Seward Weekly Gateway
VOI 11 NO- '>-• SEWARD. ALASKA. SATURDAY. AUGUST 11.1906.
INTERNECINE STRIFE
CONTINUES IN RUSSIA
Finland Is in a State of Open Revolt in Which
Women Take an Active Part—The Czar
Orders his Soldiers to Shoot to Kill,
Regardless of Age or Sex—Gen.
Trepoff Now Premier. ;
—
By Cabl* to Tb* Dally Oatoway.
Copenhagen. Denmark. Aug. ^—Fin
land is still in open revolt against the
Russian government. The women of
the country are taking an active part
in the revolutionary cause. Many of
them dress entirely in red, address
meetings in the streets of the cities
* and enter factories and other places
where large numbers of lal*orers are
employed and proclaim and agitate
their belief. Because of their activity,
the women will be treated similar to
men by the Russian government and
no mercy will be shown them on ac* j
count of their sex. The government,
by authority of the e/.ar. has ordered
the troop* to slay women and children,
if necessary, to put down the revolt.
Such slaughter ha^ been legalized.
A captain of Cossacks, in attempt*!
ing to arrest a woman at Helsingfors,
was assassinated by a dirk wound in
the breast at the hand of a revolu
tionist who came to the woman s
rescue.
Troops are being rushed to every in- j
dustrial center in Finland, with orders
to shoot to kill, irrespective of age or;
sex. _
City in Darkness
St. Petersburg, Aug. 4 The city was
in total darkness last night because all
electrical employes struck, leaving the
electric plain,- Two
thousand factory hands also struck.
It is expected that the first decisive
show of strength will In* made on
Mondav. when the general strike will,
begin. * The city is in a state of terror
and general anarchy is expected to
reign by Monday night. The Cossacks;
are trying To get possession of the1
lighting plants in order to operate |
them, but it will be difficult to find ex-1
ports to do the work.
The Grand Duke Nicholas assume*l
the post of dictator this morning, j
••No Quarter:” is the order issued by
the czar. Premier Stolypin conferred1
all night with the czar. He is much
displeased with the appointment of'
Grand Duke Nicholas to be dictator)
and it is generally believed that he
will resign. If fhe troops no" assign
ed to guard the capital prove disloyal
to the throne, as the revolutionaries
predict. St. Petersburg will lx* in the
hands of the rebel- within a few days.
Mutineers Fight Cossacks
RambertofY, Aug. 4 The troops in
the summer camp here mutinied yes
terday and joined tbe revolutionaries.
With artillery they command the
whole coast. Cossacks sent to quell
the insurrection were met with volleys
of grape. The battle was still raging
last night, and heavy losses ;re re
ported on both sides.
Kills a Governor
Samara. Aug. 4 The governor of
this city was assassinated today in the
street by a bomb. The assassin was
immediately arrested.
Warship Crew Hutinv
Helsingfors. Aug. 4 The crew of
the crusier Bogatyr mutinied this
morning* No (Mail- have teen re
ceived. __
Kharkoif in Flames
Kharkoff. Aug. 4 Fires are break
ing out in many places in the business
distrie- and are gaining in volume and
area. They are no doubt the work of
incendiaries and the whole city is
threatened._
Trepoff Now Premier
St. Petersburg, Aug. *• General
Trepoff. commander of the pulaer
guards and one of the most implacable
foes of the revolutionists, has been
elevated to the premiership, succeed
ing Stolypin. who resigned because he
objected to the policy of repression
desired by the czar. The new pre
mier was prefect of police of St. Peters
burg during the Russo-Japanese war,
and gave evidence of his capacity as an
iron-willed ruler who "ill resort to
the most drastic measures to aceom
j plish his ends. His appointment to a
j position of great power signifies that
j the czar has decided on a policy of
j bloodshed to quell the revolutionary
outbreaks._
To Protect Cronstadt
St. Petersburg, Aug. 6—All war
ships have been ordered to proceed at
(once to Cronstadt. the naval fortress,
i to repel an anticipated revolutionary
j outbreak there. The guns are being
j removed from the vessels in the dry
| docks to prevent them from falling
; into the hands of the rebels.
