I
1
No Shortage
Id Our Stock
We are told some of the miners and prospectors
now outfitting are kicking. They say they can’t
get what they want. The real trouble is they
started wrong. They unfortunately got in the
wrong place.
WE HAVE GOT THE GOODS.
and lots of them too. If you want a complete
outfit COME TO US.
A. L. LEVY & CO.
Good Goods.
Medicine for the trail.
Snow glasses.
Location Notices.
P. O. DRUG STORE.,
P. E. Kerri,
Gold and Silver Smith.
Diamonds, Watches, Clocks, Jewelry, Optical
Goods, Sterling Silverware, Fine Watch Re
pairing and Nugget Jewelry a Specialty. Cut
Glass and Lamps.
SKAGWAY and VALDEZ ALASKA
City Market
NEXT TO MERCHANT’S CAFE.
PRICES ARE
RIGHT
Wholesale and
Retail Dealers
GIVE US A
CALL
Beef, Mutton, Pork
Poultry and Game.
Separate Lighthouse District.
The report of the United States
lighthouse hoard, sent to congress
by the secretary of commerce, rec
commenda the creation of a separ
ate lighthouse district in Alaska
and the establishment, preferably
at Ward cove, Tongass narrows, of
headquarters, fully equipped buoy
station, etc. The board also reo
commends the construction of a
new lighthouse tender for exclusive
service in Alaska, as the vessels now
assigned for duty in the 13th dis
trict are not only fully employed
on the Washington and Oregon
coasts, but are also unfit for Alas
kan waters. The board points out
the necessity for additional lights
and buoys along channels of com
merce, and says appropriations for
that purpose will be exhausted by
the erection of lighthouses on Guard
island, Faraway island and Point
Retreat, but the report does not
specify points for additional light
stations. _
Picks to beat the band,
Rope to bind the earth,
Brownell has on hand.
Come and test their worth!
Brownell.
Wagon Road.
A telegram was received last
week from B. F. Millard, saying
“The wagon road and other bills
will pass the Senate next week.
Even show in the house.”
The bill has received the indors
ment of the committee on territor
ies and the committee on military
affairs, and will go in under the
head of army appropriations. This
is a strong point in its favor, and
if it passes the senate, as is so con
fidently stated, there is little doubt
of its passing the house.
If the bill does pass we may
thank Judge Wickersham for his
able assistance in securing fa vor
able action upon it. There is no
doubt of the fact that his hearing
before the committee on territories
had more to do with the favorable
report of that committee than any
other influence that was brought to
bear. His statements were logical,
convincing and to the point. We
were particularly fortunate in hav
ing such an able exponent of our
needs.
Nothing would please the people
of this section more, or be more to
their advantage, than to have
Judge Wickersham at Washington
as our authorized representative.
If the delegate bill passes, this di
vision will stand as a unit for
Wickersham as delegate. There is
no man in Alaska better fitted for
the position.
The newly elected council will
organize next Monday at the town
hall. Tne first duty of the council
will be the election of a chairman,
who will be the mayor of the town.
In canvassing the matter we find
that the majority seem to l>e in
favor of S. Blum for mayor, and no
better selection could possibly be
made, either for administrative
ability or for the business interests
of the town at large.
The Wales Island Packing Co.
which operates a cannery on Wale*
island, has filed a claim for dam
ages on account of the boundary
decision, which declares the island
to be Canadian territory. Th«
amount of damages is left for lh<
government to determine.
mi nmis
BISHOP ROWS AND HIS PAR
TY
Consider This DestTrai!
i »■’ ^
To The Tanana. Shortest, Cheap
est Route Is From
Here.
On Monday last Bishop Rowe, of
the Episcopal church of Alaska,
with his companion, G. W. Chilson,
arrived in Valdez, after a 24-days
trip direct from Fairbanks, which
included a three days lav over.
