( Private latter to A. I!. Rome, Iditarod.)
Ruby, Alaska, Dec. 29, 1911.
Dear Friend Rome;—A few lines in regard to this camp. This
is the most boosted camp that was ever put before the public of
Alaska. It is almost a year since the first report came out and
they have nothing yet. They had nothing to show at any stage of
the game; and yet the miners flocked here and they can’t make a
dollar, aud the merchants have put up good buildings and fine
saloons and poolrooms, as good as anything in the Iditarod. I was
talking to some carpenters the other night, and they figured that
about $200,000 had been spent on buildings in this town that might
be left for the Indians to dry salmon in next summer. There is
nothing on Long creek, the creek that started the stampede. Two
Slavonians sank five holes across the creek and got nothing, and
muck on bedrock. These boys paid 12 cents freight before the
snow came, and they came in for Christmas and they have $175
worth of grub they will sell for $125 now. They are going back
to Iditarod, where there is a little gold. The prospectors are get
ting discouraged every day You know when men pull their grub
over the hills and sink hole after hole it soon gets tiresome.
Billy Bates, Joe Henderson and Pat O’Connor's brother left
here for Hot Springs; it didn't look good to them. Three other
fellows left for Fairbanks. There will be a big stampede out of
here a month from now, as soon as the days get a little longer.
There are twenty five holes down on Flint creek, and all
blanks. Gordon Shea has a little gold all right, but I am told by
men that were there that it is only eight feet wide and will go
about 75 cents to the square foot. There were holes right in line
just above Shea that didn't show a color, and Glen gulch is an
excuse. Gill Edgar has a 3-feet wide paystreak, and Ed Purnell,
on Glen, thinks his dirt will average 3 cents for four feet.
[Here the letter mentions a man whose name has been con
nected with numerous alleged finds, with whom ‘ the camp is hav
ing a little fun over at the Merchants Cafe. There are cartoons
on him with his bull con—once be was running to town with a pay
streak,” while a prominent business man, called Two Story Alec
because his store is two stories, was looking out the window and
saying: “Ha! ha! here comes .... again; I guess I'll have to|
give him another sack of beans.” The last cartoon was that his j
bull couldn’t work any longer in Ruby and he is going to work
himself now ]
I could have sold my boiler at a good price when I came; now !
I could not give it away unless there is something more struck !
There was a lot of wood cut around here, and the men are selling!
it at $1 a cord, getting ready to leave here- You see, 1(5 foot wood
is $6 delivered. One man sold ten cords of wood and his cabin
across the river for $20. Business is dead. [Reference is here
made to the business of merchants in severalty, and the effect the
miners’ protest against the raise in prices had on each.] Fresh
eggs are selling at 75 cents and £1 a dozen. I think prices are
very reasonable. There is more grub here than the camp needs,
because the miners, getting discouraged, are starting to sell their
outfits, the same as was done in Richmond before Flat creek was
struck; and if we don’t get a Fiat creek here before long there
will be a lot of empty cabins. Some one is putting up a stock
of ice here, as was done near Siippern’s mill in Iditarod. It's a
good thing some one has faith in it. Some of the business people
told the owner’s of the lots that the rent would have to be cut in
two, or they would close up.
This stampede is the biggest joke I ever heard of. How it was
kept up puzzles me. One man said it was done on good formation,
and another said, “But they don’t take good formation at the bank. ’>
Hoping you are as well as this leaves me, I remain,
Yours truly,
[Signature.]
HOW A BIG ALASKA EARTHQUAKE
SHOOK GOLD MINES FROM HILLS
A friend has handed the Pioneer the following clipping from
some unidentified Outside newspaper. It had been printed with
illustrations showing “how tbs rich gold-bearing lode lay concealed
CROWLEY & PORTER
The House of Quality
ifHitBWi1 —bmm■ aea
CARRIES THE LARGEST AND FINEST STOCK
OF GROCERIES IN IDITAROD
All Hours Alike in This House
CARIBOU CAFE
COME ONCE AND YOU WILL COME AGAIN
FIRST AVENUE. SOUTAR & SUTHERLAND. Props.
