SEWARD:—The Gateway to the Land of Opportunity—The Hunters* Paradise The Homesteaders Land of Promise
____ The Gateway
The Gateway to the
to the Kenai, Knik, Broad Pass
Great Coal Fields of Gold Fields
Matanuska -- “
____ " ~ .,T«n*v LARGEST ALASKAN CIRCULATION
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SEWARD THE GATEWAY TO ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER . _ - - - - - -
Vol. 9. No. 56 ____ ' ' _ _ —— ■ , , .. :—T"-- 1
MATANUSKA COA!
DANIELS ANNOUNCES TEST PROVES IT PERFECT
GOETHALS ASKS
FOR WARSHIPS
WANTS DESTROYERS IN CANAL
ZONE TO INSIST ON
NEUTRALITY.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 14.—Governor
Goethals has reiterated his request
for the dispatch of two torpedo boat
destroyers to the waters of the canal
lone for the enforcement of the neu
trality laws of the United States, lhe
governor states that he wishes to pre
vent the violation of neutrality
through the misuse of wireless sta
tions and the taking on of supplies by
vessels Delonging to belligerent pow
ers within the three mile limit. There
is no intimation given as to what
power is supposed to be violating the
neutrality laws but the request of the
governor is being considered and more
information as to the acts complained
of is being sought.
WM. SAUERS TALKS OF
PORTAGE BAY JOKE.
Wm. Sauers, of the Seward Com
mercial Co., arrived on the Admiral
Evans. Mr. Sauers spent severa1
w eeks in Seattle and visiting his peo- j
pie in Grey’s Harbor. He feels very
much elated over the prospects of
Seward getting the Terminal of the
Government railroad.
The Admiral Evans called at Port
age Bay on its way up and passengers
had a very good opportunity to form
some opinion of that as a port. He
states that the Evans dropped anchor
300 feet from shore in 30 fathoms of
water, that docking facilities would be
very poor and that there is practically
no tovn site at all. A big glacier of
blue ice extends right into where the
town would have to be located. >
BELIEVE ALLIES BEGIN
BIG FORWARD MOVEMENT
Silence Reigns About 1*01110(1
and Only Small Fights
In West
GENERAL ADVANCE BY ALLIES
LONDON, Dec. 14.—The English and French papers
are unanimous today in declaring that the time is ap
proaching for the general advance of the allies through
France and Belgium if this advance has not actually be
gun already. No official news has been given out in this
respect but there are several unofficial statements that
the general assault on the Germans is now proceeding. It
is generally admitted, however, that such an advance must
necessarily be verv slow and only inch by inch. Some of
the most optimistic British military observers do not
hesitate to declare that such a general forward move
ment cannot be expectd to be successful before spring
time. Indeed some of them state their disbelief that the
allied commanders will make any such efforts for several
months or until the climatic conditions have altered con
siderably.
QUIET IN THE WEST
PARIS, Dec. 14.—The official news from the front to
day is very meager and tells of no new changes in the re
lative positions of the opposing armies. Comparative
quiet prevailed yesterday in Flanders and there were only
artillery exchanges of minor importance elsewhere. In
the Meuse district the German batteries seem to be moving
northward. In the Woevre district the French captured a
German trench and repulsed two counter attacks by the
enemy. The advance of the French lines into Alsace has
brought it to a point north of Altkirehe and ten miles east
of the French frontier.
NAVY ON PACIFIC NOW ASSURED
OF COAL SUPPLY, THEY SAY
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14.—The most satisfactory cir
cumstance probably ever related in relation to Alaskan
affairs is the fact that Secretary Daniels today told the
naval committee of the house that the tests completed ten
davs ago have proved the coal from the Alatanuska fields
to be practically perfect for naval use. This statement
ends the doubt that has been harbored in many quarters
and shows once for all that the coal fields of Alaska will
be enough to bring a wave of prosperity to that tei i itory
that had never been hoped for even by the most optimistic
of its people or the people of the United States geneiallj.