The Bishop’s duties take him to
all parts of Alaska, and is almost
always on the go. F,ast spring he
was in Valdez, and in April accom
panied by his wife and son he left
for Skagway; thence over the usual
route to Dawson. From Dawson
they went down the Yukon to
Nome. From there Mrs. Rowe and
son took the steamer for California
while the Bishop went further
north to visit the mission at Point
Hoj»e. He returned to Nome in
September, and he and Chilson
took the last l*>at up the Yukon,
the Bishop going to the Tanana
mission while Chilson went to Ram
part. After waiting for the iee to
form they again united at Tanana,
and on the 18th of November they
left for Circle City stopping enroute
at Dahl river, Stephen’s camp and
Fort Yukon. Their next point
was Fairbanks, which they reached
in good time after laying over three
days at Eagle creek, which is 70
miles from Circle City. The j.mr
ney led them through various min
ing camps, at each of which mining
operations are t>eing carried on to
the fullest extent. At Mastodon,
Miller and Eagle Creeks especially
large dumps are being piled up on
each claim.
At Fairbanks, Chena and the
surrounding diggings they found a
population of about 1,500, all busy
and very enthusiastic over the ap
parent richness of their district,
where the pay dirt covers a very
large area.
The Bishop studied the situation
closely, and became so impressed
with the undoubted permanency of
the camp that he decided to erect a
church and hospital.
On February 13th the Bishop,
accompanied by Mr. Chilson and
others, left Fairbanks with a 6-dog
team and one sled, bound for
Valdez. The residents of Fair
banks, who were solicitous of the
welfare of the Bishop, protested
strongly against the undertaking,
believing it to be hazardous, not
withstanding the fact that their
mail is delivered over this same
route twice a month.
They went up the Xanana to the
Delta, then up the Delta to its
head, where they had arranged to
secure food from one of the mail
carriers. They waited three days
but the much needed food did not
arrive so they continued on and
were surprised to find that there
waB no divide to climb; instead
they tound that the 'headwaters ol
the Delta were also the headwaters
of the Gulkana. Their journey
btought them duwn the Gulkana
to Copper river, thence to Coppei
Center from which point a good
well beaten trail led to town.
The only place they ran out ol
timber was a stretch of about IS
miles between the heads of the Gul
kana and the Delta. No difficulty
or inconvenience was experienced
at any part of the journey,though
they had to break trail most of the
;
way. Although no attempt trni
made to make the trip in quick
time, the conditions were so favor
able in places that they did a* good
as 41 miles in a day, and one
stretch of 200 miles with four sum
mits to cross, they made in 37
hours of traveling.
The Bishop, who has traveled1
over so many routes in his journeys
through the country, is loud in his
praises of this trail to the Tunnna.j
Either dogs or horses can be used
at any time in the year. Now that
he is familiar with the route he is
positive that he could make the
trip in 18 days or less.
The Bishop will remain here for
a short time and then goes to
southeastern Alaska.
CAP. GEIGER RETURNS
*
From Tanana With Glowing Ac
counts of That Camp.
What is probably the most im-1
porant and authentic information
of the season regarding the Tanana
diggings is that brought in by Cap
tain Geiger who arrived here Mon
day in company with Bishop Rowe.
It’s importance lies in the fact that
he has this winter made the round
trip between here and Fairbanks
and pr nounces the route easy to
travel and the quickest way to the
Tanana camp at any season.
Mr. Geiger left here November 29
and followed the mail trail to Fair
banks, 'reaching that place January
3d Since that time he has been
prospecting the various creeks and
tiie results were amazing. He
found gold everywhere and in large
quantities. The pay dirt extends
over a large area and the gold is
evenly distributed down to bedrock.
There is also plenty of good coal in
the vicinity of Fairbanks, suitable
for all purposes.
nn me claims mere are many
men getting out (lumps for the
spring sluicing, while quite a num
ber are rocking. The latter is be
ing done under difficulties owing to
the cold weather. Large returns
are secured for the labor expend
ed. The Captain cites a case of a
man who paid #11,UU0 for a claim
and will, at the rate he is going. Li
able to rock out enough to pay for
the claim before the spring clean
up. One man rocked out $1)2 in
four hours. On Fairbanks creek
one man rocked out 1410 in 10
hours. On the launches on Cleary
creek 25 cent pans are common,
without a bit of waste dirt to han
dle.
