CHARLES WRITES ON MATANUSKA
ROADS AND RICHARDSON ANSWERS
After a short sojourn in the country surrounding the head of Cook
Inlet. Sidney D. Charles on his return to Juneau penned an article in re
gard to the situation in that district in which he discussed wagon roads.
Instant response was forthcoming from Colonel Richardson, indicat
ing. at least, that on August 12th the Colonel, who has now been nom
inated for a brigadier-generalship in the new army, was not “formerly”
with the road commission as the dispatch stated, but very much on the
job. Here is the Charles’ article and the Colonel’s reply:
By SIDNEY I). CHARLES
Lack of transportation facilities
may be said to be at the bottom of
most of the troubles of the farmers
of the Matanuska Valley and of the
miners and operators of the Willow
creek district. This fact cannot be
emphasized too strongly; it cannot be
repeated too often and it is a sub
ject that should be hammered upon
continually until some relief is af
forded! Otherwise the development
of promising mines and of farms will
be greatly retarded.
For instance, in a district which
has produced nearly $2,000,000 in
gold, the operators have not made
much. Even with a railroad only
seventeen miles away, under present
conditions, it costs the operators on
Willow creek from $80 to $100 per
ton for freight from Seattle to the
mines. The expense over a “wagon
road” a distance of seventeen miles
from Wasilla to the mines is $2.7f»
per 100 pounds. This short stretch
of road is in horrible shape. Horses
have been killed, wagons shaken to
pieces and automobiles forced to quit
because of the ruts, chuck-holes and
rocks. Yet this road runs through a
comparatively level country, with no
difficult engineering problems, and
with plenty of gravel available only
a few feet under the muck on either
side.
Willow C reek a Wonder
Willow creek is a wonder in many
ways, it has practically financed it
self from the grass-roots. Through
lack of roads, ore cannot be handled
profitably now for less than $20 per
ton. In order to secure money for
further development and for macin
ery and small mills, the operators have
been forced to “gopher” about on the
richest paystreak, and no one knows
what further development work and
depth may disclose. Once it is es
tablished that permanent values arc
there, and much of the evidence is in
favor of that belief, there is plenty
of water power and facilities for
larger plants.
When better roads are provided
much of the money that now goes
into freight will be used for dcve1
opment purposes, and the operators
will be able to swing the camp on
a large scale should it be found that
the values go down. The discovery
of a telluride strain in the quartz as
sociated with heavy values is one of
the most encouraging signs. If the
Willow creek district were in any of
the outside mining states its showing
would cause the biggest stampede ever
made.
Regarding the Farmers
The wonderful productiveness of
the soil is being demonstrated by
farmers under many difficulties, the
greatest of which, as already stated,
is lack of roads. Any farmer a few
miles away from a railway station is
up against it in getting in supplies or
getting his produce to market.
Development of the Willow crook
mines, development of the coal fields
and the establishment of other indus
tries, will greatly help the farmers by
providing a good market, but much of
the farming country will remain a
wilderness until some decent roads are
built.
COL. RICHARDSON’S ANSWER
This article seems to be part of a
general propaganda emanating from
the Anchorage region in regard to its
needs in this respect. A few weeks
ago the Anchorage Chamber of Com
merce backed by Charles E. Herron,
though why the Chamber should need
his backing is not known to me, sent
to Senator Chamberlain, to the Sec
retary of War and Secretary ot the
Interior and others in Washington, a
voluminous telegram asserting their
pitiful condition and demanding
among other things that the Road
Commission give them $170,000.00 im
mediately, which is a sum larger than
the entire tax fund received by the
Road Commission for road work in
Alsaka. This telegram also contained
the statement that there were three
hundred farms containing ninety
thousand acres in that vicinity, clear
ed and ground ready for planting, but
could not get seed potatoes on account
of lack of roads. This statement was
about ninety-nine and four-tifths per
cent false as to amount of ground
cleared. They also demanded at about
the same time help from the Forestry
Bureau and from the Territorial Road
Fund.
( The Road Commission some years
ago built what was considered a very
good wagon road from Knik to the
Willow Creek mining district, which
road at the time received much com
mendation. The persons interested in
mining, however, have since that time,
with uttter disregard of results,
i hauled over this road with narrow
tired wagons and six-horse teams ex
cessive loads and have, as the Road
i Commission is aware, practically de
i stroved the said road.
