IDSTAROD, ALASKA
Capita!, $50,000.00
General Banking Business Transacted Gold Dust Bought and Assayed
Drafts issued on Any Part of the World
SEATTLE CORRESPONDENT. SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN BANK
OFFICERS:
CHARLES ROSS, President
JOHN HOLMES, Vice President
R. C. BUTTON, Cashier
=:==IVIerchant8 Cafe- 1
Fare;
i
<i
HERBERT E. RSLEY, PROP. \
GROCERIES FOOTWEAR
Tom McSVJahon,
flat an
MINERS' OUTFITS HARDWARE
New York Hunters Have Great Sport
A band of 000 mountain sheep, probably :
one of the largest, if not actually the
largest band ever reported in the North, is .
what Harry Karstens. the Alaska guide. •
writes that he saw at the Belmont-Morgan- \
I'din hunting camp in the Mount McKinley
region. The letter came from Nenan.i, :
where it was posted by Karstens when he j
. one out September 25 with mail and to !
• aP in mail and the moving picture mu- j
t: .ne ordered from New York city. Two •
Indians accompanied him on the trip. \\:ih I
the moving picture machine was 3.000 feet
of film. Young Belmont ordered it just 1
before the party l“ft Fairbanks- in August. !
Karstens stated in his letter that the boys j
had shot two bi<’ grizzlies, besides getting J
the sheep they desired, and were more
• an pleased with the hunting. Evidently :
v e party went to the right hunting grounds. 1
iey were all in g > d health when Karstens j
ame down to Nenana. and sent out word j
that they would not leave for Fairbanks i
* before Ehristnus. The millionaire hunters !
nxe endeavoring to get film pictures of wild j
finals. j
How Wick Received Election News
A Fairbanks news item of November 4 j
says: As soon as the returns came in
from the coast lsat night and it was seen |
t : at Wickersham was carrying the First •
the Second divisions, where the hard fight .
1 sd been promised him by the Democrats, j
t\e delegate began smiling, and he knew 1
:■ Lit all was well. The Fourth division, his
home, he expect*' to carry by a large ma
jority, yet he did not quite anticipate such
a complete victory as was his. His confi
dence was strong in the coast towns from
the beginning., but it was pleasant to hear
that he had carried Ketchikan, Wrangell,
Douglas, Treadwell. Sitka. Seward rfhd last, ;
but not least. Valdez, the -.me of Bunnell. I
Juneau he lost by a few votes. At 1 o’clock,
the Valdez news came, and at that hour the
Wickersham headquarters was a ^eething
mass of humanity, about a< noisy as a
crowd on the midway at a fair, getting
ready to cut loose. However, the delegate
urged them to hold back until \ aldez was j
heard from, as he was particularly inter
ested in the outcome there. When it came.
362 for Wickersham, 263 for Bunnell and
104 for Brooks, pandemonium broke loose
and a rush was made for the doors to the
street.
g' Natives Voted in Afgonak Precinct
* The vote at Afgonak included the natives
who. by the treaty with Russia, are regarded
as having the privilege. The question
whether all Alaska natives were made citi
zens by the treaty was thrashed out some
time ago, but nothing has been concluded
about it. It is said that Delegate Wicker
sh a believes them to be citizens, or that
he did while he was on the bench. It is
al.'O stated, however, that a native woman
who marries an American citizen becomes a
citizen. In Afgonak the natives may enter
saloons like white persons.—Seward Gate
way.
George Baker to Examine Iditarod Bank
The territorial banking board, says the
.Juneau Empire of November 4, has not yet
named the bank examiner for the work of
examining the territorial banks at Fair
banks, although such appointment is now
under consideration. A. A. Gabbs of Ju
neau was appointed examiner for the First
judicial division, and has completed his
work. This division has territorial banks
at Juneau. Douglas, Petersburg and Ketchi
kan. Nathaniel Greene of Cordova was ap
pointed examiner for the Third division,
and has the territorial banks in Cordova,
\ aldez and Seward. George W. Baker was
appointed to examine the bank in Iditarod.
