Lane Wants $9,000,000
for Alaska Rilway Work
WAXI iIX<!T< )X. D. (\, Xov. 10.—It is definitely announced,
on the authority id' the Secretary of the Interior, that he will
iisk the congress, to convene in December, l'or tin? stun of
eight million dollars for the Alaska railway project. Secre
tary Lane has consulted with leaders in the congress, includ
ing Congressman Fitzgerald- chairman of the house commit
tee on appropriations, and reached the conclusion that this is
the amount he would ask for front this session’s law-making
body. *
In order to prosecute work >n the Matanuska branch line
throughout the coining winter, the secretary will ask for an
emergency appropriation of a million or more, unless it should
he found that the whole eight-million dollar appropriation
•an be put through soon after the session convenes.
The secretary is encouraged to believe that there will he
no difficulty whatever in securing the appropriation for the
continuation of the railway work. No particular opposition
lias manifested itself, and while it is expected that some con
gressmen will interpos an objection, yet the congress as a
whole appears to he in favor of the continuation of the work.
Tu fact, it is in honor hound to appropriate funds as needed,
as the railway bill specifically authorized the building of the
railway line at a cost of $‘$5,000,000.
Soil Experts Report on
This Part of Alaska
Hugh H. Bennett and Thomas G.
Rice, iu their recent report of the
Took Inlet district published by
the department of agriculture, write
us follows concerning the agricul
tural outlook in the Susitna and
Knik sections:
“Enough has been accomplished
by the pioneer farmers of this re
gion to determine that a number ot
crops can be successfully produced.
It has been shown that potatoes of
fair to good quality can be produced
without fertilization; that cabbage,
turnips, garden beets, onions, let
tuce. cauliower, kale, radishes, and
several other vegetables are grown
with good results, and that small
grain, particularly barley and oats,
succeed, producing good hay or ma
tured grain. In addition, native
red-top, which makes good hay,
grows luxuriantly on all soils that
have been cleared o* burned over.
There are natural meadows of this
grass which in many places yield
from two to three tons of hay per
acre. This grass has spread itself
over the entiire region. It occurs as
far as the slopes, even above the line
where cultivation could be safely
carried on. In addition to the enor
mous amounts of hay that can be
cut from the natural meadows with
out the expenditur eof much labor,
this grass will afford excellent sum
mer pasturage. There are also other
native plants which are valuable as
food for both horses and cattle.
Although little has been done
with the stock, it has been shown
that cattle can he raised there.
Horses arP kept with but little trou
ble; they maintain tnemselves in
summer, but must always be fed in
winter. There may be a few places
where they will be ahle to get some
winter grazing. (Jattle have been
raised at Ninilrhik In a small wav
for a long period of years. Part of
the work a' the Kenai experimental
station was with the raising of stock
and the production of dairy pro
ducts. A small dairy herd was
maintained exclusively on native
pasture and feed produced locally,
and it was determined that cattle
could be raised in that locality and
ANCHORAGE, A HOME TOWN.
The recent sale of lots in the
townsite of Anchorage Indicates that
this place is popular as a home
town. All of the lots sold were pri
marily for residence purposes,
bought by bona fide home-seekers.
Some one hundred lots were bid in
at the auction, and it is fair to say
that perhaps three-fourths of the
number were bought for the pur
pose of building homes for the pur
chasers, thus adding a substantial
population to the town.
As we have before pointed out,
Anchorage has a big advantage over
other towns in this, that here one
may purchase a lot on easy terms
and at a comparatively low figure,
and thus become a permanent resi
dent with a financial interest Hi the
town's growth and prosperity. A
handicap of other towns that could
he mentioned is the high price asked
for residence lots. discouraging
home-seekers from locating. An
chorage, on the contrary, • invites
the home-seeker aurl encourages
him to remain.
With a fine school system recent
ly Inaugurated, with church facili
t>,r with rrM-condiitced, whole
butter and cheese of good quality
could be made from the milk.
There remains much to be done
in the matter of adjusting varieties
of crops to the conditions and In
working out the best methods of soil
management; in fact, only the first
steps have beentaken toward the
early development of agriculture,
but these first steps have shown
conclusively that farming is practi
cable. An experimental station in
th(. Knik section would give much
assistance to the region in deter
mining the best varieties of crops to
grow there and in putting into the
. hands of the farmers the seed of
such varieties. At Kenai an experi
ment station was sustained until
1908.
