The Homesteaders’ Land of Promise
\ol | No. 129 SEWARD, THE GATEWAY TO ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARC H 13, 1915._ 1m (<ritw th< <
SINKING FRYE
IS ENDORSED
GERMAN AMBASSADOR UP
HOLDS DESTRUCTION OF
U. S. SHIP.
SAV RUSSIANS RETREAT
DARDANELLES FORTS STILL
HOLD our WITHOUT DAM
AGE REPORTED.
WASHINGTON. March 111.—The
German ambassador here practically
defied the United Suites when he is
sued this afternoon a declaration that
he upholds the action of the captain
of the Kitel in sinking the American
ship Frye bound from Seattle to Liv
erpool with wheat. Count Benstorff
says that in sinking the Frye the cap
tain of the German cruiser only fol
iowed out the declaration made by
Britain at the beginning of the war
abuut neutral shipping and foodstuffs.
The ambassador also states that he
know* of no change made by the Ger
man government in relation to the
blockade of the British coasts and the
action to be taken against neutral
ships that disregard the blockade.
The statement of Bernstorff has caus
ed something cf a sensation here as it
clearly indicates the determination of
Germany to proceed with the inten
tion of destroying all ships carrying
food to England.
SAY RUSSIANS RETREAT.
BERLIN. March 13.—‘The official re
port issued here today contains the
statement that the Russians are re
treating from Augustowa This city
is in Russian territory east of East
Prussia and is northeast of Warsaw.
The Russian statement that a retreat
may have to be ordered for strategic
al reasons is taken as bearing out the
German repoit that the retreat has
actually begun. This is regarded as
the most serious news of the war for
Russia. The defeat of the Russian i
army at that point might result in
clearing the way for the Germans to
swoop dow n to east of Warsaw* and j
so sui round the city completely. Th®
offkia’ announcement also states that
t;sh attacks at Y’pres and La
bassee and the French attacks in
Champagne have been easily repulsed.
The Russians have made an unsuccess
ful attack east of Przasnysz.
_ _
TURK FORTS NOT SMASHED.
PARIS, March 13.—'The latest re
ports are to the effect that the Dar
danelles forts are not as severely j
damaged as had been previously re-»
ported. No change has come in the
corditions in the Dardanelles for sev
eral days and the report favorable j
to the Turkish forts indicates that the
task of forcing the way into the sea
of Marmora is by no means accomp
lished yet.
EITEL CAPTAIN TALKS OFT.
NEWPORT, March 13.—Captain
Thiericens of the converted cruiser
Prince Eitel Frederich stated today
that his raids on allied shipping are
by no means ended. He expects to be
permitted to make the necessary re
pairs to his ship and to leave the
harbor when those repairs are com
pleted. When reminded that British
cruisers are probably waiting for him
outside he sa*d that such were the
chances of war.
AVIATORS ATTACK OSSOWETZ.
PETROGRAD, March 12.—German
aviators flew* over the city of Os
sowetz yesterday and dropped bombs
but without inflicting any damage
worth speaking of. At the time of
»» the attack no Russian airships were
available in the vicinity so that no
attempt was made to follow the hos
tile aircraft. They flew so high that
the guns were unable to reach them
but this very height prevented them
from making good aim.
p
HARRY THAW
ACQUITTED
ATTORNEYS MOVE TO LET
HIM GO AWAY
FREE.
NEW YORK, March 13.—After
having been out all night the jury
brought in a verdict of acquittal to
day in tiie case of Harry Thaw who
was charged with conspiracy to es
cape from Matteawan asylum. The
verdi ;t seems to be popular. His at
torneys immediately after the verdict
moved that he be allowed to go back
to New Hampshire absolutely free
and the motion will be argued on
Monday. Thaw will remain in the
Tombs until then.
LANE GOES TO FRISCO
FOR TWO WEEKS MORE.
Some Think the Trip May Delay De
cision About Route of Gov
ernment Railroad.
WASHINGTON. March 13.—Secre
tary Lane of the interior department
will leave for San Francisco next
Tuesday and will be back in Washing
ton on the first of April. It is thought
that nothing definite will be decided
about the northern railroad until his
return. It is rumored that the first
offer made by the government for the
Alaska Northern was only three
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
The littleness of this offer has caused
some scepticism but there is very good
ground to beieve it true. It is be
lieved, however, that the government
only made the offer to remove from
the minds of the owners any belief
that they can secure anything like
a first hand price for a second hand
property. It may be advisable to say
that most of the so-called information
about the railroad question now is
only surmise or guesswork.