War Measure Affects Alaska
A dispatch from Ottawa dated November
11 stated that the Canadian government
had officially announced that the western j
portion of Broughton strait, north of Van- j
couver island, had been closed to all navi
gation for purposes of defense. Vessels be- |
tween Johnstone strait and Queen Char- j
lotte sound must take the western passage
and Blackfish sound vessels going by the
way of Kiln Point channel are in danger of
being fired on. The order obliges vessel
using the inside passage to Alaska to aban
don Broughton .-trait. The Blackfish sound
channel is perfectly feasible for navigation.
The only reason that can be assumed for
these precautions is the fear that the Ger
man .'hips now m the Pacific may make
a raid on the C anadian Pacific shores. Since |
the battle oil Chile the Pacific has no Brit
ish ships.
Suit Against Jack Dalton
Attorney J. IK Cobb has tiled suit at j
Juneau against Jack Gallon of Cordova for ;
$5,000 attorney's fee- in connection with j
the case of Dalton against the Guggenheim j
road for title to mining claims on the j
water front. j
Important Alaska Mining Suit
Marie Heim has won tier ,-ui; for a share ;
of the property staked by Jerry Wilson of ,
Nome in 1900, according to a San Fran- !
cisco dispatch. The woman grubstaked ■
\,'il. on and he located the Ophir group of
claims, on Ophir creek, in the Council City
district. The claims have produced sev
eral millions. The suit has been in the
courts for several years.
Homesteading at lliamna Lake
That many people are now taking up i
homesteads in the lUitunna district is the
information brought down by George Parks
of the land department, who arrived on the
Dirigo. The homesteads are being taken
un everywhere, on the other side of Cook
inlet, around liliamna bay and elsewhere,
Mr. Parks says. He believes that this coun
try is in for a quick awakening in that
line. When the remark was made to Mr.
Parks that these parts of Alaska will be
a great farming country within a few |
years he seemed to agree strongly with
the opinion.- reward Gateway.
Todd Freed of Shooting Charge
The grand jury at Valdez on November
21 brought in not a true bill in the ease
of A. fa. Todd, who was charged with
shooting Dean Officer at McCarthy. Offi
cer admitted that he was drunk and that
he had tried to beat up Todd, so the jury
came to the conclusion that Todd was jus
tified in shooting him in self-defense. The
result of the jury’s deliberations was well
received by ail who knew* Todd in Nome ami
elsewhere.
WIDOW HAS EIGHT SONS
IN THE GERMAN ARMY
Some interesting matters have lately been
reported concerning Jewish relations to the
German army. The army authorities have
announced that Jewish soldiers who desire
kosher food will be supplied with it. At .
Roga.-en, near Posen, East Prussia, lives a
Jewish widow, Mrs. C. Feisbusch. who has ;
eight sons in the army. She also has a
daughter who is at the front as a Red ,
Cross nurse. Quite a patriotic showing for j
one family.—San Francisco Hebrew.
The town of Rogasen. mentioned in the |
above extract, is the birthplace of our fel
low-townsman. IE Boas, who was a school
mate of Mrs. Feisbusch, and he aiso knew
all her boys now in the German army.
TOOK IT LITERALLY
(Valdez Commoner)
When we toid the voters of Valdez that
if any one of the corporation’s tools at
tempted to tell them how to vote on elec
tion day to spit in his eye we did not mean
that he or she should expectorate in his
eye literally. We only meant that he or
she should politically “spit in his eye.” One
of the colored voters on Tuesday took this
literally and attempted to douse the glim
of a city official who was endeavoring to
awe the people by his august presence and
warbling tongue at the different booths.
Fresh Olympia Oysters, for cocktails, $2
can. Iditarod Meat Co.
HALF-WAY ROADHOUSE
Twenty-two miles from Moore Creek
Twenty-eight miles from Takotna
GGOD BARN AND DOG HOUSES
Dog Salmon for Sale
SMITH &. SNOW, PROPS.
