THE KUSKO TIMES
A. X. Grant, Publisher, Sole
Owner and Editor.
Published Every Saturday
$1 Per Month
Advertising Rates.
Reading matter, per line, per
issue $ .25
legal advertisements, per line,
issue .. .20
Transient display, per inch, per
issue (minimum charge $1) .50
Entered as second-class matter Au
gust 29th, 1923, at the postoffice at
— Tokotna, Alaska, under the Act of
March 3, 1879.
IA . ..- ... -
Tokotna, Alaska, Dec. 2(>, 1923.
MINING JOl’NAI. REPLIES TO
TREE'S ATTACK ON ALASKA
((Engineering and Mining Journal
Press, New York.)
Representative Arthur M. Free, of
California, ranking member of the
•committee on merchant marine and
ifisheries in the House of Representa
tives, has just returned from Alaska,
where he inspected the government
railroad. He has issued a statement
that the railroad should be aban
doned. on the grounds that it serves
«a population of only 5,000 at a cost
•of $400 per capita per pear, and at a
lloss to the government. While it may
be true that there are only 5,000 peo
ple “on or near" the railroad, yet a
.g!: \ at the atlas shows that the
to; i extends to the very heart of the
great Territory, and that tributary
•to the road (excluding the Copper
River valley and Southeastern Alas
,ka) there are villages as far west as
Nome, with a total population of
15,000. that receive a direct benefit
from this road in the matter of mail,
passenngenr service and freight. Mr.
Free should not forget the service
rendered and tihie saved in trans
porting antitoxin to stricken Nome
Jast winter from the railroad at Ne
nana, 450 miles inland—a saving of
•eight to ten days and undoubtedly the
ifives of many people at the isolated
sand frantic city. Every prospector,
^fisherman, woodchopper, and Indian
in the great Yukon valley, and as far
morth as the reindeer fields of the
.Arctic, is benefited directly or indi
rectly by this road.
The census takes cognizance of only
the permanent population. During
•every summer season there is usually 1
:a transient population of two or even
ifhree times the local citizenry that
:must be taken into consideration
'when reckoning in terms of abandon
iment. The purchase of Alaska was
•characterized as “Seward’s Folly,” yet
'who is there today that begrudges
(the original cost of §7,200,000? As
Jbusiness is organized at present, the
ertn finn nnn
l.,_1.,
iupon the recommendation of the late
’Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the
interior, is not excessively large in
(comparison with the cost of “Sew
ard's Folly.” Apparently Mr. Free
implies that this venture is “Lane'sj
iFolly,” but, as a matter of fait, as in
the case of Seward, Lane had the
wision of a future empire north of!
‘“54-40.”
Alaska has coal, ocpper, gold and '
<other minerals, to say nothing of |
ttimber, fisheries and agricultural pos
sibilities. Transportation is the key
that will unlock the “frozen re
sources of this Northland—frozen not;
because of cold, but because of inac
cessibility. A more liberal policy on
the part of the federal government
toward opening the timber and min- ,
eral lands, as well as agricultural j
areas, would aid greatly in utilizing
to the best advantage the railroad ■
that Mr. Free says should be i
scrapped. He seems to think that
this roadbed could be converted into i
an automobile highway. It could, at j
the cost of many millions more, and ‘
yet Alaska would be without a rail- 1
road. To convert this as he suggests ■
would necessitate concreting it the ,
entire distance, or surfacing with ■ ]
gravel, and in. many places the heavy <
fills would retire widening for auto :
traffic. Sleds only could be used dur
ing^ the winter season, and for ;
freightin gpurposes they are good for
3illy twenty to thirty miles per day at
the most, for until better means are
devised for propelling sleds it would
be necessary to depend entirely upon
horses and dogs—a reversion to the
early days.
Mr. Free fails to visualize the pos
sibilities of Alaska. He can have no
excuse for not seeing, as the sun
shines twenty to twenty-four hours
every day during the summer,, and
when the sun is not above the horizon
there is ample twilight for viewing
Forest and stream. Open the Terri
tory to development, and this road
will do its share in the establishment
sf a northwest empire of which this
country will be proud. It has never
been contended that the road would
pay dividends. It was a to assist in
the development of the country. To
abandon it in accordance with Mr.
