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EAT ! MATANUSKA ;
ALASKA j COAL
j EISH l_11
... THE ALASKA EVENING POST __ _
SEWARD, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1917. TEN CENTS PER COPY
Volnmt* \1. Nunil* -10 " ■ 1 ' 1 '■1,1 ■ ■ 1 --- ■■■ 111
ANCHORAGE, Dec. 28.—(Special to the Gateway)—
The greatest shake-up in railroad circles in Alaska is now
on and extends over the entire Anchorage division of the |
government system in Alaska. I he word has come fiom
somewhere to “chop* and wield the axe in all depai tments.
The sharp blade of the head-cleaver is being swung indis-;
eriminatelv and the pay roll is to he reduced at once to a
minimum. None of the of iicials here will make an\ state-,
ment and there are perhaps few in Anchorage who would
dare to ask for answers to a question that is now’ disturb-:
* ing everybody connected with the Alaskan Engineoiing
Commission in the Cook Inlet town.
Your correspondent knows however that there is a
great trembling among maoy. W hat it is all about and
when the axe will stop dropping is only conjecture. This j
much is known, that 250 men were dropped during the
past two weeks from the payrolls and when the time;
checks are made out for the month ending December 51st.;
1917. several hundred more men will lie dropped and their
services dispensed with. It is practically certain that ov-j
or 200 will arrive in Seward on the train due there next i
Tuesday night and possibly a hundred or so more will be
* going to Seward by the end of next week. 1 hose dropped
from the payroll are from all departments with the excep- j
, tion of the coal department, the department that should
now have at least 500 or 600 men employed if—
A glance over the past reports of the Alaskan Engi
neering Commission in the operation of the Anchorage •
Division shows that “hunches” of men, who have been ab
solutely deadweight, have been employed. Clerical jobs
are said to lu.w been held by men who were not "worth j
their salt.*'
With the rumors now rocking this vrvr. to its \ory
foundation are ma: y others <•/ a complete change in the
working forces, right up to the heads. j
RAILROADS
OPERATED
BY U. S..
-
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2^ —
noon today approximately two hun
dred and fifty thousand miles of
Am‘i.ca.4 railway systems were sil
ently merged into one great chain
for the winning of the war. No cere
monies marked the event which is re
garded by many as the opening ol a
new ejoch in government operation
and control of public utilities. Direc
tor General Wiliam A. McAdoo con-j
ferred for a long time with various!
members of the railroad war board
and also Robert S. lx>vett, Chairman
of the Priority Shipment Committee.
It is expected that orders will be is
sued immediately for the actual uni
fication of the railroad lines and the
common use of facilities which are
expected to raise the present freight
jam immediately. While it is stated
that many prominent officials will be
* dropped for the time being they will
be given an opportunity ot serving
the government but at slightly re
duced salaries.
_
WASHINGTON, Doc. 28. — Underj
his new duties assumed today, Secre-’
tary McAdoo will spend half of hi.'
time in the offices in the Treasury!
Ruilding and the other half in the
offices of the railroad board.
-,
FIRE IN R. R. CAMP
—
Arrivals in Seward from the Turn* i
again Arm section state that lire des
troyed the camp of Steven Lcakus, at
Mile 90, the other night, and he and
his associates lost personal property
estimated at over $2,000. I^eakus
has been employed for the past year
on a station contract. The camp has
V closed down as the result of the fire
and many men have come to Seward,]
others going to Anchorage.
ALASKANS GIVEN MORE
TIME TO JOIN SERVICE ♦
According to a cablegram re
ceived by the Editor of the Gate
way. from Juneau, in answer to \
a query, Alaskans are given until
* January 15th to enlist in any
bianeh of the United States war
service. In the states no more
' enlistments were allowed draft
* eligibles after Dec. 15, but there
has been no draft yet in Alaska
* and the time has been extended. r
MILITARYUNIT
IN SEWARD TO
BE REORGANIZED
All men of military age, as well as
those who are interested in the object J
and success of the local .Military Unit,
aie invited to attend the drill at the
\. I». Hall this evening at 7:30 o’clock
Arrangements will be made respecting
the future of the local organization,
as well as a general discussion rela
tive to military preparedness. Capt
tain J. J. Ryan, who has just return
ed from the outside, will deliver a
talk on the “Cantonment at Camp
Lewis and Military Preparedness/* as
he found it outside.