(Contributed) |
With that true Christian spirit of broth
erly love which blossoms forth every now
and then and characterizes a number of
the leaders of the social life of Flat City,
the idea was hit upon some time ago of
giving a grand Thanksgiving ball, the pro
ceeds of which were to he used in providing
a big Christmas tree and supper on Christ
mas eve absolutely free to the people of
this camp and vicinity. The dance was
given and our creek merchants, always to
the front in matters of this kind, bought
several tickets, while our nimble-footed
terpsichorean devotees purchased one or
more, as well as a number of those who do
not dance but whose sentiments were in ac
cord with the worthy undertaking. And so
it was that a neat little sum was realized
and Flat City’s first annual Christmas tree
and free Christmas dinner was launched and
an assured fact.
Situated as we arc here, away from home
ties and those dear to us; where by close
association we come to know one another
by our Christian names, what could be more
fitting and proper than to give a big free
Christmas tree and social, where the young
folks and the grown folks could all get
together in one big family reunion, so to
speak, oil the one night in the year when
our hearts are (riled with joy and glaiiness
and extend to each other the time-honored
greeting of Christmas cheer and good will.
Cordial invitations were issued to the people
of Iditarod to come over and. partake of
Flat City's hospitality, and invitations were
also extended to all those residing at a dis
tance.
While the young folks were to have their
Christmas tree, the grown folks also were
treated to an excellent program of songs
and reel rations by the children. This was
followed by a real old-fashioned Christmas
dinner, and concluded with an evening of
dancing and general sociability. But while
the "boys" could give a dance, to give a
Christmas tree, where the welfare and pleas
ure of the little ones is concerned, and to
provide and serve a home-cooked dinner
here, indeed, is a task that naturally anil
rightfully belongs to the ladies. So (lie la
dies of Otter creek. I'ppt’r Hat anil Flat
City got together, efficient committees and
.-ub-commi; tees were appointed, and those I
not actively engaged on committee work
were busy at their homes cooking and pre
paring the many good things that went to
make up the dinner.
The Order of Moose kindly donated their |
hall for the occasion, and for several days '
prior to Christmas eve it had the appear- I
auce of a ladies’ convention. Everywhere |
were the ladies, busily rearranging things, j
decorating the walls, and providing rest j
rooms for the women ar.d children.
All during the day people from distant [
creeks began to arrive in town, and Mat
City was fast assuming a genial holiday
spirit. Early m the evening and long lw- t
fore tire unpinned hour M - -e hall began
to liil, and was soon [lacked to capacity. .-V ;
number of seats had been provider, and I
with true northern gallantry hast* were re- j
served for the ladies, the parents and the
children. A temporary stage was erect-d j
and tastefully set off by curtains. At the
rear was an improvised chimney and fire
i'lace which promised later developments,
and ihc- children eyed it with curiosity. To
one side a real Christmas tree was set. with
snowy cotton, glistening tinsel, stringed pop
corn, and lighted by numbers of small can
dles. Around it lay idle after pile of neatly
wrapped Christmas gifts, big and small, for
voung and old, waiting to gladden the hearts
f the recipients. And in keeping with the
spirit of the occasion, above the stage shone
forth a large, beautiful star, emblematic of i
the Star of Bethlehem. On all sides were
the happy, glowing, smiling faces of the
children, reflected in turn by the pleasure
it gave their elders; ar.d if any there were
who up to this time failed to become im- |
bued with the Christmas spirit, they soon j
succumbed to the childish rajiture and hap
piness about them.
