___
--- THE WEATHER
Tl■ 3 Great Feb. 5: Max. 32, Min. 16 Ip. m. 24.
Light N. Wind. Clear.
AL Awl\ AN Feb. 7: Max. 37, Min. 19 4 p. m. 30
Light N. Wind—Clear.
D AILY I_
'-- v vTf VPT mtNT.AV LARGEST ALASKAN CIRCULATION
ADVERTISEMENTS BRING RESULTS_ PUBLISHED DAILV EXChl 1 SUNDAY____ ________________
v~'~~No~TO SEWARD. THE GATEWAY TO ALASKA, TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 8, 1916.__Ten Cent, the CopT
WILL PUSH WORK FROM
KERN CR. EDES TELLS U. P.
- - •
Lane Also fells United Press Matanuska Mines
Will Be Reaelied and Opened Soon.
I Special to Gateway by United Press)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.—Actual
development of the fabulously rich
Matanuska coal fields in Alaska will
begin this year. The small, independ
ent miner will have a chance, under
the lease system Secretary of the In
terior Lane is expected to announce
within the next few weeks, to work
this coal field Uncle Sam has so care
fully guarded from being gobbled up
by the Coal Barons. This is the pre
diction from Secretary of the Interior
Lane. By fall he plans to have the
government railroad built to the coal
fields. An army of railroad builders
will begin about March 1 to complete
the line to the Matanuska fields.
“Our immediate objective is the
Matanuska fields,” said Secretary
Lane today. “We want to push the
railroad through so that we will be
in the coal fields by the end of this
year. We have drawn a lease on
these coal lands. We hope within 30
days to be able to announce those j
parts of the coal fields that are re- j
served to the government. At the
end of this year we hope to have a
line from Anchorage up to the Mata-,
nuska fields, and we ought to press;
on from the Matanuska River through
the Susitna valley.” The immediate
work this spring and summer on the
Alaska railroad according to Lane
ami Chairman Kdes of the Alaskan
Railroad Commission, will be to com
plete the road from the deep water
terminal at Seward through to Mata
0
nuska. “We plan to build this sum
mer as much as possible of the road
from Kern Creek to Anchorage,”
said Chairman Edes. The final pay
ment for the Alaska Northern Rail
road, bought by the government, will
be made July 5, according to Chair
man Edes. The whole purchase price
was $1,150,000 and the government
already has paid a half million. That
the Alaska Northern can be put into
shape for $ 100,000 is asserted by Sec
retary Lane. He insists the govern-1
ment got a bargain in acquiring it, as j
it cost $2,750,000. Seventy pound
rails are being laid on the new gov
ernment road and new track of 15
miles from the end of the Alaska
Northern hits already been laid, and
20 more miles graded.
LANE AND EDES
TELL OE ROAD
—
LATTER SAYS IT WILL COST
NEARLY A MILLION TO MAKE
THIS RAILROAD FIRST CLASS.
—
That it will cost $i>o0,000 to put the
Alaska Northern railroad in first
class shape, that is to make it a first
class railroad was the statement made
before a sub-committee of the ap
priprialions committee of the house
by Chairman Edes of the Engineering
Commission some days ago when tht
Urgency Deficiency bill was being
discussed.
In the Seattle Post Intelligencer of
January 26 two columns are devoted
to telling what Secretary Lane and
Chairman Edes told the committee
and the story, which is by Ashmun
Brown, the Washington correspondent
of that paper, is well worth reading.
Mr. Brown says that Lane told more
than had ever been told before as to
the reasons for choosing this route
instead of others and what is prob
ably the most pleasant information
given by him is that Kenai Peninsula
"is a country that has a real future.”
He stated that he has had two repre
sentatives in here and that they have
spoken highly of the Peninsula and
of its prospects.
Other facts stated by the secretary
in his testimony are:
It will cost $180,000 to place the
road in such condition that the gaso
line cars can run the whole distance
to the end of the road.
To put in .condition so that heavy
carssof coat can run over it will cost
$400,000.
lo tunnei at iortage Bay would
have cost $2,100,000.
