. Stead, a sta
tionary' engineer, and six employes of the
j station, arrived at Seward on the Santa
j Ana recently, en route to Seattle. They
j have a rather uncomplimentary story to
I tell about sanitary conditions and the treat
j ment of employes at Akutan, according to
I the Evening Post, and declare that owing
j to the fact that two congressmen are
! among the stockholders of the company, one
! revenue cutter has acted in the roll of ten
i der to the station. Probably the most un
j usual statement made by Stead is that the
j skipper of the whaling steamer K. B. Kirk
1 land, an ex-preacher, who manages the
j company, issued an order against swear
j ing, and that any man overheard swearing
I would be placed under arrest on the nexl
I trip of the whaler to Kodiak. Stead says
! that he was discharged by the manager
j but that the others quit. It seems, accord
j ing to the men, impossible to handle whale,
without swearing.
. —A—
1 Coal Mines Already in Operatic?
Captain A. Herbert, who arrived al
j Seward on September 3, was the first mat
to secure a lease of coal lands from th<
j government in Alaska. Already he ha;
' taken out more than three thousand tom
I of coal from his leased property at Bluf
! Point, twelve miles from Seldovia. The
j output has been sold to Anchorage, steam
j ers. the canneries, and soon will be on salt
j in Seward. The coal is lignite, and the en
gineer of the Panama steamer Sinaio3
who tested it and bought 107 tons, said if
j was about the finest coa! he ever used foi
i steaming purposes. The veins crop out
j from a bluff right over the beach, and t
j tunnel has been driven 300 feet into th<
solid coal, so that in future the sort of coa
! taken out will be far better than the coa
i from the surface. The government at An
I chorage has used a large quantity, and i.
j so well pleased that the steamer Tyonic i;
continuing to haul'it every day to the nev
railroad city. The mine has a capacity o
forty tons daily, but this capacity easily cai
be increased, and Captain Herbert has ii
sight enough coal for years. The coa
shipped previously from the surface wa
not so good as the quality now being mined
The present output is so clean that han
dling it does not even soil the fingers. It i
therefore, Captain Herbert says, also idea
for domestic purposes. The captain is oi
his way to Seattle, and will be able to le
the world know that the coal which ha
so long been tied up by the government i
! ready to aid in the territory's development
I says the Gateway.
j —O—
i Indian Curios Becoming Scarce
Real Alaska curios of the kind which th
j ordinary tourist cares to buy are gettim
scarce in i hi - part of Alaska, says the Ala.-:-:n
Evening Post of Seward. With few ex
cep lions Atlu baskets and carved iv ry are
held at prices which cannot be cr.lbu
lar, and it is apparent that the time > n >(
far distant when this type c f work l»v A1;;
kan natives will l>e difficult to sc. .• at
any price. “Tourists I ke to pick up run
which range from 25 cents to $1. .-aid
George Mirlach in discussing the -ub -c:
“There's nothing to offer at that price n w
except miniature moccasins, or tinny- made
by the curio factories Outside. The
j tives to the westward want mor< j] :.n a
dollar for almost any basket or p c • f
ivory word- buying, and by the tune th• • *
. have passed through a couple of hand- die
! prices are up 50 per cent. But th
cause for high prices is that the native- .ire
'doing other things ami very few care
j carve or d> basket work when they cm
; make more at the mines or carmen -.” For
this reason Mirlach will close out his hue
of curios. “Ivory crochet needles vvrh
: carved handles, which are probably th-*
1 most difficult to secure of any cure.." said
• Miss Sylvia Sexton, the principal owner of
i curios in Seward, “are made by « nly one
| native now, and he is very old and not abl
1 to turn them out very fast. Of the real
! curios, household articles made by the na
1 tives before they were able to buy American
made good-, are practically till gene One
j thing which makes it difficult for Alaska n.
] to gather curios to the westward is the early
! visit of the coast guard cutters each year.
! Most of the native work is marie daring
j the winter, and the first outsiders to come
j in contact with the natives are officer.- and
I men of the coast guard service, many of
I whom make a regular business of coiiectin :
! curios for Outside dealers.
_ /\
Railway Employes Browned
At a late hear last evening no word had
been received at the local office of the
Alaska engineering commission regar.m.z
the details of the drowning of Pa! M. Jim
and George McFaun last Thursday. says tn
j Fairbanks Citizen cf September 21). A
j soon as he received word of the drowning
| Commissioner Thomas Riggs. Jr., hastened
to Nenana in the Janies Moore launch, and
is directing the search for the bodies of tie
drowned men in person. Word of tli
j drowning was contained in a wire received
[here la-4 Friday from Assistant Fngmr.r
i Ryus of Nenana. The message staled l r
I the men had been drowned live mile- mow
! the thirty-fivemile crossing of the N a
i river while they were moving ramp T :n
Savage, who has been doing the hunting for
the survey parties, was the only witness to
the accident. He reported the occur re c.
immediately to Engineer Weir, who started
a man to Nenana with the news, and a
search for the bodies and the boat was in
stituted. Both men were hired here last
spring by the engineering commission. Me
Hugh wits a well-known old-timer, having
spent the past seventeen years of his life
in the North. His friends give his age as
j ;>4 years. He is survived by a widow. Mm.
j Mary McHugh of Fond du Lac. Wis. Me
■ Faun came to Alaska last spring from V -c
j toria, B. C. On the records of the commis
sion he is stated to be 26 years m .me.
] and his nearest relative is given as Mr- M
| McFaun, mother, of Victoria. The engi
neering commission immediately wired the
news of the deaths to the former homes of
the drowned men. In reply they hint re
i ceived telegrams asking that the remn.m-,
if recovered, be sent to their rspec'.me
homes. Whether or not this will be done
at the expense of the commission ha- not
been determined, but a message ha.- been
sent to the secretary of the interior asking
for his approval of such action. One of
the messages received was from Congress
man James G. Good of Iowa. It relate?* to
McHugh’s death, and asks that all particu
lars be forwarded. Other wires relating t «
McHugh’s death have been received from
his wife and from his brother and sister
GEORGE C. FRIEND RETURNS
TO SCENE OF FORMER LABORS
George C. Friend, one of the old-timers >:f
the North, and the owner of valuable min
ing interests on Flat creek, returned to the
city early on Saturday morning last, coming
from Iloly Cross on board the mail boat, lie
was accompanied on the trip from Tan an a
by Tom McKinnon, the Candle creek op
erator. After a short stay in Iditarod Mr
Friend left for the creeks. He will remain
in the district most of the winter, as the
dredge of the Yukon Gold Company, on
Flat creek, is about to work ground oper
ated under lease from Mr. Friend.
Mr. Friend spent many years in Alaska.
i being in the Circle City district prior to the
Klondike strike. He has operated in most
of the districts which have been opened up
; since that time. For the past three years
i he has been a resident of California.
Mr Friend was the hero of a newspaper
; story a few years ago which was widely
copied and given much publicity. The glar
ing captions of the story were as follows .
: “Was Porter in Hotel- Now Owns Gobi
1 Mines—Former $10 a Week Man Returns
i to City Millionaire, with Princely Gifts f> r
Relatives and Friends—Struck It Rich in
; Alaska."
Motion pictures are being used to teach
improved methods of agriculture to natives
of India.
» Splendid ripe tomatoes.
» Crowley & Porter.