*
The Terminus of Alaska’s Thirty-five Million Dollar Government Owned Railroad System
•
—--*■—| _ a The Gateway
to the I Kenai, Knik^Broad Pass
of iwcil' JP
I . _ j
„ I’w/'i'nT crxir .v LARGEST ALASKAN CIRCULATION
ADVERTISEMENTS HUNG RESULTS PUBLISHED DA1LA EXCI.1 r . UNDAY -
- -—- - "i - ■" <-»■——■——■ '■* Tp*% Cents ifio Cony
V«L t, N«b U* SEWARD, THE GATEWAY TO ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4. 1915. --- ---
SEWARD FAST
BUILDING UP
IN ADDITION TO THE MANY
Bt'ILDlNGS COMPLETED
NEW ONES ARE RISING.
That much construction and build
ing is going on in the Terminal City
can be seen by any one walking
around right in town. Besides the
instances which follow, there are
many neat little bungalows and homes
being built in the Laubner and Bay
View additions. This great activity is
indicative of the faith of the future
of this city which these people hold.
They have just commenced work on
the foundation of the new A. B. hall,
which will be on the same site as the
old hall but will be "8 x 100 feet in
dimension. They are putting in good
and substantial foundations so as to
accomodate the dancing parties which
will be held there.
Brosius & Noon are also construct
ing a new warehouse, *10 x 100 feet,
near their shops where they will be
able to store their fast increasing
stock. It will be covered with cor
rugated iron and should be finished in
about a month. They are also doing
extensive repair work on buildings
near their shops which will cost in the
neighborhood of $1,000.
G. Benj. Poindexter commenced
making an addition in the rear of his
office on Fourth avenue just above
the bank.
Mrs. J. Ellsworth started work last
week on her residence on Second
Avenue near the school house. The
residence will be on the pattern of a
bungalow and will have four rooms.
She places the cost of the work to be
about $1500.00 and it will be finished
in about a month.
Dr. Romig and Isaac Evans have
just completed the repair on three
small houses on Adams street near
the Episcopale church. The cost was
over $850.
Charles Tecklenberg commenced
the repair work on the Seattle bar
and Commerce about two weeks ago.
He raised the buildings to meet the
established grade and made other
improvements on the buildings. The
repairs will cost in the neighborhood
of $2,000.
J. T. Harvey has nearly completed
a four room one story residence for
E. O. Sawyer, Jr., on First avenue
across the creek.
Hugh Dougherty has nearly com
pleted the building of a small frame
house, about 12 feet by 24 feet for
J. E. Dougherty.
Anton Eide has completed his fine
new residence on Third avenue.
M. G. Muller will soon have com
pleted a 12 x 24 frame house on Fifth
avenue near Railroad avenue.
Philip J. Hickey, Jr., has gone a
long ways toward the completion ot
his residence on First avenue. It is
a two story house and will have about
six rooms.
Dr. Daggett has been doing some
\ extensive repair work on his office
building. He has put in an outside
stairway to his large basement and
will have glass pavement lights in
the cement walks on the fourth
avenue side.
A Mr. Peterson recently started
v the construction of a fine home on
First avenue near the government
tract.
The Pioneers of this city will soon
start work on the erection of their
new home at the head of Adams
Street, which will cost anyway
from $2,300 to $4,000.
John Rothfus recently commenced
work on a two part residence on
Second avenue.
J. Lindley Green recently com
pleted the building of a neat little
home on First Avenue.
“The Third Avenue bunk house” is
being thoroughly overhauled and re
paired.
LADIES AID TO MEET.
The Ladies’ Aid society will meet
with Mrs. Cook at the parsonage to
morrow afternoon.
Is. S. VICTORIA
I OFT TOMORROW
I COMING ON HER SECOND TRIP
OF SEASON BY THE IN
SIDE PASSAGE.
NOME, August 3.—The steamship
Victoria will leave Nome August 5
on her second trip by Seward and the
inside passage with the following
passengers:
C. H. Edwards and wife, W. S. Post
and wife, F. Somenback, L. E. How
ard. H. Marcus, Lucile Williamson, P.
M. Hopping, Miss A. W. Edwards,
Mrs. T. A. Neeb, VV. H. Stark and
wife. Mrs. H. J. Lucther, Cima M.