SAY REPEATERS WERE
PAID DOLLAR A VOTE.
INDIANAPOLIS, March 13.—Wit
nesses on the stand today in the Terre
Haute election trial swore that re
peaters were paid a dollar a vote in
some cases in the recent election.
Other testimony of an equally damag
ing kind was also given and there has
probably never been an election scand
al of equal disgraceful ness revealed.
WENT WEST.
The following passengers went to
Seldovia on the Evans:
W. E. Dunkle, H. Moreland, C. E.
Leslie and Mrs. Leslie, A. Carlson, J.
O’Day, W. G. Whorf.
WILSON MAY END STRIKE.
WASHINGTON, March 12.—Presi
dent Wilson has cor ented to meet
the eastern Ohio coal operators in the
effort to end the strike. It is the first
time that a ray of hope has been
thrown on the situation for a long
time.
WOOD DEAD.
DAWSON.—The funeral of the late
Zachary Taylor Wood, assistant com
misioner of the Royal Northwest
Mounted Police, and former com
mander of the force in Yukon, and al
so former acting commissioner of Yu
kon, was held recently at his old home
in Kingston, Ontario.
KNIK DEAL.
R. J. Beach has purchased the busi
ness of Martin and Shea at Knik.
MOOSE ELECT OFFICERS.
The following are the officers elect
ed by the Seward Lodge Loyal Order
of Moose of the World last night for
the coming year:
Dictator, M. J. Conroy; Vice Dictat
or, C. E. Martin; Prelate, A. P.
Brown; Treasure, Mel Homer; Inner
Guard, Sid Woolf; Outer Guard, C. L.
Peters; Trustee, Gus Borgen; Trustee,
F. W. Powers; Representative to
supreme lodge, John Noon.
SAY M'MANUS
KILLED OTHERS
—
MEXICO CITY QUIET AND
CHANGE FOR BETTER
EXPECTED.
MEXICO CITY, March 13.—It is
stated semi-olhcially today that Mc
Manus the American was killed by the
Zapataistas because he killed mem
bers of that party some weeks ago.
It is declared by followers of Zapata
that McManus made himself very con
spicuous on the side of the Carranza
party when tho latter entered the
capital the last time and took a hand
in the butchery of the other side. It
is believed that the actions of Mc
Manus were sufficient to justify his
killing and to remove any grounds
for the United States interference.
This city is now quiet and a speedy
change for the better in the conditions
is looked for. Carranza will probably
not try to enter it again unless he
comes with the consent of the other
parties.
EVANS ARRIVES AND
GOES TO SELDOVIA.
The Admiral Evans arrived last
night soon after midnight and left
about 3 a. m. for Seldovia. She will
return tomorrow morning. She
[ brought the following passengers from
Seattle and way points:
H. Moreen, S. L. Carter, L. Kahler,
J. M. Leonhardt, Mrs. Cora Carroll,
Hugh Doherty, Wm. Buckmove, Al.
Shedd, G. Kennedy, Joe Cummings,}
A. G. Anderson, Bat Callaghan, O.
Olsen, A. Ruarke, Oscar R. Hart, Sid
ney Jacobs and 24 steerage.
TO START HOSPITAL FOR
THE USERS OF DRUGS.
Thirty Thousand Dope Fiends Known!
to be in the City of
Chicago.
CHICAGO, March 13.—Prominent
doctors have banded together and se
cured an old school building which will
be converted into a hospital for the
use of the drug users unable longer
to secure their drugs because of the
new' drug law's. The intention of the
! doctors is to treat the victims of the
habit with a view to taking away their |
passion for the habit. The doctors
predict that the greatest possible suf
fering will result from the new drug
law. In this city alone, they declare j
there arc thirty thousand users of
drugs. In New York the number !s
far greater and the number of people
who w’ill be driven to frightful suffer- j
ing throughout the country' by the in
ability to secure drugs is in the mil
lions.
EIGHT STRIKERS WERE
SHOT IN THE BACKS.
Physicians Give Damaging lestimony
Against the Guards of the
Chemical Factory. j
ROOSEVELT, N. Y., March 13.—i
| Physicians testified on the stand here
! today that eight of the strikers were
| shot in the back at the time of the
! attack on the strikers by the guards i
| of the American Agricultural Chemi
cal factory when some of the men
| were killed and several wounded.
The present investigation is being car
ried on by the government but some
of the wounded men have also brought
action for damages besides. From
the evidence today it seems to be
established that the strikers were run
ning away when the shots were fired
and that those shots were altogether
unnecessary.