Striking miners employed in the
Kasarkoff mining district have Hooded
many mines and wrecked valuable
properties. Soldiers were ordered to
prevent the work of devastation, but
i refused to lire on the miner;, who are
I masters of the situation here.
The pres- censor refuses to pass
! news from the provinces today, and
j this fact is regarded as ominous for
j the government.
Respond to Strike Order
St. Petersburg. Aug. 6—Workmen
throughout the empire are responding
;o the strike order. It is estimated
hat fully fifty-live thousand have al
ready ceased work, and it is expected
that this number will be swelled to
five hundred thousand by tomorrow.
Govern***"-*'* ' 1,1,1 * , '
ness at a moment s notice to take pos.
session of the streets in all the larger
citle>. The streets here are already
guarded by thousands of soldiers. The
regiment on duty at the czar's palace
in Moscow shows sign> of discontent
and may revolt. This regiment has
i heretofore been considered one of the
| most loyal of the czar s troops.
Strikers Use Force
Usevcka. Russia. Aug. Every
j miner here is on strike and the mines
! have bet n Hooded. Those who refused
i to obey the strike order were beaten
with clubs, some being pounded to
i death.
Old Laws in Force
St. Petersburg, Aug. '> The czar
has promulgated an order for the en
forcement of the old laws making
strikes a penal offense. The railroad
employes are not anxious to quit work,
-hey fear all will not walk out when
ordered to do so, and are now waiting
1 developments. Thus far seventy thou
sand workmen have quit in this city.
The revolution hangs tire, pending
the outcome of the strike order.
Blood Shed Expected
Warsaw. Poland, Aug. fi—Bloodshed
is expected in this city tomorrow. All
the Jews have been notified by the
leaders to arm themselves for an im
pending attack and be ready to light
at a given signal from their headquar
ters. The police are searching Jewish
homes and seizing all arms, in order
| that the Jews shall be unable to offer
resistance.
. ■ —*
Cossacks Assembling
Odessa. Aug. G All communication
with the fortress of Sevastopol has
. been cut off . Cossacks are fast assem
bling in this city in anticipation of
j trouble.
Member Dounia Arrested
St.Petersburg, Aug. 9- Monipko, the
most prominent peasant member of the
late douma. ha> been arrested, charged
with attempting to aid the mutiny at
. Gronstadt. He will he tried by court
1 martial and if convicted, the penalty
is death. _.
Czar Accepts New Hinistry
St. Petersburg. Aug. 10—The czar
j lui> accepted a ministry composed of
Oetoberists and Democrats. Many sol
j diet-s are returning to camp. The city
j is quiet.
judge H. W. Mellen, Democratic
candidate for delegate to congress from
Alaska, was private secretary to W.
J. Bryan when that gentleman sat in
‘the legislative hall at Washington,
BIG CONTRACT TAKEN
OVER BY WELCH & CO.
It is officially announced that the Alaska Central Railway has
-vturned over construction work from the end of the track north
wardly to Welch & Co., who will take charge of it immediately.
J. B. Cameron, as engineer of construction, will Ik? in charge
of all engineering and also in charge of the track, trains and
work at the Seward end of the line. No other changes are con
templated.
W. I>. Poland will probably leave Seward on the Santa Clara
Aug. IK O. G. Laberee will have general oversight of the work.
To the Gateway Martin Welch, manager of the firm of
Welch & Co., said:
“All the work now laid out on the Alaska Central railroad
to the Matanuska coal Gelds has been taken over by the Grm of
Welch & Co.
“The work of construction will be pushed with the present
force, and as many more men as can be obtained,until the contract
is completed.
“The objective point is to get the track laid with all possible
expedition to mile 55 in order to get supplies and equipment
to the Turnagain Arm work, which will be carried on vigorously
all winter.
“The tunnel work as now conducted is satisfactory, but a
larger force will be put on the work leading up to and between
the tunnels.”
