V
HIU.9B0R0 AR0U9, JANUARY 20. 1910
PAM i
STEVENS BROS
Last Week of
i Clip Miff
If jon are looking for
BARGAINS
Come to our Farmington
Store. We must make
room for our Spring Stock
and will sell at
nip
1 UvJ
Remember, we will sell you ull Kinds of
mcrchundise nt the sale at prices which
bent any of the soles now utlvertised.
Wo hove no high rents; no salesmen
'to poy; no heavy expenses to Keep up
BUT WE
Must gave lore ftoom
Drive over and see our stocK. We are
selling' hundreds of articles at below
cost. Sweaters, shirts, dress goods, dry
goods, shoes, groceries, crocKery and
decorated ware All our lines are down
to the "no profit margin" Simply be
cause we must hove more room. Call
and get Our Prices. This is a genuine
BARGAIN WEEK
This week we have added
to the Slaughter Sale List
Our Stock of
Km
m
And Groceries
And our Prices have been cut below Cost
in hundreds of instances. Come and sen
GENERAL CLEARANCE SALE
STEVEN
11
Farmington, Ore.
six
Crossed the Plains to Oregon
io 185, by Ox Team
STIll mtlJIS MENTAL FACULTIES
Wrs.
Ralph Wllc.i. Well Ksewe
Uuntj Fleo era
to
ALASKA'S GREAT
COAL PROBLEM,
Roosevelt's Conservation Order
Delaying Development
LOCAL NEED SAID TO 8E ACUTE
A well knoan pl ine reeideot of
ilillrboro, end known to i e.rly all
who were early Oregon pathfinders,
(Mrs. Julia Ann Fickle Wile .x
widow of Dr. Ral h Wilcox, a re-l
dunt of Hillsboro in the early fifties-
Mrs. WToox wan birnin Virginia,
August 16 123, anl v-a-married
tIr. Ualph Wilcox in October.
E. C. Hawkins, Engineer In Charae of
tho Copper River and North wart am
Railroad, Throws Light Upon an Ab
surd Situation P.ylng $14 a Ton
For Coal Whon It Can Bo Mined In
the Territory For UQ,
Ref-ause AlaHkana cannot mine any
of their owu excellent coal by reason
of the conservation order of President
however, the Copper river
bridged for tbe third time
hundred miles."
must be
within a
ed for Alaska ueil summer, aud one
of tlieiu Is uii in the depth of thla pre
ent winter To the idltarod placer dig
1 glngs nii'ii ar uow tolling over the)
piiow trail lu a wild chase for a
xhuro of the undoubted riches Brat
found there last season, into me great
ci.pp.-r belt of the Cliitlna basin there
will be another Influx of miners and
prospectors next July when the Cop
per Klver and Northwestern railroad
rear bee the outer edge of the district.
Still another group, the gold qoarta
mluers, will Bock to Kenal peolnauta
and the Sushitna valley as soon the
snow ha gone to follow up the recent
Moose pass nud Willow creek strike.
It would seem then tbat Alaska baa
There are many thousrnds of miles j fimlv advanced to the quarts aiinlng
of good tillage land In the valleys of ; stage, nnd to this may be addetHu'lUlO
the southern coast of Alaska, to say . r,al mining In the Bering river fields,
nothln? of the creat Interior, accord- , This chatiife really marks a most ln
EXPERT SEES FUTURE
FOR ALASKAN FARMING
Important Statement by Govern
ment Agent Just Returned.
1841.' They croeeed ihe plains to I Hoosevell tbey are being forced to
Oregon in 1841, ret ling fmt in mak" hear' intlM 00 th 0mber re"
YktnU'l fWlw. Lain. nr. . -U. LU' UWkTnS.
. , . , . I engineer In charge of the uew Copper
nt I An I nan I n t , 1 ,1 nt .a, L. 1 I .
,mtrt .,.,,.. .u River and Northwestern railroad, who
is now a part of tbe Michael Moore baa just reached New York to make
his annual report to the company.
