CHEALANDER
TOURING ALASKA
Special Alaska Commissioner
for the Lewis and Clark
Exposition.
Godfrey Chealander, of Skagvvay,
has been appointed special commis
sioner of the Alaska exhibit to the
Lewis and Clark exposition.
This is the statement made by
the Skagway Alaskan of March 20.
According to that paper Mr. Cheal
ander received notification of his
appointment 011 March 1S and im
mediately wired his acceptance. It
is somewhat strange that no inti
mation of Mr. Chealander’s appoint
ment has reached the Arctic Broth
erhood here, through which he is
supposed largely to act. Some time
ago there was a newspaper report
that the Brotherhood contemplated
installing an independent exhibit,
and some interest was aroused here;
but the local camp of the order
received no communication from
Mr. Chealander, as grand recorder,
touching on the subject, and so the
matter rested.
tiowever, as special commissioner
he was to set out for the interior
some time prior to the first of April,
and of course he will receive all the
assistance possible. He will make
stops at Eagle, Circle, Rampart,
Fairbanks and other camps, and
then go to Nome and return to
southeastern Alaska via Dutch Har
bor, Seward, Valdez and other
points out to the westward. The
intention was to go as far as Fair
banks by stage and there await the
opening of navigation.
The first work of Mr. Chealander
will be to get the collection and
preparation for shipment of the ex
hibit started. It will be the pur
pose to have the exhibit compre
hensive of all there is in Alaska.
Particular care will be used to have
it portray the resources of the dis
trict. An effort will l>e made to
have the placer mines exhibited as
they have never been exhibited
before.
The Alaskan says Mr. Cheal
ander will work in conjunction
with the Arctic Brotherhood. In
fact he will work largely through
that organization. As grand arctic
recorder he already has correspond
ed with the local camps and his
work to that extent has beet) in
augurated already.
The appointment comes from
Thomas Kyan, first assistant secre
tary of the interior, and was made
at the suggestion of C.ov Brady.
ARTHUR JOHNSON’S
MISSING CHECKS
Suspected an Acquaintance
Was Responsible for Their
Nonarrival.
15. Becker, who was associated
with Arthur Johnson from the
time that young man left Eagle till
he ended his life at Rampart April
13, is anxious that the checks sent
Johnson in payment for govern
ment work be traced, and the
money forwarded to the dead man’s
relatives at Minneapolis. They are
poor people. One of the chief wor
ries of Johnson all winter was the
fact that he was unable to return a
small amount of money advanced
to him from home
Johnson was a Scandinavian, and
his understanding of English was
limited. Becker met him in Eagle
and proposed that they float down
the river on their way to Fair
banks. Johnson was destitute and
wanted to remain in Eagle till he
got the government money; but to
expedite matters Becker advanced
him a small amount, Johnson left
an order for the checks to be for
warded to Fairbanks, and the two
men started down river. They fell
in with the Beaver stampede, and
Johnson wrote to Fairbanks for the
checks to be sent so Fort Yukon.
At 15agle Johnson had an ac
quaintance who was familiar with
the circumstances of the expected
checks, and knew of the steps taken
to have them forwarded. As the
winter advanced Johnson became
suspicious that this acquaintance
had impersonated him and secured
and cashed the checks. The sus
picion grew till it amounted almost
to conviction
Becker (whose name has been
erroneously printed Backer) had not
seen this man; hut Johnson said
his name was similar to Becker’s.
There was a difference, but John
son’s English was so imperfect that
the name can not be given.
Mr. Becker thinks possibly these
circumstances explain the words in
the suicide’s note. “Backer cause
of Eagle stealing.’’ At any rate,
he has no tear of suspicion attach
ing to himself, for he can account
for all his dealings up the river.
He has a large family and a good
home in California.