Free’s recommendation would retard
the development of the Territory at
least fifty years.
GLACIER RAY LOCALITY
A FIELD FOR NATURALISTS
That the Glacier Bay locality pre
sents the greatest field in all Alaska
for nata. alists is the opinion of Jim
Russell, himself a close student of
animal and bird life, who returned
to his hi me in Juneau recently after
spending more than two months in
the employ of the Bureau of Fisheries
in the (i acier Bay country, says The
Stroller Weekly. Mr. Russell,, al
ways a close observer wnere wild me
is cone. ■ states tliat the vicinity
in which he spent his summer has
been practically depleted of red sal
mon, m through fi shing in Glacier
bay, but the maintaining of traps
near the mouth of the bay. In his
opinion, the present regulations
adopted by the Bureau of Fisheries
will do much to restore red salmon
in that district. Owing to the abund
ance of feed in the Glacier bay dis
trict, Mr. Russell says that it is the
breeding ground of the wild foxes of
the interior, which come there from
the North, rear their young and re
turn to their native haunts at the ap
proach of winter. It is a natural
breeding pl9fcef for both animals and
birds. During the summer many
nests of ravens were seen, each nest
containing from seven to eight eggs.
Seagull also nest in that locality, as
do numerous varieties of ducks. A
number of eider ducks were seen dur
ing the summer, as were also a num
ber of grebes, both a very rare and
the former a highly valuable variety.
Mr. Russell witnessed several inter
esting drives during the summer,
which proves to him that ducks have
more sense than usually given credit
for. lie says thousands of sawbills
will conduct a drive of young salmon
by alighting on the water and, flap
ping thair wings and squawking,
drive the little fish out to tte edge of
ihe water, where they become an easy
arey. It was also noticed that when
* sawbill drive was on seagulls
ivould circle over the scene of activi
ties in order that they share in the
oig feed when the stampeded fish
were driven into shallow water.
Mr. Russell does not believe there
is much hope for a Canadian port at
the head of Glacier bay for some
time to come. While the glacier is
gradually receding, it will have to
oack up a mile and a half before it
reaches the international boundary,
and just what a port of entry in that
somewhat inhospitable country would
iccomplish is not apparent to a lay
nan like Russell.
The one-time home of John Muir,
while he was studying the renowned
jlacicr that bears his name, was vis
ted by Mr. Russell, but little of it re
nains except the site, to visit. The
>ld stone fireplace is still intact, but
Indians have carried off practically all
>f the wooden portion of the old
louse, which now exists only in the
nemory of the very few who ever
;aw it. Mr. Russell secured a pic
ure of what is left of it.
The Muir glacier has also receded
intil but little is left of its former
rrandeur, but it is still classed as
‘live,” as is also the glacier at the
lead of Glacier bay. Grand Pacific
?lacier, west of the bay, and a smaller
me to the right, are both “live,” but
Jr. Russell believes they are both
lying. He thinks a game sanctuary
'or a number of years should be es
;ablished in the locality described
ibove and within a short time it
would be a veritable paradise fo
hunters of both large and snial
I frame.
—
WHAT WILL BECOME OF
rp:venue cutter beat
A report from Washington say:
that many proposals are being pu
forward for disposing of the Coas
Guard cutter Bear, when she retire:
from nearly half a century of dutj
in the Arctic, but none have been ap
proved. The Coast Guard Service ha:
under consideration the constructor
of a modern vessel to relieve the
Bear, but is loth to part with th<
veteran craft that forms an integra
part of its history. An Alaskar
chamber of commerce has sought tc
have the Bear utilized as a floating
museum for America’s Northwesl
Territory. The Explorers’ Club has
put in a bid for the ship’s bell. There
are officers of the Coast Guard whc
say the vessel will ultimately be a
training ship for the service, prob
ably at San Diega, Calif. Doing dutj
since the early ’0’s, the Bear has beer
known to t he Eskimo as the “oomiak
puk” (powerful big ship). Recentlj
Mrs. Anewa Mattson, a native borr
Eskimo, educated at Carlisle Indiar
school, in Pennsylvania, wrote of the
Bear to the Coast Guard headquar
ters: “The Bear has written het
beautiful heroic deeds and devoted
faithful service in our hearts as the
years and time have gone by. She
has brought hope and light from civ
ilization to our hearts strong and se
cure. The Bear will be the Eskimos
most reverent memory in the years tc
come.’’
