Iditarod Pioneer
'one dollar per month IDITAROD. ALASKA, SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 5. 1916_» cents per core
' WESTERN FRONT AGAIN
SCENE OF OPERATIONS
LONDON, Feb. 1.—The most furious fighting
since the advance on Ypres is being experienced on
the west front. The Germans have captured a town
located within seventy-five miles from Paris.
Berlin Reports Victory
BERLIN. Feb. 1 .—All the German defenses near
Neuville have been regained and the French counter
attacks hav been repulsed.
Attack on Saloniki to Begin
ATHENS. Feb. 4.—German. Bulgarian and Turk
ish troops will begin the attack on the Franco-British
forces at Saloniki on February 15.
Why Greek Forts Were Occupied
LONDON, Feb. 2.—The allies justify the occupa
tion of the Greek forts on Karaburan peninsula by
reason of the fact that Greece permitted German
submarines to approach Saloniki harbor.
The Persian Expedition
LONDON, Feb. 4.—General Aylmer’s forces hold
a strong position cn the River Tigris, but the recent
floods have hindered the forward movement in Meso
.
potamia.
Russian Forces Active
PETROGRAD, Feb. 2.—The Russians are show
ing activity on every war front. They have laid j
siege to the city of Erzerum, and have driven the
Turks southward.
Smyrna Threatened by French
PARIS, Feb. 2—French troops continue to land
on the island of Miiylene, which gives them a threat- j
tning position over Asia Minor.
Albania at Mercy of Austrians
PARIS, Jan. 29.—The Fifth Turkish army, which
has been operating against the allies at the Darda-,
r.elles, has been ordered to the Greek frontier.
The Austrians, having met with no resistance, are
now marching on Durazzo. Albania is overrun j
by the Austrian forces.
Turks Report Success Against Russians
CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. 1.—The Turks have re-j
captured from the Russians several strongly-de- ,
fended positions. Among the spoils of war were a j
thousand camels.
Montenegrin Generals Assassinated by Patriots
PARIS, Feb. 3.—Two Montenegrin generals have
been assassinated by patriots opposed to the capitu
lation to the Austrians.
Church Eell Nuisance Abolished
LONDON, Feb. 3.—By direction of the naval au
thorities. the police have ordered the discontinuance
of the use of the chimes on all churches, as a pre
cautionary measure.
Germany Charges Brutality
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29.—Germany has asked the
United States formally to protest to England and
France against the brutal treatment of prisoners by
the entente allies.
British Capture Norwegian Vessels
LONDON, Feb. 1.—Four steamships, three of
which are Norwegian and one Danish, have been
captured while carrying foodstuffs destined for Ger
many, and have been taken to Kirkwall by British
cruisers.
___
GERMAN RAIDERS CAPTURE SHIP
NORFOLK. Va„ Feb. 3.—The British liner Ap
pam. which has been considered lost, arrived yester
day flying the German flag and in command of a
German prize crew. She was captured at sea on
January 15.
The Appam was captured by the German raider
Moewe, operating on the coast of Africa. She had
cn board also the crew of a British steamship which
had been sunk by the raider.
Administration Confronted by New Problem
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.—The arrival of the
seized steamship Appam at an American port pre
sents a new problem for the administration to face.
It is possible that the prize ship may be considered
to be an auxiliary cruiser, in which case she will be
interned.
The possibility that a German submarine accom
panied the Appam across the ocean, and is prepar
ing to operate off the American coast, has aroused
the interest of naval officials.
-«
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE AT SAN DIEGO, CAL.
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 2.—Fifty persons were killed
last Friday night when the dam at the city water
plant broke and inundated an area two miles wide
and fifteen miles long. Twenty-four bodies have
been recovered. For a time it was feared that other
dams would break. Marines from the war vessels
in the harbor have been placed on duty to stop loot
ing in the flood district. Several arrests have been
made.
- *- > -
IDITAROD PIONEERS’ IGLOO
INSTALLS NEW OFFICERS
AND ENTERTAINS FRIENDS
At the conclusion of the regular busi
ness session of Iditarod Igloo No. 10. Pio
neers of Alaska, held last Wednesday night
at A. B. hall, this city, a public installa
tion of officers was held. At the conclu
sion of the ceremony those present en
joyed the entertainment provided by the
old sourdoughs, in the form of dancing
and a delightful supper.
The installation ceremony was conducted
by Joe Smith, and the following were the
officers who were solemnly pledged to ful
fill the duties for which they were elected
for the ensuing year:
President—Percy G. Charles.