All grains will produce good hay,
even with unreasonable frost. Bar
ley, oats, wheat have been matured
at Knik. but only in an experimental
way. There is every reason to be
lieve that the early varieties of
grain can be ripened annually
throughout that portion of the re
gion not subject to chilling winds
j and unseasonable frosts.
When the country is opened to
settlement by the building of a rail
way, with branch lines and the con
struction of wagon roads, there Is
likely to be established gradually an
agriculture of considerable import
ance. That, it is believed, will
eventually include either stock rais
ing or dairying or both as the prin
cipal source of income. Agricul
tural development unquestionably
will he gradual—a slow growth ac
companying the construction of
highways, and railroads, the expan
sion of mining and fishing, indus
tries, and increase in population at
tracted by these industries. The
conditions of the climate, trans
portation. markets, soil and croi i
production should be carefully
studied by the prospective farmer
before going to the region for th
sole purpose of engaging in agricul
tural pursuits. The immigrant far
mer should also be provided with
capital to purchase such supplies
and in-truments as will be needed
until land can be cleared and crops
produced.
some amusement resorts In the form
of pool and billiard halls and bowl
ing alleys, with one or two moving
picture shows in prospect, with tw
halls adapted to dancing or social
affairs, Anchorage has much to in
vito those who may come among ns
Anchorage, the city of homes,
would be a fine slogan to adopt.
CHAXCE FOR RAM) OFFICE.
Oclegate Wickersham. in his
speech here, declared that Anchor
age should have a XT. S. land office
for the accommodation of the many
homesteaders that have filed on
claims in the Matanuska and Susitna
valleys. This is a matter that the
local Chamber of Commerce might
with profit take up for consideration
■cho way to accomplish things is to
nut forth a strenuous effort to get
them. A land office here would be
of vast accommodation to home
headers, and the opening of the cdatl
fields suggests another reason why
we should have one.
Let everybody get in and boost,:
and the land office will be ours.
A. Lemons, of Pasco, Wash., ha*
made application to mine coal in J
Alaska. ■ tfi
LOCAL NEWS OF THE WEEK
(From Monday’s Daily.)
The home of Dan Carrigan, located
on 1 street, was consumed by fir,, last
evening. It originated in sparks
| from the stovepipe. The structure
was part frame, with a tent-roof.
Andrew Christensen, superintend
ent of sales, chief of field division of
the lair'd department, will reach here
tonight on the Northwestern.
J. E. Riley, who operates a dredge
\ in the Iditarod country, came out
| over the trail and joined the Evans
! at this port, enroute to Seattle.
Mrs. Rrown. wife of Deputy XT. S.
Marshal Brown of Knlk, departed on
| the Evans, enroute on a visit to Val
dez.
(From Tuesday’s Daily.)
The steamer Northwestern reached
port last evening, and will probably
not sail until Friday. It had a large
freight cargo for this port.
Roman Kasoff was tried before
Commissioner David this morning on
the charge of assault against one
Harry Romanoff. After bearing the
evidence the commissioner assess'')
the defendant the sum of ten dollars
and costs, amounting to $4 2.95 in
all. The fine was paid and the de
fendant was! discharged.
Lena Morrow Lewis, of Juneau, a
prominent membe r of the socialist
party, is a round-trip passenger on
the Northwestern.
XV. C. Edes, chairman of the Alas
kan Railroad Commission, left Sew
ard on the steamer Admiral Evans,
enroute to Washington. D. C., where
he goes to spend a portion of the
winter and to report progress on
work done on the railway project
during flip past season.
Deposits of the Bank of Seward on
August 7th. 1915. the last call for
statements by the Territorial Bank
ing Board, showed total deposits or
$193,659.88. while deposit# for this
call are $247,489.85, showing a gain
in deposits for the past ninety da's
of over $50,000.
Films for the moving picture
show reached Anchorage on the
Northwestern. The machine was al
ready here, so that within a very few
days now those who enjoy the
! “movies” will have an opportunutty
i to see them. The picture show will
| he in Byrne hall.
Assistant District Attorney Mun
| ley reached Anchorage on the North
! western, to make this place his head
quarters. Judge Munley likes An
chorage, and Anchorage will Ilk
him.
A Slogan lor me town or Ancnor
age is wanted by the Chamber of
Commerce and Commercial Club.
Those who have suggestions to offer
along this line are requested to write
♦heir choice on a slip of paper and
pass it into the club at its meeting
this evening. All are invited to par
ticipate, whether members or not.