ins program
Promptly at 8:30 p. in. Dr. Moore opened |
the exercises by giving a brief address on j
“The Star of Bethlehem,” setting forth its j
meaning and what it stands for. The pro
gram was then adhered to as given out pre
viously in The Pioneer, and all the chil
dren, especially the little tots, acquitted
themselves most admirably, showing per
fect ease and composure as they were called
upon for their respective numbers. The
opening chorus. “Little Town of Bethle
hem,” by all the school children, was ex
ceptionally well rendered. Little Herbert
Solibakke, Viola Stranberg. Theodore Au
dette, Olga Stranberg. Doris Bagoy, Harold
Stranberg and Charles Johnson all had
their little recitations to speak, and bravely
stepped before the large audience, made
their little courtesy and acquitted them
selves with credit. Herbert Stranberg was
right at home as a “recitationist,” and Flor
ence McGiboney also did herself proud. Lit
tle Margery Kettlewell. with her clear enun
ciation and perfect composure, made quite
a hit. The vocal duet, “Cherry Blossoms,”
by Della McDowell and Arthur Stranberg,
was exceptionally good, as was also the
chorus, “Come, Play With Us,” by Esther
Stranberg and the children. The swing
seng, “Christmas Dolls,” by Margery Kettle
well, Olga Stranberg, Herbert Solibakke and I
Harold Stranberg, won the hearts of all.
Mrs. 0. Solibakke, accompanied by Mrs.
Frank Monkman on the piano, rendered :n
a soft, sweet voice and with much feeling a
beautiful Christmas solo, which was very
appropriate. The Christmas play, “Christ
mas with the Old Woman in the Shoe,”
was one of the big surprises of the evening.
A mammoth shoe had been built, repre
senting the abode of the “Old V. oman Who
Lived in a Shoe.” Della McDowell assumed
the part of the Old Woman, and all the
children who took part in the previous pro
gram were her little charges . Each one was
dressed as some little fairy or character so
familiar to us in the nursery rhymes of
childhood.
At this juncture Herbert Stranberg.
dressed as Santa Claus, stepped too closely
to one of the lighted candles on the tree,
and the flimsy material of his costume took
fire. By quick action upon the part of
those in attendance, the flames were quickly
quenched and the program proceded as
though nothing had happened.
Rounds of applause greeted each and
every number, and the entertainment
proved a rare treat to all who were fortu
nate enough to be present.
Appearance of Santa Claus
Immediately following the completion of
the program, and while the children were
all gathered around the improvised chimney,
a slight disturbance was noted. A hush fell
over the audience, anti then came Santa
Claus, impersonated by Malcolm McDon
ald, tumbling out of the fireplace, clothed
from head to foot for the part, and loaded
down with presents for the little ones. The
children were taken completely by surprise,
and gazed in open-eyed wonder. Santa
briefly addressed the young folks and had
everybody laughing at his witty remarks.
He said a German bullet tried to overtake
him, but he was too swift. The distribu
tion of the hundreds of presents was begun
immediately, in which Santa Claus was as
sisted by the committee. The children were
remembered first, and it was a pleasure to
watch their happy, smiling face- as their
arms were piled high with gifts. Santa
Claus is indeed good to his children of the
North. And the grown people came in for
their share of presents also, for there were
gifts for everybody. Considerable good
natured comment was created try the many
humorous presents passed out to local celeb
rities, supplemented by a few well chosen
remarks by Santa Claus, in order that the
audience might enjoy the timely jokes as
well, and these little pleasantries created
roars of laughter.
The Christmas Supper
Supper was then announced, the first
sitting being reserved for the ladies and
their escorts. On entering the banquet hall
one was quite carried away with the
beauty and simplicity of it all. The walls
were paneled off in landscapes and in ap
propriate places hung the pictures of George
Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Presi
dent Wilson. Long, snowy, white tables,
tastefully decorated and bounteously sup
plied with all the good things which go to
make up a Christmas dinner, awaited the
pleasure of the inner man. There were ap
petizing salads of various kinds, an abun
dance of tender roasted turkey with cran
berry sauce, inviting cold meats, crisp cel
ery stalks, delicious home made cakes and
sweet, wholesome bread “like mother used
to make." Then there was the tea anil the
coffee and the coffee was excellent, by the
way followed by fruits, nuts and raisins.
A host of committee workers, men and
women, were busily engaged in filling and
refilling the p Litters and attending to the
wants and wi.-hes of the guests. Several
sittings were required to accommodate the
crowd, and more than 350 meals were
served. Every effort was made to see that
none was overlooked. Such is the spirit of
the creek people when they set out to do
things. And our local chefs. Frank Stanley
and Marry Harms, connoisseurs in their
chosen profession, gave it as their opinion
that they never -aw a spread that could
compare with that served by the ladies of
our community, who fairly covered them
selves with glory.
