KAHLITNA RIVER
CARRIES GOLD
AND PLATINUM
ANCHORAGE. Oct. <h <P>y Mail)
Platinum occurs quite uniformly, as
well as placer gold, in the gravel of
the Kahlitna river, according to Mai
com S. McKay, who is one of a party
McKay, who is a senior member of
the firm of McKay anti Company. No.
14 Wall Street, and John P. Holman,
who is associated with the Metropol
itan Advertising company, at No. <*
Wall street, have just returned from
a two weeks’ visit to the property. It
summer it has been prospected with
Professor Herschel Parker for the *
purpose of ascertaining its possibi i
Ohtained in K\er> Pan
“Platinum and gold can be obtained
in almost every pan of gravel on our
Mr. McKa\, “but we have not yet sat
stalling a fleet of dredges to develop
this past season were ve»y unfavor
able for prospecting vaik. and Pro
fessor Parker did not make the prog
ress he had planned
results he achieved :i»*c very e»wou r
erations next season.'*
Mr. McKay. Mr. Holman and Pro
fessor Parker will leave for the States
this week on the steamship Alameda.
The finding of platinum on the Kah
litna river attracted the attention of
the federal government. 1’he metal,
which is very scarce, in in great de
mand in the manufacture f>! war mu
nitions.
Geologist \ isits l laims
K. B. Mertie, of the geological sur
vey, was detailed by the authorities
at Washington City to investigate the
discovery of platinum, and he has just
returned from a trip to the claims
managed by Professor Parker. Mr.
Mertie made a thorough examination
of the ground. The facts ascertained
bv him will he communicated at once
in a report to the government.
Heretofore, the world's principal
supply of platinum came from the
Russian side of the Ural mountains.
Between ten and twelve ounces of
platinum were discovered in Alaska
last year.
War uses of platinum include the
making of sulphuric acids and the
completion of contact points of the
ignition system of airplanes, automo
biles and telephone and telegraphic
instruments.
Partial Substitute Pound
Substitutes have been found for it
in making of sulphuric acids, but it
is almost indispensable for other uses.
Jo acute is the world’s shortage
that it has advanced from $45 to $105
an ounce since the beginning of the
war. The condition has become so
critical in this country that a survey
of the visible supply has been made,
but the results have not been publish
Russian banks which made high
loans on the output of the Ural moun
tain miners, are understood to hold
large quantities of platinum hut the
chances of obtaining their supply are
regarded uncertain. Seven hundred
and fifty troy ounces constitute the
largest production of platinum in the
United States, while Russia before
the opening of the war produced as
much as MOO.000 ounces in a year.
Mr. McKay was a passenger on the!
Alameda Sunday night for the States
en route to New York Uity.
PUBLICITY IS !
GIVEN FARMING ]
IN MATANUSKA]
Agricultural resources of the Mat
anuska valley in particular with gen
eral reference to the farming possi-J
bilities in the whole Cook Inlet conn- j
try constitute the subject of an in-,
teresting article in the current issue |
of the Alaska Magazine. The article]
is as follows:
“Much has been written and said
about the agricultural possibilities ot
the Matanuska valley. However, the
best farming and grazing lands con
tained in the Cook Inlet country arc
not confined to the Matanuska valley.
In fact, the actual tillable area enclos
ed in the so-called Matanuska section
is somewhat limited.
“Stretching from Anchorage to and
beyond Matanuska are gravel depos
its formed by pre-historic glaciers,
covered for the most part with birch,
hemlock, spruce, poplars, cottonwood
an<l a rank vegetation of wild grasses,
weeds and flowers.
“The fall of volcanic ash and ages
] Lvnx, Marten, White Weasel,
Bear, Mink, Wolverine, Otter
IN DEMAND
Red, White and Blue, Cross
i and Silver FOXES in especially
| STRONG DEMAND
Ship to “Shubert”
Write for “ehr dhubrrt Shipper"
containing valuable Market in
formation you must have.
• 25-27 WEST AUSTIN AVE.
InC. Dept. 3. CHICAGO. U.S.A.
_
YOU can’t sharpen a knife agin a
piece o’ cheese. You gotta get
friction. An’ rubbin’ up agin tk’
world’s opposition is what
puts an edge onto a man’s
character. If he needs a lit
tle lubrication fer his feel
in’s now an’ agin, let him
try a pipeload of VELVET.
