MAJOR RICHARDSON AND THE WORK'
OF THE ROAD COMMISSION.
The report submitted at Washington
by Major Riehnrdson, chief officer of the
the Alaska road commission, so far as is
known, has not been included in the
documents sent out by any of the gov
ernmental departments. This may be
due to the fact that the fiscal year cov
ered by tbe reports ended with June 30
last, before Major Richardson's report
was received in Washington.
Through the courtesy of John Zug,
the engineer in charge of the govern
ment office-at Fairbanks, the News of
that place has secured Major Richard
son’s report; and from the newspaper's
liberal (imitations it is shown to he a
comprehensive and instructive docu
ment.
The treasury department advised the
commission, under date of April 11,
that the receipts from the passage of the
act to the end of the fiscal year 1905,
based upon the record of the fund in
previous years, should approximate
$154,000. The board therefore, while not
counting definitely on this sum, was
considerably surprised and disappointed
at receiving only $38,000 for the fund for
the period of nine months since the
passage of the bill. Whether the fund
has fallen through local neglect or delay
in collection and transmission of the
money due under the law, or whether it
tie held in the treasury department
awaiting the definite plans of work pro
posed by the board, accompanied by
maps and specifications, and approved
contracts covering sections of construc
tion aggregating more than $5,000, as
contemplated by ttie law'., the tioard had
no means of knowing. However, Major
Kichardson is under the impression that
all the moneys due under the law are
not being collected at present, and that
the appointment of a certain number of
license inspectors—say two for the. inte
rior, or Third judicial district, and one
for the Second district, Seward Penin
sula, would lie advisable.
“In connection with the fund for this
year [15)06],” says the rejiort, "the Isiard
has of course been mindful of the fact
that whatever the amount which might
become available the expenditures would
have to tie limited, both on account of
the provision of the law relating to con
tracts, rcipiiring the time for their proper
advertising and placing, and because of
the need by the tsiard of some prelimi
nary study of the conditions to lie dealt
with and of the pro|ier methods of con
struction.
“Under normal condition!* .... the
tssird would not have attempted any
actual construction work the first season
except, perhape, the bridging oi some
small streams and making emergency
repairs on existing trails where moat
needed, tmt would huve occupied the
season in recon nuisance and survey
work, and in the pre|>aration of plans,
s|a-citications ami estimates, permitting
the fund to accumulate somew hat, w hich
is necessary in order tliat work may lie
di ne with economy.”
However, the extraordinary condi
tion* existing at Fairbanks on the open
ing of spring (which are fully set nut in
the report), the Isstrd made early plans
to give such relief as might lie |*is*ilile.
besides the emergency work done in
the vicinity of Kairlssnks, the l«s*rd
gave early consideration to the improve
ment of the route from Valdez to Fair
banks, with a view of facilitating the
service of the mails for the winter, and
to meet the demands of the large pros
pectors’ travel via that route before the
opening of navigation next year. This
route was made up of three separate
trails, one from Valdez to Copper Center,
i being mostly over the old military trail
and wagon road located and opened up
by Major Abercrombie from Valdez to
Eagle; the second, leading up the Tan
ana river from Fairbanks, and the third,
connecting these two from Copper Cen
ter to the mouth of the Big Delta, via
tlie head of the Delta or Isabella l‘ass.
These trails are to be numbered 4, 5 and
6. The fund was too limited, of course,
us wen us tne time, lor any considerable
umount of work to be accomplished, and
all of the trails could not receive actual
consideration. An improvement on
route No. 4 included cutting and grub
bing road from initial point near Valdez
of about one mile to intersection of old
trail on Lowe river, with a pile bridge
over the intervening stream, known as
Hogue river, replacing 3,0112 feet of old
worn-out corduroy with stone ballast;
the construction of 23 or 26 small
bridges and the cutting of several miles
of new river trail. The cost of this work
amounted to $4,4611.64, and the trail was
placed in a fair condition, causing a re
duction in freight rates between Valdez
and Copper Center rrom 15 to 10 cents
j>er pound.
The improvement on trail No. 6 con
sisted principally in spanning certain
dangerous crossings by small bridges
and corduroy.
An informal agreement was entered
with I. 11. Loomis, sub mail contractor
for the winter at Fairbanks, to take
charge of the work of improvement on
Trail No. 5, leading up the Tatiana. The
contractor furnished nine men, includ
ing himself, at $3 per day, with $2 added
for board, and five horses at $5 each per
day. These prices include tools and
camp equipage, and the horses subsisted
by grazing. Approximately $5,000 was
spent on this trail, terminating for the
present at the mouth of the Big Delta.
