CHARGES PREFERRED
AGAINST SEARLES
Young R( venue Officer Taken
to Task for Rash Words
A bout Alaska.
Secretary Shaw, of the United
Suites treasury depar'ment, on Jan
6 received formal charges by the
Seattle Alaska Club against Lieut.
H. R. Searles. of the revenue cutter
service, for publishing an interview
ill a newspaper at Oshkosh, VVis.,
where he spent his December fur
lough with his parents, reflecting
against Alaska and its people. The
following facts about the affair are
gained from the Seattle Times. In
connection with the figures given
therein it is well to remember that
they ate probably intended to in
clude Yukon Territory:
The charges referied to are the
result of an interview which Lieut.
Searles of the revenue cutter Thetis
gave out to the Daily Noithwestern
at Oshkosh, wlieie he was spend
ing the Christmas hi lidavs. In
the interview the lieutenant sa d:
Tile bleak ami dreary Alaska stands
out in sharp contrast to the rosy coloring
given the land of gold by transportation
companies, wnose ami u is to get men to
go to that country. Alaska is at best
only a dreary, desolate, mountainous wil
derness, peopled by a starving, ignorant,
superstitious, filthy anil rapidly disap
pearing people. Outside of the gold
mining in southeastern Alaska there is
little to recommend the country as a
human habitation, not even agricultural
possibilities, notwithstanding glowing
reports to the contrary, which appear to
lie the dying gaspof interested promoters.
A matt signing himself “An
Alaskan" sent a clipping of the in
terview to the Alaska Club in Se
attle, anti William M. Sheffield, the
secretary of the club, sent a nice
letter to the editor of the Daily
Northwestern, which printed the
story, pointing out wh^re (Khkosh’s
favorite son did not know what he
was talking about when he slan
dered Alaska anti the fio.nno hardy
white men anti women, who come
from every state in the Cninn and
trom almost every country on the
earth, who lielieve that Alaska is
one of the richest |*»scsskms of the
t'niled States, ami who are happy
in that belief.
Secretary Sheffield touched the
high places only when he mentioned
the luxuriant growth •»! wild hay,
eight feet high, in the Tanana val
ley; the warm summers along the
Yukon and Tanana, rivaling even
the summers ot iHhkosh. ami sur*
pi-'ttig Wisconsin in abundance ui
vegetation Me jul* the inquiry,
|iu von know there are tills seven
i irtetws ot wild (towers in the »»•
cinity of Nome?” at the editor, and
follow s it up with questions as to
whether the people of Oshkosh evei
heard of sheep and cattle owned by
'the Frye-Bruhn company, tunning
out all winter on Kodiak island,
1,800 miles north of Seattle, grow
' ii.g fat on the native grasses. The
fact that the mines of Alaska have
produced in the last five years
fit50,ooo.oot) is touched upon but
lightly by Mr. Sheffield, and he
mentions just casually, in passing,
that the commerce for the first ten
months ol 1904 between the United
States and Alaska amounted to
$20,000,000. Brief mention is also
made of the millions invested in
fisheries and canneries, and Mr.
Sheffield paused for the reply from
the editor from Oshkosh.
Instead came a sassy letter from
Lieut H. K. Searles, himself, in
which he tells Secretary Sheffield:
You have me at a disadvantage, inas
much as tieing a government officer I
can not answer you concerning the Alas
ka article I rather regret that my re
cently published article on Alaska has
perhaps destroyed the effect of some
glowing prospectus on that country. We
all know the promoter from A to Z, and
have little doubt that a certain particular
one never even passed Tatoosh on his
way to Alaska. Go north, little secre
tary; go north.
NEW NEWSPAPER
TO START AT CHENA
A new newspaper, to be called
the Times, is due to make its ap
pearance at Chena. The new ven
ture will start out with a sufficient
f irce to creditably perform the work
in view, and will thereby avoid a
fatal mistake made by it' predeces
sor, the Herald.