VELVET, the Smoothest Smoking Tobacco.'
of decaying vegetation have formed a
rich sub-soil, which, in many in
stances, is too thin for permanent
farming. In the vicinity of Matanus
ka this sub-soil varies from one foot
to six feet and produces wonderful
crops of rutabagas, radishes, lettuce,
cabbage, strawberries, potatoes, tur
nips, and, in fact, nearly all varieties
of vegetables, as well as berries, be
sides oats, barley, bay and in some in
stances, wheat.
Has Some Drawbacks
Naturally farming there has its
drawbacks the same as is true of any
country. The greatest present scourge
is the swarms of mosquitoes during
the warm months. These, however,
will gradually disappear as the coun
try becomes settled. The land must
be cleared of its timber, which costs
from $75 to $200 per acre, since the
moss also must be gotten rid of. Dur
ing a dry season a fire will run along
the moss, and fell all the trees, with
out the labor of cutting them down,
and they are then piled up and burned
and the moss afterwards scraped olT|
and burned. The timber is ruthless
ly sacrificed, owing to the near pres
ence of coal for fuel purposes. Sev
eral farmer residents intend to buy
a small plant, to cost about $“00, to
utilize some of the best timber foi
making boxes in which to ship to mar-1
ket vegetables and berries. The boxes
could be made in the winter time when
there is little else to do and would
save them a considerable item of ex
pense.
Present Need Is (iood Roads
“All farm produce raised finds a
ready sale in Anchorage and to the
government railroad commission. The
greatest present need is a system ot
good roads for feeders to the railroad,
so that farm machinery may be got
ten to the fields and the produce tak
en to the market. Most of the farm
ers are single men who are ambitious
to become independent. If they could
secure wives to share their hardships,
it would help almost as much as good
roads. And, really, the hardships are
nothing compared with those of tlu
early settlers in western states, whilst
the rewards are much richer.
"A petition has been circulated and
signed bv the farmers asking the gov
ernment to limit the number of acres
that must be cultivated before home
stead rights can issue.
Lack of Funds
“Several of the farmers told the
writer that lack of funds to buy seed
and necessary farming implements
greatly handicap them. They thought
that if the government would adopt
a plan of loaning each homesteader
even the nominal sum of $£0 for each
acre cleared, it would prove a great
boon. Since it costs more than that
to clear the land, the government could
not possibly lose anything.
“Moreover, every possible encour
agement should be given the pioneer
ranchers who, above every other in
dustrial class, will make the govern
ment railroad a paying investment.
“As suited, Matanuska forms but a
small portion of the farming area trib
utary to Anchorage and Seward and
stations on the government railroad
and for boats plying Cook inlet. Slop
ing to the waters of Cook inlet on al
most every side are great tracts of
rich soil. A good portion of the Susit
na valley contains excellent soil. Lack
of transportation now makes these
large tracts unavailable. However,
launches are beginning to develop set
tlements along the shores of Cook in
let, and the government railroad, in
another year, ought to traverse a good
portion of the Susitna valley. Mean
time the development of the coal
fields, of metal mining in Willow creek
and other districts, of manufacturing
and lumbering, of fishing and the
utilization of its by-products will cre
ate a growing market for all the farm
produce that can be raised.
Wonderful Empire
“The Cook inlet section is indeed a
wonderful empire more rich in natural
resources than some of the western
States, but it will require time and
money to develop these. Anyone emi
grating merely to make an easy liv
ing will meet only with bitter disap
pointment. Th* country requires of
men and women the same courage and
self-sacrifice and hardiness which civ
ilized the great west. The Alaska
Magazine feels that its mission for
the best interest of Alaska would fail
if it were to create a boom sentiment
for attracting settlers without giving
them a chance to fully weigh all the
handicaps as well as the advantages. j
Not every person is so constituted as
to stand the gaff of pioneering. Some
of those already on the ground are
discouraged and tired of the game.
This is true of every new country.
Hut the rewards are certain foi those
who hang on.”
FEDERAL LAWS
HURT ALASKA'S
OIL INDUSTRY
Falcon Joslin Says That Conditions j
Are t’nsatisfactory in the Katalla
Field—Crude Lubricant
Wasted
Falcon Joslin, pioneer railroad man,
coal mine operator, oil land developer
and all-around Alaskan, was in Ju
neau the other day, bound south after
having spent several weeks inspecting
his oil interests at Katalla.
