j-_u'L —l - . j
HISTORY OF TELEGRAPH
COMMUNICATION IN ALASKA
(Continued from Page* 2.)
wise about worn out, and the cable
ship Dellwoud.was obtained, from the
Shipping Boards and converted into a
cableship, embadying the latest im
provements in cahle laying equipment..
The new cattle was purchased in.
England, and the. cableship made two
trips to England.for cable and laid it
thi seme year.
The northern terminal of the cable
wt»3 changed from Valdez to Seward,
wher: connection, with the Alaska
Ita'.’oadft telegraph lines was avail
able, affording connection with: Fair
banks., which was at that time the
rad distributing; point for Northern
and thmtral Alaska. This arrange
ment., permitted the. abandonment of
the. t section of . the old telegraph
lines, of some 400 miles between Val
dez and Fairbanks, .the other sections
of thetold lines having been previous
ly. abandoned from time to time and
radi > substituted.
The., rapid development in radio,
-particularly the high frequency or
short wave type, together with the
great expense of maintaining and op
erating, a cableship that amounts to
over §150,000 per annum for the DelL
wood, caused the War Department to
substitute radio for the cables, and
in 1930 8200,000 was made available
for establishing high-power radio sta
tions at. Seattle, Ketchikan and Am
ohorage.. This program provided for
the ieaiog of the necessary land, ereo
tion of buildings and purchase of
equipment to be placed in operation
Novemher. 1, 1931, and the cableship
laid up. This program has been suc
cessfully, completed, and the Wax
Department is now taking steps to
return the Dellwood to the Shipping
Board.
The total amount of all cables in
service when their use was discontin
ued was 2,150 nautical miles.
The preset nsystem has 36 radio
stations, one of which, is in Seattle
and the other 35 are located in the
major towns and villages in Alaska.
The control system is located in Se
attle, with headquarters in the Ar
cade Building, transmitters at West
Seattle, and receivers at Fort Lawton.
While the System no longer serves
a military necessity, it does, on the
other hand, furnish to the various
Government, departments and the
Territory of Alaska an indispensable
telegraphic service. As an. eyample
of one of these services to the Gov
ernment it might be mentioned that
weather repots coveing obsevations
at some fouteea or fifteen stations in,
Alaska and on. all ships in the North
Pacific Ocean are transmitted to the
observers at Juneau, Seattle and San
Francisco, for use in making weather
forecasts. During the summer months .
airways weather reports from prac- j
tically. all stations in Northern Alas- j
ka are telegraphed twice daily to the
observer at Fairbankts to aid airways
operation. This is a distinct aid to
aerial transportation, and such trans
portation has become a vital factor in,
the development of the Territory.
The. total value of business handled
for all Government departments
served, by the System amounted to i
about $330,000 in the fiscal year 193-1.J
A complete, commercial telegraph
vservice, is provided for the handling
off day, messages, night letters, press,
=
,-J—-RK*B=■ !-—!— -!
and telegraphic money transfers. An
example of the rates of these various
services between Seattle and the cap
ital at .luneau are as follows:
10-word flay message, $1.
10-word night message, 80 cents.
50-word day 1 etter, $1.50.
50-word night letter, $1.
A telegraphic money order system
is also provided between all points oi>
the system. The cost of transferring
money between Seattle and’ Juneau is
$2 for each $1QQ transferred. The
press rate between Seattle and Ju
neau is 1 cent per word when ad
dress. d to only one newspaper, and
o. '.e-half cent per word when ad
dressed to two or more newspapers
an/wSere in the Territoy. The total
value of ail ccmmecial business han
<i.ed by the. System for the fiscal year
1931 approximately $300,000.
The total value of all traffic for the
year was, therefore, over $400,000.
To man and. opeate this radio sys
tem there are- at. present 4 commis
sioned officers, 1 warrant officer, 187
enlisted men of the Signal Corps and
40 civilian employes. In addition to
handling communications with Alas
ka, the. radio1 system in Seattle con
nects with the War Department radio
net at San Francisco* so that Govern
ment messages originating in Alaska
or Seattle destined' for Washington,
D. C., or other points in, continental
United States where army radio sys
tems are located can be handled with
out charge. Commercial messages
originating, in. Alaska for points'
other than Seattle in continental
United States are placed on commer
cial wires at Seattle.
