*
Alaska
—BH**’—MOTIH au
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESi
VOLUME XXIII. NUMBER 126.
SEWARD, ALASKA, TUESDAY, May 29, 1928.
PRICE TEN CENTS
CULLED TO REST
DROPPED DEAD IN HIS HOMI
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AT
4:30 O’CLOCK
Seward and Alaska lost anotjhe:
picturesque sourdough yesterday aft
ernoon at 4:30 o’clock when Charle:
Crawford, veteran Alaskan and pion
eer of Seward, dropped dead in hi*
home. It was difficult for Seward tc
realize Mr. Crawford was dead foi
many friends had seen and spoken tc
him throughout the day and up until
a few minutes of his passing over
the "last trail."
He had been working hard all day
ceasing about 3 o’clock. George Ben
uit, auto mechanic, working in his
shop next door, talked to him for a
moment an hour later and just about
4:30 took the evening paper over to
him. In describing the circumstances
leading up to Mr. Crawford’s death
Mr. Benuit said as he approached the
door he could see “Charlie” sweeping
the cabin floor and just before Benuit
reached him, he saw "Charlie” stagger
then drop to the floor on his face.
Rushing in he endeavored to turn him
over on hia back; Mr. Smith, from the
Signal Corps, was called in to stay
with the stricken oldtimer while Ben
uit made a dash for Dr. Baughman’s
office. By the time they returned,
a few minutes later, Mr. Crawford was
dead.
Chas. Crawford was an outstanding
figure in Seward where, since his ar-f
rival from Valdez, 20 years ago, he
had been active always in civic af
fairs and in following his vocation
as blacksmith. He was an ex
pert wheelwright and blacksmith by
trade. For a number of years, in
those early days, he was elected year
after year as Mayor of Seward. Later,
he served for many years as council
man in which capacity it is said he
was unequaled. Originally, he came1
to Valdez from Montana.
Several weeks ago Mr. Crawford J
fractured twro ribs and it is certain,
that accident hastened the end of the
veteran who was well past the 70 year
mark.
It is not thought he is survived by
anj relatives. He was an esteemed
member of the Alaska Pioneer Order
which lodge will conduct the funeral
services Thursday afternoon at 2
o’clock from the Seward Undertaking;
Parlor. Internment will be made in j
the Pioneer plot.
CONGRESS ADJOURNS
WASHINGTON, May 29. (/p)—Con-j
gress definitely decided to quit work!
at 5:30 p. m. today with the House!
and Senate approving the resolution.
ALASKA BILL PASSES
WASHINGTON, May 29. (yP)-—The
Vestal Bill, to extend the benefits of
the Hatch-Smith Lever Acts to Alas
ka, was passed by the House and sent
to the Senate.
I
CARRIES APPROPRIATION FOR
BEGINNING WORK MISSISSIPPI
CONTROL
5 WASHINGTON, May 29. (£>)—
. President Coolidge signed the Defi
.! ciencv Bill carrying $146,000,000 in
cluding $14,000,000 for the beginning
■ of the Mississippi Flood Control work.
He signed the Postal Rates Reduc
tion Bill, also the Tax Reduction Bill
providing an estimated annual reduc
tion in tax payments of $220,495,000.
The cut in the Government revenue
under the Act is estimated at $155,
000,000 for the next fiscal year begin
ning July 1. The full force of the re.
duction will not be felt until the fol
lowing fiscal year.
MING FIELD Nil
CORDOVA APPROVED
CORDOVA, May 29. (/P)—The con
struction of an aerial landing field at
Mile 17 by the Copper River to serve
as an airport for Cordova, was approv.
ed by E. J. Sommers, Territorial high- .
way engineer. The field will have ,
two runways 250 feet by 1,200. Con- :
structiion of the field will be started i
at once. 1
! -
WIDESPREAD BELIEF PROFITS
FROM CONTINENTAL WAS
USED CORRUPTLY
|
j WASHINGTON, May 29. (/P)~De.
| nouncing as conspirators Stewart,
Sinclair, Blackmer and O’Neil, Sena
tor Walsh scathingly denounced the
whole Continental Trading Company
oil deal, as the report was unanimous,
ly adopted by his fellow committee
man.