Vice President Ivan Wales.
Second Vice President—Grant Murdock.
Chaplain—Jonas Brewis.
Secretary—George Marsh.
Historian—Charles E. Taylor.
Treasurer—James Cody.
Trustee J F. Keenan.
Sergeant-at Arms—George Adams.
At the conclusion of the impressive in
stallation ceremonies the hall was cleared
and dancing was indulged in. The music,
which was excellent, was furnished by the
Mandolin Club, consisting of Mrs. Percy
G. Charles, Arthur Bourne, Billy Thomas
and Dick Button.
Supper was served about midnight, and
full justice was done to the spread, which
was presided over by that old “dough,”
Frank Keenan, which makes it unneces
sary to bestow further praise.
Dancing was resumed after supper and
continued until a late hour.
As is customary with Pioneer entertain
ments, quite a number of creek people
came in for the affair, and the entertain
ment was a most enjoyable one.
--
AMERICAN SUBMARINE
MAY HAVE BEEN LOST
CHARLESTON, Feb. 1.—Submarine
K 5 of the United States navy is reported
to be missing, and the coast guard cutters
have been pressed into service to search
for her. The quest is hanq>ered by a
severe fog.
The missing submarine was en route
with four others from New York to Key
West.
Missing Vessel Sighted
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.—The steamship
Canfield reports sighting the missing sub
marine K-5 off Jupiter, south-bound.
BRANDEIS’ APPOINTMENT
WILL ARUUSE OPPOSITION
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28—Louis D. ]
Brandeis of Boston, one of the most widely j
known lawyers in America, was yesterday j
nominated by President Wilson to the !
place on the bench of the supreme court :
of the United States made vacant by the !
death of Justice Lamar.
It is expected that his confirmation by
the senate will be opposed strongly, as he
figured prominently in the Pinchot Ballin
ger controversy.
-♦
MUCH RIDICULED OFFICIAL
HAS INFLUENTIAL DEFENDER
WASHINGTON. Jan. 29.—Senator Ben- j
jamin Tillman cl South Carolina, chair
man of the senate committee on naval
affairs, praised Josephus Daniels as the
greatest secretary of the navy this country
has ever had, and attacked former Secre
tary Von Meyer in a speech in the senate
yesterday.
-♦
AMERICA’S COTTON TRADE
CAPTURED BY JAPANESE
—
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29— A bulletin ;
issued by the department of commerce, I
discussing the fact that the Japanese man- :
ufa^turers have captured the American j
cotton goods trade in China, states that |
the hope of American business lies in an j
entire change in the class of goods manu
factured for the Oriental trade.
-A
FOREIGN NATIONS FORBID
TRANSFER OF SHIPPING
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28.—1The depart- |
ment of commerce has issued a warning ;
to Americans to make careful inquiry be- j
fore purchasing foreign vessels, because of |
the fact that Austria, Germany, France,
Norway, Brazil and Spain have enacted
liaws forbidding the sale of vessels carry
ing their flags. _
STEAMSHIPS IN COLLISION
HALIFAX, N. S., Feb. 4.—The steamships
Takata Maru and Selver have been in col- j
lision southeast of Cape Race. Both are in
a sinking condition. The steamship Ar
menia is standing by.
FIRES IN MUNITIONS PLANTS
WILMINGTON, Del, Jan. 29.—Seven
persons have been burned to death in four
fires at the Dupont powder works, the
origin of which is unknown.
-a,
GERMAN THRIFT
PARIS, Jan. 29.—An odd instance of
German thrift is shown in the fact that
the hides of dead army horses are removed
by them.
FIREMEN OVERCOME
DETROIT, Jan. 29.—A hundred firemen
were overcome by heat and gas while fight
ing a fire in the business district last night.
COLONEL LEAVES FOR LONDON
PARIS, Feb. 1.—Colonel House, who is on
a mission for President Wilson, left today for
London.
GAME CREEK
HAS A BONANZA
I
Marvelous Riches Revealed in
Operations of Two Well-Known
Miners, According to Dr.
Greene of Tokotna
“1 took three pans from the roof of the
tunnel that went 45 cents in gold; one pan
two feet from bedrock that panned $5, and
one pan on bedrock that produced $25.”
The above quotation is not the result of
a “pipe dream," nor the idle mouthings of
a so-called prospector intent on starting a
stampede to some distant locality. They
are the words of Dr. W. F. Greene of To
kotna, and refer to a recent visit he made
to the workings of Dan McDonnell and Billy
Bevans, on Candle creek, near Tokotna,
on ground leased from Tom Aitken and Tom
McKinnon.