(Prom Wednesday’s Daily.)
The independence of the average
Alaskan is aptly illustrated uy the
experience of Delegate James Wlck
ersham, when as a federal judge he
first came to Alaska. Conveyed by
a dog team, he arrived at a road
house on the Yukon river, kept by
an old-timer. The judge was much
more self-conscious than now, and as
he extended his hand to the sour
dough he said: “I am James Wicker
sham, the newly-appointed federal
judge of this division.” "The fell
you are,” said the roadhous<> keeper.
The cable line is broken between
Sitka and Seattle. The steamer
Burnside sailed from Valdez yester
day, to repair the break. Penmg re
pairs. cable news will be limited.
Communication is possible via the
Northead radio station at Seattle to
Sitka, and fro mthence by cable, or
by the Seattle, Juneau and Ketchi
kan radio stations.
(Prom Thursday’s Daily.)
The Yukon Gold Mining Company
has paid a quarterly dividend of one
and one-half per cent on its 3,500,
000 shares. par value $5, (he
amount of its division being $262.
500. This brings the total of the
dividiends paid by the company in
1915 up to $525,000.
“Every year marks an improve
ment in the Willow creek gold
camp,” said H. C. Emery, superin
tendent of the Martin mine, to the!
Pioneer, upon his arirval her(. today, j
Before departing from the Willow
rr >'r camp Mr. Emery put a force
of men to work to open a coal mine j
near at hand, and next year it is pro-.
posed to use coal for a steam plant;
that will supplant the gasoline power:
used since the big. Tieh mine was
opened. Mr. Emery is enroute to Se
atti.-. but expects to return in March.
r> c. Goheen, connected with the*
cyanide plant of the Martin mine.;
came down from Willow creek with !
Mr. Emery, and will leave in a few ,
days for the Cache creek country.
Hugh G. Weir, agent of the Pa- ,
cific Coast Steamship Company at i
Skagway, had the misfortune to ac
cidentally shoot himself through the
foot while huning. It is expected j
that no permanent injury will result
from the accident.
ANOTHKH ALASKAN IS
KILLED BV BROWN BEAU
(From Wednesday’s Daily.)
W. H. Peterson, an old-timer on
the Kenai peninsula, was killed by a
brown bear near Hope, November 2, j
and his remains were brought here j
this afternoon on the launch Cassie •
E. Peterson had wounded Tile bear I
and was following the animal up. !
when it turned and attacked him. J
The remains show horrible mangling 1
of the unfortunate man.
(From Thursday’s Daily.)
The facts concerning the death of
W. H. Peterson, of Hope, were given
to a representative of the Pioneer by
E. .1. Hertel, who was at the time of
the tragedy in camp with Mr. Peter
son. Those composing the party who
were in camp were W. H. Peterson,
E. .1. Hertel, Howard Worcester,
Tom Meredith, E. Berlin, George
Clyde, and Mr. Moore, of Hope.
On the 2nd of November George
Clyde and Peterson left camp about
8 o’clock in the morning, intending
to hunt for a few hours. After being
out for a short time Clyde returned
to camp, and Peterson continued the
hunt. About 10 o’clock two shots
were fired in quick succession, and it
was thought that Peterson had
bagged a moose. Clyde immediately
started out to assist Peterson, and
after getting on his track followed
up as rapidly as he could, looking
ahead, expecting to come upon Pe
terson at any time. He finally
reached a draw, through which a
small stream ran, and looking across
he discovered a huge brown bear
lying down on the side of the op
posite hill. He called to Peterson
but, receiving no response, he fired
at the bear four times, three of the
shots taking effect. The bear got up
and started off up the hill, with
Clyde after him. On reaching the
bottom of the draw, Clyde was horri- i
fied to find the body of poor Peter
son, lying on his face in the bed of
the creek. It took but an instant t<
show that the bear had attacked Pe
terson, tearing his face almost com
pletely oft', besides inflicting numer
ous other wounds upon the body
Clyde retraced his steps to camp
with all haste possible, a distance of
about four miles, and aroused the
camp, and the men returned to
where the body lay.
While tile men were nrpanrinr to i
take the body of Peterson back to
camp, Clyde determined to follow
and see what had become of the
bear. He had not far to so, for the
bear was found dead not over one
hundred yards from where Clyde
had shot him. It was a huge mon
ster. fully ten feet long.