COUNT WITTE DEAD.
PETROGRAD, March 13.—Count
Sergius Witte died here today at the
age of sixty. He was chief minister
to the czar for many years and was
j onc of the most eminent statesmen
of his generation. He represented
Russia in the pence meeting with
: Japan.
See us before sending outside for
1 your fob printing.
❖ SEATTLE AIDS GIGGS *
❖ AND KNOCKS SEWARD. *
❖ - *
❖ The Gateway this morning re- *
❖ ceived from the East, from a ^
<• gentlemen who has taken part in <•
❖ the Alaska railroad controversy •>
❖ at Washington, a communication •>
•> which says that the Seattle Post *5*
❖ Intelligencer is favoring the pur- *
❖ chase of the Copper River rail- *
❖ road by the government. He also •>
❖ says that the Alaska Bureau of *
❖ the Seattle Chamber of Com* *
❖ mcrce is on the side of the Gug- ♦
<• genheims and is striving to pre- *
❖ vent the purchase of the Alaska *
❖ Northern. It is to be re member- t
❖ ed in this respect that the editor ♦
❖ of th» Post Intelligencer is the <•
❖ chairman of the Alaska Bureau, ^
•I* so-called, of the Seattle chamber *•*
of Commerce. He wfas appointed *•'
❖ or elected to the chairmanship of <•
❖ the Bureau by virtue of the fact *
❖ that he accompanied an excursion <•
❖ the year before last to the ter- •S'
•> ritory on a flying visit. Prev.ous <*
❖ to that time he lived in Washing- •>
❖ ton w here he is said to command •>
❖ some influence. It should also ❖ j
❖ be remembered that the Seattle •>
<* chamber of commerce has busi- ❖
❖ ness affiliations, if not direct ♦
❖ business connections with the ❖
•> Guggonheims. During the last <*
❖ municipa’ election at Seattle Hi ♦
<* Gill, the present mayor of Seat- <*
❖ tie, in a public speech showed <•
<* that the Post Intelligencer is •>
•> owned by the railroad interests
❖ and not by the ostensible mana- ❖
❖ ger or editor. When railroads or ❖
❖ any other great interests in the <•
❖ west own a paper that paper is *
❖ almost sure to bp directly or in- •>
❖ directly under the influence of <*
❖ the great smelter people. *
•> This is only stated to show <•
❖ that when the self-styled Alaska <•
❖ Bureau and the paper edited by **
❖ its chairman interfere in Alaska •>
❖ questions to the extent of favor- *
•> ing one route instead of another ❖
❖ they do so, not for the benefit of •>
❖ Alaska, but for the benefit of ❖
❖ their paymasters. Questions •>
❖ have come up before, which may *
❖ be fresh in the memory of Secre- •>
❖ tary Lane and the president, ❖
❖ which showed that members of *
•> the Seattle chamber of commerce •>
❖ are only interested in Alaska for ❖
❖ their own selfish purposes. ♦ i
•> Seward ought to get busy and •>
❖ let impertinent and presumpt- •>
❖ uous outsiders be made aware *
❖ that Alaska resents their intrus- •>
❖ ion into its affairs. The presi- *
❖ dent and Mr. Lane should be let ♦
❖ see just w’hy those Seattle people ♦
<• are so anxious to give advice to •> |
•> the administration. *
•> •> * * ❖ ❖ •> ♦ ❖ <* ❖ ❖
TRUNK OF GUNCOTTON
TRAVELLING AROUND.
Explosives that Could Blow up Whole
Train Are Being Traced
by Police.
CHICAGO, March 13.—Tracers are
now out after a trunkful of guncot-'
ton which was shipped some days ago
from New York to San Francisco and
which has gone astray and is now
probably lying some place where it
may explode. The amount in the;
trunk is sufficient to blow up a whole,
train and the police are at their wits',
end to place it. Dr. Herman Boden-1
heim has been arrested and admits
having shipped the guncotton but he
declares that he did not think it dang-1
erous. There is real alarm felt.
RAJAH ABDICATES.
LONDON, March 12.—His High
ness, Sir Sri Rama Varma, Rajah of
Cochin, has abdicated the throne
which he has held for nine years. He
is a devotit Hindu, and intends to de
vote the remainder of his life to re
ligious meditation. The Rajah is 62
years old. *
In a letter to his'subjects, he states
that for some time he has been feel
ing the strain of administration
severely, and the desire for peace and
rest had been steadily growing upon
him.