“1 know that I will be accused of exag
geration in making this statement,” said Dr.
Greene yesterday, “but I am willing to make
affidavit to the truth of my assertions.”
No one who knows Dr. Greene, who is
one of the best-known citizens of the Kus
kokwim region, will consider that such a
guarantee of the truth of his words is nec
essary, and while the values indicated by
such casual tests are startling, the doctor
says that there have been individual pans
taken out on the claim much richer even
than the ones he mentions.
Candle creek, according to Dr Greene, is
bound to prove one of the great producers
of Alaska. The ancient channel of the creek
has been located, and proves to be much
deeper ground than the present creek bed,
which runs from eighty-five feet to upwards
of one hundred and twenty-five feet.
McDonnell <fe Bevans, according to the
doctor, have uncovered 3,600 feet of bed
rock, which carries two feet of sand per
meated with values such as be has men
tioned.
The lucky miners will make no estimates
on the value of their ground, but are quietly
working and preparing for the rich harvest.
On Karl creek considerable prospecting j
is being done. Much low-grade grave! has
been revealed, and apparently so far noth- ;
ing better than a wage proposition has been
developed.
Higgins & Thorns, operating on Ganes i
creek, in the Innoko district, have com- '■
menced the work of freighting machinery
from Takotna to their workings. The ma
chinery was received on the last Kusko
kwim boat last fall, and consists of a self
dumping slip scraper.
Dr. Greene came over from Tokotna with i
James Haley and J. FT Beattie. Like other j
Tokotna people who have expressed them- j
selves on the subject, he cannot be said j
to be enamored of the new trail from To- j
kotna by way of Ophir. He much prefers !
the old Moore creek trail.
Dr. Greene will remain in the district j
for some weeks.
I
Haley end Beattie Home From
Eventful Trip to Coast—Con
ditions at Anchorage
Bronzed by sun and storm, and glowing
with life and health which conies from out
door life in this salubrious Northern climate,
Jim Haley and J. Ernest Beattie arrived in
Iditarod yesterday from Seward, completing
a round trip to that city begun on November
22 last. On that date they left this city
with more than half a million dollars in
gold bullion, in charge of Bob Griffis, the
veteran mushcr. The venture attracted
nation-wide notice, and has been the sub
ject of many newspaper articles, and per
haps not a little anxiety on the part of
those interested in the valuable shipment.
Bob Griffis accompanied Haley and Beattie
on the homeward journey as far as Tokotna,
where he awaits the arrivcl of the Ruby
Tokotna mail carrier, when he will continue
his journey to Fort Gibbon.
The three men and their valuable freight
encountered severe weather from the out
set, and were more than a month in mak
ing the journey to Seward, being delayed
on account of storms on more than one oc
casion. The boys tell some rather amusing
stories of their experience, one of which re
lates to the jealous eye which Bob Griffis
kept on the bullion when they came in sight
of their destination. Throughout the wild
country of the upper Kuskokwim and the
mountain regions, they say, no especial care
was taken of the bullion, as there was, of
course, no need to do so. At the road
houses it was handled just as ordinary
freight would have been. But once in sight
of Seward, the vigilance of Bob asserted
itself, and he never lost sight of the precious
stuff until it was safely on board the North
western bound for Seattle. Indeed, in spite
of the fact that his responsibility for it
ended when he turned it over to the ex
press company, he persisted in sitting up all
night at the door of the vault where it was
deposited, armed with a shotgun. And he
had the satisfaction of knowing that he had
been faithful to the trust imposed on him.
Conditions at Anchorage
Haley and Beattie report that the town
of Anchorage is experiencing a slump in
business, owing to cessation of work on the
government railway. One thing that par
ticularly attracted their notice there was
the extremely large percentage of foreigners
among the railroad laborers. They say that
the Alaska engineering commission, which
is responsible for conditions at Anchorage, is
generally condemned by the citizens of both
Anchorage and Seward. They complain bit
terly of the apparent discrimination in favor
of the foreigners displayed by the commis
sion, and of the low wages prevalent in con
nection with the work. Most of the men
employed are said to have been imported
by the contractors from Canada, where they
were engaged in the construction of the
Grand Trunk railway, recently completed.