-*
VARNK^ WOMAN IS
HKCLARKI) NOT (Jin.TY
DEDHAM, Mass., Dec. 28. — Miss
Harriet Vainey, a nurse, was tonight
found not guilty of the murder of a
ten months’ bride of George Keyes, j
a Boston real estate dealer. The jury!
was out four hours.
It developed during the trial that |
Keyes had lived with the nurse foi
months and slipped away and was
married.
-+
DULUTH. Minn., Dec. 28. — The
temperature is 32 degi*ees below zero
today. Bitter cold is reported else
where in northern Minnesota.
It is known here that 31
practically demanded that ht
here and join the fighting fo
Major Mears is an army man,
in tiie army circles and he is
curing permission to rejoin h
front.
it is also rumored here th
is not nominated for the Gov
transferred and take complc
division with the instruction:
ship coal.
Incase Mr. Riggs is trail
vision, it is rumored here th;
transferred to the Nenana hi
gineering ability on the Sew;
ognized as of the highest not\
squelched in practically ever
and, it is also alleged, that he
funds to operate and extend 1
planned. Who will be place*
case Mr. Weir is transferred
It is a recognized fact he
has been spent in making a t*
railroad and opening the coal
The rumors are disruptii
ing of men is causing a grea
people.
Coupled with all of thes
stated that by the first of th
the Talkeetna District will lx
the Matanuska district alre;
will he carried on here for th
Today it is estimated tha
will be dropped by the first
TWO SEWARD
GIRLS WANTED !
AS TEACHERS
—
•
Two school teachers arc needed at
Kenai Lake for a term of five months
at $150 pc r month. Seward high school
girls will he accepted for the posi
tions as long as the\ can fulfill the
requirements. C. L. Aiagill arrived
from Kenai Lake last nignt to sec ire
the teachers and he can be found at
the Hotel Sexton.
“We want two teachers for the next
five months. The salary of $150 does
not include everything that the teach
ers will obtain as we are a generous
set of people at the lake, and to the
two who do go to the lake to teach,
the young Americans there, well, they
will never regret their engagement/’
said Mr. MagilL
_A___
[VANS DELATED
LOADING CARGO,
IN TOMORROW1
Steamer Admiral Evans is not ex
pected to arrive in port southbound
until late tomorrow afternoon. Last
night the Evans had not arrived at
Kodiak, it was known here when the
steamer went to the westwaid that
ihe intention of.Capt. C. A. Glasscock
was to pick up 1000 barrels of tish
at Kachemak Pay also load chrome
ore. This would delay the steamer
considerably and especially if ban
weather prevailed at the bay.
-*-—
TRIES TO BLIND SON
TWO HARBORS, Minn., Dec. 28.—
Mrs. Charles Magnitson, according to
the police, threw acid into the face
of her sleeping son to blind him on
account of the boy being drafted. The
boy will not lose his eyesight.
ajor Frederick Mears has
1 be released from his duties;
rces of the United States,
raised and brought up with
chaffing at the delay in se
is own sendee and go to the
at in case Thomas Riggs, Jr.,
ernship of Alaska, he will be
te charge of the Anchorage
? to open the coal lands and
sferred from the Nenana di
it Robert J. Weir will be!
•anch as his services and en
ml division is officially rec
vithstandng that he has been
y operation of that division
has not been given sufficient
lis division as was originally
1 on the Seward Division in
is not known.
re now that too much money
nvnsite instead of building a
fields.
ig business and the discharg
t alarm among all classes of
e rumors it is unofficially
e year construction work in;
; closed down tight and with
tdy closed, little other work
e remainder of the winter,
t fully 650 men have been or
of the year and more are to;
JAPAN WILL
BE ASK D
PETR0GRA1), Dec. 28. — The dele
gates to the peace conference, Rus
sians, Austrians and Germans, in ses
sion at Brest-Litovsk, have called a
ten day recess. At the end of that
time the conference will bo resumed. |
In the meantime it is understood that j
Japan will be asked to participate as
a fourth party. This afternoon it,
was reported that Trotsky is drafting!
a new vote asking that the Allies par*:
ticipate in the conference.
- .-A
COUNT VON BERNSTORFF
MARRIES AN AMERICAN !
BERLIN, Dec. 2S. — (Via London,
Dec. 10.) —The marriage here of Count j
Christian Gunther von Beinstorff, son
of tlie former ambassador to the
United States, to Mrs. Marguerite
Vivian Girton Thomason, of Burling
ton, N. J., is reported by the Berlin
newspapers.
-♦>
GIN FN TREASURY POST
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28. — Thos.j
B. Love, of Dallas, Tex., has been
nominated lo be assistant secretary]
of the treasury to till one of the new (
edices created for the war.