One of the largest consignments ol
live foxes ever shipped out of Alaska
at one time arrived in Seattle recent
ly. The shipment consisted of 25C
fine blue foxes from the Conclusior
fox farm sTrrdl emfwy vbgkq bgkqV
Island fox farm of the Cleary broth
ers. Grover Cleary went south with
the shipment, and they will be distrib
uted from Seattle.
1 ft McLean
Tokotna
Swift’s Ham and Bacon
Golden State Butter
^and Cleese
New Stock of Green Hood
Woolen Goods g
Hood All Rubber Pacs
Ladies’ Furnishings
Arctics Felt Slippers
King Island Mukhiks]
Stamped Embroideries
Ladies' Shoes and Slippers
Max Simel
The Pioneer Trader
Furs Bought and
Sold
Miners’, Prospectors’
and Trappers’
Supplies
Steamer Service On the Inoka
River.
Ask the People of Ophir a omit ns.
STATION
Fairview, Innoko River
Inaction.
I -
“The government’s slow action—or
■ rather its inaction—in bringing the
Teapot Dome scandal into court re
, minds me of a story,” said United
States Representative Fulbrightat a
; Doniphan dinner party.
“A visitor to Tin Can told the Iand
,! lord of the Tin Can Ratz hotel that
j he was disgusted not to get any
* mail—he said heought to have re
. ceived an important letter yesterday.
“ ‘Thar couldn’t no mail have ar
rove for you yesterday, stranger,’
said the landlord, ‘for yesterday the
postmaster was drunk and didn’t go
over to Graveyard Junction for the
mail bags.’
“ ‘Holy smokes! How about today,
then?’
“ ‘The postmaster’s sober today, but
he’s got a sick headache and can’t
venture, oat.’
“ ‘Mercy! Well, anyhow, there’ll be
a delivery tomorrow, 1 suppose?’
“ ‘Skursely, s tranger. We don’t
have no mail delivery Thursday. Half
: holiday, you know.’
“‘Well, Friday then?’
I “ ‘Humph! Friday’s generally kind
i of a day off with the postmaster and
he’s liable to go fishin’. He may send
I
; Tckotna |
Pool Hall
Avoid the Rush!
Toilet Articles
i
• Cigarette Holders
Cigar Holders
Pocket Combs
Salutary Tooth Brushes
■ Extracts Lemon, Banana
and Strawberry Flavors
Imperial Cigarettes
at cost price •>
Jack Mutchler
Proprietor
Geo. W. Hoffman
Pioneer Trader of the Knskokwim Valley
Napamute, Alaska
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.
Good Prices for Your Fur
Larson Roadhouse
A
Best of Home Cooked Meals. Prompt Attention •
New Dog Houses, >
Frank Larson
-—1 '
Proprietor I
FREIGHTING
General Transportation
How About Wood Hauling?
See Joe Ferris or B*d Riley
tK
“ ‘Mail on Sunday! Say, stranger, P
i -what do you take us for ? Heath- r
ens?’”
the boy over. I don’t never count or
it, though.’ 0
“ ‘Then Saturday.’
“ ‘Half holiday again.’
“ ‘Dash, blank, asterisk, dash! Jt
Sunday—’
PROFESSIONAL
/
Mrs. Jean McLean
Notary Public 4
Tokotna, Alaska
Du Rand’s
Cafe and
Hotel
»y
ier'
Of
m
£
8t
it
Flat City
(
A
i iv
j
B. & L Store
McGrath, Alaska
Groceries
Hardware
Miners’ Supplies
of All Kinds
Ladies’ Furnishings
Furs Bought and Sold
Moose Skin Mitts and Boots i
King Island Mukluks
Babersh, or Sled Lashing j
Voigt’s Dog Harness, the very
Best
PARKAS—Cuff and hood of
wolf skin, $6.00. Come and
get them while they last.
A. R. Eidridge
11
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