*
JAPANESE TO
INVADE CHINA
PEKIN SAYS THIRTY THOUSAND
SOLDIERS OK MIKADO ON
THE MARCH.
PEKIN, March 13.—It is reported
here that an army of thirty thousand
Japanese are on the way to Chinese
territory to enforce the Japanese de
mands for the cession of Chinese ter
ritory. The feeling here is that Jap
an is taking advantage of the Euro
pean war to rob China.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
GET KNIK RANCHES.
In the issue of the Knik News for
March 6 appears a list of names of the
people who have located homesteads
"adjacent to or near” Knik. This list
contains one hundred and thirty-two
names. L. F. Shaw is now in <harg«
of the Knik News and has apparently
made a careful survey of the situation
already, with the result that KniK »s
shown up in a manner that indicates
the tremendous future of that district.
CORDOVA STARTS TO GET
WORK FOR ALASKANS.
The Cordova chamber of commerce
has followed the suggestion of the
Gateway to try and secure work on
the government railroad for Alaskans.
The chamber made arrangements this
week for a register in which all the
applicants for work will sign their
names and state the kind of work for
which they are best fitted. The
chamber is also getting in touch with
Secretary' Lane and endorsing the
plan as* the Seward city council did.
INDIANS OBJECT TO
HEAD ON V. S. COIN.
Natives Declare that the Head is the
Head of no One Hut a
Squaw.
SALT LAKE, March 12.—A dele
gation of Indians has arrived for the
purpose of asking the government
Indian agent to change the head on
the pennies of the United States as
the head is that of a squaw and not
of a brave.
BRITISH DESTROY
GERMAN WIRELESS.
LONDON, Mar. 12.—The wireless
World has received from Berlin a copy
of a communique recently published
by the German Colonial office, describ
ing the serious loss suffered by Ger
may through the destruction of her
chain of wireless stations. The com
munique says:
“Soon after the outbreak of the war
all communication with their colonies
by sea was broken, and all German
transmarine cables were cut by the
English, so that even telegraphic
communication with the whole of our
colonies wes rendered impossible. The
only remaining means of communica
tion was wireless telegraphy, but the
first warlike measures of the English
were directed to depriving us of this
means also. On August 12 fell the
wireless station Yap, and soon after
wards the station Naru. Tasagata
(Samoa) fell on August 29, and Bit
apaka, in New Pomerania, on Septem
ber 12. During the night of August
24 the great station of Kamina, in
Togo, had to be destroyed by us in
order to prevent its capture.
“So vanished all possibility of
further direct communication with
the African Protectorates, which
hitherto had been able to communicate
via Kamina. As a matter of fact,
there had been from the very begin
ning a disturbance of the system
which prevented us from receiving
any reports from the Governor of
East Africa after the outbreak of war.
Agent Christensen of the land de
partment is expected to arrive on the
Mariposa.
Tickets for the March 17th masq
uerade are a dollar for men and fifty
cents for ladies.
SEWARD WILL
WIN OUT SURE
SECR ETA R Y OF NATION A L
PRESS CLUB TELLS OF
R. R. FIGHT.
That a tremendous fight is being
waged at Washington over the
government railroad and that Seward
is sure to win out is the statement
made by C. C. Hart, secretary of the
National Press club, who is also Wash
inton correspondent of the Spokes
man-Review of Spokane. In a long
article telling of the fight in that
paper Mr. Hart concludes with the
words:
•While the fight is keen, impartial
observers believe the president will
designate Seward as the terminus and
that the route will be through the Su
sitna valley and the Matanuska coal
fields to the Tanana river/'
Mr. Hart says also that the cham
pions of the Copper River road, the
men who are aiding the Guggenheims,
are Falcon Joslin and the Alaska
Bureau of the Seattle Chamber of
Commerce. Delegate Wickersham, no
says, is the champion of the Valdez
route. The clipping was sent by a
prominent resident of Seward to the
Gateway from New York who declares
that the Washington correspondent
of the Seattle Post Intelligencer pub
lishes nothing except what is favor
able to the Guggenheims. The editor
of the P. I. is also chairman of the
Alaska Bureau of the Seattle chamber.
Another Washington correspondent,
W. W. Germane of the Seattle Times,
also says that President Wilson has
probably selected the Seward route al
ready. Writing February 20 Mr.
Germane says:
“Amonff impartial observers here it
is generally believed that the Presi
dent has in fact already decided upon
the route from Seward by way of the
Susitna Valley, through the Matan
uska coal fields, through the
Broad Pass, and to the Tanana River
at the mouth of the Nenana at a point
about forty-five miles below Fairbanks
and that only the formality of a pub
lic announcement is needed to give |
that route the stamp of government |
official sanction.”
