IK
( Anrljora^p Hath*
CL
FE
AND COOK INLET PIONEER
NO. 57.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, SATURD
PIONEI
AY, JAN
NUARY 6,1917.
PRICE TEN CENTS.
ME TO CMO
JBaim III FAVW
WASHINGTON, Jan. (3.—By a strictly party vote, 31 to 27,
the senate yesterday afternoon, Senator Hitchcock’s resolu
tion to endorse President Wilson’s peace note to the belligerent
nations, was taken up for consideration. Before the vote was
taken Senator James Hamilton Lewis, of Illinois, who appeared
as the chief spokesman of the administration, declared that the J
European war could not continue without the United States be- j
coming involved in it. He declared that the temper of the
American people would brook no apology or excuse for further
obstruction of American lives, but would “resent and punish to
theJullest extent of the power of the United States further vio
latiMs of neutrality, as against either side in the war.” A vote
was then taken and the'senate agreed, as before stated, to pro
ceed with the formal consideration of the Hitchcock resolution.
WASHINGTON, Jan. (5.—1Tumulty, private secretary to
I ’resident Wilson, has issued a pAhlib, statement in which he
declares that he did not know the existence of the'" peace note
until it was issued. He positively denies that lie lias ever been
at the Biltmore hotel in New York city.
Mr. Bolling, brother of Mrs. Wilson, the president’s wife,
whose name is involved by Congressman Wood, in his testi
mony before the house rules committee, contented himself with
;i brief denial, saying that the charges, as regards himself, were
absurd and unworthy of credence.
MS AS FEEDERS TO
* > V __
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6.—Col. Wilds P. Richardson, presi
dent of the Alaska road commission, appeared before the house
committee on military affairs yesterday afternoon and urged
the committee to provide an appropriation of $500,000 in the
military appropriation bill for the construction of roads and
trails in Alaska, so that the work may be carried on under a
definite plan. The president of the road commission said it
was proposed, this year, to complete the Valdez-Fairbanks
highway, to continue work on the Ruby-Long road and to begin
construction on roads and trails to feed the government rail
way system in the vicinity of Anchorage, the chief construction
base.
MM DEFEAT VILLA'S ARMY
CHIHUAHUA CITY, Jan. <».The Carranza forces under
General Murguia decisively defeated General Villa’s army in
a fierce battle that raged in the vicinity of Jiminez yesterday,
continuing throughout the day. The Villistas withdrew at
night in wild disorder, losing 1,500 men in dead, wounded and
captured. - > •
ASK RECALL OF UNITED STATES MINISTER
WASHINGTON, Jan. fi.—The state department today re
ceived a request from Germany for the withdrawal of Charles
dyfY^,ptek?v, United States minister to Roumania, with head
quarters at Bucharest. The request states that the Teutons are
now in control of Roumania and that Mr. Vopieka is not agree
able to the Teutonic government established, hence’his resigna
tion is demanded. It is probable that the state department will
take no action in the matter for the time being, as it has no of
ficial knowledge that the Teutons are in control of govern
mental matters in Roumania and a compliance with the re
quest would amount to an admission of such control.
YEAR 1918
The annual report on mineral re
sources and production in Alaska for
1916 is now in preparation under the
direction of Alfred H. Brooks, of the
Geological Survey, Department of the
Interior. Some of the important feat
ures of this report relating to mining
development during the year are ab
stracted irt the following statement.
Complete statistics of the mineral pro
duction of Alaska can not be collected
within less than three or four months
after the close of the year, but mean
while it appears advisable to give
prompt publication to preliminary es
timates which are believed to vary not
over five per cent from the actual fig
ures.
Mineral Production.
The value of the total mineral pro
duction in Alaska in 1916 is estimated
to have been $50,900,000; that of 1915
was $32,854,000 and was itself greater
than in any previous year. The in
crease in 1916 was therefore over
$18,000,000, or more than 54 per
cent. Although this enormous in
crease in output was in large measure
due to the large tonnage and high
price of copper, yet nearly all other
minerals were produced in larger
quantities than in the previous year.
During 32 years of mining Alaska has
produced $351,000,000 worth of gold,
silver, copper, and other minerals.
It can not be expected that Alaska
will continue to produce so much
mineral wealth each year, yet the
large amount of preparation made in
1916 for lode and placer mining and
the development of the coal-mining
industry, now assured, give promise
of a continuous healthy growth of the
mining industry of the territory. This
is especially true of the Pacific coast
region and of the territory served by
railroads built or under construction.