The entire dinner was cooked and pro
pared by the ladies of Utter creek. I pper
Flat and Flat City. They all worked un
tiringly. unceasingly and unselfishly. in one
::i nil, united effort to set before the people
of this community a good, old-fashioned
Ckri.-tmas dinner such as might gladden
the heart of the most confirmed old bach
elor.
With becoming modesty upon the part
of those most active on the ladies’ commit
tee, and also the men’s committee, the re
quest was made that The Pioneer refrain
from mentioning the names of those on the
various committees and also those who were
instrumental in making the event the grand
success it was. The ladies at the head of
the several committees feel that each and
every one did his or her part to the best
of thrir ability, and that the credit is due
the ladies as a whole, and also those kindly,
active gentlemen who are always to the
front when committee work is to be done.
The Donee
While dinner was being served upstairs
in ‘he banquet room many willing hands
quickly removed the stage and the floor
was cleared for dancing. Messrs. Frank
Hudson. Robert Lowrie and Mead Maynard.
Flat City’s famous trio, discoursed sweet
music throughout the evening for the
dancers, and also very generously donated
their services. For those who were thirsty
'here was a plentiful supply of lemonade,
and beside i; was a large dish of taffy. Even
those who did not dance found pleasure
in watching the many couples gracefully
gliding to and fro to the measures of the
music. And so the evening passed merrily
on. young and old tripping the light fan
tastic untii 5 a. m.. when the strains of
“Home, Sweet Home’’ brought the festivi
ties to a close, and the merry-makers
•■vended their way homeward. Thus ended
perhaps one of the most enjoyable socials
r.f the year.
On behalf of the various committees, this
means is taken of publicly thanking all
those who in any way contributed toward
making the affair the splendid success it
proved to be.
Flat City Notes
The people or Flat City and vicinity will
have oeeu-ion to long remember the Christ
mas or 1914. With tiio commendable free
Christmas tree and social gotten up by
the public-spirited citizens and carrird
through to a successful issue by the ladies
of Otter creek, 1 pper Flat and Flat City,
together with the many private dinners
and other home aairs, it can easily be said
that Flat' City never had a more enjoyable
Christmas. Among the many private din
ners given were tiie following:
Miss Rose Murray entertained Mr. and
Mrs. Fred Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Shonheck, Miss Halley, Mr. Lee, Pat Kellet,
Dave Brown, Al Goslow and Harry Harms.
Mr. and Mrs. Tony Letnes entertained
Mr. and Mrs. George Mutchler, John
Mutchler, N'els Glantz. Felix Riley, Herb
Kearney. Oscar Nord. John Stallsmark, Dave
Olson and Sture Stenberg.
C. R. Peck entertained Mr. and Mrs. Ja
cobs. Ivan Wales, Sid Norris and Chester
Brink.
Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Gardner entertained
Mr. and Mrs. John Rivers, Ed Hensley and
S. w. Dickinson.
Mr. and Mrs. Crouse entertained Chris
Hansen, Charles Kuntz, Arnold deHouse,
George Kay and James Kay.
Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Austin spent the holi
days in Iditarod, the guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Cyril Wood.
Mr. and Mrs. John Rivers and Mr. and
Mrs. Loranger came over from their homes
on Wilh w creek to visit friends at Flat
and participate in the holiday festivities.
Mi-s Halley or Iditarod is visiting friends
nt Flat, the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Fred
Smith.
Miss Lillian Smith, the obliging “Cen
tral” of Iditarod. paid Flat a short visit
during the holidays.
Master Donald McDonald visited friends
on the creeks this week.
