THE iDETAROD PIONEER
Published Every Saturday Morning at tditarod, Alaska
Vol. 8 CHARLES A. DERRY, Editor No. 22
ARBUCKLE & DERRY, Publishers
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FOR BETTERMENT OF MAIL SERVICE
Whenever it has been thought necessary by resi
dents of this section of Alaska to call the attention of
those in authority to the defects in the mail service
they have met with responses calling attention to the
difficulties of transportation and the high cost of even
existing service; and no encouragement has been
given to hope that the service will be improved. The
people of Alaska are far better acquainted with the
conditions existing here than the postal authorities
appear to be. Therefore it is not unreasonable to
believe that a discussion of the subject might be use
ful if the postoffice department desires to get value
received for the money expended and to furnish the
citizens of this territory with the best possible mail
ser . ice. The fact that during the term of the winter j
mail service, from November 1 to April 30, only a,
sri ill portion of mail addressed to this point is re
ceived; that our citizens pay out annually for maga
zines, newspapers and other publications many hun-j
dreds of dollars for which no return is made to them
because of the inadequacy of the mail service; and
the further fact that during three months in the year
(two in the fall and one in spring), absolutely no
mail of any description is received at the local offices,
shall be our warrant for offering suggestions looking
to the improvement of conditions which have become
well-nigh intolerable.
The winter mail contract over the Seward-Iditarod
route will expire next June. When a new contract is
awarded it should be the aim of the postal authorities
to take advantage of the experience of the past three
years to guard against the defects and deficiencies in i
the present service. The present mail contract pro- j
vides for 400 pounds of mail to supplv the whole j
of the route from Susitna to Iditarod. This includes j
the Kuskokwim, Innoko and Iditarod valleys. In the
distribution of this mail to the different offices there ■
appears to be some sort of rule in vogue not consist-!
ent with the regulations of the department, and which :
apparently wrorks a discrimination against the patrons
of the local office. For instance, the postal regula- |
tions provide that—
All mails for Alaska are dispatched from Seattle, Y\ ash.
During the season of navigation all classes of mail are dis- i
patched. During the winter season (from about October 1 to
June II, on account of the difficulty of transportation, the |
dispatch of mail for Alaska, except for offices on the southern
coast, is limited, preference being given first, to letters in their
tisuil and ordinary form and postal cards; second, to single
newspapers and magazines addressed to public libraries, news
paper publishers and to individuals. Books, catalogues, news
papers and periodicals sent to dealers for purpose of trade or
otherwise, and merchandise (parcel post matter I, connoi be
forwarded to Interior offices during the winter season. But.
as an exception to the foregoing, when the weight limit of mail
for dispatch will permit, packages of seeds, not excelling one
pound per package, and articles or merchandise, nut exceeding
a few ounces each, as the proper officers of the service ha-v®
reason to believe contain articles of urgent necessity, such as
eyeglasses, medicines, etc., for individual use. but not intended
primarily for trade, may be inclosed in the mails for dispatch.
No one will seriously contend that these regula
tions have been observed; in fact, violations without
number may be cited. Also it will be generally
agreed that their enforcement would do much to miti
gate the annoyances of the service.
Postmaster Ansiey recently called the attention of
the department to the impossibility of the final con
signments of the winter service being brought
through on time, owing to the breaking up of the
trails, and recommending that first-class matter only ;
be dispatched in the last three consignments. The
fact that mail dispatched from Seward during the
second week of April has not yet reached here con- J
firms the wisdom of the suggestion. The small con
signments of first-class mail could have been carried
when it was impossible to transport the heavier mails, j
Lnder the system in vogue the last three trail mails j
might as well have been dispatched via Skagw'av and
the Vukon, and would have arrived just as early. If
first-class mail only had been dispatched from Sew-1
ard, commencing with April I, it is believed the!
mails could have been gotten through on time and
mail communication would not have been broken.
In the light of the experience of the past three
years of the Seward-Iditarod mail service, we wish
to suggest that the new contract shall provide for
not less than the present weight limit in the earlier
part of the season, when the trails are not yet set
tled; that the limit be increased to at least 600
pounds between Susitna and Iditarod, commencing
with December 1 ; and that the last mails consist
only of first-class matter. In connection with the
above suggestions, observance by those responsible
for making up the mail consignments of the rules
established by the department for their guidance
would help materially in allaying the dissatisfaction
with the service as dispensed during the past winter.