Schofield, P. J. O’Higgins, B. C. Lucy,
Mrs. Bella Turner, George Volmer,
Miss D. F. Edwards, Wm. M. Goering,
E. T. Drake. F. Ross. W. S. Chandler,
Mrs. A. Siegel, Hazel Lindsey, Miss
H. W. Knowle, Cyrus Wade.
> •> %• ❖ <• •!* v v •> v
❖ NO OUTSIDE NEWS *
•> C AME TODAY EITHER. *
•> - •>
No outside dispatches came today.
This is the second day on which no
news came from the world beyond
Alaska. A few commercial dis
patches of a belated kind arrived but
were sent in over the place where
communication is interrupted by
means of the Sitka Radio. Owing to
the recent ruling of the Signal Corps
press dispatches are now made to
wait until commercial work has been
sent.
EDGERTON GETS TRANSFER.
JUNEAU.—Lieut. J. S. Mehoflfery,
U. S. A., is in Juneau, on his way to
Valdez to relieve Capt. Cden C. Edge
rton, who is soon to be transferred. ;
Lieut. Mehoflfery arrived on the Mari
posa and stayed over here, at the in
vitation of J. C. Hayes, the division
al road superintendent for the Alaska
commission, of which Lieut. Mehof- j
ferv will be one of the executive
heads.
JUNEAU.—In an interview with
W. P. Lass this afternoon it was
learned that J. P. Morgan interests
had bought into the Speel River Pro
ject and that the transfer of authority
was made during his recent visit to
San Francisco.
As announced by the Empire last
spring it was then the intention of
Messrs. Kennedy and Lass to install
an initial hydro-electric plant at
Speel river this summer and to this
end a corporation was formed in
which all outstanding interests were
offered their full share of the stock.
—Empire.
NEWS NOTES.
Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Sears have re
turned after a pleasant vacation in
the country.
Derick Lane returned yesterday to
the city from the Oasis.
Charles E. Herron, and Dr. Barnes
who are dredging on Sixmile creek
are amongst the passengers arriving
on the car this afternoon.
The first cement was placed on the
sidewalks today. The contract gives
the contractor another month for the
completion of the work.
The readjustment of the hydrants
on Fourth avenue will give the city
much better fire protection than
formerly. They used to be very close
together but are now separated and
some parts of the street, especially
the lower and upper extremities were
insufficiently protected against fire.
This evil os now remedied.
The Santa Ana is due from the
Westward Friday or Saturday.
J. Curtis Patterson, who came here
with Duncan Stewart, is a civil en
gineer of note from Philadelphia. He
has visited South America and many
famous mining regions in his travels
but he says he has never seen a more
beautiful townsite than that of
1 Seward.
j ♦ ♦ ❖ ❖ •> ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
❖THOMAS MARTIN DALE ❖
❖ PAYS COMPLIMENT ❖
* _ *
Thomas Mart indale, author and
hunter, who is so well known in Sew
ard, writes all the way from his home
in Philadelphia to subscribe for the
All-Alaska Review, and in the course
of his letter says:
“You have done well in publishing
the All-Alaska Review. It will be
productive of more good to Alaska—
as a whole—than you have perhaps
ever dreamed of. Alaska is so very
big with so many different and vary
ing interests that it would be almost
! impossible to keep in touch in an ordi
nary way with the coming boom that
is bound to be an eye-opener when
the public commences to realize what
a wonderfully ricji territory Alaska is
sure to become. The ‘Review* fills the
i bill in giving a short and succinct
; statement of the happenings of the
month through all the districts of
Alaska.”
_ —-—.
GUS SEIFFERT COMES IN
WITH A BIG GOLD POKE.
Reports Everything on Resurrection
Creek is Going Splendidly.
Gus Seiffert, the mining operator
of Resurrection, arrived in town this
•
afternoon with a big poke of gold, the
result of his work on that stream. He
reports his operations to be most suc
cessful. He will go back on the day
after tomorrow and a splendid con
tinuation of the season’s success is as
sured. \
TAKES CP OPTION ON
SKEEN-JOHNSON MINE.
Gus Seiffert has taken up an option
on the Skeen-Johnson quartz mine on
Afisana creek at the head of Resur
rection creek. The mine is one in
which rich values have been found.
NOME NOW HAS
LOTS OF WATER
ALL MINES WORKING AND CON
DITIONS UP THERE
ARE GOOD.
NOME, August 3.—All the mines
in this district are now working full
swing and the outlook for the season
is most fdvorable. The lateness of
the season was a drawback for a time,
but lots of water is now at hand and
sluicing is*general even where dumps
had to lie idle temporarily. The pay
roll seems to be at least as large as
in any of the last few preceding
years.