The people of that region, basking
in the favor of a large Government
project—the construction of the rail
road—seem to have imbibed the idea
that every other agency of the Gov
ernment should be cammandeered for
their benefit, to the exclusion of other
sections of the Territory.
There was a time in the frontier
history of this country when the pio
neers undertook to do something for
themselves instead of crying aloud
continually for government help, but
that time seems to have passed, at
least so far as that region is con
cerned.
Our assistant engineer in report
ing upon the conditions in that coun
try makes the following statement,
which is very pertinent to this sub
ject: “This region (Matanuska farm
ing region) is adjacent to the railroad
and the Knik-Willow Creek wagon
road. It is served in part by roads
constructed by the Alaska Engineer
ing Commission and the settlers. Such
road facilities as there are, while in
adequate are equal to those ordinarily
found in a correspondingly early stage
of development.” Even further in
vestigation of that district shows the
farmers there are no worse off than
the farmers in the vicinity of Juneau
and other parts of the Territory,
whose needs are being studied and
corrected as rapidly as possible.
Yours truly,
W. P. RICHARDSON,
President, Board of Road Commis
sioners.
XX
Ask your grocers for Seward
Bakery Bread.
---•>
Mining Power of Attorney blanks
for sale at The Gateway.
--
Legal blanks at the Gateway.
---——
SUMMONS
In the District Court for the Territory
of Alaska, Third Division.
Reginald Kerr, Plaintiff, vs. Margaret
P. Kerr, Defendant. Summons.
In the Name of the President of the
United States of America, To the
Above Named Defendant, Margaret
P. Kerr, tirooting:
You are hereby summoned and
commanded to be and appear in the
District Court for the Territory of
Alaska, Third Division, and answer
the complaint of the plaitniff within
thirty days after the date of the ser
vice upon you of this summons, and a
copy of said complaint, and you art
hereby notified that should you fail
to appear and answer said complaint,
the plaintiff will take judgment
against you for a decree of absolute
divorce upon the ground of wilful de
sertion for more than two years next
preceding the date of the commence
ment of said action.
This summons is issued for personal
! service upon you outside of the Terri
tory of Alaska in accordance with an
order for publication of summons
herein entered on the 2nd day of July,
1017, by which it is directed that the
summons be published in “The Seward
Gateway,” a newspaper published at
Seward, Alaska, at least once a week
for six consecutive weeks, but also
provides that personal service by a
copy of summons and complaint upon
said defendant, Margaret P. Kerr,
outside of the Territory of Alaska
shall be equivalent to the publication
! thereof and depositing in the Post Of
fice.
WITNESS, the HONORABLE
FRED M. BROWN, Judge of the above
entitled court, this 2nd day of July,
in the year of our Lord one thousand
nine hundred and seventeen and of the
year of our Independence the one
hundred and forty-first.
(Seal) ARTHUR LANG,
Clerk.
By JOHN B. MILLER,
Deputy Clerk.
Pub. July 7, 14, 21, 28; Aug. 4,
11,18, 25.
Alaska Agricultural
Industrial Fair
TO BE HELD AT
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
SEPTEMBER
3—4—5
All Alaska and her friends Invited
REDUCED RATES ON ALL STEAMERS
THE CHURCHES
I
METHODIST CHURCH
10:00 A. M.—Sunday School.
11:00 A. M.—Baptismal service.
Theme, “The Eyes of the Heart.”
0:30 P. M.—Young People’s Meet
ing.
7:30 P. M.—Subject, “The Triple
Life for Christ.”
The Ladies’ Aid will meet with Mrs.
J. J. Patton Thursday afternoon at
2:30.
All arc cordially invited to attend
the services of the church.
COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
11:00 A. M.—Sunday School.
7:00 P. M.—Evening worship. Sub
ject, “The Building of Christian Char
acter.”
The Dorcas Society will meet with
Mrs. Munro on Thursday afternoon.
—
EPISCOPAL CHURCH SERVICES
REV. GEORGE JOHN ZINN
Minister in Charge.
Services^ Sunday, August 19, 1917,
the twelfth Sunday after Trinity.
11:00 A. M.—Holy Communion and
Sermon.