If $600,000 is spent on the Alaska
Northern in addition to the purchase
price the road will cost about $25,000
a mile while it would cost $40,000 or
$50,000 a mile to construct it.
When Edes said it would cost $050,
000 to put the Alaska Northern in
first class shape he meant by putting
in new rails altogether and supplying
rolling stock. The new rails would
be seventy pound ones and Edes
stated in answer to Cannon that fifty
five milee of the road now have sixty
five pound rails and can carry heavy
traffic for years.
J. Frank Waller and D. E. Large,
of the Engineering Commission force,
appear in illustrations in the last is
sue of the Geographical Magazine to
hand. They are seen surveying on
the Nenana. George Colwell juet
escaped gaining immortality by being
Out of tht focus.
❖ “SPECIAL TO *
❖ THE GATEWAY** *
❖ - ❖
*> Several items of news appear- •>
v ing today marktM “Special to •&'
❖ Gateway** are sent specially *
*> through the mail by the United $
❖ Press of which the Gateway is *>
•> a member. They are dated just •>
❖ as they came. ^
TO SHIP ORE FROM
THE RAMBLER MINE
Rock Assays Over Two Hundred
Dollars a Ton.
Wm. Prendergast is in town from
the Rambler mine securing sacks for
a shipment to be made in about two
weeks to the Tacoma smelter. The
Rambler and Dora A. belong to Hub
bard, Prendergast and Norton and is
located four miles from Mile 18
adjacent to the Primrose. About
twelve tuns will be shipped. The
value is stated to be over $200 per
ton. If the ore sacks arrive on the
Ivans Mr. Prendergast will leave im
mediately for the mine.
STRIKE ON MOORE
CREEK IS GOOD
That the strike on Moore creek,
near the Iditarod, is richer than had
been supposed is the statement made
by Mr. Engquist, the Iditarod hotel
man, who arrived a couple of days
ago. This strike, as stated before,
was made on the property in which
Bennett James and L. L. James, Jr.,
are interested.
* LADIES WHO WILL *
* RECEIVE AT HOSPITAL *
* - ♦
At the Seward General Hospital
reception next Thursday afternoon,
February 10th, the following ladies
have ottered to receive the callers:
Mrs. J. M. Sloan, Mrs. T. M. Ward,
Mrs. Alex McDonald, Mrs. A. G. de
Sherbinin, Mrs. Erich Lucas, Miss
Ryan, Mrs. Gustav Borgen, Mrs.
Chas. Myers, Mrs. J. J. Finnegan,
Mrs. Moiony, Mrs. R. J. Weir, Mrs.
Merrill Martin, Mrs. Anton Eide, Mrs.
B. M. Stone, Mrs. Soupcof, Mrs. W.
E. Root, Mrs. Balderston, Mrs. Ellis,
Mrs. L. L. Janies, Mrs. J. D. Phillips,
Mrs. Tamblyn, and Mrs. J. H. Romig
will pour. Mrs. Taylor will have
charge of the refreshments and have
able assistants in Mrs. Ennis, Mrs.
Nickerson, Mrs. Province, Mrs. Mc
Iver and Mrs. Chovin.
Anyone wishing to donate towels,
sheets, trays, linens, dishes and such
articles will be very much thanked.
But you are just as welcome if not
donating a thing. Just call and show
the founders their efforts are ap
preciated.
MAKING PLANS FOR
COMMISSION BUILDING
Anchorage Says There is Much Activ
i‘y in Real Estate Now.
ANCHORAGE, Feb. 8.—Plans have
been prepared for a new general oflice
building for the Commission and also
for the enlargement of the post oflice.
The present quarters are wholly in
adequate.
Considerable activity in real estate
is now' evident.
LADIES TO RACE DOGS
OVER THERE THIS MONTH
■" ■ — ■ ■ v
If Dogs Can Advertise a Town An
chorage is Surely a Suc
cessful Barker.
, ANCHORAGE, Feb. 7.—Miss
White, Miss Ashton, Miss Howard of
Knik and Mrs. Dixon will drive dog
teams here on February 14 over the
course to WTiitney’s ranch and return
for a purse.
KENNEL CLUB DANCE
ANCHORAGE, Feb. 7.—The big
j Kennel Club dance takes place here
this evening.