Mr. Joslin, according to the Juneau
Empire, reports that the oil industry
is very unsatisfactory on account of
the inability to secure title to the oil I
lands, which prevents capital from de
veloping the industry. Mr. Joslin and
associates have just completed the
sinking of their ninth well and are at:
present drilling another one.
l nahle to Supply Demand
“M e have been unable to supply the
demand for our refined product and
could sell ten times as much as we
can produce if we could get the oil,”
l stated Mr. Joslin. “Several of the1
canneries have been handicapped this
year on account of the oil shortage,
as they were unable to secure oil from
California. Next year it will be worse
and if we are unable to supply them,
many of them will be up against it.
Small Refinery in Operation
“The small refinery being operated,
in connection with the oil wells which
art* now producing, is being worked to
capacity at the present time. The oil
secured is very high grade anti when
refined over 70 per cent of it goes into
gasoline ami distillate. The heavier
oils and lubricants from the crude
product are at present wasted, as it
would not pay to put in a plant to
save them until a larger production
of crude oil is possible.”
-«>
SOLDIERS TRAINED TO
SING ON MARCH
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. (!, (De
layed).—In line with the theory that
has been advanced that singing while
•
on the march tends to make the go
ing easier for the men, Captain P. I*.
Kyne, commanding a battery in the
Second California Field Artillery,
better known as the Grizzlies, has his
men sing a ditty on the march to
breakfast in order to thoroughly wake
H. V. IIodk.v A. K. Davi
ALASKA TRANSFER
H. V. IIORKN, Manaqkr
Coal, Wood and Ice
General Transferring. I’hunes, Main l< and 41
_
HOTEL OVERLAND
E. L. WHITTEMORE, Proprietor
Headquarters for Mining Men
SEWARD, - - - ALASKA
CAFE KOOMS I k* A 5 fc I g Sherman Haynes
Pool and Billiard* g _ flL/lVl- Proprietor
Best Liqyersjnd Cigars
» *
I uni h Counter in Connection
G. M. PETLIBONECO.
Packers’ Direct Selling Agent
SALT SALMON, HERRING, COD
CANNED SALMON
If Service Counts Our Interests are Mutual
OFFICES: L. C. SMITH BUILDING SEATTLE, U. S. A.
irr-i
No Membership or Withdrawn! Fee*
We Employ No Solicitor*
l PROTECTION PLUS PROFIT
IIS OFFERED to those who leave their
funds with us.
I PROTECTION: In that every dollar
is protected by investment in first
mortgages on improved real estate and
in U. S., State and City Bonds.
PROFIT: AS a “Mutual SAVINGS i
SOCIETY” all our earnings, less ac
tual expenses, are paid to our mem
bers twice each year. If left here,
are compounded semi-annually.
H YOU CAN DO BUSINESS WITH US
BY MAIL
We accept any sum from $1.00 to
B $5,000.
2 BOOKLET MAILED FREE
PI GET Sul M) SAVINGS & LUAN
% ASSOCIATION
I Established 1001.
Pika and Third Street* SEATTLE, WN.
them up.
Kyne noted the heavy eyelids and
the suppressed yawns at reveille and
concluded to appropriate the singing
idea for his own needs. Other battery
commanders in the regiment are fol
lowing the plan.
-<•
STILL MOVING
OTTAWA. Oct. 6, (Delayed).—Sta
tistics gathered by the Dominion gov
eminent show that the war has not
bv anv means arrested the movement
of settlers from the United States
into Canada.
-*
FRENCH MINISTER TO
CHINA IS APPOINTED
PEKIN, Oct. f>, (Delayed).—A.
Hoppe, formerly French minister to
Serbia, has been appointed to succeed
Alexandre R. Conty as French min
ister at Pekin.
(/)
Li
oc
o
L.
2 ARE NOW MADE BY THE NEW VACUUM
> PATENT PATENT 2
111 PRESSURE PRESSURE 3
*? PROCESS PROCESS c
0 THOUSANDS wearers ^Jhave^com^back to EUREKA'S J
**■ -*]-(§h--& ~
GIVE THEM A TRIAL NEXT TIME AND YOU'LL SOON LEARN
WHY THE OTHER FELLOW SWITCHED BACK— _
L