The newly appointed postmaster
Fred B. Wood, took charge of the
local postoffice today, relieving F
Judge Wood, the olerk-in-chargo
who will depart on the Northwest
ern. Until the approval of his bond,
Mr. Wood will act as assistant post
master.
(From Fridays Daily.)
Commissioner Wears will depart
tomorrow morning, enroute by dog ;
team, for an extended trip tip the
Anvone knowing the whereabouts
of Albert E. Collins is urgently re
quested to notify Mrs. Carrie E. Col
lins, 815 Mendocino avenue, Santa
Rosa, Cal.
The Albert E. Collins, whose
whereabouts are sought by a sick
wife, was believed by Manager
Seagravos. of the Kennieott mine, to
have been a former partner of
'Biarles David, but Mr. David in
'' rms the Pioneer that his partner
was another man. Mr. David says
he has diligently inquired for the
missiog man, but dnes not think he
is here.
It is quite possible that the Innoko
district will be given a mail service
via the Seward-ldltarod route, and
if vo. it is likewise probable that
Ci . Kevell, the mail contractor, will
h<> given the contract. In this event.
- •ld’t’onal carriers will be required
• . convoy the additional 400 pounds.
C Snook, of Hope, will be one
of the additional carriers, in the
event the contract is awarded.
The first mail for the Iditarod left
Seward on the morning of Novernj
eer to, and is expected here today
via the launch Buffalo, from Sunrise.
Dr. Brooks Reviews Our
Great Mining Industry
The certainty of railroad connec-1
tion with the Yukon basin and the)
probability of an early development |
of the coal Helds greatly stimulated ■
the search for mineral deposits in j
Alaska during 1914, according to j
Alfred H. Brooks, ' geologist in
charge of the division of Alaskan |
mineral resources. United States ge-1
ological survey, in a report num-i
bered Bulletin (122-A, recently is
sued by the survey. The mining in
dustry in Alaska as a whole was!
prosperous in 1914, thougn the!
value of the total mineral output
was somewhat less than that of
1913, largely because of the de
crease in the price of copper, for
the gold output was a little larger
than that of the previous year.
A noteworthy feature of the min
ing industry in 1914 was the great
number of explorations made on be
half of capitalists looking for prop
erties that would warrant develop
ment on a large scale.
South Central Region.
This research was most notable in j
the south central region, which will j
be directly benefited by the building |
of the government railroad, though
the new railroad will undoubtedly
directly or indirectly benefit all
parts of the territory. The regions
triibutary to the proposed Une will
receive the direct benefit, but other
regions will obtain cheaper fuel.
The activities in the mining dis
tricts in Alaska are described In de
tail in Mr. Brooks' report, which
contains also a chapter on the fu
ture of placer mining deposits Hn
Alaska. Between 5,000 and 6,000
men are engaged in placer miniing
and prospecting for places, and
nearly a third of the white popula
tion of the territory is directly or *
indirectly supported by the placer
mining industry. The question of
its future is therefore to them a
most important one. Will it con
tinue to decline, or are the known
auriferous gravels sufficient to jus
tify the belief that the industry will
hold its own or wnl increase?
liower (trade (travels.
it is believed that the future of
the industry must depend, so far as
now can be determined, on the ex
ploitation of auriferous gravels of
lower gold tenor than those whin|k
in the past have yielded most of (jjp
gold, though there is, of course, al
ways tho hope of finding new bo
nanza deposits, such as have in the
past decade yielded large returns.
No one can deny that there are
extensive deposits of auruiferous
gravels in Alaska, but because of
the lack of systematic prospecting of
gravels carrying small amounts of
gold it is difficult to reach any defl- ,
nite conclusions nbout the extent "of
deposits that can be profitably ex
ploited when cheaper transportation
and fuel have reduced the cost of
mining. In view of the importance
of the subject the survey has pub
lished in this report a summary of
the data relating to it. The general
conclusion is drawn that with
cheaper fuel and transportation
there is no reason to believe that
placer mining will continue to de
cline. A copy of Bulletin 622-A
may be obtained free on application
to the director of the geological sur
vey. Washington, D. C.
Alaska and Anchorage as Seen
by Observing Tourist from East <
In a leading Michigan newspaper,
Dr. Robert McGregor, a tourist who
visited Anchorage in July, gives his
impressions ot Alaska, as follows:
Alaska! The name suggests to
the average mind a wilderness of ice
and snow—the habitat of the Eski
mos and the polar bear. This sim
presston seems not unnatural, when,
it is considered that the territory
known as Alaska runs through the
latitudes of Labrador, Southern
Greenland and Northern Norway—
regions which are cold, barren and
inhospitable.