Mr. Hawkins la the engineer who
built the remarkable White Pass and
Yukon road, an achievement second
only to the one he has now balf finish
ed for the Morgan-Guggenheim syndi
cate. Ho has some moat Interesting
things to say about the conditions Jo
the north land tbat have recently -been
attracting public .attention.
The local need for our own coal la
acute, said Mr. Hawkins. "We feel
It especially In our road construction.
but every oue else feels It too. Peo
ple - must keep warm In Alaska, as
elaewhere.-and It needs much fuel to
de It la Winter. We pay $14 a ton for
British Columbia soft coal to use on
the railroad, and It certainly costs the
small consumer ne less. Even this
baa been uaobUtaabte at times, and
we recently faced the necessity of
putting a Urge force to work cutting
timber for firewood to be need in keep
tag e-ur fire caisson and pier pumps
going and running the work engines.
At tbat we found It at times almost
impossible to keep steam In our boil
ers, though the safety of much con
stractlon and even ef Uvea depended
oa it Wltfc an almost Inexhaustible
store of coal within a few miles of
our tracks we should be getting it for
about $1.50 a tea Instead of $14. Cer
talnly without adequate fuel supply
the opening et Alaska with railroads
la going to be very slow. It cannot be
otherwise. And transportation devel
I donation land claim, in HilUbiro.
sod then from hsre went to Ore'
son City, where Dr. Wilcox wai
three years receiver io the land of
fice. The husband died m 1876.
Virs Wilcox still retains her men'
'al abilities, and has a remarkable
fund of Mminisoeme of the Orrgon
arly da) a and frtquently telle
how tbelr party crossed to Oregon
ia treVe k tuttff a trip that opment la the greatest need of that
was dlalroos to many. Her I wonderfully rich territory.
tntmry Is eomettrg prodigous.
and ber qu int tal e uf early timet
pp al tothelieUne aa a page oil
romance, tier tir vivti g children
ra: Mrs Franc s A chbold, wife
I of A C. Archboid, Hillebon ; Ed
a ia Wilcox, John U Wilcux and
atlas Araminta Wilcox, all reidini I
I at No. 90 Sixteen Street, North,
The Now Copper Region.
"Nevertheless, the Copper Illver and
Northwestern Is being forced ahead as
rapidly aa possible. By the 1st of
nest July it wilt hare reached the
mouth of the Uhfttna river, tSS miles
la land. Thla means that the great
Kotaina-Chitlna copper region proba
bly the richest in the werld, but so far
almost unexplored will be tnally ac-
Portland; and M.S. Cs roline G rade, oeaeible to turners and Droeoectora next
of LaUrande. 1 bree cbildren have
! oesnd away.
bhe isamemle'rf lifelnrg at
filiation of the Meihodiet Ch i-ch
Mrs. Wilcox mikes fr. quant
visits .to Hillsboro to visit her
laughter, Mrs Archboid, and meet
i h l In pioneer friends of early
life.
summer, aa event that Alaska la await
big eagerly. This, practically the open
ing of a new region for tngreaa and
egress, baa. hitherto ' been most dim
cult The development of this terri
tory means a largo and continuous pro
duction ef wealth for generations set
in one spot but over a large area.
"The road la now carried te the
mouth Of the Tlekel river, 102 miles
from Cordova, our terminus at Udewa
tor. . In thla stretch there ia only one
break at Mtle 40, where the line cross
es the Copper river between the two
active glaciers, Ctllds and Mil as.
"It baa been necessary at this point
te bond a 1.000 foot bridge of un
precedented atreagth and construction
W, H. Stratton, of near Corne
lius, and who is e 1 known as an
lrcbardiBt, has eu d Kmuy Strat
too for divorce. They were mar
riod in Portland, Ootober 2, 1909,
and he chart ei deseriiou Nov. 25,
wearing tbat eh left bim without I to resist the tee flows. Just above the
hia amsent. or wi.hout Drovocation I bridge Is a lakelike widening of the
He also alleges that after she left rt lnt whlcn tne thrw front '
him she sued him for non support, v""'u" ' " Z.tiL t.
