The Alaska daily empire., 1913-09-04
DISTIN IS GOVERNOR
 FOR LAST TIME
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 For the last time, probably, in an eyentful career Gen. W. l.. Distin is acting Governor of Alaska. When the Senator departed from Nome last Sun ] day, with Gov. J. F. A. Strong on ! board Gen. Distin was left in com mand of the Alaska ship of state, and ! he will remain as the acting Cover nor of the Territory, perhaps, until he surrenders the duties and cares of the office he has filled so long and so ably to Charles G. Davidson, soon to be- come worthy successor.
 The experience of being acting Gov l ernor of Alaska is not new to Gen. Dis ] tin. He has filled the place so often | that the count has been lost. and some of the occasions have run over periods of long duration. In fact, it is esti- mated that Gen. Distin has served as ! Governor of Alaska longer than any other one man in the history of the ! Territory
 l In Control at TreadwelI Strike.
 During times when Gen. Distin has been acting Governor of Alaska many of the stirring and interesting events in the modern history of the North have taken place. He was at the head of the Territory at the time of the la bor strike at Treadwell in February, ] 1904, when the troops were called down from Fort William H. Seward to 1 be near at hand in the case their ser vices should be required for the pro- ! lection of life and property. Gen. Dis tin saw that feeling was running high, and responsibility for the maintenance of order and the protection of the lives of the people and their property being ! in the last analysis upon him, he act ed promptly and decisively, and the troops were rushed down from the fort on Lynn canal. The incident, while more or less exciting for a few days, passed off without a breach of the peace.
 ! Relieved Starving Miners. ! January 10th, 1907, while he was act l ing Governor of the Territory. Gen. 1 Distin received cablegram from Jas. l Wardell, deputy United States mar shal at Katalla. saying that there were 40 people, among them nine women and six children. at Yakataga without food and in distress. There were am- l pie provisions on Kiak island, but no means of transporting them to Yak l the matter up with Capt. AinswOrth, of l the Rush, that was at Sitka. Capt. ataga. Gen. Distin the same day took AinswOrth replied that the Rush's boilers were not safe, but this did not satisfy the acting Governor, who inn mediately presented the matter to the Department at Washington. Janu- ary 16th, less than a week after the matter had come to his attention, he received a cablegram from Capt. Aims worth, at Sitka, saying that the Rush had relieved the distressed Yakataga men, women and children.
 First To Use Cable.
 Gen. Distin was at the head of af- fairs in Alaska at the finish of each stage of the work of building the Unit ed States cable and telegraph lines in Alaska. He was the first to send and receive messages over the line between Sitka and Junau, Oct. 2, 1903; between Sitka and Seattle, Aug. 29, 1904; be- tween Sitka and Valdez, Oct. G. 1904 l; between Juneau and Wrangell, Dec. 21, 1906, and between Juneau and Ket- chikan, Dec "A, 1906
 In his message of congratulation to Gen Greedy. when the Valdez exten- sion was completed just after the con- nectiOn between Sitka and Seattle had been made, he predicted that it marked the beginning of a new era in Alaska's s lowed by wagon and railroads in due course, that would open to the world development, and that it would be fol it's greatest mining country.
 At all times, when acting Governor of the Territory as we'll as when per forming his duties as Surveyor Gener al and Secretary, Gen. Distin has been courteous and accommodating, but ex |. acting and efficient.