I ™ WEEKLY PROGRESS REPORTS.
Anchorage Division.
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Following are the progress reports of the various de
partments of Anchorage Division for the week ending
February 24, 1917:
MAINTENANCE OF WAY.
Eska Creek Coal Spur.
The stationmen clearing right-of-way on the Eska
Creek coal spur have made excellent progress. The clear
ing and grubbing is now 50 per cent complete.
A contract was let during the week to Milo Jonovich
for the ties for this branch. Grading will be started the
first part of next week.
Bridge and Building Department.
During the week a small force continued work on con
crete foundations for machinery ini the machine shop.
One outfit bunk car was completed and three were 50
per cent complete at the end of the period.
Water Service and Plumbing.
This force was engaged in the usual routine repair
work. No special work was undertaken.
Mechanical Department.
A Westinghouse triple-valve test rack has been in
stalled in the machine shop, as well as an extension to the
machine shop air line.
Light repairs were made to engines 221 and 280. Heavy
repairs to engine 265 still continue.
Work was begun on the overhauling and repairing of
engine No. 1.
The 2000-lb. steam hammer has been set up and is in
operation. The foundation for the punch and shears is
now in and machinery placed. One new blacksmith forge
has been constructed and installed.
MATANUSKA DISTRICT.
Matanuske Branch.
v
yS. .J’he weather conditions i:u. >ng the past week have been
partifeular'y favorable for tlir v. ork on the branch line. The
freighting °f supplies is practically completed for the sea
son. l3eavy hauling is still possible over the ice on the
Matanuc]19- The Commission teams are continuing to
haul blacksmith coal south from the Chickaloon, and will
have finisihed this work within ten days.
The construction of a wagon road from Hole-in-the
Wall to Crfmp 32 will probably be commenced next week.
j Main Line.
Construction material and supplies are being moved
ahead rabidly along the route. The freight teams are
hauling taes °n the return trip south from Little Susitna
River to ^Cottonwood, distributing them at the points
needed.
The br idge crew has moved to Little Susitna Flat and
commence d work on the structures in that section. The
decking o f the Wassilla Creek bridge has been finished
and the cr«fw is at work on the Cottonwood trestle. '
Axel S.\J°hnson & Company, who had a clearing con
tract from a point near Willow Creek to the vicinity of
Kashwitnaj have abandoned their contract and will be re
placed by another outfit as soon as the snow has melted
somewhat.
Resident Engineer Prendergast has moved from Camp
166 to the Little Susitna River.
L. F. Vaiile. assistant engineer, has moved his head
quarters frori» Little ‘‘’usitna to Camp 187.
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE DEPARTMENT.
Telephone connection between Anchorage and Dead
Horse Hill, Mils 245, was made on February 21. A branch
from this line hfls been run to a point on the Susitna River,
a mile or so below the mouth of the Kashwitna, where a
booth will be installed at the opening of navigation, and
boats plying between Anchorage and the upper Susitna
may get in communication with Commission officials at
both Anchorage and Talkeetna.
In the Matanuska Branch a few changes in instruments
have been made and a wire is being hung along the track
with a view of abandoning a small high resistance wire
j^ow passing over the mountains, and which is subject to
^filays occasioned by storms and falling timber.
No work, except maintenance and operation, is in pro
gress elsewhere.
TURNAGAIN ARM DISTRICT.
A Clearing Right-of-Way.
Satisfactory progress is being made in the heavy clear
j ing in the vicinity of Bird Point.
j~ • Grading.
The following coyote shots were made on the District
during the period:
Moen & Company at Station 2235, Falls Creek, moved
15,000 cubic yards of material with 26,000 pounds of
black powder; Nickolson & Company at Station 2455, Mc
Hugh Creek, moved 4000 yards with 6800 pounds of pow
der; Chalman & Company at Station 2468, north of Mc
Hugh Creek, moved 3500 cubic yards of rock with 6000
pounds; and Anderson & Company at Station 2500, between
McHugh and Sheep Creeks, moved 2500 cubic yards of rock
with 3100 pounds of black powder. A number of small
shots, with from 400 pounds to 1000 pounds in each shot,
\ were also put off during the week.