If possible the existing contract should be amended
to incorporate the above suggestions covering the
remaining period of its life.
YOUTHFUL IDEALS
A story is going the rounds of the press which
aptly illustrates the idealism which pervades right
minded and normal youth. It is to the effect that
the “Round Table Boys,” members of the graduate
school at Harvard, got together recently and agreed
on the “girl that’s worth while” as follows:
She is attractive, graceful and healthy, but not necessarily
pretty. She can dress tastefully and entertain anyone and
make him feel at ease. She cm make bread as well as fudge
and cake as well as a rarebit. She is appreciative of the dance
and of the sports. She is broad-minded, sympathetic, tactful,
unselfish, optimistic, thiitty, of good disposition and mod
erate in all things. She can stand reverses without worry.
She is gentle to children and kind to older people, especially
her parents. She has a broad education, but not necessarily
a college one. She is modest and true and home-loving.
She has good social standing, is of a religion-; nature, and is
not too proud to pray.
It is safe to say that each of these youths thor
oughly believes that he has outlined the only girl
that would appeal to him as a life partner. Likewise
it will be found that when “the” girl appears he will
just naturally take it for granted that she is endowed
with all his preconceived attributes, and more.
Adolescence is not a period for critical analysis, and
feminine youth and beauty, and dimples and laugh
ter, are irrefutable arguments. These Harvard boys
no doubt will be found to be just as susceptible to
feminine charms as were their fathers before them,
in spite of their solemn decree. But youthful ideal
ism is a healthy sign.
--—
EXCEEDED THEIR AUTHORITY
(Valdez Prospectori
So far as we understand the duties of the members of the ter
ritorial assembly, they consist of making laws for the benefit, if
they know how. of the territory of Alaska. This is what they
were elected for, and for no other purpose. The adoption of a
resolution indorsing the reappointment of Governor Strong is
entirely outside their province, and in so doing they have stepped
a long way outside of their jurisdiction. When the people of
Alaska wish the members of the legislature to select their gov
ernor, surveyor general or other official they will undoubtedly in
dicate to these gentlemen their desire in terms unmistakable. Until
that time the legislature, as a body, should keep their hands off
and confine themselves strictly to the duties for which they were ;
elected. They will have all they can do to accomplish this. Such I
indorsement as each may individually give Governor Strong nr
any other official is wholly within their rights, but when as a
body they indorse a candidate without the express permission of
the people of the territory they are going too far. The people
are fairly competent to <!■• thdr own indorsing, and the action of
the legislature is inexcusable unless the members take it for
granted that incompetence has been shown in the election of the ;
members of the legislature.
The statement given to the press last week, to the effect that ,
the brunt of the war must be borne by the Unite:! States, should j
give a sense of responsibility to every American citizen. This is.
no time for Turing chimeric:’! economical problems to the front, j
True patriotism dictate., that the external troubles of the nation
ihall first be disposed of. There will then be time to consider do
mestic problems with calmness and deliberation. The United
States cannot afford to fall into the. error committed by Russia,
and Socialists a- well ns others must realize that the nation's
safety demands first of all united action. Domestic disturbances j
at this time will not be viewed with patience.
-—«
It was to be expected that American ingenuity and resourceful
ness would evolve a weapon to combat the submarine, and the j
announcements from New York and Washington to the effect that j
successful inventions along this line are being utilized will not j
come as a surprise. American invention made the navies of the j
world obsolete a half century ago, and it is not unlikely that a j
similar revolution in naval warfare affecting the submarine is due. !
-❖
I
Delegate Sulser is on hand with a proposition to bring a dele- l
gation of congressmen to Alaska to learn its needs for themselves. |
Ir is a good idea. But the pity of it is that their itinerray will
not be expected to include a visit to the Interior, away from the
beaten paths. A visit to Iditarod at a time when the district has
been without mail of any description for more than a month
would be an eve-onener for the Solons.
‘-♦
The German Socialists are as'ntuch opposed to warfare as are
their American brethren. But they obeyed the laws of their coun
try when drafted for (he army. In resisting the conscription act
American Socialists are aiding Germany's cause against the United
Slates, which will be neither wise nor profitable.