Both of these correspondents de
clare that John E. Ballaine is the
single-handed champion of Seward j
and they credit him with having prac
tically destroyed the chances of the
Copper River sale. He has shown
where the Copper River Road is al
ready threatened with destruction, the j
correspondent says, and he is also
credited, with the aid of Wickersham,
of having made impossible the success
of the scheme to take the matter out
of the president’s hands and place it
in the hands of a commission who j
would be favorable to the sale of the
Guggenheim road. According to Cor
respondent Hart there is a tremendous
underground battle now proceeding in
Washington over the question but he
and Germane agree that Seward is
the general favorite *at long odds.
RUSSIAN MOSLEMS LOYAL.
__
PETROGRAD, March 10.—A con
vention of Russian Mohammedans
now in session here include all the j
Moslem members of the Duma, to-1
gether with representatives from the
Crimea, the Volga region, Turkestan. J
Transcaucasia, and Archangel. It is •
announced that the convention has
passed resolutions supporting the Rus-;
sian government in its present at
titude toward Turkey, and testifying
to the solidarity of Mahammedan sen-1
timent among all the various races
comprised in the Empire. Special
hospitals are to be equipped under
the direction af a committee from the
convention.
If anyone doubts that Seward is
about to be a great city he can now
remove all such fears. A man has
applied to the city council for permis
sion to open a lunch counter at the
Northern corner. He has the appro
priate name of Gorge with the first
“G” hard-boiled. *
BRITISH SHIP
OF WAR SUNK
AUXILIARY CRUISER TORPEDO
ED OFF SCOTLAND AND
200 MEN LOST.
BRITISH MAY WIN LILLE
VICTORY OVER GERMANS NEAR
LABASSEE BELIEVED
IMPORTANT.
LONDON, March 13.-The British
auxiliary cruiser Bayono has been tor.
pedoed and sunk off the coast of Scot
land. Two hundred of the crew lost
their lives and only twenty were res
cued. It is most likely that the ves
sel was destroyed by a submarine but
the statement says only that it was
torpedoed. The vessel was of three or
four thousand tons displacement. Th<»
act shows that the enemy has now
made an attempt to completely en
circle the island of Grea‘; Britain m
the attempt to destroy British marine
trade.
BRITISH START OFFENSIVE.
LONDON, March 13.—A determin
ed offensive has been started by the
British at Labassee in order to pre
vent the shifting of troops by the Ger
mans to the eastern field where they
are attacking the Russians. The posi
tion of the British around Labassee
has been greatly strengthened by the
capture of some of the German posi
tions in that neighborhood. It is now
the evident intention tu fellow up the
advantage by trying to take Labassee
itself. Should the town be taken it
would leave the city of Lille in a very
serious predicament that would al
most unquestionably bring about the
German occupation of it. Such fine
progress has been made by our troops
within the past two days that London
is delighted.
GREATEST BATTLE.
PETROGRAD, March 13.—The
fighting in Northern Poland is now
developing into the greatest battle
of the war. The German.'? have been
greatly reinforced and ar.j making a
determined effort to drive back the
Russians. The battle centers around
Przasnysz and it may be found ex
pedient by the Russian generals to
fall back until they reach stronger
positions in which they can make a
stand. It is admitted that the Rus
sian advance towards Thorn had to be
abandoned after the retirement from
the field of the Russian army in the
region of the Mazurian lakes. While
the Germans are attacking near
Przasnysz they are also aggressive
along the Pilica river southwest of
Warsaw but their offensive- at the lat
ter place is probably intended only for
the purpose of drawing the Russianj
from the northern battlefield. The
government lays particular stress on
the possibility that the northern Rus
sian forces may withdraw for some
distance for strategical reasons but
that such a withdrawal ia not to be
regarded as a sign of weakness.
ESCAPED FROM TSINGTAU.
PEKIN, March 12.—Eight Germans
who escaped from Tsingtau after the
fall of that fortress are now on the
way to Siberia to destroy the Trans
Siberian railroad but Russian soldiers
are on their trail. The information
came to the Russians accidentaly. The
Germans have instructions to blow up
every bridge possible and to also des
troy the right of way. It is said that
previous to the war Germany placed
explosives at places along the right
of way to be ready for just such an
undertaking.
For a real enjoyable evening .at
tend the concert at the Ral road Build
ing tonight.
The Mariposa left Juneau last night
at midnight.