In a statement made later Secretary Daniels expressed
himself as elated because of plans going forward for the
opening of Alaska and the coal fields. It was all the moie
gratifying, he said, because last year s tests indicated that
the Bering river coal was unsuitable for naval uses. The
same tests tried on the Bering river coal were repeated on
the Matanuska coal for seven days. This was on a forced
draft trial of four hours at a speed of twenty knots
and also a natural draft test of twenty four hours at ten
knots. Unlike the tests made with the Bering river coal
last year. Secretary Daniels says, it was not necessary to
handpick the Matanuska coal. The results are so satis
factory, he declares, that they justify the belief that the
Matanuska coal is thoroughly satisfactory in every way
for the use by the navy, provided the coal tested is a fair
HORSES THRIVING VI HOMER.
R. G. MacDonald sent word on the
Bertha which arrived last night that
the government hor»es are doing very
well on the natural pasture at Homer.
J. M. Denton who is in charge there
says that the animals push aside the
hay with their noses and feet to get
at the natural herbiage.
THE MAN WHO COMMITTED
SUICIDE WAS W. H. HATCH.
Owned Property in Seward and Left
Here to go Outside on the Mariposa.
The man who committed suicide on
the Mariposa during her last trip to
the outside is now generally well
known to have been W. H. Hatch who
took the boat here in Seward for
Seattle. The act was committed just
before the boat reached Seattle and
was accomplished with a gun. Mr.
Hatch owned property in this city.
NEWS NOTES
Fred Miller states before William
Hatch went out on the Mariposa he
was suffering under a despondent spell
because of money matters. Once be
fore he had a similar sort of spell
when his wife and he were separated.
Mrs. Hatch and he had two boys and
the family is now suposed to be living
at Hoquiam. At one time he owned
an interest in the building with Mr.
Miller but had sold out. Mr. Miller
says that in spite of this little anxiety
Mr. Hatch seemed to be all right when
leaving for the outside.
Anton Eide, of the Alaska Road
Commission arrived on the Admiral
Evans and will winter in Seward. He
has put the last few weeks in on stak
ing out a new trail over the glaciers
to the Shushanna from McCarthy and
says that while the route has not been
shortened the present trial is
some thousand feet lower and much
safer for travel than the trail used
last year.
On the trip up from Seattle the Ad
miral Evans stopped in at Portage
Bay and landed Jack Baird on the
shore with a stock of provisions. He
brought lumber and will build a
trading Post to be known as the Port
age Trading Co. Jack is well known
in Seward, having come out last year
over the trail from Iditarod. His wiie
will come up on a later boat and will
winter at Portage Bay.
G. M. Chambers has been appointed
bookkeeper for the canning company
at Port Graham.
indication of the general character of the coal in that
field. The firemen of the Maryland according to Mr.
Daniels pronounced the forced draft trial the easiest
twenty knot run the Maryland has ever made on any other
trials. They state also that there was an entire absence
of all those difficulties met with when the coal used is not
of the best quality.
The firing was easy and the steam pressure was easily
maintained. The coal is reported as having burned “like
pine knots.”
In addition to the report from the tests on the Mary
land there has been issued an unofficial report on the
evaporative tests at the experiment station. It piacticallj
confirms the tests made by the Maryland.
The navy department has given out a statement to tne
effect that the results of the tests on the Matanuska coal
are very gratifying as they point the way to an adequate
supply of coal on the Pacific coast for the navy when ade
quate transportation facilities have been provided.
The effect of the announcement on those who have in
terested themselves on the question of Alaska’s develop
ment is very pleasant. Just now when the question of the
defense of the Pacific coast is being agitated the proof of
the good quality of the coal is almost sure to mean that
congress will be only too glad to give any appropriation
for the commencement of the work of opening the coal
fields
RUSHING WORK
ON'IM CANAL
GOETHALS DETERMINED TO
HAVE EVERY INCH COM
PLETED ON TIME.