CROW CREEK IS
SHOWING UP WELL.
Elijah Ayres, who has been out in
the Crow ereek country for the past
few months returned yesterday after
noon on the car. He reports that
Dick Dawson is doing much better
that he expected to this summer. He
is employing at the present time in
the neighborhood of 35 men. He has
made only one small clean up so far
due to the great volume of water
flowing down the Glacier streams and
coming from the melting of ice due
to the great heat of the sun. The big
cleanup will come off about the lat
ter part of September.
Mr. Dawson is keeping the saw mill
going steadily making lumber which
will be used for making a by pass to
be used when the water runs low.
This flume will be about a mile and a
half long. Some of the lumber will
be used in the construction of new
bunk houses and a big ware house,
which will be commenced during the
winter some time.
He will keep the full number of
men until December. When the water
runs low they will cut logs and begin
work on the buildings.
GOLD FOR BANK OF SEWARD.
A large shipment of gold was re
ceived today by the Bank of Seward
from the St Louis Mining & Trad
ing company which is operating there
extensively.
CITV COUNCIL
GIVES A SHOW
CITY ATTORNEY RESIGNS TO
HAVE SOMETHING OR AN
OTHER INVESTIGATED.
SCRAPLAS1 ED 3 HOURS
CHAMBERLIN WANTS TO KNOW
MANY THINGS AND IS
VOTED DOWN.
Anyone who was not present at
the city council meeting last night
missed the most extraordinary enter
tainment that was ever provided by
or for man or beast. The meeting
lasted just about ten minutes less
than three hours, and from the time
of the rising of the curtain until the
moment when the last political op
ponent and arch villian was confound
ed and crushed everything was a
scream. The piece de resistance or
the climax came when the city at
torney offered his temporary resigna
tion and the lawmakers after a touch
ing and heroic exposition of their deep
.emotion accepted it. This climax
came because the unfortunate Al
Chamberlin in the course of his re
marks happened to say “1 want to
know whether the city attorney is
working for the city council or the
contractor." Poor Al never meant a
thing except to suggest that he didn't
think the city attorney was strict
enough in his inerpretation of the con
tract for street improvements. Any
suckling infant gazing calmly with
its calf eyes over the nerve settling
milk bottle could have seen that, but
our local statesmen, maddened by the
fierce and bloody strife could not, and
the immediate result was pandemon
ium—the same sort of pandemonium
that one might see when suddenly
amongst "the noisy geese that gambl
ed oe’r the pool" a cat or some other
terrifying quadruped projects him
self. It was funny. By heaven, it
was rich. If a man had only short
hand notes of it, a phonograph and a
moving picture machine to reproduce
it he could make enough money to
build the Copper River railroad into
Fairbanks and maintain it, and that’s
saying something.
The performers were discovered dis
cussing the proposed school building.
One amendment asked for separate
bids for the different units of the
•work but as this was proposed by
Chamberlin there was immediately
passed another amendment to let the
contract for the excavation and the
concrete work as one. Then it was
found that no chimney was provided
for in the concrete so it was decided
to make the chimney brick rather
than admit they were wrong. Again
Chamberlin, to aid poor men bidding
for the work, wanted only a deposit
from bidders of five per cent, which is
the usual amount, but, again, Cham
berlin had to meet defeat. Frank
Youngs w’as not present, let it be said.
The mayor at times voted with Al
when he believed he w’as right but
the rest of them would apparently
have skinned their grandmothers if
they could have only choked Al with
the venerable pelts. To make them
all the madder the audience was on
the side of Mr. Chamberlin and ap
plauded him. It was decided finally
to call for bids. All bids must be
received next Monday except the bids
for. the heating plant which will be
due on the 23rd. inst.
City Clerk Accused.
Then came another scene of mighty
passions w’hen Contractor Mantell
asked that the certified check for $700
deposited by him be returned as he
has spent nearly $5,000 on the streets
already. The city attorney recom
mended the return of the check and
Chamberlin came w’ith another bomb
when he said he’d like to know wheth
er Mantell is the contractor at all.
He further declared that Mantell had
drawn up an assignment of the con
tract to his partner Mr. Bade and
that this assignment was actually in
the hands of the city clerk who had
concealed the facts from the council.