HALSA®?LFF,S* General Merchants,
_PISKAKET_ MINERS' SUPPLIES A SPECIALTY
Cascade Steam Laundry
IS MAKING A SPECIALTY OF ROUGH DRY WORK, $2,00 PER DOZEN
_PHONE 121) _____IDITAROD_
beneath the soil and forest of the hillside,” and “how the earth
quakes in Alaska shook the soil away from the lode and brought
the gold within easy reach of the miners.” The story is too puerile
to be laughed at; but is not more so than many of the “theories”
advanced regarding Alaska which are more harmful in their effect.
Besides the caption as given above, which was printed in big
letters, there was a subheading, “The Seismic Disturbances in Our
Far North Possession That Rattled Nuggets From the Mountain
Sides and Exposed Rich Quartz Veins”:
“It’s a poor eart hquake that does no
body any good” is the new and startling
version of the old proverb “It’s an ill
wind that blows nobody any good.”
The earthquake disturbances of Sep
tember and October in southwestern
Alaska have brought to the surface
scores of gold mines, which will add
millions of dollars to the wealth of the
people of the territory.
The manner in which the earthquake
operates to bring a potential gold mine
in sight is as follows: When the trem
bling motion of the earth's crust be
comes exceedingly violent it produces
deep cracks in the surface. The earth
quake, it is well known, rolls over the
surface of the earth in a certain direc
tion, just as a wave rolls over the sur
face of the ocean.
The earthquake, however, is not
working in a fluid medium, and its ac
tion upon the more stiff and brittle
crust of the earth produces many kinds
of fractures and rearrangements of the
superficial strata. One portion of a
layer of rock is lifted up and placed
upon another. What was once the sur
face of the earth is buried deep out of
sight and rock that has been buried
out of sight for ages is brought to
light.
That side of a crack in the earth
from which the pressure is coming is
very apt to be lifted up and pushed
over the opposite side. In other cases
tiie gold-bearing lode lies concealed
under the surface soil of a hillside and
the earthquake shakes away the soil,
ex posing the quartz.
The gold-bearing lead in tlie newly
fractured rock is lifted up and exposed
a few feet above the ground. The
miner has but to stretch forth his pick
and strike the auriferous ro' c. Tans
through the intervention of the benev
olent earthquake gold is discovered
which might never have been found,
and, iu any case, an expenditure of
many thousands of dollars in mining
machinery is avoided.
This extraordinary shaking up of
gold mines lias already begun to pro
duce a rush similar to the now histor
ical Klondike affair of 1807. The ex
citement prevails chiefly around Valdez,
Cordova and other south Alaska towns
Quartz samples brought to light by
the earthquake at Port Wells, ninety
miles West of Valdez, assay over $24.
000 a ton in gold. One eighth of the
total weight of rock is pure metal.
This vein was found after the earth
quake upheaval of Sept. 22, which ex
posed new quartz veins along the west
ern inlets on Prince William Sound,
where Port Wells is situated.
Sample quartz assaying as high as
$15,000 a ton in gold has reached Val
dez from the Tickel district, several
miles inland, where earthquakes shook
loose glaciers and exposed new ledges.
Picked samples, when pulverized and
panned, gave results similar to high
grade placer pannings. The gold is of
the wire variety, very heavy and
coarse.
A steel car loaded with fresh gold
nuggets from Alaska has just reached
New York, where they have helped to
arouse interest and enthusiasm in the
new' gold territory. They are said to
be the largest, nuggets ever discovered.
.
1 Uncle Sam certainly made a wonder
ful bargain when he purchased Alaska
1 from Russia in 1807. And now, as if to
impress the fact on us more strongly
than ever, the earthquakes are show
ering the land with new gold mines.
The clitnax of the story of the An-iak will be arrived at within
the next thirty days, according to the belief of W- J. Cribbee, who
reached Iditarod from the new district last Monday. While be
did not indulge in extravagant predictions of what the outcome
will be, it was plain that Mr. Oribbee’s opinion of the region is
most favorable. Indeed, the Aniak is but as a flyspeck in an im
mense area on the lower Kuskokwim which gives promise of devel
ment when supplies become accessible to prospectors, he believes.
Marvel creek has practically all been let out on lays, the dis
coverers retaining but 2,000 feet at each discovery for their own
operation. Fisher, Lnbelle & Buhro let lays to whoever came
along and wanted to go to work. The lays are on a basis of 75 per
cent. The following are among the laymen: McDonald & Vaughn;
Fred Woike; Fred Labelle; Seibe & Meilike; Tony Zimmerman;
Cribbee, Mills & Miller; Bevins & Ferguson; McCarty & Godfrey;
Hank Downey; Axel Johnson and Fred Anderson; Flanigan &
Moran. Besides these, there were three sets of laymen on the
ground whose names Mr. Cribbee did not remember.