NOME IS PROTECTED
BY ARCTIC ICE PACK.
Saves the City From Pounding Surf
While the Blizzard
Sweeps Past.
Nome, bee. 2.—The blizzard which
threatener Nome with destruction by
forcing ic and water from Berng sea
high up on the beach subsided today
without serious damage. The only
thing that saved Nome from a repeti
tion of tho disaster of October, 1913,
was the hug Arctic ice pack, which,
extending from shore as far as the
eye could see, kept down the surf and
protected the buildings against whirl
it was jammed.
Telephone lines along the coast in
both directions from Nome are still
down and no news concerning condi
tions in tho smaller camps has been
receivd.
(By The Associated Press.*
PANAMA, Dec. 12.—A hurry-up
order has been issued by Governor
Goethals for the completion of the
canal. The time limit 9et by congress
is July, 1D10 and Col. Goethal is deter
mined that the last of the finishing
touchs in every department from
dredging to landscape gardening shall
be completed ahead rather than behind
time. Col. Goethals himself is setting
a pace, and may be seen often ac work
in the Administration Building at
Balboa late at night.
Men and machines now on the isth
mus are said to be working harder
than at any time since the great work
was started ten years ago.
HON. FRANCIS ROTCH ARRIVES.
The honorable Francis Rotch arriv
ed yesterday on the Evans to look
around for a site for a saw mill and
lumber yard. It is his intention now
to look over some lots with a view to
purchase. Mr. Rotch is a half-brother
of Commissioner Thomas Riggs of the
government railroad commission and
is a member of the Washington state
legislature from King county. Not
only that but he was a member of the
first legislature of that state.
Every morning Col. Goethals ap
pears at some part of the work where
he has not been for several days prev
iously, to hurry things along. There
is the case of the steam shovels del
ving into the side of Sosa Hill for the
rock that goes to form the east break
water in front of Colon Harbor. On
each side is a hugo placard which
shows the number of cars loaded as
the work progresses. For every job a
mark has been set to be surpassed if
possible. On Sosa Hill the man who
has charge of loading the cars that
take the rock 50 miles across the
isthmus to the new breakwater is
working against the man in charge of
transporting those same cars those
50 miles while the man who unloads
them out near the end of the 2-mile
trestle is rushing things so that he
will always be just a little ahead of
the other two. At present there are
200 to 250 cars of rock sent him every
working day.
Out in Culebra Cut where a large
slide recently checked the channel for
a few days and canal traffic came to
Amongst the passengers on the Ad
miral Evans was Mr. Joe Badger an
old resident of Nome w’ho is visiting
Seward looking for a business loca
tion.
a standstill with a large number of
ships seeking passage through, dred
ging ceases only during the eight day
light hours when the canal is used for
navigation purposes. The other 16
ing the canal has ever seen. The men
hours are devoted to the fastest dredg
work in two shifts and as they eat and
sleep on the dredges no time is wast
ed. Their work in handling the recent
slide and re-opening the canal to traf
fic within five days won for them
high commendation from Col. Goeth
als.
FREEZING COLD
HITSTHE EAST
COLD WAVE CAUSES SUFFERING
IN STATES WHILE SOFT
RAIN FALLS HERE.
AUSTRIANS ARE
BADLY WHIPPED
SERVIANS STILL PlRSl'ING
THEM AND CAPTURING
THOUSANDS.
CHICAGO, Dec. 14.—The charitable j
organizations of the city were over
whelmed today with appeals for aid
as a result of the cold wave which has
hit the great lakes region. The tern- ,
perature fell thirty one degrees to
zero within twenty hours and all the |
municipal lodging houses were packed
with homeless men last night. The
cold prevails all over the whole
eastern states with zero weather and
snow in the North Atlantic states.