RAILROAD MAKES
GOOD PROGRESS
Track Will Be Laid to Mile 48 by
August 15, Wind and Rain
Permitting.
Track will be laid to the end of mile
48 on tiu* railroad by August 15, wind
and weather permitting, and possibly
a few days sooner. Excessive rain
during the past few days has impeded
operations somewhat but the grade is
practically finished to the end of 48, to
which point the transfer station will
UV
where it has remained for six months.
The track end is now about half a mile
beyond the transfer station.
The new transfer station will be
where the wagon road crosses the rail
road grade and is the best point for
transferring material from the railroad
for transportation ahead of the track.
From that point the track runs up on
the hillside to the first tunnel, a quar
ter of a mile away.
Tunnel 1 will be finished by Septem
ber l. according to the calculations of
H. A. McClure, who is superintending
the boring. The heading was in fiOfi
feet Saturday night and the tunnel is
to be about »H*0 feet long. The bench
is about 50 feet behind the heading
and at the present rate of boring the
tunnel will be ready for the rails early
in September. The south portal has
not been established although the cut
which approaches it is nearly forty
feet deep. From the appearance of
the face the engineers think the portal
can be fixed within ten feet and boring
will begin with steam drills.
As soon as the rails are laid through
tunnel 1 work will begin on the big
trestle just beyond. This will require
nearly 1.000,000 feet of timber and it
will be built from the end of the track,
except the foundations which are going
in now. Other bridges and trestles
beyond that jxfint are going in now
and no delay will be caused to track
ley ing by bridge building after the big
one is finished. One long one is build
ing across the glacial moraine on mile
50 with a truss over the stream. Two
other* with trusses across Placer river
are to be constructed on the loop on mile
51, but Watson iX Snow, the bridge
contractors, expect to be able to build
them very quickly after the track
reaches that point.
Grading is proceeding well on miles
50 and 51 and can be easly finished by
the time the track can be carried that
far. Work on the high trestle will
begin early, in September and the task
will require at least a month and a half,
so that it will be late in October before
the rails can be laid beyond it. From
that trestle track can be laid rapidly
down Placer canyon, through the se
ries of six tunnels to the open valley
at the beginning of mile 54, by the
middle of November, and perhaps ear
lier. There another long trestle will
check rail laying for a short time.
Most of the grade is finished from 54
through Placer valley and if favorable
fall weather permits its completion
track can be laid to the head of Turna
gain Arm by early winter.
Boring of the three unfinished tun
nels on mile 53 continues at a satisfac
tory rate under the supervision of M.
(Continued on page 2)
BY RAIL FROM
SEWARD TO NOME
Possibilities of Branch Line Up
Yentna Valley and Through
Kwim Pass.
A railroad from Seward to Nome,
branching from the main line of the
Alaska Central in the Susitna valley
and extending northwesterly up the
Yentna valley, thence through the
Alaskan mountains at Kwim pass,
across the upper Kuskokwim, the
Yukon, and into the heart of the irreat,
the probabilities ot railroad develop
ment in Alaska. The subject will
come up at a future meeting of the
Seward chamber of commerce for
discussion, and the prospects are that
a resolution will be adopted, calling
the attention of the war department to
the advantages of that route in prefer
ence to the route proi>osed from Fair
banks to Nome.
The feieral government has practi
cally committed itself to the project of
a government aided railroad connect
ing Nome with Fairbanks, by the ap
propriation of $55,000 for the prelimi
nary survey of a route, with the idea
that it would there connect with the
Alaska Central on completion and
afford the mining districts back of
Nome an outlet to open water at
Seward. But lately several business
men of Seward have been studying the
map, with the result that they favor
the Yentna-Kwim pass route. This
route would tap the main line of the
Alaska Central at about mile 175 north
of Seward, and from that point to
Nome the distance would not exceed
700 miles. The total distance from
Seward to Nome would be about 875
miles by the Yentna route, as com
pared with 1100 miles if connection be
made with the main line of the Alaska
Central at the northern terminus on
the Tanana, as is now contemplated.