....
CHAMPION STAMPEDER
OF ALASKA COMES
Alex McComber, the champion
stampeder of Alaska, arrived in town
yesterday and had to do it by water
; as he had just come over the trail
1 from the interior to Valdez. Alex
was one of the first into Dawson but,
he went to that modem burg from
“down the river somewhere.*' Since
then he has hit every camp in Alaska
^and when civilization crowded him
out of this little territory he went
across from Nome to Siberia until the
| Russians threatened to intern him.
Back he came and first he met Ruby
where he hit the paystreak for a
; time. Then came the Shushanna,
Nelchina and the rest and Mac is look- j
s ing for another. Mr. McComber was J
! in business in Dawson in the early j
! days. He is going to look over this!
place for a while.
__
METER FOR HOSPITAL
The city council after a lot of dis
.
cussion voted last night to permit the
Electric company to place a meter in
the Seward General Hospital. Only
one member voted against it and he
declared that he only did so because
he thought there might be some jok
er in it. While this member was talk
ing he tried to make it appear that
it was the Electric company that
drew up the franchise granted some
time ago and not the city. He did
not say who made the amendments,
though.
WILL SWEDEN
JOIN GERMAN?
•
SHE FEARS RUSSIAN AGGRES
SION AND YEARNS TO
LIBERATE FINLAND.
(Special to Gateway by United Press)
COPENHAGEN, Feb. 2.—(By
Mail)—'ihe Scandinavian business
situation furnishes a sidelight on the
Swedish, Danish and Norwegian at
titudes toward the war. Sweden is a
near-belligerent. She fears Russian
aggression, with a view to acquiring a
warm water port on the Norwegian
coast, a port which can only be reach
ed by a grab of Swedish and Nor
wegian territory. She yearns to rc
cover Finland. She is not so much
pro-C.ermanf but she is strongly anti
Russian. That she will yet attack
Russia is not a bad guess.
Denmark hates Germany for the
loss of Schleswig-Holstein. She fears
future Goman aggression. She sym
pathizes with England. She would
like to fight, if at all, on the allies’
side but she could so easily be over
run, across her border, by Goman
forces that she is naturally afraid. If
she fights at*all it must be with the
allies but there is no doubt she will
remain neutral if she can.
Norway’s interest is the same as
Sweden’s. She has nothing to gain,
indeed, as Sweden has, in Finland,
by attacking Russia, but her peril
from Russia’s anxiety for an Atlantic
port is a great as Sweden’s can be.
However, she has more interest in
developing her merchant fleet than in
anything else. She has small dis
position to risk its destruction by the
British navy. For this reason, though
it seems natural that Norway should
join the Swedes in the event of a clash
with Russia, the Norwegian view
point is not like Sweden’s at all.
Like Denmark, though for different
reasons, Norway undoubtedly will re
main neutral if she possibly can.
WINSTEDT ONCE
NIDREJITS OUT
ROASTS CITY COUNCIL IN
SPEECH AND GETS SIWASH
ED FOR HIS PAINS.
G. W. Winstedt, who has come to
be know'n as the Tribune of the Peo
ple, rose once more last night on the
floor of the city council chamber and
delivered a Philippic whose mordant
power can be guagcd by the fact that
the municipal governing body, nem.
con., decided to condemn him to an
eternal silence so far as that dis
tinguished body is concerned. In
other words Mr. Winstedt rose to re
mark that the members of the pres
ent city council, because they granted
a right of way on a street to men
who wish to build a wharf, were a
dishonorable bunch and that at the
next election the voters would express
their opinion in no unmistakable
terms. Unfortunately the parliamen
ary correspondent of the Gateway
was not present at the time but it
was later found that one of the mem
bers dt the council moved a resolution
that Mr. Winstedt never again be
listened to in that house and the
resolution carried. “The silv’ry voice
that cheered us is silent evermore.”
OLDTIME SOCIAL AT
CHURCH TOMORROW
At 8 P. M. Wednesday Rev. Mr. Cook
Will Welcome All at
Parsonage.
Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, at
8 o’clook, an oldtime social will be
given by Rev. Mr. Cook at the Metho
dist parsonage to which everyone is
invited, especially strangers. A most
pleasant evening is assured.
LITTLE STRIKE
ONJAILROAD
NO TROUBLE LOOKED FOR UN
LESS THE THING IS AGI
TATED TOO MUCH.
ANCHORAGE, Feb. 7.—The report
arrived this morning that the steel
gang employed on the railroad at
Peters creek has gone out on strike
lor higher wages. That the strike
has occurred tnere can be not Uie
least doubt and Deputy Marshal
bhuttz and Anderson leave for the
scene today to be ready to case their
services might be needed. The fact
that they went out, however, does not
mean that any trouble is looked for.
From all accounts there has been not
the slightest sign of trouble thus far
and none is anticipated.
The proposed organization of the
railroad workers has not been affected
yet.
WANT FIFTY CENTS AN HOUR
ANCHORAGE, Feb. 8.—Since wir
ing you yesterday of the strike ol
track layers a labor meeting wes held
last night at which it is estimated a
thousand men were present and reso
lutions were adopted calling for a
minimum wage scale of fifty cents an
hour, time and a half for oveetime
and double time for holidays. The
strike at Peter’s creek was endorsed
and a motion prevailed that none take
their place. A strikers’ committee
was selected. The skinners also quit
work today. All nationalities were
represented at the meeting which
adjourned until tonight. There is j
nothing new about the strike. Some
of the men have come to town. A
few of them speak radically but most
are conservative and unless the thing
is agitated too mu<?h it is believed that
the officials and the men will come to
an agreement and will go along
smoothly. (The Gateway got the
news of the little strike yesterday but
the paper was issued early to cat.h
the boat on which the Republican
Committeemen went, so that they
might have all the news possible, the
cable being down.)
LITTLE CITY PRINTING
GAME BROUGHT TO END
Mayor, Youngs and Chovin Place the
City’s Interests Ahead.
At the meeting of the city council
last night a motion was put to have
the new election ordinance printed but
the mayor, Councilman Youngs and
Councilman Chovin thought the mat
ter of using the city funds for certain
purposes had gone far enough and the
little game was stopped. The ordin
ance would have cost in the hundreds
of dollars, and may have been in
troduced for that purpose, and a man
whose name was published as a stock
holder in a certain concern moved
that the ordinance be printed. The
mayor, Mr. Youngs and Mr. Chovin
said that all that would be needed
would be to tell the people that the
ordinance provided for the Australian
ballotting system and they would
know the rest without digging again
into the pockets of the taxpayers.
Daggett, Borgen and Crawford, all of
whom had their names published be
fore as stockholders in the concern
that would profit by the grab, voted,
of course, for the motion but Messrs.
Myers, Youngs and Chovin voted that
the ordinance be posted as was the
case before any of the councilmen
entered the newspaper business. One
of the councilmen who voted for the
printing later as usual tried to square
himself, as is his wont, by seconding
the motion which opposed the mo
tion he supported before. As the vote
for the printing was a tie the mayor
declared the motion lost.
The city council last night passed
the first reading of an ordinance pre
venting people from taking electric
current without paying for it.
PUCE BIG MILL ON
INDEPENDENCE MINE
Property In Which Seward Men Inter
ested to Be W orked On
Large Scale.
L. S. Kobe, general manager of the
Independence mino on Willow creek,
is now on the way east to secure a
I mill which will have about forty
stamps capacity and which will be
[ placed on the mine as soon as pos
| sible for the purpose of operating the
property on a very much larger scale
; than ever. A meeting of th i com
pany was held in Seattle on the first
of the present month when new of
ficers were elected and when the de
cision was arrived at to secure the
mill immediately. Mr. Kobe gave a
most glowing account of the property
and it was decided to place either a
Lane, Denver or Chilean mill in oper
ation with about the capacity stated.
T. W. Hawkins of Seward was form
erly president of the company but at
the meeting held in Seattle in Feb
ruary 1 George J. Danz was elected
president and Mr. Hawkins was
elected vice-president. C. L. Hib
bard* was elected secretary-treasurer
and Sidney Anderson was elected as
assistant secretary. L. S. Kobe was
elected general manager. It was also
decide*! to secure a crusher, a stoping
1 drill, air compressor, a jackhammer
| drill and other equipment, all of w'hich
will be brought in this spring.