This work, planned especially to meet
the demands of the coming winter, con
sisted principally of giving definite loca
tion to the trail and cutting away the
brush and timber where necessary for
the passage of double sleds, A width of
ten feet was maintained whenever prac
ticable. It is proposed to make the
princi|>al crossing of the Tanana just
alsive the mouth of the Big Delta and
establish there a safe and permanent
ferry.
Aililitional mails* anil traila embraretl
in tlit* 1'lan of work |>ro|Mw>til t»y tht*
conuniaaion are I In* following:
Trail (*li<l in uintt-r anil pack in sum*
int*r) from the Kairhunk* iliggiiign,
I'lfary Creek, to Kani|iart iliggiiig* at j
(iliii (in It'll, with wagon rmnl from tilf n ,
tiolch to Kam|>wit |H>rt on (lit* Yukon.
Trail from i>oint on Tatiana U*low
Kairhank**, nt-ur mouth of Tolovana, to
(•tan, along tlit- newly iom*lriv lt*tl tele
graph lint*.
Trail from Cleary Creek to Hirt-h
creek 'tigging*, which may la* ilovelopril
into a wagon matl later, mime* ting with
wagon ruatl from l»ir> h to (Trek*, m
tlw Yukon.
S. E. IIEETER.
HARRY BURRU8S.
HEETER & BURRUSS,
FREIGHTERSand PACKERS
Freighting and Packing to and from all Creeks.
Good Equipments and Service Unexcelled
Branch trail from the Tannna above
Big Delta, via Goodpasture, head of
Charley river, and Seventy-mile to
Eagle.
Improvements in the American Forty
mile, final data for which has not yet
been obtained.
Extension of the Tanana River trail
up that river beyond the Big Delta to
the river crossing of the Valdez-Eagle
trail and on to the international bound
ary- _
INDIANS OF ALASKA
Are Held to be Neither Citizens,
Aliens Nor Indians, and Ineligi
ble to Naturalization.
Extract from the Report of the Secretary of
the Interior.
It is time that the publ ic land laws be
extended to the natives of Alaska, for,
although section 8 of the act of May 17,
1884, provided that they should not be
disturbed in the possession of any lands
actually in their possession or then
claimed by them, they are not permitted
to acquire a title to such lands, as it has
been held that they are neither Indians,
citizens, nor aliens. It has been shown
that they compare favorably with the
Indians of the United States, being per
haps more law-abiding, docile, frugal,
and industrious.
The Indians of the United States for
more than twenty years have had the
right to acquire title to lands for their
individual use, which accounts perhaps
more than anything else for the disrup
tion of their tribal relations and their
present state of civilization. Owing to
their timidity the natives of Alaska fail
to enforce their rights to the exclusive
possession of lands occupied by them,
and as a result trespassing by white
|>eople thereon has become a common
occurrence It is recommended that
legislation be enacted making t res | mss
tilH>n their possessions a misdemeanor
punishable by fine, and also making it
the duty of officials to enforce such a
statute. As it is now, they have only
the right to acquire title under the town
site laws, which do not expressly re
quire the qualification of citizenship,
and also the right of undisturtssl pos
session of lands occupied by them. Un
RECEPTION
...SALOON...
S. E. HEKTER, BOB SCHABER,
Proprietor Manager
Wines, Liquors and
GOOD Cigars....
....Billiard and Pool Rooms
Barber Chair in the House.
... '“"M
St. Louis
ABC
and Seattle
Ranier Beers
Old Valley Whisky
the only stock
Something New:
TRY OUR
PEACH AND HONEY BRANDY
A. B. NOTICE.
Regular meetings of the Arctic Brother
hood Lodge are held at their hall on the
second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at
H o'clock p. m.
WM. SIPARY, G. A. KETTERER.
Arctic Recorder. Arctic Chief
ii
RIGHT”
written
on the
of the Yukon Valley
New, anil mulled home would
irrutlfy relative, uiul friend.
Pontaire, sealed, only 2 rent,.
til tlie passage of an enabling act the
Alaskan natives, living neither aliens,
citizens, nor tribal Indians, anil there
fore ineligible to naturalization, ran not
acquire title to projiertv under the min
eral land or homestead laws
The Arizona legislature last year ap
propriated 110,000 for a monument to
(.'apt. William O’Neill, of the Rough
Riders, who was killed at Sau Juan.
Grand Ball and Cake Walk
GIVEN BY
JOLLY COMPANIONS
Feb. 22, 1906
Tickets $2.00