The Yentna route to Nome would
also have the advantage of traversing
a country of rich and varied resources,
with a good climate, while the route
proposed by the war department from
Fairbanks to Nome through the Koyu
kuk valley north of the Yukon river
would be much less favored in both
respects.
The Yontqa placer district is de
veloping more rapidly than the Tan
ana district did in the same stage of
discovery, and experienced prospectors
there declare it the most promising
new district in Alaska. 1 hat in
itself would supply a large traffic, but
the Yentna country also contains ex
tensive fields of coal and very rich de
posits of iron and copper. The Yentna
valley has every agricultural advant
age the Susitna affords, and the upper
Kuskokwim is much the same. The
Yukon valley, too. is wonderfully pro
ductive in grasses and timber.
A branch railroad through the
Yentna country to the Kus«cokwim and
Nome, with another branch up the
Matanuska to the headwaters of the
Tanana, and the main line to Fair
banks, would speedily make Seward
the most important commercial center
on the Pacific coast north of Seattle.
Alexander del Spina made the first
pair of spectacles in 1285.
POACHERS CAPTURED
HY NATIVE GUARDS
I - - -.
Japanese Sealers Make Raid on Rookery on St.
Paul Island—Three Killed, Many Wounded
and Twelve Taken Prisoners—Passed
Through Seward on Way to Trial.
Complications May Arise.
__
Twelve little brown men from the
kingdom of Japan were unwilling
passengers on the steamer Dora which
arrived from the westward Monday.
The Japs are seal poachers cap
tured by native guards on St. Paui
island, and were being taken to Valdez
for trial. In the attack made by the
natives upon the intruders three of the
latter were killed and many wounded.
Two of the maimed ones were taken,
the others succeeding in reaching their
ships.
On July 16 four Japanese sealing
schooners from Hakodate, Japan,
dropped anchor within the three mile
limit off St. Paul island, a seal rook
ery in the Pribilov group, in Bering
sea. The hunters manned their boats
and began to reap a rich harvest of fur
seal in the sacred waters. Uncle Sam
watches with jealous care especially
the cow and calf seal, but to the avari
cious little Japs all seal looked alike,
and they slew indiscriminately any
animal that showed its unsuspecting
head within ritie range. A dense fog
hung heavily over the waters, hiding
the poachers from the vision of the
watchers on shore.
The seal islands are guarded by na
tive inhabitants by special arrange-1
ment with the government, being
Aider the immediate direction of the j
resident agent, a Mr. Lembke. The i
k-. t ._*iiers ne.woU the snore, uuu put j
off in their walrus hide canoes to give ;
battle to the enemy. They suddenly ]
found themselves amid the boats of the
Japs and opened tire without ceremony..
The Japs offered no resistance, but be-;
gan to vigorously pull for their vessels.
The natives killed three and wounded ]
a number of the seal hunters and after
a lively chase succeeded in capturing
three boat's crews—twelve men in all.
Of these two were slightly wounded.
When the poachers who escaped (
reached their vessels, the anchors
were hoisted and the schooners sailed '
seaward. The remains of the dead
were buried on the island and the
i prisoners held in captivity until the
revenue cutter McCulloch arrived,
on July 20. She sighted one of the
lleeing sealers on her way to St. Paul
but at that time her officers had no.
knowledge of what had transpired. A
shortage of coal, however, would have
prevented a lengthy pursuit. J’he Mc
Culloch transferred the Japs to Kodiak,
and turned them over to the federal
authorities. The revenue cutter then
proceeded direct- to Sitka and wired a
detailed statement of the affair to the
authorities at Washington.
The prisoners were taken from Kodiak
to Valdez to stand trial before the dis
trict court for killing seal in forbidden
waters. Deputy Marshal L. L. Bow
ers of Kodiak had charge of the Japs
Agent Lembke, four natives and an
interpreter from St. Paul were also on
the Dora to appear as witnesses at tho
prospective trial.