Horses and all the necessary equip
I ment for moving the outfit will also
be brought in.
MAYOR FAVORS
• THE MW LAW
SAYS OFFICAI.S OF CITY OUGHT
TO HE ELECTED
SEPARATELY.
Mayor Myers of Seward, like most
people who have given sufficient
tnought to the subject, is strongly in
favor of adopting the new municipal
election rules, passed by the terri
torial legislature, which provide that
die ollicials, city attorney, treasurer,
clerk, etc., be elected independently
of the city council itself. He believes
that the present system of selecting
ollicials is the cause of nearly ail the
splits and trouble that come in city
councils. He considers it ridiculous
to assume that because a city attor
ney is elected independently he would
not act in harmony with the council
and he points out that a city attorney
in any event would have to do his
duty and, indeed, could not avoid do
ing his duty unless he quits office al
together. Mr. Myers also believes
that, as the new law provides, - the
holding over of three members of the
council each year would render the
municipal governing body more ef
ficient. One particular thing on which
the mayor lays stress is that paid fire j
department should be established for
several reasons, and one good reason!
is that it would reduce the insurance
rates. The new law can only be put
into effect by the circulation of a
petition asking for a special election j
on the subject.
HOSPITAL RECEPTION
WILL BE PLEASANT
The reception at the Seward Gen
eral Hospital opening will be a most
pleasant affair it is now’ evident.
Lest there might be an> doubt on
the matter it is better to say that it
is absolutely free. Several ladies will
receive and the city council has ac
cepted an invitation to attend in a
body.
RIGHT TO CLEAR WAY
TO WHARF GRANTED
The city council last evening grant
ed Derick Lane ami his associates the
right to clear the street near the ap
proach to the proposed new' dock near
the hillside.
John Reichart, of Susitna, arrived
in the city last evening.
T. J. Cox, of the Western Drygoods
company, and T. M. West, of the
Sellers company, w’ent out this morn
ing on dog teams for Anchorage.
Harry Ellsworth left with a pas- j
senger for Anchorage this morning.
RITCHIE SAYS
JUDGE RIGHT
VALDEZ LAWYER SHOWS UN
TRUTH OF DISGRACEFUL
CHARGE MADE HERE.
The charge recently made by a
member of the Seward city council
that Judge Brown of the district
court decided the Valdez Dock Com
' puny cases in favor of the company
because he is a stockholder of that
corporation was put up today to E. E.
Ritchie, one of the attorneys for the
dock company, who is now in Seward.
He made the following statement:
“If Judge Brown had owned a dol
lar of stock in the Valdez Dock Com
pany he would have been disqualified
by law to hear the case at all. No
jury can try a case when he has any
interest in the event, or when any
near relative is interested. The code
particularly specifies various grounds
of disqualification.
“Judge Brown was averse to hear
ing the waterfront case because he
was one of the owners when the
wharf was built in 1902. He sold all
his interest about 1905, but stated at
the outset of the hearing that on ac
count of his intimate knowledge of
the history of the dock he believed it
would be more satisfactory to both
sides to have a decision from another
judge. The city council statesmen
insisted on proceeding with the case
before Judge Brown although the at
torneys for the defense were indiffer
ent as to who should occupy the bench
when it was tried. They knew the
case could only be decided one way by
a lawyer.
“Every lawyer knows the freak
ordinace under which the case was
instituted hadn’t a leg to stand on in
law. When I say every lawyer
knows it, I include L. V. Ray, who
was retained at the eleventh hour by
the council to try to make something
out of an impossible case. He made
a plausible showing but he couldn’t
make something out of,nothing. The
case will never be appealed because
it would last as long in the appellate
court as a snowball at sea level in
the tropics/’
AUSTRALIAN VOTING
SYSTEM ADOPTED
The city council last night adopted
the emergency ordinance providing
for the Australian system in muni
cipal elections here. The ordinance
will be posted but most people know
what the system is or can learn it
even at the polk.