In the high latitudes the develop
ment of communities and the pro
gress of civilization have always
been extremely slow. Accepting the
assertion of the old prospector,
‘TherP is no law of God or man runs
north of fifty-three," the visitor nat
urally expects to find society and so
cial order of a rather rough and
primitive sort. With such expecta
tion the writer found himself last
July off the north Pacific coast,
speeding through the fifties bound
for Alaska, and was fated to have all
preconceived notions regarding the
character, progress and climatology
of the territory completely upset.
About the fiftv-fourtli parallel on tbe
island-guarded coast is a rather tem
pestuous bit of water known as
D’xon Entrance. When this is cross
ed, a dozen miles or so. the voyager
finds himself in Alaska.
Mild, Pleasant Climate.
For a day or two we nad been
sailing with a bleak wind under
cloud-clad skies and a drizzling rain,
but on reaching Alaskan waters it
seemed as if we had passed at oner
into the balmy, the bright sunshine
ard placid waters of the Italian
lakes. Thanks to the genial Japan
ese current, cloudless skies and
quite warm weather prevailed dur
•ng wicnv days and through hundreds
miles of eruistne. till Dixon En
p'n™ once more lay to the north
ward.
The continuously warm weather
was one of the surprises of the trip
Strange as the' statement may ap
pear, the warmest consecutive ten
. — <ter has e>
■ here during the past unusual sum
mer were spent in Alaska. At Ju
neau, the capital of Alaska, July 25,
the highest temperature was 89 de
greeb, and tne lowest 68 degrees.
The Japanese current, sweeping
along the coast, modifies the climate
throughout tile year to a very great
degree, so that the northernmost
cane of Alaska, Point Harrow, well
within the arctic circle, is much
warmer than any point so far north
of the equator.
Alaska may be said to have two
climates—that of the coast and that
of the interior. The winter tempera
ture along the coast rarely goes far
below freezing, while the summers
warm, with a moderate amount
of r-Pi.. The summers of the in
terior are hot, short and dry, while
the winter are long and extremely
cold. Along the coast flowers bloom
in great profusion, and garden truck
of many kinds is successfully raised,
in a garden at Sitka the writer
picked strawberries as large and
finely flavored as any he had evdfl
seen. ™
Along the water courses of the in
terior—the Susitna, Matanuska and
Tanana valleys—are vast tracts of
land suitable for farming, on which
hay, oats and wheat can be grown
aipl stock profitably raised. Accord
ing to government reports, the agri
cultural possibilities are as great, if
not greater, than some of the central
states.
Federal $35,000,000 Railroad.
In an effort to develop the country
the United States government has
begun the construction of a railroad
from Sew'ard to Fairbanks, a dis
tance of over 400 miles, the sum of
$35,000,000 having been appropri
ated by congress for this purpose.
On the spot where the first ioad of
rails was landed for this road, early
in July, there grew tip, within a very
few days, a city of 3,000 souls.
Houses, store? and buildings of all
kinds went up at an amazing rate,
following an auction sale of lots by
the government. The town has been
called Anchorage, and bids fair to
become a place of some importance.
Considering the vast size of Alas
ka—fourteen times that of the state
of New York, nine times that of the
state of Washington, larger than all
the states east of the Mississippi and
north of the Ohio and ’otomac—the
number of inhabitants is surprisingly
small. At the present time the pop
ulation of the entire territory—
whites and Indians included—does
not much exceed that of the city of
Saginaw. There aie 30,000 whites—
soil about the same number of Iiq|
Hans.
Alaska is an empir ein the mak
ing. Its -fisheries are the greatest in
the world. It has more gold than
California, more coal than Pennsyl
vania, more copper than Michigan
and Arizona, and the only tin mines
In the United States.
Normal Orderly Life
Life in an Alaskan coast town is
cm te as orderly as in a New England
village. At some points saloons and
dance halls seem rather much in evi
dence, with occasional carousals of
mining and fisher folk. In summer
die hours of business ar0 lone, to
accommodate traders who come by
water at all hours. The Indian ele
ment. always conspicuous, is remark
ably temperate, industrious and
home-loving. The results of mis
•ionarv wrork among the aborigines
arp marvelous. The old myths and
totetn poIe superstitions are rapidly
passing, and hoys and girls, trained
in mission schools, 'bring to their
homes many of the arts of civilfza
b n and refinement.