Some of the revenue officers of tho
McCulloch and Perry at Unalaska ap
peared to think that international com
plications may arise over tin* killing
of the Japanese by subjects of tho
United States, but it would seem that,
the native guards were well within
their rights in going the limit in pro
tecting the interests confided to them.
St. Paul island, the scene of this
tragic event, is known as the most pro
lific fur seal breeding ground in Bering
sea, if not in the world. Last season
the North American Commercial Co.,
lessee of the sealing right from tho
United States government, took U.tKH)
skins from that rookery alone. Non*?
other than the lessee is allowed to kill
seal within a prescribed limit of three
miles from shore of any island of tho
Pribilov group. Certain restrictions
are placed on the lessee also, the total
catch per season being limited to 15,
000 pelts, and cow and calf seal being
immune from slaughter.
Reported to Washington
By Cable to Tbe Daily Gateway.
■siuie uepa,.ril n. r. Aug. 8-Tho
Captain wu.. "fr . , ,
ter McCulloch an AferTepW’ot'W
killing of three and the capturing of
twelve Japanese sealers on the island
of St. Paul, in Bering sea, by Aleut
native guards.
The department has reported the
matter to the Japanese ambassador
who will place it before his home gov
ernment. It is not believed in official
; circles that the affair will cause inter
, national complications, as the Japanese
poachers clearly violated the alien
' lishing laws.
Offers No Apology
By Cable to Tbe Daily Gateway.
Washington, I). C., Aug. 9—The
state depareinent has written the Jap
anese government a full statement of
the killing of three and capturing of
twelve Japanese seal poachers by na
tive Aleut guards on the islaud of St.
•Paul, Bering sea. The department*
expresses its regrets, but offers no
apology, as it is held that the sealers
were violating the law. The Japanese
legation here says the matter is not an
international incident. The govern
ment has ordered a speedy trial for tho
prisoners, which will be hold before
the district court at Valdez.
Fast Becoming Extinct
Years ago the waters of southwes-1
tern Alaska fairly teemed with the
valuable fur animal known as the sea
otter. This habitat of the sea is fast j
passing away, and its fur is now
among the most costly in the mar
ket. It is soft and black, while long
hairs tipped with white add to its
great beauty. The length of a full
sized skin is about six «£eet, while its
breadth is nearly four feet. The sea
otter is solitary and almost exclusively
marine in its habits. It conies up on j
solitary rocks or islets to bring forth ;
its young, but soon returns to its home j
in the deep, feeding upon the finny ;
denizens thereof.
Mine Opened at Unalaska
Frank Brown, formerly superinten
dent of the Apollo mine at Unga, and
Wain brothers have installed a f>-ton
; stamp mill on a mine near Unalaska.
j The steamer Bora transferred the mill
. from Unga on her last trip. The
| ledge is said to contain high grade
I free milling ore.
g
A.V. Swineford, candidate for dele
gate to congress, was the first governor
of Alaska. His admirers state that he
is TO years young.
The first glass window in England
was put up in an abbey about 680.
Wholesale House Coming
A wholesale liquor house will open
in Seward as soon as location is ob
tained and other arrangements can be
! settled, under the firm name of A. F.
Davis & Co. It will be strictly a
wholesale house, not selling goods to
any one not having a government
retailer's license. Davis <S: Co. will
| handle all kinds of liquors and cigars
as well as bar, bank and office fixtures.
Mr. Davis and his associates are old
timers in Alaska, having been in and
around this section of the country
nine years.
Apollo nine Abandoned
Messrs. Bailey and Fletcher of the
old Apollo mine at Unga were out
bound passengers on the Dora. Their
departure marks the final wind-up of
the mine,a property which has produced
over three millions in gold and was
equipped with.machinery costing over
$300,000. The Alaska Commercial Co.
were the principal owners of this mine.
A gold strike is reported to have
been made by American prospectors on
the Tchukotsk peninsula, Siberia.
This land lies opposite from the Sew
ard peninsula.
N. Gray, for many years United
States commissioner at Unalaska, has
resigned.