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pacs
Ball Band Rubber Boots and Pars
Ball Band Rubber Shoes, eight-inch Top,
with and without heel, a// sizes,
while they last...
$3.25 Pair
*“0 !
> i
D
GO |
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
N. C. Co. Sole Agents for Alaska
TO A MOSQUITO
Pair insect, that, with thread-like legs
spread out,
And blood-extracting bill, and filmy wing.
Dost murmur, as thou slowly sail'st about,
In pitiless ears, full many a plaintive
thing.
And tell’st how little our large veins should
bleed,
Would wo but yield them freely in thy
need;
1 call thee stranger, for the town. I ween.
Has not the honor of so proud a birth;
Thou rom’st from Jersey meadows, broad
and green.
The offspring of the gods, though born
on earth.
At length thy pinions fluttered In Broad
way —
Ah, there were fairy steps, and white
necks kissed
By wanton airs, and eyes whoso killing ray
Shone through the snowy veils like stars
through mist!
And. fresh as morn, on many a cheek and
chin,
Bloomed the bright blood through the
transparent skin.
O, these were sights to touch an an
chorite!—
What, do 1 hear thy slender voice com
plain !
Thou wailest, when I talk of beauty’s light,
As if it brought the memory of pain:
Thou art a wayward being—well, come
near.
And pour thy tale of sorrow in my ear.
Wluit say’st thou. slanderer? ‘‘Rouge
niak**s thee sick,
And China bloom at best is sorry rood;
At id flow hind’s Kaiydor, if laid on thick,
Poisons the thirsty wretch that bores for
blood” ?
Co, 'Iwas a just reward that met thy
crime —
Rut shun the sacrilege another time.
<
That bloom was made to look at, not to
touch.
To worship, not approach, that radiant
white;
And v *>1 might sudden vengeance light on
such
As dared, like thee, most impiously to
bi te.
Thou stc iiUst have gazed at distance, and
admired,
Murmured thy adoration, and retired.
n,« u’rf welcome to the town; but why
come here
To bleed ,i brother poet, gaunt like thee?
Alas! tile little blood I have is dear,
And thin will !;•• the banquet drawn
I'r. in me.
Look round the pale-eyed sisters, in my
cell,
Thy old acquaintance. Song and Famine,
dwell.
Try some plump alderman; and suck the
Mood
Enriched with generous wine and costly
meat;
In well- ill led skins, soft as thy native mud.
Fix thy light pump, and raise thy
freckled feet.
Cm t'o the men for whom, in ocean’s halls.
The oyster breeds, and the green turtle
sprawls.
<
There corks are drawn, and the red vintage
Hows.
To till the swelling veins for thee; and
now
flic riidd'. cheek, and now the ruddier nose. ;
shall tempt thee as thou flittest round
the brow!
And when me hour of sleep the quiet
brings.
No angr\ .hand shall rise to brush thy
wings. William culien Bryant.
A_
MUMMY FROM ALASKA
AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Evidence in ihe hands of expert? who
have maoc a study of the mummies of the
Alaska coast indicates that the methods em
ployed are of great antiquity, some authori
ties asserting they were handed down from
an age before the Aleutian islands had metal !
implements. The fact that they used no !
preservatives like the Egyptians is pointed j
to as proof that perfect mummification has ,
been the result more of accident than the j
kill of the physician of earlier times. The j
greater part of those found had neither '
weapons nor utensils buried with them.
Alaska has ever been looked upon as a
land of romance, where fortunes in placer |
mid could be found in the creek beds, and ;
a nun's Life ‘'hung by a hair.” But with the
discovery of Alaska mummies it has taken \
its place beside Egypt a.s a land of interest :
to the ethnologist. An Alaskan mummy i
a; dry and brown as any which have been ]
swathed m the l'-nen of Egypt.
The museum of the University of Wash
ington. at Seattle, contains a mummy that j
was evidently otic of the three once on
display in a saloon at Ellamar, a new min- ]
ing town oil Prince William sound. Curator
F. S. Hail nf the museum doesn't know how
it happened to get into the university mu
seum, but he think? it is one of the Ella
mar mummies which lured Professor Ed
mond S. Meany to the Aleutian islands a
few summers ago.