The Alaska mines are believed to
have produced gold to the value of
about $17,050,000 in 1916 compared
with $16,700,000 in 1915. This makes
the total value of the gold mined in
the territory about $277,900,000, of
which some $196,800,000 has been
won from the placers. In 1916 about
120.850.000 pounds of copper was pro
duced in Alaska, valued at about $32,
400,000. The production in 1915 was
86.500.000 pounds, valued at $15,000.
000. The total copper production to
date is 340,700,000 pounds valued at
$68,300,000.
The value of Alaska’s lesser min
eral products in 1916 was about as
follows: Silver, $950,000; tin, $120,
000; lead, $110,000; antimony, $60,
000; tungsten, $50,000; coal, $30,000;
petroleum, marble, gypsum, etc.,
$130,000.
Glod Placer Mining.
The data in hand indicate that the
value of the placer gold output in
1916 was $10,640,000; in 1915 it was
$10,480,000. About 640 placer mines
were operated in 1916, employing
some 4,600 men. All the older dis
tricts appear to have held up or in
creased their output compared with
the previous year, except Fairbanks.
The increased output is, however, to
be credited chiefly to the new camps
of Marshall and Tolovana. Thirty-six
gold dredges were operated in Alaska
in 1916, one more than in 1915—29 in
Seward peninsula, three in the Idita
rod, ami one each in the Ruby, Fair
banks, Circle anti Yentna districts.
Of these 36 dredges four were instal
led in 1916. It is estimated that these
dredges produced between $2,000,000
and $2,200,000 worth of gold. If the
final figures bear out this estimate, it
indicates a lower recovery per dredge
than in the previous year. In 1915
the 35 dredges mined $2,300,000 worth
of gold.
Gold Lode Mining.
About 25 gold-lode mines were op
erated in 1916, compared with 28 in
1915. The value of this gold output
increased from $6,069,000 in 1915 to
about $6,200,000 in 1916. Southeast
ern Alaska, especially the Juneau dis
trict, is still the only center of large
quartz-mining developments in the
territory. Next in importance is the
Willow Creek lode district. There was
also considerable gold-lode mining on
Prince William Sound, but a very de
cided falling off of this industry in
the Fairbanks district. Lode-mine
owners of Fairbanks are awaitng the
cheapening of operating costs, especi
ally of fuel, which will be brought
about by the government railroad.
Copper Mining.
The enormous copper output from
Alaska mines in 1916 has already
been referred to. During the year 18
copper mines were operated, compar
ed with 13 in 1915—seven in the
Ketchikan district, eight in the Prince
William sound district, and three in
the Chitina district, overshadowed all
other operations. Had the transpor
tation companies and smelters been
able to handle the ore, however, many
of the smaller copper mines would
have made a much greater output. It
is estimated that about 550,000 tons
of copper ore was hoisted in 1916.
Tin Mining.
About 232 tons of stream tin was
produced in Alaska in 1916. Of this
about 162 tons came from the York
district, where two tin dredges were
operated and a third was working on
placer ground carrying both tin and
gold. Developments were also con
tinued on the Lost River lode-tin mine.
The rest of the concentrates were re
covered incidentally to placer-gold
mining in the Hot Springs district of
the lower Tanana basin.
Antimony Mining.
The mining of antimony ore (stib
nite) began in Alaska in 1915 and con
tinued in a small way through the
first half of 1916. The fall in the
price of antimony during midsummer
put an end to most of these opera
tions. About 1,460 tons of crude ore
was mined and shipped during 1916.
Much the larger portion of this came
from the Fairbanks district.
Tungsten Mining.
Though scheelite has long been
known to occur in some of the Alaska
placers, up to the last two years the
demand for it has not been sufficient
to .encourage its recovery. The recent
high price of tungsten has induced
Alaska miners to turn their attention
to scheelite deposits. In the fall of
1915 a scheelite-bearing vein was
discovered in the Fairbanks district,
and its development began. Later two
other scheelite-bearing veins were
found in the same district. During
the winter some of these scheelite
ores were treated in a local mill, and
the concentrates were shipped out by
parcel post. Scheelite mining was
continued during the summer, and the
crude ore was shipped out by steam
er. Considerable scheelite was also
recovered from some of the gold
placers at Nome, and a little was pro
duced in other districts. It is esti
mated that about 50 tons of scheelite
concentrates were produced in- Alaska
during 1916, for which the producers
received over $50,000.
Mineral Fuels.
The production of petroleum from
the only oil claims patented in Alaska,
in the Katalla district, continued in
1916. The operating company was re
organized and more extensive exploi
tation was undertaken.