, . , ... .. VY ' summer long. In winter this lake ta
oauainghim humiliation and an- fro several feet deep. At the prea-
noyat ce. The case was diemissed ent Wme we M mnnlng trains over
against atratton. lis aifo recites the Ice on temporary tracks, so tbat
that the told him ebe "could not track wilt be continuous to the end of
love an old man" like the plaintiff, the line untU the spring breakup. The
Another charge imbat Kmilv look three bridge piers have had a severe
el on h convival side of life at a
Portland Hotel and tbat her liba
tions were that copious that she
beotme inebriated.
Mary A. Halvorpen, who mar-
test this summer. The ice now, as can
be imagined, is tremendous. Tbe river
is deep and awlft and the force of tbe
big bergs afloat en It nothing short of
terrtde. Te resist this we have sunk
oar piers forty to sixty feet to bed
,A ihn Hlr.n in ton! k.. rock, building them ef solid concrete.
" ' " reinforced by heavy steel rails set op
ened her husband lor divorce, and r&
anki for the cutody of two small M -h h th
children, and for $100 to proiecute heaviest kind of concrete and ateel
It e fuit; and $20 per month all-1 guards, also sunk to bedrock, and are
tnony; or $750 oaBh, for support of J set where there are bars in the' river
hereelf and childrei'. Bbe also that deflect the biggest or the bergs,
aekl for one third of the real prop- They are ninety feet through from end
erty near Farmington, which is
va.'u d at several hund ed dollar! I Bridge Building In Alaska.
Mrs. Halvoreen says that her bus- "The steel superstructure of the
band has frequently charged her bridge we nope to have In place early
with hln unfaithful, and has next faH, by which time the line will
o osed her to cut and carry in the $ P the
.j An ...i ,w ChlMna to the eopper mines. This la
I"" " " J to be the first branch ef the road corn-
farm, i I nlftaA anrl It annulA hn nnen from thai
Bsrney Lsie, of Beaverton, and astra te the southern terminus about
ho-is one of the progressive or- on m'n now- . , t
AUVlllOl le lawU irciuuiuaj wa, whw
38 of the main line on the Copper riv
er and running about forty-eight miles
to the Bering river eoal fields la sur
veyed, and a good deal ef tbe roadbed
la built . This branch could be built
In a short time and the Alaskan coal
made available for our Alaskan road
and tbe people of the territory without
further delay. ''
"Beyond the end of the present
length of track at Tlekel the Una runs
through Woods canyon for twenty
lug to Levi Cbubbuck. special agent
for the department of agriculture, w ho
has just returned from the northland.
Air. Cbubbuck spent tbe entire sum
mer making a geueral reconnoLssance
of agricultural lauds tbat may be sur
veyed for bomesteadliig by tbe general
land office. Tbe chief areas examined
were the Sushltna basin north of Sew
ard, the Copper river aud tbe T'anaua
valleys. Concerning agricultural prog
ress and posalbKltles in Alaska be
makes atatemeuts that may be consid
ered moat conservative, but that will
be amazing to tbe great majority of
those "outside."
"The most obvious fact concerning
nearly all the valleys of this area 1
have seeqr-from tidewater northward
150 miles is tbat tbey are natural
graxlug lands. There are certainly
thousands of square miles of a very
high quality of wild grass, tbe uutri
tlve value of which for stock seems
well established. The grass often
stands six and seven feet bigb and la
of the most luxuriant growth; also It
can be cured and la of good keeping
quality.
A Great Dairying Country.
Nearly all of this land except some
side bill areas has more or leas stand
lug and fallen timber on it, but mucb
Is immediately available for grazing.
With adequate winter protection stock
thrives, and the market with tbe de
velopment of roads would seem as
sured. At present every pound of meat
consumed must come from Seattle, and
meat to of first Importance lu the diet
ary of so cold a country as this. In
many parts of the country also it costs
tbe consumer $1 a pound. All dairy
products, too, are brought In by steam
er at high cost and this is certainly a
dairying country.
"There need be no speculation aa to
some present possibilities, farming
has just begun in a few localities in
this region, and local conditions are
most varied, but oats and barley are
being successfully grown, timothy
flourishes, and the root crop to of high
excellence.
Found Many Fine Farms.