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Kettlewell were boon- j
ti fully remembered by Santa Claus this
Christmas. Mrs. Kettlewell on December
28 presented her husband with a bouncing I
baby girl. Both mother and child are do- i
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs j [ N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska .u
Regular _
RYE WHISKEY— Price Cut to g
o “Old Crow” Straight Hand-Made Sour Mash, bot- ^
ci tied in bond.Per bottle $2.50 $1.50
P-1 “Hunter” Baltimore Pure Rye, a blend of straight rye
whiskies . 2.50 1.25
t3 “Hermitage” Pure Straight Whiskey, mellowed by P»
S age .. 2.50 1.50 °
§j “Cyrus Noble” Blended Straight Whiskey, from
3 original old goods. ■ 2.50 1.50
O “Old Oscar Pepper” Hand-Made Sour Mash, bot- *7
ZZ tied in bond, full quarts 2.50 1.50 pq
BOURBON WHISKEY— ZT
u “Cedar Brook" (formerly W. H. McBrayer) Hand- IB
Made Sour Mash Whiskey. 2.50 1.25
3 "Cyrus Noble” Old Private Stock, very, very old.
2 Guaranteed to be a blend of pure, aged, natural W
pq straight whiskies 3.50 2.CO x
"Old Crow," bottled in bond 2,u0 1.50 ^
. "Jesse Moore AA”. 2.50 1.50
C SCOTCH WHISKEY— w
ri “Black and White,” specially selected for the House £
PQ __of Commons . 3.00 1.50 PX
“Strathmiil” Pure Malt Scotch V/hiskey.3.00 1.50
_ Do not buy ordinary dried dog salmon “Dewar's Extra Special,” termed “the best product _
3 when you can get first-class Dried Silver of Scot|an(j” . 4.00 2.25
pp Salmon at 9c per pound. “Usher’s Black Label” Grand Old Highland V/hiskey 4.00 2.50 C
-— Wilson Whiskey, a mild blend of straight goods. 2.50 1.25
| Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
ing well, and as for John, he is still busy j
Mining cigars for the boys. Mr. and Mrs. j
k. 111 e we II now have three little girls, and i
pupa Keith-well says he is thinking sen- '
on sly or starting a girls’ basketball team.
During I he holiday.-' Dus DliristolT, the
genial Flat city tonsorial artist, had a list
of names as long as a Dermau army con- ;
seription list awaiting the call, “.Next."
Smiling Samuel Applebauin made bis
usual week-end trip to Flat during the
holidays.
Considerable anxiety is felt in the com
munity over the non-appearance of Tom
Killae, Who left here early last March alone
on a prospecting trip to Canyon creek, ao
word has since been obtained from him,
and he is considerably overdue, having
planned to he back here long before the
Holidays. A! Walsh and others are think- ,
ing of outlining a searching party and :
with the Indians who last saw him, on- j
,i< avor to locate Inm if possible or to ob
tain some trace of Ins wnereaboiits.
billy Sowerby left for the outside last
Tuesday to spend the winter and visit his
home in anconver.
Ilarrv Harms left for Candle creek last 1
Tuesday to put in a couple or months j
prospecting a lay lie has there.
Tlie order of Moose announces another
of its popular dances. to he given on Wash
ington's birthday, February *J2. A social
and musical is also announced ror January
DM The regular weekly meetings of the
Moose lodge, which has grown wry rapidly
nf late, have become decidedly popular,
and every meeting is well attended. AfP-r
the regular hu>incss meeting an impromptu
program anil smoker is always held, and
Mew have proved particularly enjoyable.
\ oreat measure of this i< due to tile oili
er:- at the Mead of the organization, ably
,)«.-jsted by members of the entertainment
committee. , t .
\le\ Cornwell was taken to the hospital
a tvw days ago. suiVering from a 'light at
tack 1 f appendicitis. It is expected that
hr will be out again shortly. Jimmy Val
entine. also at the hospital, is progressing
slowly.