The jack hammers are making good headway driving
coyote holes in the cut at Station 2636, south of Potter
f Creek.
Miscellaneous
The trail is now in excellent shape for travel.
The mess house at the new camp at Mile 83 is about 75
per cent completed, and the bunk house 20 per cent com
pleted. Construction work will be commenced at that
point as soon as supplies are received.
NOTICE.
TO ALL EMPLOYEES ON THE MATANUSKA DIS
TRICT:
The District Engineer will cover the work on the Mat
anuska District usually once each week, and employees
having complaints to make as regards either camp food or
quarters, or having other grievances, are earnestly re
quested to take the matter up with the District Engineer
during the course of these trips.
C. R. BRECK, Jr., District Engineer.
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The Commission tug L. Roscoe arrived in Seattle, from
Seward, on March 1 after an uneventful voyage of 18 days.
HIRING EMPLOYEES IN THE U. S.
Department of the Interior
Alaskan Engineering Commission
Anchorage, Alaska, Feb. 28, 1917.
Circular No. 171:
TO ALL CONCERNED:
Misunderstandings arose last season due to the action
on the part of some of the department heads in attempting
to make special and personal arrangements for hiring new
employees in the United States to come to Anchorage at
the opening of navigation.
With a desire to avoid any of these difficulties this sea
son, it is announced that all arrangements for the employ
ment of persons in the United States will be made by this
office. All department and district heads will avoid, as far
as possible, direct correspondence with persons in the
Uniter! States in reference to employment on the Alaska
railroad work. All communications of such nature should
be addressed through this office, where they will be
handled in turn through the newly established employment
office in Seattle.
F. MEARS, Commissioner.
ORDER.
Department of the Interior
Alaskan Engineering Commission
Washington, D. C., Jan. 29, 1917.
By virtue of authority vested in me by the Executive
Order of April 10, 1915, there is hereby created an Ac
counting Department of this Commission, under the im
mediate supervision of the Chairman, the duties of which
shall include the following:
1. All general bookkeeping, auditing and accounting,
both for money and property; and the examination of pay
rolls and vouchers, inspection of time books and of money
and property accounts, and administrative examination oi
disbursing agents’ accounts.
2. The preparation and approval of accounting forms;
cost-keeping; and the preparation of statistical data, in
cluding such periodical and special financial reports as
may be required by law or for administrative purposes.
3. The collection, custody and disbursement of funds.
4. The handling of claims for compensation on ac
count of personal injuries, and of damage claims arising
in connection with construction or operation.
5. The maintenance of such a system of bookkeeping
as will afford at any time full, complete and correct infor
mation in regard to the status of appropriations made by
Congress, the revenues and expenses of operation, the costs
of construction, and the amount of investment in the vari
ous items of road and equipment.
6. The duties of the Department shall be performed
in accordance with the laws and regulations of the Treas
ury Department applicable thereto, and all orders and reg
ulations governing the receipts and expenditures of the
Commission.
Mr. B. H. Bamdollar, Examiner of Accounts, has been
appointed in charge of this Department, and he will be
obeyed and respected accordingly.
WM. C. EDES, Chairman.
Approved: FRANKLIN K. LANE, Secretary.
WEEKLY FORCE REPORT.
Anchorage Division.
The number of employees of the Anchorage Division
as shown by the payrolls on Saturday, February 17, 1917,
was as follows:
Commissioner’s Office. 36
Shops and Yards . Ill
Transportation Service. 16
Store and Dock Departments . 127
Accounting Department . 18
Disbursing Office. 5
Townsite Department . ig
Steward’s Department . 10
Hospital Department . 24
Telegraph and Telephone Department.. 60
Track, Bridge and Ballast—Main Line. 67
Turnagain Arm District. 191
Matanuska District . 203
Talkeetna District . 170
1057
Stationmen and Laborers—All Districts. 992
Grand total all employees Anchorage Division_2049
ALASKA COAL LEASES.
The Act of October 20, 1914, authorizes the leasing of
the coal lands in Alaska, under such regulations as the
Secretary of the Interior may prescribe. During the year
1916, there were six applications filed for coal leases in
the Matanuska field and two in the Bering River field.