I bare been astonished at tbe
amount of farming under way around
Seward. 1 had expected practically
none, and instead I And half a dozen
flourishing ranches on a commercial ba
sis and dozens of home gardens. Pota
toes of first quality are being grown in
half a dosen neighborhoods, excellent
turnips grow freely, aud there seems
no difficulty with beets, carrots, rad
lsbes, beans, peas and lettuce. Cab
bage and cauliflower are a surprising
success in some localities. I believe
thla list can be extended almost indeti
nltely with careful selection of varie
ties, a study of soil requirements and
acclimatization by selective breeding.
Tbe possibilities are still practically
unknown, but we do know tbat tbey
are far greater than most people even
here In Alaska imagine. Some of tbe
most promising parts of this area
have not beeu tried at all. aud tbe
most successful tests have generally
been lu the least likely locations.
"Regarding climatic conditions
have been somewhat surprised. With
in a thousand feet of sea level in fairly
open country the growing season is not
shorter than lu the mouutaiu region of
New Hampshire. Peas are safely
planted In May, and danger from frost
to considered over after the Crst few
days in June. In the fall tbe Urat
frosts are rarely before tbe second
week In September. It is true tbat tbe
summers are cooler than In the north
era states and on tbe immediate coast
have more rain, but there Is compen
aation in the fifteen to eighteen hours
of sunshine dally and tbe continuous
daylight for nearly three months.
"The exact area of the tillage lands
in the Sushltna group of valleys, as aa
example generally applicable, Is still
Impossible even to estimate, as much
of the territory is uninhabited and still
because of its undeveloped state rath
er than because it is Inaccessible.
There to a total area of about 2.500
square miles along the western edge
of Kenal peninsula bordering Cook in
let the greater part of which is prob
ably available and some small valley
In the interior of the peninsula.
roughly estimate the rest which lu
eludes the Knik Arm region and Ma
tanuska valley to tbe eastward, the
Tentna to the westward, tbe main
Sushltna valley and smaller tributaries
running 'northward far Into tbe in
terlor at say, 2.500 square miles, but
ft might exceed this considerably.
portiint milestone lu the development
of the northern territory. Placer min
ing prMlures much gold, but It to not a
permanent resource, does notmake a
permanent population or eveuwrrant
as a rule, the building of railroads.
Quartz mining dues. The placer fields
n
Hie Iditai'irtl and Inuoko. rivers.
hi. h are said to he larger In extent
en than the Klondike tlelds, are sure
to yield many large fortunes. If the
Held proves as rich as tbe present
lowing would Indicate the district
Hi have u population of 10.000 within
twelvemonth. Already there are
,000 men where a year ago there were
inlly a dozen. The excitement ra
il! lug w ill le great, and tbe romantic
story of the Klondike and Nome will
be rceued. Hut It would be most exc
eptional if ten years from now should
see any Important placer mining going
lu that now almost un prospected
glon. it will simply be worked out
It is different with tbe Cbitlna cop
per region, there is a auown Den or
ihieralized ruck 1-0 miles loug and
eight or ten miles wide. and. though
his belt may also be said to be not
alf projected, there are tblrty-five
more groups of claims on It One
or two of these have been so far de-
eloped that there Is assurance of a
irge ore supply for geueratlona. So
sure is the future of this region that
apital is spending $10,000,000 on a
illroad from the sea U00 miles Inland
to lap It let tbere Is every possibil
ity that dozens of other properties still
unknown may eual that oue or two.
Tbe Chitina regloti bad never been eo-
ered except by a few miners, en
gineers and Indians, so tbat when the
railroad, now loo miles inland, reaches
he mouth of the Cbitlna river, thirty-
five miles farther, next summer, prac
tically au eutireiy uew country, the
future activity of which is assured ba- 1
forehand, w ill be opened up. At pres
ent Ingress is possible only by long
rail trips over a very rough country, a
ondition that will be changed almost
iu a nasb within a rew montns. rne .
result to those w ho know what pioneer
conditions are Is apparent !
Another uew mining field that gives j
jreat promise of attracting large num- r
uers or pioneers next summer is wax
north of Seward, on Kenal peninsula.