The unsatisfactory condition of the mad
service in the Iditarod, Innoko and Kus
kckwim districts during the past summer
and thus far this winter is one of the prin
cipal topics of conversation at present. It
is not that the mail is irregular, but in the
amount and class of matter delivered, that
the complaint arises. The present contract
rails for the delivery of 400 pounds of mail
matter weekly, and since the inception of
the service this has been done. There could
not possibly be a more regular service than
has been enjoyed since the first consign
ment arrived here during the latter part
of November. But in spite of the regularity
of the service mail has continued to accu
mulate at Seward and Takotna, and little
or no discriminations appears to have been
used in determining the matter to be for
warded. At the time the first mail left
Seward it was said there were in the neigh
borhood of two hundred sacks of mail mat
ter at that point destined for this district.
It appears that the Seward postoffice was
badly hampered by a shortage of help, and
it was to be expected that the service at
first would be somewhat unsatisfactory. But
it was hoped that by this time things would
have adjusted themselves and the service
would be running smoothly. Such is not
the case, however, and each week as the
mail arrives there is more and more com
plaint.
For one thing, it cannot be understood
why only two consignments of first-class
mail have been received here. According
to advertisements in the Seward Gateway
there are three sailings per month of ves
sels of the Pacific Alaska Company, which
operates the steamships Admiral Watson
and Admiral Evans. These vessels leave
Seattle on the 5th, 15th and 25th of each
month. The Alaska Steamship Company,
vvhitfy operates the Alameda and Mariposa,
announces sailings from the Puget Sound
city every eight days. It is not known
here whether each of these steamships car
ries mail, but it would appear reasonable *o
suppose that with at least five sailings per
month it ought to be possible to forward
first-class mail more frequently than has
been the case so far.
I he interior service
With respect to the service between In
terior Alaska points, the conditions are even
more unsatisfactory. There is a mail route
twice each month between Takotna and
Ruby, connecting with the Seward service.
Since the close of navigation, early in Oc
tober. practically but one mail had been
reefived over this route up to Thursday
of A this week, and this appar
ently was a haphazard assortment. There
is said to be a large accumulation of mail
at Takotna for the Iditarod district, for the
delivery of which no provision has been
made by the officials. Lately the citizens
of this district subscribed a sum sufficient
to defray the expenses of hauling a con
signment of this accumulated mail, but it
is hardly to be expected that this practice
could be continued. The mail from Sew
ard, being a full contract consignment each
trip, the only mail brought from Takotna
consists of but sufficient to make up the
amount left at that point for Ruby and
way points. The consequence is that mail
communication between Iditarod and Fair
banks and Yukon river points has been at
a standstill for several months. This con
dition of affairs is intolerable, and the resi
dents of this section of Alaska are beg'li
ning to impatiently inquire where the re
sponsibility rests.
Residents along the Seward trail also
have a just grievance, as indicated in the
letters of I)r. Green of Takotna to The
Pioneer. What should be a great con
venience to these people in the way of a
mail service has proved so far to be noth
ing less than an aggravation. It is inde
fensible that mail sleds should pass by
their very doors and yet not be able to ,
deliver mail to them.
It is pointed out that the people of
Alaska are as much entitled to a satisfac
tory mail service as any other section of
the country. Appropriations are made for
this service, and their wise use would pro
vide a mail delivery equal to the require
ments of the country. The machinery has
been provided; there are good mail trails
bet wen this city and the coast and between
Interior Alaska and the Iditarod country.
These should be taken advantage of, and
instead of allowing mail to accumulate at
Takotna and Seward, emergency contracts
should be immediately awarded and the mail
removed.
Complaint Wired to Randles
Postmaster Wile, in response to the in
ister.t complaints of the patrons of the
Iditarod post office, on Monday last sent
the following telegraphic message to A. II.
Randles, superintendent of the Yukon river
mail service at Tunana:
“People here indignant. One mail Yu
kon river since navigation, same being
brought from Takotna by public subscrip
tion.”
The postmaster states that if there is no
satisfactory response to this message he will
wire to Washington direct, as the situation
is inexcusable.
MORE ABOUT THE MAIL
ALONG SEWARD TRAIL
- I
Takotna, Dec. 14, 1914.
Editor Iditarod Pioneer.