7:30 P. M.—Evening Service and
Sermon.
"A— %
Catholic Church
Sundays—Communion mass at 8:30.
Mass and Sermon ^t 10:30 a. m., Sun
day school following. Rosary, instruc
tion and benediction at 7:30 p. m.
Week days—Daily mass at 7:30 a. m.
-*
Meet me at The Branch.
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Waterfill and Frazier whiskey at
the Branch.
NOTICE OF SALE.
H. J. Raymond Company, a corpora
tion, PlaintilT, vs. John W. Dudley,
Defendant. Notice of Sale.
In and by virtue of a Writ of Exe
cution issued out of the United States
District Court at Juneau, Alaska, in
the above entitled cause, and dated the
3rd day of July, 1917, I have levied
upon all the right, title and interest
of the Defendant in and to the fol
lowing real property, to-wit: Lot
Twenty-nine (29) in Block Thirty
(30) of the Town of Seward, Alaska,
as the same appears of record in the
Recorder’s OHice for Kenai Recording
Precinct .
Notice is hereby given that I will
on Thursday, the 23rd day of August,
1917, at 11 o’clock in the forenoon of
that day at the oflice of the United
States Marshal in Seward, Alaska,
sell all the right, title and interst of
the defendant, John W. Dudley, in and
to the following real property: Lot
Twenty-nine in Block Thirty of the
Town of Seward, Alaska, at public
auction, to the highest and best bidder
for cash, to satisfy said execution and
cost.
Dated at Seward, Alaska, this 21st
day of July, 1917.
(Seal) F. R. BRENNEMAN,
United States Marshal.
By ISAAC EVANS,
Deputy.
First Pub., July 21.
Last l'ub., Aug. 18._
Serial 01686, Sur. 181
In the United States Land Office, Ju
neau, Alaska, May 24,1017.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR
PATENT
NOTICE is hereby given that An
drew Grosvold, as assignee of Deborah
A. Luthy, being entitled to the bene
fits of Section 2306 of the Revised
Statutes of the United States and the
amendments thereto, has applied to
make entry of the lands embraced in
United States Non-mineral survey No.
184 situate on Northerly shore of Bird
Island, Shumigan Island Group, Dis
trict of Alaska, more particularly de
scribed as follows, to-wit:
Beg. Cor. No. 1 on beach at ordi
nary high tide Pacific Ocean, cor. not
set, wit. cor. bears South 1.59 chs.,
from which wit. cor. top of Twin Rocks
bears North 22 deg. 05 min. W.; U.
S. L. M. Sur. 184 bears N. 69 deg. 17 |
min W. 3.61 chs.; thence from true cor.
No. 1 South 9.17 chs. to cor. No. 2,
thence West 12.91 chs. to cor. No. 3;
thenco North 14.44 chs. to cor. No. 4,
cor. not set, wit. cor. bears South
1.62 chs.; thence from true cor. No.
4 meandering beach Pacific Ocean at
/ordinary high tide (1) S. 51 deg. 38
min. E. 3.28 chs.; (2) S. 68 deg. 46
min. E. 4.16 chs. (3) S. 74 deg. 49;
min. E. 6.72 chs. to cor. No. 1 place
of beginning. Area 14.46 acres. Var
iation at all corners 20 deg. 00 min.
East. Latitude 54 deg. 49 min. 56 sec.
N. Longitude 159 deg. 44 min. 00 sec.
W.. .
As additional to original homestead
entry of Deborah A. Luthy, widow of
Godfrey Luthy, No. 6199 and 5973 en
tered at Boonville, Mo„ which said
scrip is filed in Juneau Serial 01664. |
Any and all persons claiming ad
versely any portion of the above de
scribed tract of land are required to
file with the Register and Receiver
of the United States Land Office at
Juneau, Alaska, their adverse claim
thereto under oath, during the period
of publication, or withing thirty days
thereafter, or they will be barred by
the provisions of the Statute.
ANDREW GROSVOLD,
By NEWARK L. BURTON,
Attorney in Fact.
First publication June 25, 1917.
Last publication Sept. 5, 1917.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the
foregoing Notice be published for the
stautory period in the Gateway, a
newspaper of general circulation,
printed at Seward, Alaska, the near
est newspaper to said above described
claim or survey.
C. B. WALKER, Register,
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