Seward gateway., 1905-08-11
ENDS LIVELY
 CONTROVERSY
Location of Cable Station in Seward Determined After ACrimOni-
 OuS Struggle

The l6tation of the governnient cable station on lots 10 and II, block 8, ended lively controversy which for time was little understood in Seward, but att tracted keen interest. The Gateway is in possession of all the correspond ence on the subject, and is able to pub fish for the first time the full particulars. Major w. A. Glassiord, in charge of the United States Signal Service in Seattle, on March l3 last requested of John E. Ballaine, the owner, with his brother, Frank L. Ballaine, of the Sew ard townsite, the conveyance to the government of lot as a site for the cable station in Seward, the appropria- ton for the extension of the cable being 'so limited that no money could be spared out of it to buy q site" The same day Mir. Ballaine replied;
 Referring to our conversation of this date, l agree to convey to the United States lot 10, block s, Seward, Alaska, as a site for the government cable office. This conveyance will be made with the understanding, of course, that the government shall erect good and substantial building on the lot"
 Two weeks later, March p, Major Glassford wrote Mir. Ballaine that Gen. Greedy thought it would be better in order to secure plenty of light to have two lots, otherwise the cable building, planned to be 3Ox3O, would have to be made narrower. He asked fora donation of a second lot. Mr. Ballaine was then absent in Chicago, but on his return, April l3, wrote. Major Glassford that the lot he had already offered was one of the best in Seward, and that the one adjoining was worth $500. ItwaS nec- essary to donate lots for churches, the public schools, a library, and other public or semi-public organizations, amounting in the aggregate to . large part of the total, and he therefore de- clined to convey two valuable business lots, each 3Ox1OO, for building only 3Ox3O, particularly since the government had the privilege of selecting a corner lot, where the light could not be ob- structed. But Mir. Ballaine offered to keep the adjoining lot vacant for per iod of five years to prevent the obstruct- ion of light.
 In reply, dated April 14, Major Glass ford told Mir. Ballaine that he had been reliably informed DO longer ago than last evening that property in Seward had only nominal value" He asked Mr. Ballaine to withdraw his letter, as otherwise the government could not ac- cept a donation of property having value, for accordance would place it under obligation to the donor
 The same day Major Glassford gave an interview to the Seattle Post-Intelli- gencer, published in the issue of the next morning, April b, stating that the cable might not be at Seward, but at some other point in Resurrection bay, because the government was unable to obtain a location in Seward"
 MT. Ballaine in a letter of April l5 demanded ofMajor Glassford correct ion of the misstatement of facts in the interview, and denied that Major Glass ford had been informed by "reliable authority" that property in Seward had only a nominal value. Such infor- nation to be reliable" could only mean that the Alaska Central Railway, start ing from Seward as it's Pacific terminus, was not bona fde enterprise. Co, Major Glassford did not make the correction. Mr Ballaine then, under date of April IS, wrote Gen, Greedy, chief signal off, icer at Washington, D, C., enclosing Major Glassford's interview and a copy of all correspondence on the subject of the cable site, calling his attention to the falsity of Major Glassford's state ments in the Post-Intelligencer Gen, Greedy replied to. Mir Ballaine, April 24. that special act of congress would be required to enable him to acceptthe site offered the government, and, there doubtless being government land ad- joining Seward, he saw no reason for considering the question as to whether the lot originally offered was suited to the needs of the service or not IJwas not his duty, he said, to pass on the truth or falsity of Major Glassford'a 2