The Eska Creek Coal Company has been granted a lease of
Unit No. 7 in the Matanuska field, and the other applica
tions are still pending before the Department at Washing
ton.
MONTHLY LABOR REPORT.
During the month of February, 1917, the Employment
Bureau of Anchorage Division placed 105 men at work,
distributed as follows:
Anchorage Terminal . 11
Main Line North of Anchorage. 31
Matanuska Branch . 14
Talkeetna District . 3
Turnagain Arm District . 32
Miscellaneous .. 14
The positions filled by the above applicants were: Axe
men 2, blacksmiths 2, cooks 6, chainmen 5, carpenter 1,
carpenter helpers 2, carpenter, bridge 6, flunkies 9, jani
tors 2, laborers (general) 13, laborers (stationmen) 11,
machine driller 1, coal miners 14, stationmen 16, tie mak
ers 11, teamster 1, wachmen 3.
CONTRACT SETTLEMENTS.
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The total amount paid to construction contractors by
the Anchorage Disbursing Office during the period'Febru
ary 22 to February 28, 1917, was $12,639.38, as follows:
T. A. Wade.$ 92.00
J. J. Page .. 131.50
W. Plackus & Company. 7770.70
Danielson & Company. 198.00
N. Kuloff & Company. 123.21
S. Shkutoff & Company. 4323.97
LEEHEY15
OPPOSED TO
IT CHANGES
In a recent issue of the Mining and
Scientific Press, published at San
Francisco, Maurice D. Leehey, a min
ing' lawyer weir known in the Cook
inlet country, contributes a very in
forming article in opposition to a
change in the mining laws and points
out the danger of the congress passing
a law for the leasing of all mineral
bearing lands. The article follows:
Sir—I heartily commend the editor
ial comment in your issue of December
23 upon the proposed revision of the
mining law. I regret that to do so
compels me to take issue with my es
teemed friend, Horace V. Winchell,
for whose versatile talents I have long
had such an enthusiastic admiration,
and I should be sorry to have him clas
sify me among those “shrouded in the
densest ignorance on the subject.” His
quotation from Judge Dickson does no
violence to your statement that the
present law “has been filtered through
the courts until its intent is clear.”
The intent of the law is made reason
ably clear by the numerous court de
cisions, but it is still true as Judge
Dickson says, that “its true meaning
or interpretation is still unsettled as
to many questions. So is the inter
pretation of our national banking law
and of the interstate commerce acts
“still unsettled as to many questions,”
and this is evidenced by the numer
ous cases constantly arising under
those laws. The trouble is that the
advocates of general revision imagine
a perfect law can be enacted, one
whose language will be so clear that
no disputes can arise under it. No
lawyer need be told it is impossible
to express such a law in our language.
The framers cannot anticipate every
question that may arise under a law,
and even if they did, words cannot be
arranged to express the rule complete
ly and without ambiguity. And even
if this could be done, it is impossible
j to bring about the enactment of such
a law, especially under conditions ex
isting in congress, where such a law
must be passed by men 90 per cent of
whom know absolutely nothing about
mining or public land conditions. To
this situation we might apply the re
marks in your last issue upon the sub
ject of simplified spelling. No doubt
our spelling could be simplified and
improved, and we are just as likely
to obtain an ideal system of spelling
as an ideal code of mining laws.
But the great objection, from a
western standpoint, to any general re
vision of the mining laws at this time,
is that such revision will be made by
a congress which is both ignorant
and unappreciative of the fundament
al principles involved, a ?orgress just
now far less responsive to western
sentiment than it is to the influence
of well-intentioned but misinformed
and impractical theorists who would
place all of our public mineral-lands
under a leasing system. It would sure
ly result also in an increase of federal
control and red tape, and limit or
destroy the present power of our state
legislatures to meet the varying local
conditions. Really, I think we had
better go slow at this time in chang
ing a law that has stood the test of
45 fruitful years and permitted—if
not fostered—that wonderful era of
mining development throughout the
west.