It is impossible to describe what hap
pened after this. Everey member of
the council was speaking at once and
most of them said one thing one
minute and gave expression to
different opinions two minutes
later. The city clerk said the as
signment had been merely handed to
him by Mr. Bade to keep in his safe
and not because he was city clerk. It
was merely private, he said, and not a
municipal transaction. He supple
mented his excuse by saying that he
would never have shown it to Mr. |
Chamberlin if he wished to hide it,
but he did not explain how it was he ,
was willing to let a stranger see a
private document. This assignment
was actually pinned to the original
contract and when Mr. Chamberlin ,
went to the clerk's office to read the
contract the assignment fell into his
hands. Let it be repeated that the
city clerk stated that Mr. Bade only
handed him the assignment for safe .
keeping and it is only charitable to |
the city clerk to assume that when he
let Chamberlin see this private docu
ment he did so without thinking. Of j
course, this would indicate the pos-1
sibility that the clerk might not have
wished to let Chamberlin see the .
document and that he did not intend
to, but that he forgot the papers were
pinned together.
Chamberlin continued in a strenuous
speech that the city engineer says no
part of the work on Fourth avenue,
practically, has been done and he
feared for the rights of the tax pay
ers. This was the time the audience
cheered Chamberlin and drove the
other councilmen mad. Al further
hinted that favoritism had been
shown in giving the contract and Bor
gen asked him if it was not a fact
that Chamberlin hirnsclf had not |
voted for the lowest bidder. Cham-'
berlin denied ,this and Borgen
said something about looking it
up. The city engineer stated
that no estimate of the work
done by the contractor could be
made at present but the city attorney
said the city ordinance would corn
in'! the council to return the check. It
was then that Chamberlin said he |
wanted to know whether the attorney
was acting for the city or for Man- i
tell. Dagget was the next orator. He
called on the mayor to declare Cham
berlin out of order and the two men j
stood up and passed words. The may- j
or let Chamberlin proceed and then
an appeal from the decision of the
chair was asked, with the result, of
course, that Mr. Chamberlin was voted
to his seat. Mayor Myers voted for
Chamberlin but no one else. It was
a foul little bit of the petty tyranny
that one could expect from men whose
mental capacity had not been develop
ed. Then followed more speechmak
ing and verbal cross fire that would
have driven a phonograph crazy.
Through the storm of rot one could
hear Chamberlin protest that the ac
tion of any official can be questioned
and then came the city attorney with
the offer of his temporary resignation
so that the “accusations" against
him be investigated. He also hinted
that he would “show up" the whole
thing.
Finally it was ordered that the
check of Mr. Mantell be returned as
he has done work on the streets,
Chamberlin alone dissenting. Man
tell stated that his bonds had been
delayed only because the bonding
company wants the signature of C.
E. Bade to it. Chamberlin said that
a month has passed since the time
the street improvement conract began
and that no bonds have yet been
forthcoming. Mantell declared further
that when the bonds were received he
(Continued on Pago Six)
❖ •> * * * * V •> v
!
❖ GAME BIRDS WILL *
! ❖ BE PLENTIFUL *
❖ - ♦
Dr. Baughman, game warden,
j states that all game birds will be
' plentiful this year because of the dry
weather that prevailed during the
spring and summer. The season for
| ducks, ptarmigan, grouse and all
other game opens on the first of De
cember, except that for moose, which
opens later.
_
BORGEN AND CRAWFORD
APPOINTED BY MAYOR.
A1 Chamberlin is Now Sure to get It
Where the Chicken Got
the Axe.
Councilman Borgen and Crawford
have been appointed by the mayor as
a committee to investigate the mat
ter which came up last evening when
Councilman Chamberlin asked wheth
er the city attorney was acting for
the city or for the contractor on the
street work, or words to that effect.^
As a matter of fact there was no ac
cusation made and the whole thing
is childish but that committee is ap
pointed for some purpose which has
not yet come to the surface. The i
mayor in appointing those two coun
cilrnen appointed men who are always
bitterly opposed to that stormy |
petrel, Mr. Chamberlin, and the time
is ripe to begin weeping for his fate.
One of these days, countrymen and
lovers, you will hear something'
sprung by that committee. It is a
committee of brilliant public men ap
pointed by a great and deep legis
lative body and, of course, they have
fooled us all. That play of the resig
nation and committee of investigation
is Machiavellian—that’s a good word.
Watch the game. The city attorney
is not being investigated so much as
—someone else.