This Is old placer country. In which
some of the mother lodes have recent
ly been discovered and are proving
very rich. This country is still very
difficult of access beyond Cook Inlet,
is there are not even government
trails, but a railroad Is on Its way In-
land to the Matanuska coal fields, and
tbe Alaska road commission baa prom-1
ised next summer to build a trail
northward in this valley and across
the mountains to the headwaters of
tke Kuskoqulin on the way to the
Idltarod dlggiugs. This will give a
great impetus to both quarts and
placer mining along the line and will
allow the development of several
quartz propositions.
The railroad out of Seward already
crosses the peuinsuia seventy miles
and with uew government tralla has
this last year made available much
gold quartz country of great promise.
On the whole, the most conservative
Investigator must admit that Alaska's
greatest mining days are of the future
itnd that the mineral wealth produc
tion will be in the steady ascendant
from now onward.
ohardists of hie tection, was in
t wn yesterday. Mr Lois has been
taking tbe Winter oourre in horti
culture at Corvallie, and says they
hare a splendid and practical equip
ment, and avers ihu if people te i-
erally knew the worth of the eohool
many farmers wou'd attend the
Winter classes. Mr lv is is manu-
t.oturiug agent for a spray that is
advertised in another column.
Fruit Inspector 8 J. Galloway, miles. This gorge to exceedingly wild.
of this oity, expeots to inaugurate a with almost perpendicular sides for
thorough campaign for spraying of considerable stretches. This necessi-
f oil trees and destroying of old or "'" continuous rock work, and
ch,ds, jus, .. soon as the weather lZt"Z
ttlea a little. Tbere are still
many old orchards in the county
that are pest riddles, and these
must go in order to pro'eot the or
chards that are receiving care.
the road during the w hi tor. From 600
to 1.500 men will be kept in the can
yon all this winter, and as soon ns pos
sible lu the spring 2.000 more wUl be
added to the force. Beyoud the mouth
nf tha Chitina construction la moder-
J. L. Meek Jr. returned the first .elv easr for tbe Alaskan coast which
of the week from a trip up tbe Val presents more and worse obstacles to
ley. and went on out to visit bis railroad construction than any part of
brother, H A A. iMeit,or uienooi w wona i snow. iu um.,.,
The Dietitian.
Spite ef his mamma's appeals.
Little Ben bolts all bis meals,
Then, to show It doesn't hurt,
Eats some huts for his dessert.
Nuts and bolts, when in solution,
Build an iron constitution.
-Life.
Not Golden Silence.
"I would like to employ you," said
the astute lawyer, "but I understand
that you drink and talk In your cups.'
"No, no," cried tbe applicant eagerly":
I get absolutely speechless." Nesv
York Times.
STAMPEDES IN
ALASKA NEXT YEAR
Predictions of Great Activity In the
Iditarod Placers, the Chitina
Copper Region and Sushitna'
Gold Quartz Belt ......
Three different mining stampedes,
each, distinct In character, are predict-
The Aftermath.
'Twas the night after Christmas, and til
through the flat
Not a creature was stirring, not even the
cat.
For father and mother and me and tbe
kid.
Every one was knocked out with a pala
In his mid
Because of the candies we ate (or a
lark
And kid from the paint that he chewed
from hia ark.
Judge's Library.
Very Particular.
"Please, teacher." i
' "Weil. Gwendoline?"
"I told my ma 1 was In nouns, and
she says 1 may lenrn tbe proper nouns,
but she doesu't want me to have any
thing to do with tbe common oues,"
Baltimore American.
Out of Date Santa.
"Keuiember, Johnny, If "you are
naughty Sfintu Claus will not Visit
you."
"1 dont care. 1 saw a picture of
him riding around In a sleigh Instead
of an automobile." j
Jack Tars.
Fsw people know the reason why '.
sailors are so ofteu culled "Jack Tars," j
The name dates from the days of gow-
Blplng Samuel Pepys and to an abbre s
Viatlon of the word "tarpaulin." It J
t . .... Jl..,l...lk ,k. iu,! '
came into use io uiBuuKuiau "
practical sea man, who knew his bust.
ness, froni tbe "swell" ouicerj who did
not always.
1 1
r
a
.