Anchorage and the railroad work offer no
inducements to men used to conditions in
Interior Alaska, according to Haley and
Beattie
CANNOT TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF COMPANY’S DISABILITY
GROWING OUT OF THE WAR
BOSTON, Feb. 4.—Four suits instituted
by the Guaranty Trust Company and the
National City Bank against the North Ger
man Lloyd Steamship Company, to recover
$2,000,000 damages alleged to have been
caused by the failure of the steamship Kron
Princess Cecilie to complete her voyage be
fore the outbreak of the war, have been
dismissed.
—-♦
MARRIAGE BELLS RING
FOR MAX SIMEL’S DAUGHTER
OPHIR, Feb. 3.—United States Commis
sioner H. Vinal, at his home in this city on
last Monday night, united in marriage Miss
Bessie Simel and N. E. Cramer. The cere
mony was private, but the festivities in
connection with the celebration of the happy
event were participated in by practically
the entire population of Ophir.
The bride is a daughter of Max Simel,
the well-known trader of Cripple City, and
the groom, a relative of the bride’s step
mother who came from the Outside last
summer, is an optician by profession. The
bridal couple came from Cripple by dog
team, and were unattended. They will
make their home at Cripple City for the
present, where Mr. Cramer is employed by
the bride's father.
The bridegroom became acquainted with
one of the customs of the country on the
day following the ceremony which resulted
in the departure of the bridal couple being
delayed for a day and incidentally being the
cause of a delightful supper party. On
Tuesday morning Mr. Cramer made prep
arations for his departure with his bride
for home, but his dog harness was missing.
Diligent search elicited the information that
if he would repair to a near-by refreshment
parlor and “set ’em up” to the boys he
might learn the whereabouts of the har
ness. The bridegroom took the joke in good
part and “came through." So much good
fellowship was displayed that he decided
to postpone the homeward trip until the
morrow, and made arrangements for an ele
gant supper which was served to a large
gathering on Tuesday evening. The wed
ding supper was prepared by Mrs. O’Donnell,
and was a credit to her culinary skill. A
thoroughly enjoyable evening was spent.
Among the large number of guests present
in addition to the bride and bridegroom,
were noted Dr. Greene of Takotna, Jim
Haley and J. Earnest Beattie of Iditarod,
Bob Evans, John Baker, Tom Price, T. W.
Paulson, Nels Johnson, John Vogtor, Clyde
Coleman, Bobbie Gierke and Mrs. O’Donnell.
Mr. and Mrs. Cramer left for home on
Wednesday morning.
-♦
ALLIED TROOPS IN GREECE
AT REQUEST OF GREEKS
LONDON, Jan. 13.—“Are you aware,”
Sir Arthur Margham asked Foreign Sec
retary Grey in the house of commons,
“that the neutral press has stated repeat
edly that the allies, by sending troops
through Greece, violated Greek neutrality
in the same way in which Germany vio
lated Belgian neutrality, and will the gov
ernment take steps to make it known in
neutral countries that Greece requested
the allies to send troops?”
Lord Robert Cecil, parliamentary under
secretary for foreign affairs, replied for the
forpign secretary, saying:
“I am aware that such statements have
been made, but they have been adequately
ridiculed and contradicted.”
The recent statement of King Constan
ine of Greece to the Associated Press that
the landing of allied troops in Greece was
without bis assent was quoted in the house
of commons Lord Robert Cecil was in
vited to reconcile it with Lord Lans
downe's statement that, it was at the in
stance of the Greek premier that Great
Britain sent troops for Serbia by way of
Saloniki.
Lord Robert confirmed Lord Lans
downe’s statement as “perfectly accurate,”
but declined to discuss the relations be
tween the king of Greece and his minis
ter. as that, he said, was a purely domestic
affair.
—,-*
EX-PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
MAKES SENSATIONAL SPEECH
NEW YORK, Feb. 1.—Ex-President
Roosevelt delivered a speech in Brooklyn
last night in which tie flayed the adminis
tration “preparedness'" program as inade
quate, and accused President Wilson of
refusing to uphold the right for fear of
offending the German-American voters.
His remarks had particular reference to
German treatment of Belgium, whose neu
trality was violated, he claimed, without
protest from President Wilson, and the
conduct of the submarine warfare. “We
should hold Germany responsible for every
munitions plant destroyed in this coun
try’,” said the ex-president.
EFFORT BEING MADE
TO HEAD OFF CONSCRIPTION
LONDON, Jan. 29.—A proclamation has
been posted throughout the country calling
to the colors eight more groups of men
who had been attested for military service
under the recruiting plan of Lord Derby.