STEVE BIRCH
ON BROAD PASS
SAYS NOTHING FOUND AND
EVEN KNOCKS THE MATA
NUSKA POSSIBILITIES
Some days ago this paper asked as
a suggestion whether the condemna
tion of the Broad Pass as a mining
country by the Copper River interests
could have any bearing on the desire
of those interests to show that the
government has selected a railroad
route which can have no hope of such
tonnage as the Cordova route, and
now comes an interview with Stephen
Birch in a Seatle paper in which he
Vnixes up the two subjects in a man- ^
ner which is significant to say the
least. Mr. Birch even goes so far as 1
to say that the tonnage—presumably
for the railroad—from the Matanuska
coal fields will not be “anything
enormous.” In the Broad Pass, he
says, the representatives of the Gug-!
genheims did not find “enough ship
ping ore to load a pack horse.” This
sounds very much like a person going
out of his way to belittle a district.
But here is part of the interview in
the Seattle Times with Mr. Birch:
“We had an expedition in that re
gion all winter,” said Birch, “and the
properties we had under option fail- J
ed to stand up under investigation.
The members of the expedition didn’t,
find enough shipping ore to load a
pack horse. There may^he some ton
nage in that country, but the mem
bers of our expedition failed to dis
cover it.
“The only tonnage that will be de
veloped, so far as we were able to
learn, will come from the Matanuska j
coal fields, and with the exception of j
that used in the navy that will not
be anything enormous. Many of the
battleships are now burning fuel oil.
“The market for Alaska coal will
come largely from Alaska itself. It
will be used in developing and creat
ing various industries. Practically
every big plant in Alaska now burns
California fuel oil.”
CITY TAX MAY
BE THE LIMIT
TWO PER CENT ON PRESENT
ASSESSMENT WILL BE
NECESSARY.
After further investigation by the
city officials it has been discovered
that the expenses of the city for the
year will be approximately fifty-four
thousand dollars. This means that a
two per cent tax will have to be levied
on the present assessment of two
million two hundred and forty thou
sand. Two per cent on that amount
will bring in round figures forty-four
thousand dollars. The remaining t« n
thousand will come from federal li
censes. If the expenditure is cut
down at all it will have to be cut by
either reducing salaries or the num
ber of officials, or by stopping im
provements on the streets and
schools. There has not been met one
property holder in the city to say tha’
he is satisfied, but the best thing to
do is to go carefully and quietly into
the whole matter and try to rectify
matters.
INVENTOR OF 1)1 PEEX
ELECTRIC SKIN HERE.
Decides fo Enter Business in Sew
ard Aftet Having Looked
Over the City.
F. B. Camm, inventor of the Camm
Duplex Electric Sign, has decided to
make his permanent residence in Sew
ard and to enter business here after
having looked around and come to the
conclusion that we have a big future.
He has sent out for his full equipment
and stock and will soon be established
in full swing.
MINING AND OIL MAN HERE.
James L. Fulton of Portland, In
diana, is a recent arrival. He is in
terested with G. H. Bartholf in four
teen placer claims on Willow creek
and is also interested in Broad Pass
where he has an outfit prospecting.
He is also an oil man and is looking
over some property in the Susitna
which possess possibilities of being oil
producers.
OFF FOR THE CREEKS.
D. M. Stewart leaves town tomor
row morning to visit his placer prop
erties on Gulch creek and Canyon
creek in the Sunrise district. There
is considerable activity in that sec
tion this year, Mr. Stewart’s plant
alone sluicing 1000 yards per day on
Gulch creek.
He is accompanied by J. Curtis
Patterson, of Philadelphia, who is
visiting Alaska for the first time.
A. B’S MEET TONIGHT.
The Arctic Brotherhood will meet
this evening. The meeting was to
have taken place last evening but as
the Pioneers were using the hall the
date had to be postponed. At the
meeting tonight matters connected
with the new building and others of
importance will come up.
JOY NT BRINGS GOOD
REPORTS FROM TOLOVANA.
FAIRBANKS.—Returning from
the Tolovana district, where he has
been surveying for the proposed ditch
from Mike Hess to Livengood,
diaries W. Joynt reached town last
evening. He is even more optimistic
over the outlook of the new camp
than any of the new arrivals. He re
ports that pay base been lined up
along Livengood creek for a distance
of fully three miles, along the third
tier bench claims. In addition to this,
some pay has been found in the vari
ous small creeks and gulches that
feed Livengood creek. In adddition
to this there is a large portion of the
creek which has not been prospected
yet, owing to the deep channel, which
makes it impossible for men to stay
in the shaft under present conditions.
—Times.