J
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOLUME XIV. NUMBER 98
SEWARD, ALASKA. SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1929.
PRICE TEN CENTS
“Romantic Alaska”
The Empire of Adventure
BY
Robert Frothingham
Robert Frothingham, nationally known lecturer, author
and big game hunter, needs no introduction to Sew
ard citizens, nor to Alaskans. During his previous
visits to Alaska he has endeared himself to all those
who have had the honor and pleasure of meeting
him. Today, he returned—we wish we might say,
‘arrived back home’—and goes Westward on his
second bear hunt. With the capable field men in
charge of the large expedition, it is a foregone con
clusion the entire trip will be a wonderful success.
As was announced a few days ago in this paper, Mr.
Frothingham, on April 12, delivered an address be
fore the Commonwealth *Club of S*n Francisco
which address was broadcast through KPO radio
station. Unfortunately, however, the reception here
w^s particularly poor and, as far as could be learn
ed, no one heard him. A copv of the address was re
ceived in the last mail and after reading it three
times all we can say is that Alaskans are deeply
indebted to Mr. Frothingham for the wonderful
word picture he has painted and broadcast through
out the land. Seeing our homeland through the eyes
of such a m*»n as he, is a revelation to Alaskans
themselves. The complete address follows:
The romance that envelops Alaska springs from its vastness,
its transcendent beauty, it‘s far-flung borders, the magnificence and
plenitude of its wild game—and the glamour of gold. Words are in
adequate to conveying a conception of its size. To state that this
tremendous land mass is equal to one-fifth that of the United States
or—that its area of nearly 600,000 square miles comprises that of the
states of California, Washington and Oregon, the New England States,
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Vir
ginia, with Porto Rico and Hawaii thrown in for good measuie, sounds
more fanciful than convincing. If, however, you will superimpose a
map of Alaska upon that of the United States, drawn to scale, you
will see that it extends from San Francisco to Washington. D. C.,
that its extent from north to south is equal to that between the bor
ders of Mexico and Canada—and its coast-line is longer than that of
the United States itself.
In rugged beauty and grandeur there isn’t a coast-line in the
world to compare with it—and I include Norway in that statement.
Neither is there a headland nor harbor on either the Atlantic or
Pacific Coast that can hold a candle to the majesty of Point St. Elias
or Resurrection Bay. A large order, you say? My reply is: go and see
icr yourself and be convinced. Speaking from a rather wide exper
ience of 25 years of travel, I may say that I have sailed the Seven
Seas and am familiar with the faraway corners of the earth but—
never have I seen such supernal, breath-taking beauty as greets the
eyes in the famous Inside Passage where flower-clad and glacier
studded mountains sit with their heads in the clouds and their feet
in a summer sea.
One of the strangest and most persistent misconceptions of this
wonderful possession of ours, which has held good for years and
played a definite part in dubbing its purchase from Russia in 1867 as
' Seward’s Folly,” is that it is a forbidding land of eternal Ice and
snow, unfit for occupation by white men and inhabited principally by
Eskimos and Indians—and, further, that it is of little or no value to
the Commonwealth. Also—it may be stated that this view is not with
out its believers and supporter* ' ' bur legislative halls at Washington.
A greater mistake could scarcely be imagined. And 1 believe I ran
across its source during my first visit to Alaska last year. An old
" “Sourdough” in Seward who had made his pile in ‘98 and remained
in the Territory because he loved it, ventured the opinion that the
cupidity of the Russian discoverers, in 1741, when they learned how
plentiful the sea otter and the fur seal were, led to their disseminating
those harrowing tales in order to disjpurage the rest of the world
from coming in and sharing in the grent profits which were acquired
from that industry. Whether that is true or not—it sounds quite
reasonable.
As a matter of fact tha greater portion of Alaska lies in the north
temperate zone and exhibits about the same variety of climate as may
be found in the States. The Japanese Current, which flows along and
<Continued on Page Two)
IBUDGET ESTIMATES
BEFORE THE HOUSE
CARRY BIG SUMS
HOUSE PASSES BILL FOR ELEC
TION, BY POPULAR VOTE,
COMMISSIONER EDUCATION
f
JUNEAU, April 27, —(Special to
{the Gateway)—A general appro
priation measure was introduced
in the house and carried 211,467
the largest in the history of the
Territory but is a net reduction of
$56,742 from budget estimates at
; the outset of the session.
The support of the schools was
jthe main item in the totals; $960,
00 for road and trails; $300,000
; for pensions for dependent child
!ren, Pioneer Home and relief of
needy and the indigent; a total of
$389,000 for bounties; $50,000 for
prospectors aid; $20,000 for mining
and investigations and field work;
$30,000 for the auditor’s salary and
office expenses, altho no bill has
I yet been passed creating such of
fice.
Regular administrative appro
priations for the several depart
ments carried as usual.
; The senate passed the Dunn-Di
i mond measure codifying the
school laws and the house measure
i
extending federal llaws and regu
lations relative to licensing and
operation of aircraft and licensing
pilots.
Diamond continued his unsuc
cessful fight to force bills out of
committees and was supported by
Hess and Dunn. The majority
presented an unbroxen front on
these measures.
The house passed nine bills and
Lkilled two. all minor, and recom
mended the community the pro
perty bill for further amendment,
i It passed today the measure pro
jvidin for the election, by popular
vote, of a commissioner of educa
tion who is now elected by the
board of education. The bill will
be sent to the senate.
I
( MADE HiTfflP
:■ ALASKA. SIBERIA
POOR VISIBILITY HAMPERED
MOVING PICTURES OB
TAINED ON FLIGHT •
NOME, April 27, (/P) —Complet
ing the 400-mile flight alone which
took him from North America
over Asia and back, Parker Cram
er, Chicago flier, is waiting to take
off with W. S. Gamble on the re
turn flight to Chicago which they
expect to complete in five days.