A brief word regarding the supply
of the System may be of interest.
No messes are operated; the men
are paid monetary, allowance in lieu
of rations, and such subsistence stores
as are desired by the men on duty in
Alaska are purchased through the
Commanding Officer, Quartermaster
Department, Seattle, and charged
against their pay..
Tt many of the remote stations,
such as Point Barrow, where only one.
or two shipments a year can be de
livered, the shipmentts that are made
are vital. A short report from the
operator in chagge at Point Barrow,
i not long ago said, among other
i other things: “We have two seasons
at Point Barrow—July and winter.”
At many of the stations Govern
1 ment quarters are provided for the
personnel and thei families. Where
quarters are not available, monetary
! allowance in lieu of quarters in kind
; is paid.
The operators in charge at all sta
tions are required to> submit annual
requisitions for all kinds of property
required for one full yea,, together
with an estimate for needed repairs
to buildings and equipment.
Unserviceable and surplus property
| in Alaska that cannot be inspected by
an officer is handled on I. & I. reports,
acted upon by the Seattle office, the
ultimate destruction of same being
witnessed by some civilian Govern
ment official, such as U. S. Commis
sioner, Postmaster or Marshal.
All enlisted men of. tha System are
I assigned to the 1st. Signal Service
i Company, whos e. headquarters are
! in Seattle. The company;; and the de
tachments thereof are administered
like any other similar military., organ
ization, with certhain special arrange
FIRE INSURANCE
You should cany stilihcial amcunt of fire insurance*:
for the sake of your credit and your peace of mind, „
Needless: to say this insurance should be of the very
highest quality.
Then* (teKW Written B* ; ■
Alaska Insurance Agency
FAIRBANKS ALASKA
Inquire of Knako Tlmee.
ments necessary to meet the condi
tions peculiar to the System.
The great majority of the enlisted
personnel elect to remain on the Sys
tem through several enlistments, and
during the past year the percentage
of reenlistments on the System was
the highest in the Ninth- Corps Area.
Service in Alaska is rotated with
service in Seattle when desired, but
new men elect, to remain in Alaska
year after year. This. is. permitted
when satisfactory health, conditions
are fulfilled.
OUtt INTERESTS AT,
THE NATION’S C'ABITAL
(Continued from Page 3.)
elude all th elands applied for, but
.ms appeal was later practically .witfeti
drawn, and the survey will proceed.
Delegate Wickersham’s interest has
been sought • in the matter and a
compromise has been ecected with .the
Department not to make the survey,
effective until 1933, when the Mission
authorities will he in Washington to
personally plead their case.
Last year the Indian- Bureau in
augurate da policy of loaning to In
dian descendant hoys a sum as high
as $300 for the purpose of assisting
them in attending college and receiv
ing a higher education than is afford-;
ed through the public or Indian
schools. As the system became gen
erally known it became quite popular
throughout the States and Alaska, .so
that this year the. applications for the'
fund was so great that the fund has
become exhausted. The first five ap
plications granted in May were to
Alaska boys. Since then others .from
the North have been favored, but
many have been turned down, as the
fnd was exhausted before applica
tions had heen approved.’.
The Federal, funds allocated' for.
work on forest roads in Alaska for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1933,
amounts to $366,682. Officials *.of the
Agricultural Department state that
comparatively few more projects will
be attempted, as the sum will be used
largely for repairs .and. maintenance !
of present forest roads. T.he roads!
running from Ketchikan .to. Ward's j
Cove and south to beyond Saxman J
will be widened and othrwise im-j
proved.
Tardy Warning.
After much pleading, Haygs had
managed to “touch” his friend for .a
loan.
When it was safely in his -posses
sion he said:
“You are very kind to lend -me that
pound. I feel that I can never repay
you.”
His friend stared hard at him.
“Why the dickens didn’t you say
that at first?” he exclaimed.—An
swers (London).
Nothing But the Truth.
Bill Collector—Is your husband at
home?