Dear Sir: I have just received a letter
from Knik, written and mailed November
9—been all that time getting from Knik
here—in which they complain bitterly of
the smallness of their mail allowance, which
is only seventy-five pounds for all of Knik
and the surrounding country. And mind
you, Knik has 1.000 population now. They
cannot get any magazines or papers, as the
first-class mail takes up the allowance.
Susitna is as badly off too, for the same
reason. McGrath and Takotna get no mag
azines or papers, and no first-class mail
either, because the allowance of 400 pounds
is not enough to cover the Iditarod and way
stations regular mail from Seward. It
should be increased to 800 pounds at least.
This amount, by supplying McGrath and
Tabotna, besides Knik and Susitna. would
allow the carrier to pick up the Iditarod
mail coming here from Ruby, Fairbanks!
and other Interior points.
Cannot the people of Iditarod help us
cut in this mtater?
This mail service, with a 400-pound limit,
is “the limit.” We need reading matter in
this country in the winter time more than
in the summer, and when they have as good
a trail and make as good time as they are
now doing from Seward to Iditarod there
is no justifiable reason why we should not
all be served on the route or line. It is
exasperating to see the mail sled go past
your door every week and know the United
States could but will not send your letters
>r magazines to you Such treatment by
the postal department must be due to pure
cussedness, carelessness or dense ignorance
on the part of someone. To establish a
mail route through a country or community
and then refuse or fail to serve the citizens
along that route is a precedent or a condi
tion I neer saw in all the years 1 have
lived on the frontier in the States, and I
don't believe it is equaled anywhere else ex
cept in Alaska.
Yours truly, W. F. GREEN.
P. S. The people of Knik want to know
if we at Takotna get any mail.
W. F. G.
FOR SALE—About 12 tons of Yukon river
dog salmon, in good condition; about 50
sets of brand new Nome dog harness.
Ap; ly at Adams Rinse, First street, Tdit
PIONEER DRUG STORE
FLAT CITY
!
PHONE PAY OR NIGHT
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
FLAT CITY HOHBACK & DURAND
Bet. the Grand and Bagoy's Bars
THE BEST ALL THE TIME
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
McLean's Roadhouse
TAKOTMA
Cummings’ Old Sand
MRS. J. H. 5/lcLEAN, PROP.
BEST ACCOMMODATIONS
FOR TRAVELERS
RATES REASONABLE
Notice of Forfeiture
To John Pedersen and J. A. Carsow, their
heirs and assigns:
Notice is hereby given that the under
signed has done the annual assessment
work on No. 13 below discovery. flrU tier,
right limit bench, and also on No. 4 below
discovery, left limit, first tier bench, on
Yankee 'creek. Innoko recording precinct.
Territory of Alaska, a- provided by Swtion
2324 of * tile Revised Statutes of the United
States and the laws of Alaska. b>r the years
loin, lull, 1912 and 1913. That John
Pedersen and J. A. Carsow are co-owners in
No. 13 bdow. right limit, and .1. A. Carsow
is co-owner in No. i below, left bmit. and
each has failed to pay his proportion. That
if at the expiration of ninety '9" days
from the first publication of this notice
each of you should fail or refuse to con
tribute his proportion of said expense, y..ur
interests will become the property of the
undersigned.
bated at Takotna, Alaska, this fitn nay or
October, 19 14.
Sib PAULSON.
First publication, Oct. 31. 191 1.
Last publication. Jan. 30, 1915.
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
The Place to Meet
FLAT Cl i Y Your Friends_
_P^R£NIZEJiOMEJNDUSTRY_
FAIRBANKS BEER
DRAFT AND BOTTLE
Bottled Beer $25 Barrel, $5 Dozen, 50c Bottle, 3 Bottles $1.25
i
DISTRIBUTING AGENTS
NICELY FURNISHED ROOMS BY DAY OR WEEK
Warm, Clean Well Ventilated
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
Passage and
Baih Parlors
MEDICATED, MINERAL VAPOR, STEAM,
TUB, SALT AND FRESH WATER
Caribou St., Bet. Black and Willow Sts., on Waterfront
Electric and Faradic Massage Treatments by Expert Attendants
Lighted by Gas Heated by Steam