NEW ( LOTH WILL BE
MANUFACTURED BY BRITISH]
LONDON, Dec. 28. — It has beenj
definitely decided to manufacture a I
mixture standard cloth for civilian
wear which will he produced at about
six shillings per yard. The orders
will be arranged by the Wool Board j
of Control and the price for a man’s
suit of clothes will be about twelve
and a half dollars. Youths ten dol-J
lars, and boys from five and a half I
to seven and a half dollars,
follow.
Owing to business conditions the Chamber of Com
merce has passed a resolution favoring the closing of all
stores at 6 o’clock at night every day of the week.
WASHINGTON MAY HAVE INVESTIGATION
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.—While nothing can be of
ficially learned from the Department of the Interior, un
der whose jurisdiction the Alaskan Engineering Commis
sion, now building the Alaska government railroad is con
trolled, various Senators and Congressmen are carefully
going over the reports of the Commission as especially
concerns the expenditures and work done on the Anchor
age divisions. Opening of the Alaska coal fields was the
first problem supposed to have been accomplished and the
second instruction given was to connect the mines with
tide water. From what can be learned here there are vet
about 21 miles of road uncompleted which would allow
>utput of the coal mines, if they had been opened, to be
taken to Seward the year round and give the benefit orig
mallv intended.
ONLY RUMORS C IRCULATED HERE
Nothing concerning the above special dispatch from
Anchorage is known in Seward. None of the railroad of
ficials in Seward have anything to say and as one stated
this morning "we know nothing and we are just attending
to our own duties as pertain to the Seward division.”
From conversation dropped around the hotels during
the past week and from information secured from former
railroad men who left early in the winter, an axe affair
was expected to be made on the Anchorage division and
will continue for some time. Work on the Seward divis
ion is now down to the regular winter schedule and plans
for next season are well advanced and will be carried out.
****«««***♦♦»««*«**
IMtESIDEXT IS <il
* -- ■ » .
WASHINGTON, Doc. 28. *1
* President Woodrow Wilson is ’
celebrating his (51st birrhday by *
working hard at his desk in the
White House. There are no spe- *;
cial ceremonies planned and the *
President is engaged today in not
only the war problems but also ' .
the railroad commandeering. Hun- *'
dreds of messages of congratula
tions are being received by the
* President.
^**********«******
CEASE MAKING
ATTACKS ALONG
VERDUN FRONT
PARIS, Dec. 28. — The French re
pulsed the German efforts to break
the lines northeast of Verdun last
night and early today. The Germans
at noon ceased their efforts but ar
tillerying is heavy on both sides, all
infantry attacks ceasing.
LONDON, Dec. 28. — An official
statement this afternoon says that
there have been no developments in
the war area, western front or on the
Italian front.
-$
SECOND TRIAL ON
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 28. —
The second court martial of negro
soldiers for Houston riot has begun.
The colored men are charged with
murderous and mutinous action.
Thirteen soldiers were recently hang
ed and forty-one sent up for life on
;he same charge.
-S*
WOMAN PAYS LARGE
FINE FOR SEDITION
UTICA, N. Y., Dec. 28. — Julia
Armbruster, aged 26, and a promin
ent Socialist, plead guilty to sedition
today and was fined $300,
INGLAND 1$
NOT FOB
PEACE
LONDON, Dec. 28. — Prime Minis
ter Lloyd George in a letter to the
Labor Conference-in session heio, said
that the “achievement of the purpose
for which the Allies are fighting is
essential to the future freedom and
peace of mankind.” This statement
is regarded as the British reply to
the unofficial peace offer of Germany.
The Prime Minister added to the above
statement regarding the war aims by
e&yiug that “peace could only be made
in an agreement with all of England’s
allies.”
TRAINS Will
! OPERATE ON
THE SCHEDULE
The regular schedule of train ser
vice will be observed on the railroad
the Saturday train going out tomor
row morning at 7 o’clock and one
next Tuesday morning, New Year’s
day, at the same hour. Connections
will be made with the Kern Creek
train. It is expected that there wiu
le a large number for Seward from
the interior on the train tomorrow
night.
-»
TWO MEXICANS BEAT
HANGMAN BY TAKING
THEIR OWN LIVES
mmmmmmrnmm
GALLYP, N. M.t Dec. 28. — Maria
| Guevas and Silverio Silvo, sentenced
to be hanged soon, committed suicide
in the county jail by hanging them
selves,