With enough provisions to last about six weeks, ail these lay
men are prospecting in order to determine whether or not the
ground will justify productive mining.
In coming out Mr. Cribbee met 25 or 30 men going to Dime
and Cripple creeks. Most of them will have enough grub to last
till water runs.
Besides the creeks in the Aniak on which the discoverers
staked, there are some twenty with which they had nothing what
ever to do. Ground on at least some of these creeks will undoubt
edly prove to be deep. Mr. Cribbee asserts that in no instance
did the discoverers stake on creeks whereon they had not found
sufficient gold to indicate the existence of pay. This policy caused
them to pass up the deeper ground.
Mr. Cribbee left 25 or 30 men in the Aniak and met 80 or 100
on their way there. He stayed less than two days in Iditarod be.
fore starting back to the new diggings.
DAVE COURTEMANCHE
DECLARED NOT GUILTY
Fairbanks, Jan. 18.—Dave Courtemancbe, accused of attempted
rape of Mrs. Pearl Jensen, was acquitted by the jury.
Three days after the conclusion of the trial one of the jurymen in
formed the others that District Attorney Crossley had said that they
were false to their oaths as jurymen and guilty of perjury when they
brought in the verdict of acquittal Upon receiving this information
the jurymen went to the judge and requested him to excuse them from
further jury duty, as their honor had been questioned. Judge Over
field refused to accede to the request
Later in the day Mr. Crossley denied the charge, but insisted that
the verdict was unjust, and not in acco;dance with the evidence
The incident ii.creases the friction existing between the opposite
ends of the Courthouse
SERVICES AT FLAT TOMORROW
2 p.m. At Charles Strandberg’s.
8 p.m. At the Masonic and Odd Fel
lows’ club-house, Flat. Lively singing.
Everybody welcome.
S. HALL YOUNG, Pastor.
The engagement is annonnced of Mis8
Lois M. Knox, sister of Mrs. H. C.
Hamilton, of Fairbanks, to Hugh Fred
McKinnon.
Oregon City woolen goods. H. Boas.
Bill-of-Sale blanks—Pioneer office.
I*— STAB TOBACCO
v v |j '• Slightly Damaged l-y Wefrr
3 Plugs Sl.00
- Sole Agents EppllIE
I for Alaska: f~
Ball Band Boots andPaos
OUR SPECIALTIES
Fresh Petaluma Eggs Hills Bros.’ Teas and Coffees Peerless Cream
Bodega Butter- l-8s, l-4s, l-2s bbis Sealtlte Ham and Bacon
IVSission Brand Canned Fruits and Vegetables
LET US FIGURE ON^YOURIuTfIl"~aTl'gOOdFgUARANTEEO
Fiat City
Will Re-Opan NEXT WE Under Mew Management
With Choicest Brands of Liquors and CI6ars
At the weekly meeting of tlie ci13’
council held Wednesday evening
.ill the members were ptesent ex
cept Alt ten and Mutchler.
Finance.
A communication from E. G j
G'ndberg, city treasurer, informed
the council that life taxes collected
to date amounted to $5,932 25,
The N C. Co have a priority
i claim on the first taxes collected ol j
$1,485 72. for hose, etc., supplied
to the fire department, and the:e
I is a deficit in the salary fund ag-I
gregating $3,163 17.
During discussion regarding the
disposition of the funds in baud j
Mr Worden called attention to the i
! warrants issued to Banks & How >
j land, for supplying standing pres- |
sure for the use of the fire depart
| uient. He pointed out that tiie
warrants were i.on realizable, while
the wood and salary hills which
had to be met monthly were con
sideruble Mr. Worden said that
when the arrangements for the sup
ply of water were made it was un
derstood that advances should be
made upon the warrants from time
to time To meet the case he sug
gested that Bmks & If ,\vland be
allowed $150 or $200 monthly with
which to pay wages.
The idea met with general ap
proval, and a resulu.ion providing
a monthly payment of $200 from
tne salaiy fund to Banks and How
laud was put and carried
Captain Petersen pointed out
'hat no payment of warrants on
tlie general ltnul had been made
for some time, and he thought some
o the cash in hand should be de
voten to that purpose He moved
that $2 000 be placed in the general
fund, $2 446 5H added to the salary
fund, and the balance applied to
the liquidation of the N C. ac
cunt. Carried
Bills Ordered Paid.