Much suffering has resulted particu
larly because of the unusual number
of people who have been thrown out of
employment as a result of the busi
ness conditions arising from the Euro
pean war.
EVANS ARRIVES.
- ■
The Evans arrived yesterday after
noon and will return tomorrow after
noon from the westward. Agent
Wayne Blue expects her to arrive
about 2 p. m. She brought the follow
ing passengers to Seward: Chas.
Black, Wm Nielson, F. ColchofT, Wm
Sauers, Joe Badger, Frank Rotch,
Margaret Wood and Tom Parker.
Herring fishing is reported to be j
good at Seldovia. Four hundred bar
rels were shipped out on the Bertha.
Another shipment from the same
placo was a ton of coal for Valdez.
Guy Whitehead returned yesterday
after a trip to the fox island of which
he is one of the owners. It is near
Latouche.
NISH, Servia, Hoc. 14.—The Aust
rians are still retreating from Servia
with the Servian army in hot pursuit
and inflicting tremendous losses on
them. Since the Servians assumed the
offensive until December 11 the Aust
rians lost twenty eight thousand men
as well as immense stores of ammuni
tion, guns and supplies. Amongst the
guns captured were seventy four can
non and forty four machine guns. The
success of the Servians has been fol
lowed up by the Montenegrins who
have repulsed the Austrians at Vise
grad and driven them across the river
Drina. It is now fully expected that
the invaders will be driven completely
out of Servian territory and that the
Servian army will be enabled to ad
vance once more into Austrian soil.
Belgrade is still in the hands of the
Austrians but its evacuation will be
probably found necessary by the Ser
vians within a few days.
COMMERCIAL CLUB WILL
MEET THIS EVENING.
“ A special meeting of the Commer
cial club will be held this evening for
the purpose of going over the report
on the resources of the Kenai penin
sula which Mr. Edes of the railroad
commission has asked for.
Thomas A. Parker, engineer of the
government steamer Chulitna on the
Inlet, returned yesterday on the Evans
and will go to Knik to spend the win
ter.
DIVES UNDER MINES
INTO DARDANELLES
British Submarine After Most
Extraordinary Eeat Torpe
does Turkish Ship
REPORT TURKS
RADLY_REATEN
PETROGRAD SAYS THEY HAVE
BEEN DRIVEN BEYOND
EUPHRATES.
PETROGRAD, Dec. 14.—The of
ficial statement this morning contains
the informaton that the Turks have
been defeated southeast of Erzerum
and have been driven back to the
Euphrates river and arc now being
pursued beyond that stream. The
fighting took place along the greater
part of the line of the Turkish ad
vance and the enemy was repulsed
everywhere with very severe losses.
The Turkish force is the one which
has been advancing evidently with the
intention of entering Persia and the
adjoining Russian territory.
Letterheads, envelopes, billheads,
cards, posters, announcements of ill
kinds at The Gateway Job Printery.
LONDON, Dec. 14.—The most ex
traordinary feat of the war was ac
complished yesterday when the Bri
tish submarine B Eiven entered the
Dardanells and in spite of a difficult
current dived under five rows of mines
and torpedoed the Turkish battleship
Massudieh. This story was officially
announced this morning and created
the greatest enthusiasm in this city.
After having torpedoed the battle
ship the B Eleven was pursued by tor
pedo boats and several guns opened on
her but she managed to return safely
to the allied naval base outside the
Dardanelles after having been sub
merged on one occasion for nine hours
at a stretch. When last seen the Mas
sudieh was sinking by the stern and
is undoubtedly at the bottom of the
sea. She was an old vessel but was of
ten thousand tors displacement and
carried a crew of six hundred mei
The feat is regarded here as open
ing a view of new possibiliteis for
submarines.
MARIPOSA HERE TOMORROW.
Agent Guptil has received word
that the Mariposa will leave Cordova
this afternoon at 2 o’clock.