The Asiatic flight was made
without a stop. Cramer took off
from Nome for Prince of Wales
Cape, across the ice-choked Ber
ing Strait to Little Diomede Is
land, East Cape.
He dropped packages at Cape
Prince of Wales and at East Cape
and shot motion pictures but lit
jtle hope is held of these turning
jout good because of the poor vis
' ibility.
PLANES ATTACK REBELS
WASHINGTON, April 27,, (A3)—
The State department has been
advised that three Mexican gov
ernment planes are attacking the
rebels holdidng Ciudad, Obregon
Sand dropped a number of bombs
on the city Thursday. One of
them crashed into the roof of the
American consulate and exploded.
■ FLIGHTS
FLIGHT PLANNED FOR WITHIN
TEN DAYS; PRIZE OF $25,000
OFFERED
NEW YORK, April 27, (JP)—A
fair-haired daughter of Vikings
is among the venturesome spirits
enroute to America in the hope of
attempting to make a flight over
the Atlantic in August.
Miss Dagnya Berger, Norwegian
girl, is enroute to Montreal but
ias thus far declined to give any
ietails of the projected flight*:.
France, Italy, Germany. Chili
I and the United States are rep
| resented in the various flights
the first, a 4,000 mile non-stop
venture from an American flying
field to Santiago, Chili. This may
start in 10 days, John Montgom
ery announced.
.A giant Sikorski plane is being
built in Paris for Rene Fonk for
a trans-Atlantic flight and will
be sent to Chili in an attempt to
set a non-stop mark. It will car
ry a crew of three.
Sergeant Rene Lefevre, of the
French air service, arrived on the
S. S. Liviathan with a monoplane.
He plans to fly back to Paris with
Jean Assolant. This flight is ex
pected to take place within two
months.
Colonel Easterbrook, who an
nounced a $25,00 prize for a Dal
las. Texas to Rome flight, said
Count. Dergame of Italy, and
Major Otto Schay of Germany,
have entered this contest.
MISSISSIPPI IS
SI TO BE SAFE
j FLOODS. THIS YEAR
■EARLY RECESSION OF FLOOD
WATERS LOOKED FOR BY
ENGINEERS
WASHINGTON, April 27, <#)—
Army engineers believe the $325,
000,000 flood control program has
advanced to such a scale that
there is little chance that the low- i
er Mississippi valley will be sub
jected to a devastating flood this
year.
Despite a steady rising of wat
ers north, on the upper half of
the river, a more difficult prob
lem is confronted but the engin
eers expect an early recession of !
the present flood level without ad- !
i
ditional damage of any size.
The levees on the main stream
have been strengthened hence it
will take higher floods than 1927
‘to open crevasses.
DEFINITE STAND
IS ASKED STATUS
SECRETARY MELLON
REGARDLESS VOTE OF COM
MITTEE MELLON WILL
REMAIN, THOUGHT
WASHINGTON, April 27, (£>)—
The senate judiciary committee
was called on to take a . definite
stand on the question of Andrew
Mellon’s right to serve as Secre
tary of the treasury, a post which
he has held for more than eight
years.
Chairman Norris called the
meeting to vote on the report con
tending that Mellon was serving
illegally since the old statute for
bade a secretary to be interested
in trade or commerce.
The conclusion of Norris is con
trary to the opinion recently ex
pressed by Attorney General Mit
j chell to President Hoover which
held there was no question as to
Mellon’s right to the office re
gardless of the vote of the com
| mittee. Norris intends to submit
the report to the attention of the
‘senate.
FI LIST. BOARD
SEATTLE, April 27, (/P)—Captain
S. Aleutian, of the A. S. S. Co.,
| sailed at 9 o’clock this morning
! carrying 179 passengers, 96 steer
age and 66". Seward passengers as
follows:
J. Carlson, Dan Vanderford, H.
J. Bentley,, James Anderson, J. V.
| Brown, George Lingo,, Capt. Ben
Eielson, H. G. Gallaghehr, Mr. and
Mrs. H. I. Miller, Steve Barrott,
Mr. and Mrs. John Jackson, C. F.
Lane, F. S. Mulcock, Charles Huff,
jMr. and Mrs. M. Knuppe, C. F. Mc
Pherson, L. McIntosh, Mrs. Charles
Weybrecht, Mrs. L. E. Ely.
Mrs. K. Cooper, .Harold M.
Smith, Victor Holm, A. W. Weaver,
Mr. and Mrs. Irving Reed, Ed Ness,
Mrs. R. Richard, F. DeGrasse, H.
A. Nexon, George Dumas, J. W.
Lemon, J. L. Kloph, J. R. Lowden,
A. D. Robertson, Mrs. D. Chaney,
Charles Carlson, H. M. Mcomb, P.
H. Olson, H. P. Gallagher.
Mr. and Mrs. Beyron Lowden,
Mrs. C. J. Svalsen and two child
ren, Mrs. L. L. Huffman and two
sons, Paul Nordling, A. Wagner,
Mrs. E. B. Edward, Mrs. J. Hersh
ing and son, W. J. Campbell, J. E.
Blanc, Harry Morren, John Sager,
Sidney Bloomer, C. J. Lindsey, T.
Deekinson, S. Thayer, N. Koski, F.
Mattson, E. P. Doneely and 27
steerage.
SOME MORE NAVAL PARLEY
GENEVA, April 24, (JP)— While
both the American and British
delegations to the League prepara
tory disarmament conference are
apparently willing to 1 i s t e n to
plans for a new Naval Arms cut
parley, neither has broached the
subject.