The great bulk of the unappropri
ated mineral-lands now left in the
public domain are situated in Alaska;
hence that territory is vitally interest
ed in any new legislation. From dis
astrous experience we have good rea
son to fear any general revision at
this time. We have had some trouble
over the question of discovery, but so
far there has been no case in the
courts of Alaska involving the law of
extra-lateral rights. This although
Alaska, as compared with the states,
has for years ranked third as a gold
producer, and now stands fifth in cop
per, first in tin and either fourth or
fifth in the total production of metals.
The apex law has indeed been so well
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JAOjO.O.O>OjQjOX\OaOAOAOaOJDAO^O.OaO^O.OIO>Q.Q.O.Q.OTOTQTOOOO6:OTO.Q.OTOTO.OTQTOTOTO
RECREATION
Bowling Alleys and Pool Parlors
YOUNG VIKING H. HEGSTROM
Next to Harmony Theatre.
PLUMBING AND HEATING
Full Line of Plumbing Supplies, Pipes and Fittings.
_PROMPT ATTENTION TO ALL ORDERS.
T. W. KENNEDY,
E St. Bet. 3rd and 4th. Next to Hotel Anchorage
I
uc=j uciiejuahcjucj ucaueiu=J ucj vcjucincjticigciuciueJucjvcjiioucjwouohciucjioicivui
Drug Store |
THE REXALL STORE. |
Dr. K. A. KYVIG, Owner. 5th and C §
The Best and Purest Drugs and the Most Reasonable in
the City.
Victor Phonographs $15.00, $25.00, $50.00.
On Time Payments.
.oo.oToToToToToToToToToToToTo^
I
PIONEER HOTEL
KNIK, ALASKA
DOGS FOR SALE : : GOOD DOG STABLES
Plenty Dog Feed on Hand for Interior Travelers.
Dried Salmon, Tallow and Cracklins.
P. M. MAYHILL, Prop.
interpreted by the courts that counsel
now^ has little difficulty in advising
clients how to avoid its complications
—no more difficulty than is presented
in applying any other law, for no law
lias yet been written, or ever will be
written, that will be free from doubt
in the involved circumstances of every
case which may arise under it. We
are especially opposed to the bureau- j
cratic suggestion that location notices
be recorded in the U. S. land offices, of
which there are three in the territory,
and the nearest often more than 1,000
miles, or three weeks, distant. We
fear that any revision at this time, no
matter how well considered by its
proponents, will result disastrously to I
our interests after it has run the gam-1
lit of congress. The coal and oil lands i
af Alaska are still tied up, for so far j
the coal-land leasing law has not prov-1
ed workable, and congress has not i
even passed a law permitting opera
tions in the oil fields. The one pat
ented oil claim is daily d< monstrating j
the richness of the field, but congress'
iias not been able to legislate for their
aperation, and until congress at least
lemonstrates the ability to provide the
much-needed new legislation for the
relief of our forbidden industries, we
prefer to get along with our present
metal-mining laws.
Tasty, appetizing lunches at the
North Pole Bakery. 567
Phone 43-Y for car, day or night.
Wood and coal a specialty. Universal
Taxi and Transfer. 126
Diamonds,watches, gold nugget jew
elry. Walter A Lord, near Harmony
theatre. 433
Most of our fair women have drifted
away from cooking, but the Two Girls
still retain the old custom. Mother’s
cooking is the best. 351
For Billiards and Pool, Peterson’s.
FOR SALE
Crescent Hotel, cor. Fourth
ami ('. Also 24x130 feet adjoin
ing hotel. See owners, F. W.
Redwood & Co
TAXIS
MESSENGERS, TRANSFER
PHONE 89R.
CITY AUTO SERVICE.
Office: Next to Labor Temple
The Arrah Wanna
2lil
1 Gold Mining Co.
| Is Now Located in Its New Offices
ROOM 2, MASONIC BUILDING
H
S
And Offers to the People of Anchorage, and Vicinity
25,000 Shares of Stock
AT
25 cents Per Share
FOR THE NEXT THIRTY DAYS.
IS39SISlSISI3ia
We Solicit Investigation. Also will be pleased to furnish
any information you may wish to know about
the Willow Creek District. Office Hours: Ten
A. M. to Ten P. M.
“e