Reviewing the organization of the
Continental concern for the purpose
of buying and selling oil in this coun.
try the Montana Senator said there
had been widespread belief that the
$3,000,000 profit accumulated “was to
be devoted to corrupt uses in one
form or another”.
Since, it has perhaps been establish
ed that $233,000 of the profits made
by Sinclair had reached Fall; former
interior Secretary, he declared the
leal seemed to have been a private
5t.eal by trusted officers, from the
:ompanies.
REP. BUTLER DEAD
WASHINGTON, May 28. (v<p)—Rep.
esentative Thomas B. Butler of Penn!
ylvania,Chairman of the House Nav
il Committee, died here Saturday af
ernoon, succumbing to a >,heart st
ack. The distinguished Represents- •,
ive was 72 years of age. r
j naval wirless station a
CORDOVA PICKS UP MESSAGE
FROM VESSEL
CORDOVA, May 29. (^P)—A wireles
message indicating the Citti Di Mi
ano, the mother ship of the Italia:
Arctic expedition, is battling a fierc
enowstorm, was picked up by tin
Naval radio- station at 3:35 yesterda:
afternoon.
The message was in Italian ant
gave the ship’s position at North Cap<
Barren, about 80 degrees North lati.
tude, and said the vessel was attempt
ing to make the passage but encoun.
tered a bad and terrific sleet and
snowstorm.
PETROLEUM CASE IS
LONDON, May 29. (>P)—Stung by
the .steady drive of the Nationalist on
Pekin, the Northerners struck des
perately at the Southern armies in
Eastern Chili, recapturing the key
city of Hokien and pursued Feng's
forces to the south, while the Nation*
‘ingfu, imprtant center on the rail
tlists cntinued their offensive at Pao*
oad to the Northern Capitol.
While Heroes Sleep0
WILKINS AND EILESON OFFERED
SERVICES; RELIEF PLANS GO
AHEAD
OSLO, May 29. (£>)—Although all
reports are wholly unconfirmed from
those received at Oslo it would ap
pear that the Italia is down at Am
s sterdam Island, North of Spitsbergen.
4 The Norwegian Government is going
r steadily ahead with plans to send out
a relief expedition.
^ Unfavorable weather, including in
( tense cold and heavy snow, prevailed
in Kingsbay with increasing difficul
ty to the base ship in search of the
dirigible.
Wilkins and Eileson volunteered
j their services in a search, to Musso
lini, and they participated in the con
ferences planning expeditions; Wil
kins said his airplane at Bergen was
built for landing and starting from
ice therefore less suitable for pur
poses of the Italia search; that
planes constructed for landing on
water, should be used. If his services
are required he will fly to Spitzbergen
and search the East coast then go to
North East Land where he thinks the
Nobile party landed. It this search
I proves in vain he will fly to Franz
Josef Land and Novaya Zemblya.
Wilkins believed the Italia landed
before its fuel became exhausted,
Nobile allowing it to drift as a free
balloon until near a landing place,
then using the reserve fuel supply to
bring the dirigible to it.
Captain Sverdrup believes the Ital
ia is still drifting and may be saved
while Captain Riiser Larsen believes
the airship is lost but the crew alive
on the ice.
MONSTER IN HUMAN GUISE AS.
SAULTS LITTLE TOT IN CAR
THEN KILLS HER
TOLEDO, O., May 29. (JP)—A man
early today entered the home of Alex
j Siel gowski, took Dorothy, age 7 from
| her bed where she was sleeping with
! her three sisters, carried her to an
| automobile, attacked and then killed
her.
Ten or 20 minutes later the body
was found on the porch of her grand
parents or Mrs. Felix Dobrzenicki, a
few doors from the child's home.
PREPARING TO HOP OFF
OAKLAND, May 29, (#)— Captain
Chas. Kingsford has Arrived here in
the plane “Southern Cross’* from
long Beach to prepare for his p-->
‘jcted trans-Pacific flight.