The first discovery ol the.Alaskan mum- i
mies was made by the Alaska Commercial
Company in 1874, on Kagamil island. Thir
teen mummies were removed from one bur
ial place, eleven of which were sent to the !
Smithsonian Institution and two to the j
California Academy of Science. Since that |
time the three on display at the Ellamar j
saloon are all that have been found.
When the ancient Aleut prepared his de- j
ceased relatives for burial the body was :
doubled up so that the chin rested between j
the knees and the arms were locked about j
the legs. The body was wrapped in furs, j
grass cloth nr other material, according to
the wealth of the family, and was laid away
in a burial box, or placed in a dry cave.
Rocks then were stacked against the body
and a board covered the mound. The
Kagamil mummies evidently were prepared
to be swung from the walls or roofs of
caves, but those examined by Professor
Meany, on Prince William sound, bore no
such evidence.
No salt or other preservative was used
in preparing the body for burial, according
to Professor Meany. On Prince William
sound the burial caves are simply overhang
ing cliffs, quite open to the effects of the
air. Professor Meany believes that the
mummies are accidental, having dried in the
nure air of that high altitude.
This method of burial was used in the
Stone Age of the Aleuts, as no sign of
metal was found in any of the graves.
The boards which covered the graves are
apparently made of spruce, one side of
which was cleaved and the other showing
rough marks of the stone adz. These
facts, together with the absence of beads
or other signs of white men, lead Professor
Meany to believe that these mummies were
buried by the Aleuts before they had been
visited by white men, according to the say
ings of the older Aleuts, about 1720 or 1730;
so they must have lain undisturbed for
from 144 to 154 years. The collection in
the university museum, aside from the
mummy, includes a grave board, a dugout
canoe some twelve feet long, a scattering
collection of beads and ornaments, and a
few skulls.
Professor Meany visited another grave on
the southwest side of Glacier island, front
ing cn Columbia glacier. The body found
there had become a skeleton, but it had
been doubled up and prepared similarly to
the others. Around the forehead was a
strip of buckskin, from which dangled a
few strands of Hurson Bay beads of black,
blue and white glass. This, according to
Profeasor Meany, is an indication that this
mode of burial was continued into the time
when the whites had come.
In examining the grave on Glacier island
Professor Meany was careful to replace
everything as he had found it, only taking
a few beads and the board as souvenirs.
Vo sooner had he left the grave than a
native canoe shot around the bend and
me alongside. Nils Anderson, Professor
leany’s guide, understood the native Aleu
m language enough to know that the
two natives in the canoe were hungry. The
guide took out a loaf of bread and cut them
;wo motherly sandwiches. After they had
‘aken a few bites their eyes began to look
over the canoe in which Professor Meany
and his guides were riding. The natives
-aw the mouldy boards lying in the front
end of the canoe, recognized it, seized their
paddles and were off like an arrow. They
apparently thought tlip canoe and its oc
cupants were bewitched.
The natives do not seem to mind any
tampering with the graves of those buried
before the Russians came and taught the
natives religion, as the Russians created
ihe impression that all who did nol believe
as they did were outcasts. Those buried I
in the Russian faith ere held sacred.--Seat-!
tie Times.
▼
GHOST OF HANGED MAN
KEEPS WOMAN WRITER
FROM RETURNING NORTH
Dread of a hanged man’s ghost prevents
Mrs. Mary E. Hart. Alaska’s leading woman
citizen, from ever returning to Nome, says
a San Francisco newspaper, which tells her
story as follows:
She is a big, capable, masterful sour
dough, who has homesteaded, mined, broke
trail and mushed in the wildest parts of
Alaska for fifteen years. Three times she
has represented the North at world’s ex
positions, and is a notable clubwoman and
author.
“Until now 1 have always beet afraii
to tell why I can never go back to Nome,”
she began. “People today can't credit ex
periences such as I am about to relate.
“It grew out of my unwilling part in the
first legal execution in the territory, the
hanging of Fred Hardy, a youth convicted
of murdering three prospectors at Dutch
Flat.
“I was then reporting for a Nome paper,
and had been assigned to cover the execu
tion and try for a confession from Hardy,
although he steadily maintained his inno
cence.
“Having won hi? confidence, and all hope
for reprieve having gone, I believed Hardy
would admit his guilt to me at the last if
he was the murderer. Fie had but a few
hours to live when I spoke to him through
the bars of his cel! in the old Nome ice
house.