When navigation opens Deputy
Marshal Charles Dreibelbis will en
deavor to find out what has become
of the missing checks, and it is
hoped the dead man's kindred will
finally have the benefit of them
RECEPTION SALOON
W. W. CKOCKKTT
S. K. HKKTF.K
! WINES,
LIQUORS
| and GOOD
“““
CIGARS
St. Louis
ABC
BEERS
The Highest Priced but
the Beet Quality.
BILLIARD
AND
POOL
ROOMS
12-year-old Crow Whiskey—The Only Stock.'
Something New—Try Our Apricot Coclttail
Chena Newspaper
Kicks at a Rainbow
The Chena Times, resenting
some foolish statements copied in
the Yukon Valley News from an
outside paper of March, 1903, with
brief comment thereon, delivers it
self thusly:
We wish to inform our Rampart friends
that there is as much area of pavstreak
on Pedro as there is in the whole Ram
part precinct, and we venture to say that
more money will come out of Pedro than
out of the entire Rampart precinct, and
some of the best ground is only worked
in the summer. There are more steam
hoists running on Pedro than in the
whole Rampart district, and that does
not say much for either place. Though
there are many things dear to us in the
Yukon camp, we cannot forbear instruct
ing our misguided friends there. Miners
everywhere love to hear the truth about
a milling situation, and we know that
Rampart miners are eager to get correct
information about this district. We as
sure them that our statements are true,
and that we have had plenty of oppor
tunity to form an opinion about the
creek in question. Pedro creek is a sur
prise to all who know its early history.
The creek bottom has practically lieen
abandoned and one bench after another
has shown rich. In one of our next is
sues we intend to return to this subject
and submit a few figures collected not by
a windbag, but by a miner and pros
pector.
a lie aLiuum liiKcu iruui me pa
j>er of 1903 said of I’edro creek:
Pedro creek, which is practically upper
Goldstream. arul which has been the first
claim staked, seems to be better than
the lower stream, but much trouble is
encountered on the upper end with
water. Jack Costa (Italian Jack), owner
of No. 1 above, has twelve holes to bed
rock, extending So* feet in length and
150 feet in width.
Lieutenant Gibba, I'nited States signal
corps, is reported to have panned, pros
pected and computed Jack's claim, and
gave as his estimate that there is ft,
nno.ouo in sight on that stream alone.
The only lomnient by this paper
mu:
In some respects the great expectations
of two years ago have been more than
realised Then It would have been a
venturesome optimist to predict • citv
like Fairbanks (entering a population of
more than 7,000 in March, 1905. But the
mutability of human judgment is shown
by the estimates on some creeks then
and now—Pedro, for instance.
Now ! Let the Times prospect,
pan and compute these words and
see if it can clean up a grain of
truth on which to base an insinua
tion that we misrepresented its
district.
For more reasons than one we
are glad to hear of other districts
showing up gold. When Rampart
ers dig up good sized stakes it often
happens that they are seized with
locomotor ataxia and mush off
to some other camp; and we natur
ally want them to do well, for they
generally develop St. Vitas’ dance
and can’t stand still till they come
back again.
NATIVE HUNTER
KILLED BY A BEAR
From the Valdez News.
While hunting down a fine speci
men of the large brown bear, a
native employed by L. L. Bales was
killed by the ferocious animal a few
days ago near Seldovia. Bales is
to the westward securing specimens
of animal life to be used in the
Alaska exhibit at the Lewis and
Clark exposition at Portland. A
fine large brown bear was routed
out of his winter quarters, but es
caped into the brush and timber.
The natives gave chase, and while
separated lrom the others one of
them was suddenly confronted by
bruin and before help could arrive
the Indian was horribly mutilated
and died soon after. Bales was then
more then ever desirous of securing
this particular bear—which in the
excitement had again escaped,
and at last accounts almost the en
tire native population of Seldovia
was in the woods bent on avenging
the death ol one of their jeopleand
at the same time satisfying Mr
Hales' desire for a specimen that
will have a history quite interesting
to those who view the mounted
animal at Portland.