Re Cross Ditig Store .... § 2 00
Smith’s un S'ore . 28 65
ROOSEVELT ATTACKS
TAFT'S TRUST POLICY
In a recent issue of the Outlook for
mer President Roosevelt had a long
article entitled “ The Trusts, the Peo
pie anti ilie Square Deal,'- in which lie
condemns the Taft administration for!
its suit against the steel trust, its ac
ceptance of the tobacco trust’s plan of
dissolution, and its general attitude
toward the trusts.
Roosevelt says that the steel suit ha>
brought vividly before the people “the
need of reducing to order our chaotic ■
government policy as regards busi
ness." At some length he reviews the
Gary-Frick interview with himself at
the time of the Tennessee purchase
by the steel trust, and is still convinced
that they told him the truth. He in
sists that that purchase gave the trust
only 10 or 20 per cent of the Southern
iron lands. To meet the trust situation
by a series of lawsuits, instead of ad
ministrative action, seems to the ex
president hopeless. Regulation by a
government.bureau, not harsh measures
of war, is what lie thinks is wanted,
and says "it is absurd to treat the large
si/.o of a corporation as a crime in
itsedf."
Old Lacey, Tyler, Monogram, At her
ton and Cedarbrook, also fine old Port
Sherrv and Clarets at Empire Com
mercial Co.
In the Court of the Commissioner fur
Otter Precinct, Fourth Division.Ter
ritory of Alaska. — F. (1. Noves, as
Receiver of the Washingtnn-Alaska
Bank, a corporation, Plaintiff, vs.
G. R. Shirley and V. O. Green, de
fendants. — No. 75. — Summons for
Publication.
The President of the United States, to
Gets R. Shirley, one of the defend
ants in i lie above entitled cause,
greet ing:
You are hereby required to appear
before the undersigned, a justice of the
peace for Otter Precinct, District of
Alaska, within thirty days from the
date, of the last publication of this sum
mons, at the office of the United States
Commissioner, in the Miners and Mer
chant’s bank building, Iditarod. Alaska,
to answer tlie complaint of tlie plain
tiff above named in the above entitled
cause, wherein they demand seven
hundred and sixty-one dollats, costs
and attorneys fees and disbursements
therein, and in case you fail to so
appear and answer, judgment will be
granted against you and in their favor
for the said amounts and the property
attached in the above entitled cause
will be sold to pay such judgment.
This summons is published pursuant
to an order of publication made by the
judge of the above entitled court
December 12, 1911.
The date of first publication is
December lGth, 1911, and the date of
the last publication is January 20ih,
1912.
Witness the official seal and signa
ture of the judge of the above entitled
court.
E. M. STANTON,
U. S. Commissioner and ex-officio
Justice of the Peace.
We still have lett a fine iine of
SUiTBNGS
and Trousers. Fit and Work
manship guaranteed.
THE PIONEER
Tailor*
GOLARTE & FONTAS OPEN AT FLAT
Gularte & Fontas have closed
their Iditarod saloon and will traus
fer their abundant and magnificent
stock of wines, liquors and cigars
to Flat, where they will occupy the
Combination saloon. The Com
bination is new being remodeled
by that well known i tinner, George
Taylor (who will back himself to
run against any old man on earth
for a nurse of $2,000. Leave stakes
with Manuel or Frank.)
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Farrell of
Fairbanks have cone Outside.
Quitclaim deed blanks—Pioneer.
Anderson & Pierce, Props. L M. Pierce. Maoga?.
I i
At Our Gid-TIma Location
ON THE WINTER TRAIL
SUMMIT
ROADHOUSE
Meals at All Hours.
Liquors and Cigats
Tel: “Summit Roadhouse."
Nicely Furnished Rooms |
WBTH BATH
THIRD AVE. AND WILLOW ST.
Rooms from $1 per night; $25 per month
E. W. GRIFFIN "
General Merchandise
Kay and Oats Fresh Groceries
-^ Finest Line of Cigars at the Lowest ^
-w Prices Ever Shipped to Alaska ^——
GOOD GOODS | F«-AT CITY OTTER CITY [ PR|CES R|6HT