Lady of the House—Noo.
Bill Collector—But I can see his
sradow.
Lady of the House—Yes, but it is
only his shadow.—Lustige Koine Zei
tung (Cologne).
Are you a Kusko Timas subscriber ?
Why mot join tha happy throng?
ORDER AND NOTICE OF GEN
ERAL ELECTION
To Be Held On
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1932.
In the Commissioner’s Court at .Me
Grah, Fourth Division, Territory
nf Alnaltn
I, W. T. andcrp.-iol, Unied States
Commissioner in and for the Mount
McKinley Recording District, Fourth
;Division, Territory of Alaska, pur
suant to an Act of Congress, ap
proved May 7th, 1906, entitled “An
'Act Providing for the Eection of a
Deegate to the House of Representa
tives from .the Territory of Aaska,M
and an Act of Congress approved
August 24th, 1912, entitled “An Act
to Create a Legislative Assembly in
the Territory of Alaska, to confer
legislative powers thereon, and for
other purposes,” do hereby divide the
above-named Recording and Election
District into three voting precincts,
wh.rh shall be known as follows:
1. That saicT McGrath voting pre
cinct is bounded as follows: From
Swift River to Big River and tribu
taries, except Takotna river.
And I hereby specify that certain
j building known as U. S. Commis
! sioner’s Office, situate at McGrath, in.
said McGrath voting precinct, as the
! polling place for said voting precinct.
| 2. That , said Takotna voting pre
cinct is bounded as follows: From
the head of Moore Greek, or the Ta
kotna river, and all of its tributaries
except Nixon river.
Ami I hereby specif jr that certain
building known as Pioneer Hall, situ
ate at Takotna,. in said Takotna vot
ing precinct, as the polling place for
said voting precinct.
3. That said Nixon voting precinct
is bounded as follows: From Big
River to the head of Kuskokwim
River and all its tributaries..
And I hereby, specify that certain
building known as Mespelt’s Mess
House, situate at Nixon Mine,..in, said.
Nixon voting precinct, as the polling
I place for said voting precinct.
Notice is hereby given that .on the
8th day of .November, A..D..1932r an
‘election will be held for. the purpose
of electing
, A Delegate to Congress;
An Attorney General for the Ter
ritory of Alaska;
An Auditor for the Territory of
Alaska;
A Commissioner of- Education, for
the Territory of Alaska;
A Highway Engineer for the Ter
ritory of Alaska;
One Member of the Senate of the
Territory of Alaska (Ion gterm);;
Oue Member of the Senate of the
Territory of Alaska (short term,;
, Four Members of the House of
Representatives of the Teritory of
Alaska;
Two Road Commissioners for Road
District No.. .
The said election will be in the
j voting precincts above mentioned and
at the polling places hereinabove
specified. The said polling places
; will be open between the hours of 8
, o’clock a. m. and 7 o’clock p. m. of
said day.
Dated at McGrath this 5th day of
Octber, 1932.
W. T. VANDERPOOL,
U. S, Commissioner for the |
Territory of Alaska, Mt.
McKinley Recording Dis
arict, residing..at McGrath.
Probably Cheaper, Too
She—You* think, more of that old
radio than ynxfc do of me.
He—Well, I? get less interference
from it.—Answers (London).
NOTICE 09 VOBFEITUBH.
Notice is hereby given to F. W.
Carter, A. B. FerguBon, George 0.
Friend, and E. Coke Hill, and their
heirs and assigns, that their portion
of the assessment work for the yean
1924 to 1931, inclusive, done on the
Bonanza Association placer mining
claim, situated on Flat creek, tribu
tary of Otter creek, in the Otter Re*
cording Precinct, Fourth Division.
Territory of Alaska, must he paid
within ninety (90) days from date
hereof, or forfeit all right and title
to said placer mining claim.
PATRICK SAVAGE.
Dated Flat, Alaska. Jan. 16, 1932.
First publication, March 6, 1932,
Pioneer
Shop —
Blacksmith,
Machine’and
all kinds’of
Sheet Metal
Work
Safetys
Stoves
R. E. LOWRIE
Proprietor