The ages of those called range from 27
to 35.
-4
RUSSIAN PREMIER RESIGNS
LONDON, Feb. 4.—M. Goremykin, the
Russian premier, has resigned on account of
ill health. M. Sturmer has been appointed
by the czar as his successor.
-4
STEAMSHIP MISSING
LONDON, Feb. 4.—The Amercian steam
ship Orleanian, which sailed from New York
for Malta on December 23, has not since
been heard from. The underwriters have
abandoned hope for her safety.
IMPORTANT MEASURES
! CONSIDERED BT CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.—The urgent deficiency
, bill, carrying among other items the $2,000,000 ap
j propriation for the continuance of work on the
Alaska government railway, has been passed by the
senate, after being amended by the addition of items
aggregating nearly a million dollars. The bill is ex
pected to pass the house as amended by the senate.
The new special bill whose object is the creation
of a merchant marine has been made public by
Chairman Alexander of the house shipping commit
tee. It is his intention to introduce the measure on
, Monday next. There is a marked difference be
i tween Chairman Alexander’s bill and that proposed
' by the administration, in that it contains a modifica
tion of the government operation plan and a broad
ening of the powers of the proposed shipping board.
Independence for the Philippines
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.—The senate today passed
the bill granting independence to the Philippine
islands. The vote on its passage was a tie, and Vice
President Marshall cast the deciding vote. The in
dependence of the Filipinos is made possible under
ihe terms of the bill in from two to four years.
To Aid in Emancipation of Children
The Keating bill, prohibiting the shipment in in
terstate commerce of goods manufactured in whole
o: in part by children under 16 years of age, passed
the house today.
To Purchase Lower California
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.—Representative Britton
has introduced a bill authorizing the President to
enter into negotiations with the de facto Mexican
government for the purchase of Lower California.
--«
TROUBLES ON BORDER UNABATED
EL PASO, lexas, Feb. 2.—J. D. White, United
States customs inspector here, on Friday last shot
and killed a Mexican. The shooting was said to have
been done in self-defense. On Monday White was
indicted by the grand jury and is held to answer a
murder charge.
George Carrothers, special agent of the state de
partment, has been recalled to Washington.
Typical Mexican Incident
JUAREZ, Mexico, Feb. 2.—General Ornellas,
military commander here until he fled to El Paso
to escape the death sentence imposed on him by
Villa, has been taken from a train by an armed squad
and shot.
ZEPPELIN RAIDERS CONTINUE HEROIC WORK
LONDON, Feb. 3.—Six towns located on the
eastern, northern and midland coasts of England
were visited by Zeppelins on Monday night, and ac
cording to official announcement fifty-four persons
were killed and sixty-seven injured. Six Zeppelins
participated in the raid, and more than two hundred
bombs were used.
Paris Also Suffers
PARIS, Feb. 1.—Zeppelins visited this city on
Sunday night. Twenty-four persons were killed and
many wounded. Fog prevented any defense being
made against the raiders. The city is in a panic and
another raid is expected.
UNUSUALLY SEVERE SNOWSTORM AT SEATTLE
SEATTLE, Feb. 4.—A snowstorm lasting sixty
hours has completely stopped traffic here. The only
telegraphic service in operation east is through Van
couver, B. C. St. James’ cathedral has collapsed un
der the weight of snow, and many other structures
have been damaged, including several vacant build
ings. Hundreds of men have been working all night
clearing the snow from roofs.
MORGAN’S DEPARTURE*STARTS LOAN RUMORS
NEW YORK, Feb. 4.—J. P. Morgan, the financier,
sailed today on the steamship Rotterdam for Eng
land. He was accompanied by Benjamin Strong,
governor of the New York federal reserve bank. It
is reported that the object of their visit to Europe is
to talk over a plan for another war loan to the en
tente allies. Rumor has it that the amount desired
is $250,000,000.
_-A._
ENTRANCE TO BALTIC IS STREWN WITH MINES
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.—The British have sown
mines so thickly at the entrance to the Baltic sea as
to make it impassable except to vessels guided by
official pilots of the admiralty. United States Con
sul Skinner has been notified of the distance to the
new mine field.
HEIR TO SHAKY THRONE ENDS HIS TROUBLES
LONDON, Feb. 4.—Yussef Izzedin, heir apparent
to the Turkish throne, has committed suicide at his
palace by cutting the arteries in his wrist, He had
been in ill health for feme time,