About 8,000 tons of coal was mined
in Alaska during 1916 from half a
dozen small mines. The largest pro
ducer was the Bluff point mine, on
Cook inlet, where a lignite bed was
exploited for the local market. The
mining of coal in the lower end of
the Matanuska field, for the use of
the Alaskan Engineering Commission,
was also a significant event. This
part of the field is already made ac
cessible by the government railroad,
now under construction. The con
struction of a private railroad from
Bering river into the Bering river
coal field was also begun, and a little
coal was mined at the southwest end
of the bering river field. Tenders for
leases of coal lands in both the Bering
river and Matanuska coal fields under
the new law have been received by the
interior department. Another import
ant event was the completion by the
geological survey of a detailed exam
ination of the more accessible part of
the Nenana coal field, lying about 60
milejs south of Fairbanks. All these
facts indicate that systematic exploit
ation of the Alaska coal fields will
soon be undertaken.
^EA 1 FEE, Jan. 6.—Tilt* confession made by Logan Bil
lingsby, locally known as the king of the bottleggers, to District
Attorney Allen, involves Mayor Hi Gill, of Seattle, in that he
is accused of accepting a $4,000 bribe, tendered in the form of
a retainer for his legal services. Mayor Gill vigorously denied
the accusation, in an interview in the local newspapers today.
Me declared that if Billingsby made such a statement to the
district attorney, “it’s a bootlegger’s effort to ‘cover up’ on H.
< ’. Hunt, head of the Jesse Moore-Hunt Liquor company, of San
Francisco, from whom, the records show, he bought the booze
that was peddled in Seattle.”
Notwithstanding the denial of the mayor, there are those
who insist that he is involved in the illegal transactions, anti
say when the Billingsby’s confession is made public, it will cre
ate a sensation, and involve others as prominent as the mayor.
! ! 53#* 1
BILLINGSBY’S CONFESSION. V
SEATTLE, Jan.* (i.—The confession of Logan Billingsby,
Ihe bootlegger, made to District Attorney Allen, implicates not
only Chief of Police Charles W. Beckingham, but also 20 other
members of the Seattle police department. Billingsby \s confes
sion alleges that he paid a specified lump sum on every barrel
of whiskey brought into Seattle; that the money went to a clique
in the department, of which the chief was one.
(Jovcrument agents are working up evidence for the fed
eral grand jury and have assembled a mass of it which has been
submitted to the district attorney. This evidence shows that
the gambling houses in Seattle paid, in one month, $1S,000 to
one policeman, who was supposed to represent the chief and the
inside clique in the department.
FLOATS OFF REEF
CORDOVA, Alaska, Jan. (i.—The steamer Admiral Watson
floated off the reef at Irish cove at high tide last night.
The freighter Cordova is standing by, and when weather con
ditions permit, will tow the steamer to this port, where tempo
rary repairs can be made so the vessel can proceed, under her
own steam, to Seattle. The Watson has two holes stove in
her hull and is taking in some water. The passengers and mail
were taken off by the freighter Cordova yesterday and transfer
red to the steamer Alameda at Knowles Head, from whence
the Alameda proceeded to Seattle.
HOLLAND TO EXPORT MEATS.
AMSTERDAM, Jan. (!.—An agreement has been reached
whereby for one year Holland may export a hundred kilograms’
of fresh pork to Germany and HO kilograms of bacon may be
exported to England. Equal quantities of salt pork may be
exported to both countries.
SEATTLE, Jan. 6.—Emmett Whit
field, aged 21 years, arrested for hold
ing up a man late last night, was shot
and killed in front of the police sta
tion this morning by Patrolman Max
Meyer. As the officer was searching
Whitfield’s pockets for concealed
weapons, the prisoner broke away and
started to run down the street. The
officer called to him to stop, bpt he
kept on going. Whereupon, the offi
cer drew his gun and shot and killed
him.
BANK ROBBERS PLEAD GUILTY
AND EACH GET SIX YEARS
SEATTLE, Jan. 6.—Rounds, Lowe
and McDonald pleaded guilty to the
chargfe of robbing the bank at Bothell
and were yesterday sentenced to serve
six years each at the state penitenti
ary at Walla Walla.
DAWSON ON
DEATH DED
SEATTLE, Jan. 6.—Dick Dawson,
controlling owner in the Crow Creek
hydraulic mines on the Ivenai peninsu
la, is at death’s door at his home in
Seattle, suffering from cancer of the
throat. There is no hope for his re
covery. Dawson is a sourdough Alas
kan. In the early days he was the
owner of the Second-Class saloon at
Nome a popular resort of the famous
gold camp.
THREE HUNDRED KILLED IN
EARTHQUAKE IN FORMOSA
TOKIO, Jan. 6.—Three hundred
persons were killed and hundreds
were injured in a violent earthquake
that occurred in central Formosa yes
terday. A thousand homes were de
stroyed.