“ ‘Mrs. Hart.’ he said, ‘do you believe in i
life after death'' Do you think the dead,
can make themselves manifest to the liv
ing?’
“ ‘I do,’ he continued, ‘and shall return
to tell you about death and about the be
yond— if I will be welcome.'
“ ‘Yes,’ I stammered, with creeping hor
rcr; 'v.-. you’ll be welcome. Fred.' What
ri-r could I have said to a boy about to
dir-'.' i
"I was in my office writing the story of
the hanging, which I had witnessed. It was ;
quiet, and 1 was alone. And then Fred
Hardy, whom I had seen dashed into cter- j
nitv, came hack -to haunt me for many j
hideous weeks.
“I sat rigid in my chair, unable to move ■
or speak. It was ps though I were being !
choked to death—as if I were undergoing!
what that 21-year-old youth must have ex
perienced during has last -moments. I ant ;
confident I would have died but for an in- !
terruption.
“A girl we knew as ‘Sunshine’ knocked
at the door, entered, touched me on the
shoulder, shrieked ‘My Gotl! Hardy is
here!’ and fc'l to the floor, alternately faint
ing and hysterical.
‘‘She spoKe in Haruy s voice, describing
death torments—‘Sunshine,’ who had wit
nessed the hanging, speaking in Hardy’s low, !
peculiar voice! It was frightful beyond!
words.
‘‘That almost lethal paralysis left my
body at the instant ‘Sunshine’ touched my
.houlder, but from that day until I left
Nome I was haunted day and night by that
inexplicable presence.
. “I make no attempt to explain this
ghastly experience. But I shall never re
turn to Nome—because I am afraid.”
SACRED
An American larly at Stratford-on-Avon
showed even more than the usual American
fervor. She had* not recovered when she
reached the railroad station, for she re
marked to a friend when they walked on
the platform:
“To think that it was from this very
platform that the immortal bml would
depart whenever he journeyed to town.”
Sacred Heart Review.
-♦
LIM1TE DCHOICE
The Landlady--Will you take tea or
coffee ?
The Boarder—Whichever you call it. —
Chicago Herald.
--
HUMAN NATURE
“But you will at least admit that there
aer two sides to every question, and -
“I admit nothing of the kind!" inter
rupted J. Fuller Gloom. “As far as 1 am
concerned there Ls only one side and a lot
of confounded foolishness.’' .ludgp.
Tub and steam baths at all hours. Sny
der House, Mat.
Professional
Michigan, 1881 Alaska, 1910
Kentucky, 1801
George Woodruff Albrecht
COUNSELOR AND LAWYER
IDITAROD, ALA8KA
The Pioneer Attorney of Iditarod
E. AT. STANTON
Attorney at Law
Office: Corner Willow and Second St*.
Iditarod Pioneer Building
CHA5. E. TAYLOR
Attorney at Law
BANK BLOCK
First Avenue Iditarod
DR. IVIOORE
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
DR. K, E. AIJRINGER
Physician and Surgeon
Office: Flat City Hospital, Flat City
Consultation Hours in Forenoon* a*d by
Appointment
FLAT DRUG STORE
FINE WATCH REPAIRING
NUGGET JEWELRY TO ORDER
J. L. SALE, Flat City
Best of Everything
ALL THE TIME AT THE
Arcade Cafe
FLAT CITY
Open Ddv and Night
DJ W* ar>d small, printed oa
L paper, cardboard or cloth,
on short notice, at Idltarod Pioneer ofllev
OPEN DAY APm NIGHT '
DISCOVERY
CAFE
FLAT CITY HOHBACK & DURAND
Bet. the Grand and Bagoy'i Bari
THE BEST ALL THE TIME
WE ARE HERE TO STAY
Big StoGks of Fresh Goods
Everything for the Miner and
Prospector
MAX SIMEL
Stores at Cripple City and Mouth of Tolstoi
FINNEGAN & CAMERON
FLAT CITY
Agency for Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs and Records
TOBACCO CIGARS STATIONERY
CONFECTIONERY AND BILLIARDS
C. R. Cameron Jas. F. Finnegan
THOS. McMAHON
DEALER IN
FLAT, ALASKA