Captain (ieiger secured a lay on
a claim which averages about six
cents to the pan. He came to Val
dez to get his family and some ne
cessary machinery, and will return
as soon as possible. He i6 em
phatic in the statement that the
Tanana will prove the greatest
mining camp in the world.
He describes the country as low
and rolling, over which horses and
wagons could be ruu in any direc
tion. The people all over that sec
tion are looking anxiously forward
to the building of a wagon road
from Valdez, which they would use
extensively and which would he a
great factor in the development of
the country.
The Captain, who is well known
as a thoroughly practical man in
road or bridge building, states that
the building of a road between here
and the Yukon is a very simple
proposition and could In; accom
plished at comparatively small ex
pense.
Oscar Fish will do business in
the Nizina country this season, and
has sent in quite a large outfit for
the purpose. His goods are being
hauled in by Jim Ikes, John Bence
and M. F. Denison. They are well
| along on the trail and f)scar will
i leave to-morrow to join them.
PARTY GOING TO THE INTER*
IOR TO WORK
(liinBStiodi Last Tear
Rich Placer Ground Will Be
Opened Up By Dickey
and Party.
Geo. Dickey, Harry Cookerill,
Ray Millard, Norman Merchant
and Turner left this week for
Kaina, where a placer strike was
made by Dickey, Coekerili and
others last summer.
The Kaina is a tributary of the
Chittvna, and the strike was made
at the forks of the stream aliove the
canyon. The two main forks wore
named White and Black creeks.
A 600-foot ditch was dug last sea
son by the discoverers, but it was
washed out by high water liefore it
could be used. Later in the season
a sluice box was put in and a little
sluicing done, and the results were
so encouraging that James Oliver,
one of the discoverers, remained on
the creek all winter. The remain
der of the party came to town,
bringing with them some of the
gold,which is all coarse and bright.
The party located 55 claims.
There is a good fall to the creeks
and plenty of water. It is the in
tention of the party to work the
creek on a large scale, and this fall
will see another stream added to
the list of gold producers.
* J" rank Remington, a partner of
the man who remained on the
creek this winter and T. I’. Roc Il
ford have already started for Kaina,
and Jim Munker and Jack McGee
are also on the war in.
___
APPEAL BONANZA CASE
Chittyna Company Will Appeal
The Case Against Alaska
Copper Co.
A telegraph dispatch was receiv
ed yesterday by O. I*. Hubbard,
the Alaska representative of the
Chittyna Exploration Co., from A.
T. Burleigh, of New York, instruct
ing the former to make all neces
sary preparations at this end for
an appeal from the decision render
ed last November by Judge Wick
ersham, in the case of Chittyna Ex
ploration Co. vs. Alaska Copper Co.
in which title to the Bonanza cop
per property on the Chittyna river
is involved.
The appeal necessitates the copy
ing of all the records in the case,
amounting to about 10,000 folios.
The records are on file in the Dis
trict Court here at Valdez, and the
copying when completed will be
certified to by the acting clerk, Mr.
Henderson.
Row* Favors Road.
Bishop Rowe strongly urges the
necessity of constructing a wagon
road from Valdez to Eagle, and
believes that it should be begun at
once. It would afford an opportu
nity for the landing of supplies at
at any point in the interior, and
enable the miners to work their
claims all the year, whereas now
they can only tnke in sufficient
food to last for the summer season.
It would also afford communica
tion between the coast and the in
terior points that would be largely
taken advantage of for many pur
poses such as tho hauling in of
hydraulic machinery, farming tools
and many othor necessary articles
that would tend toward the rapid
development of the country.
Well seasoned Pork Sausage 20c
lb at Valdez Market.