Henry Roden, well known in
this district, is to conduct the
Times. As a practical miner and
a well informed man he should
make a paj>er deserving of success.
All who know him wish him well.
Hkagwny Alrlerniim
VIhv <»<» KlHtfwherr
Alaskan, Jan 17: J. k Van
Cleve, masti r mechanic ior the W
P. AYR, and one of Skagway’s
l>est conncilmen, has received an
offer front the Alaska Central rail
way to become master mechanic for
that company. He will leave for
Seattle aliont Ft I* 1 to meet the
Mt|icrinteiHlenl ol the Alaska Celt
tral, anti it t* not unlikely that he
will go to that rood.
S. A. CUTTING,
ASSAYER.
Assaying of Ore and Bullion.
Milling, i c^entralion, Amalgamation and Cyanide Tests Made.
WALTER SUNDBORG,
Freighter and Packer
(Joods Delivered
To All Creeks
Personal attention to all consign
ments insures good service.
DRY WOOD DELIVERED.
Leave orders at Miners Store.
CALLS FAIRBANKS
A CITY OF WIND
Al. Lavigne is on a visit to
his old Rampart stamping ground
from Ins newer home at Chena.
Mr. Lavinge formerly conducted 106
| Roadhouse in this district and has
| many acquaintances here. Now
| that his lesidence is established ill
the Tan ina country he is a staunch
Chena partisan, and does not be
lieve that Fairbanks can ever over
come the natural obstacles to its
permanent supremacy.
It was suggested that Fairbanks;
has the people, the money and the '
pull, just the same
“Yes,"said Mr. Lavigne; "Fair-j
banks is a big city—built on wind !
I Take the wind out and there is I
! nothing left."
“Ain’t the mines all right?"
"Oh. yes; the mines are all
right. But, for that matter, Chena I
is already big enough for the mines.
Chena is the town of the mines:
Fairbanks is a city of wind. Do
you know the only difference l>c
tween Rampart and Fairbanks?;
No* It is wind! Dr Barnette and j
Judge Wickersham built Fairbanks. |
They built it on wind and when
the wind is gone Fairbanks will l>e
gone "
Mr. I.avigne thinks the tramway
from Chena will be ready for btisi
ness by the time ts>als run
lie es|iects to start back loaded,
today of tomortow
I RNH.Kk FALkKNBKRG,
\1t*rclwmts, Wntchmnkers
*«*
MfimitncUtrini' Jewelers
MINERS STORE
(In the Postoffice Building)
General Merchandise
Outfitting
RECEPTION ^RESTAURANT
OPEN AI,L NIGHT.
Short Orders a Specialty
Lodging House in Connection
Fresh Beef, Fresh Eggs, Fish and
Game of all kinds.
Quick service. Give us a trial
H. K. 1IKETKR, Proprietor
Walter Sundborg is to start on
mother Fairbanks freighting trip
:he first of next week.
Rev. J. E. Huhn returned to
Fairbanks on Saturday, after a
brief visit to Rampart.
Charles Ehrhorn and Joe Kelly,
in from Hoosier creek the first of
the week, report that they are
taking out pay.
Two recent deaths of natives are
those of Mrs. Paul, of consumption,
and Kdward Pitka. consumption
aggravated by whooping cough.
Archdeacon Stuck, of the Kpis
~opal church, is probably in Cold
foot at present. Mr. Chilson will
take a trip to Fort Hamlin expect
ing to meet the archdeacon if word
is not received from him in two
weeks.
The Alaskan Cross Rearer. pub
lished at Ketchikan in twbalf of the
Fpiscopal chimb, gives the follow
mg as the relative standing of the
three churches ami Sunday school*
that stand highest in the list ol
missionary offerings lor the past
year Our Saviour. Tatiana stands
lir*t Si Manr't, Nome, eowil
St. John *. Ketchikan, third. The
schools are Sbagwav. Sr*l Ketch
than, second V alder third.