The daily progressive-miner., 1919-04-24
ILL-HEALTH IS
 GIVEN ASCAUSE
 OFRESIGNATION

ANCHORAGE. (By Main.-Andrew /. Christensen has resigned as manager of the land and industrial depart
 ment of the Alaskan Engineering Com mission. His resignation. which was accasionei by ill-health. was given toI
 William C Edes at Washington City, where NIT. Christensen in the past win ter assisted MT. Edes in preparing data and reports regarding the eommis- sioa's activities for presentation toI congressional committees aid heads ] 0t government departments.
 The land and industrial department has supervfsion of the sale Of lots in . towns along the government railroad, exercises directory control over lhomestead applications within the zone Of the railroads right-of-way, rep resents the secretary Of the interior in the matter of coal land leases in AL aska and promotes in every way pos sible the interest of the railroad in par hicular and the development and set clement Of the country in general. No successor has yet been appointed
 10 fill the vacancy caused by the resig
 nation of Mir Christensen.
 Mir. Chris.e sen came to the Alaskan Env:ae -.-g Commission from the classiled service ~s the general land
 office, He frs epterd | Jhe govern
 rnent service June 30 1908 when he gave ID the practice of law at Wash
 ington City to accept the position f special agent Of the general land of
 flee. He was sent to San Francisco, ; Calif. where he investigated and as- sisted in the prosecution of what are
 known as the "HydeBenSon cases" After having been stationed at San
 Francisco for six months, he was pro
 noted 10 chief of field division Of the general land office, with headauarters
 at Portland. Or where he had charge
 of the investigation Of the land fraud eases in that state. and at that time he directed the work of from twenty
 to thirty-fiye special agents.
 Tn September. 1909. when Louis R. c'avis was removed as chief Of field
 division at Seattle. Wash. in charge Of the investigation of public land mat
 ters in Washington and Alaska, Mir. Christensen took over that division. Tn
 July 1910, at the personal request Of
 then Secretary of the Interior Rich ard -Rallinger. Mr Christensen was
 placed in charge of the investigation Of all the Alaska coal cases. which
 then were attracting nationwide at- rention He investigated and prose cpted The frauds in connection with these coal cases and was engaged in
 that work until all of it was disposed
 Of On March 24, 1916, he was ap-
 roiutad manager Of the land and indus trial department of the Alaskan Engi-
 neer.ng Commission and under him the
 danar17lent was organized.
 Mfr Christensen's health first mani
 Tested signs of impairment about ve TT and q half ago. but he continued
 with The duties cf his office until last
 April Then on the advice Of Anchor age doctors. who diagnosed his ail-
 ment as stomach trouble. he went 10 -he States for treatment. He recover d his health sufficiently 10 warrant him 10 believe he could resume his work. and last summer he returned to Anchcage. But after having devoted only ten days to the tasks of his office his health again gave way and early in August he went back to the States -O command the attention Of special ists- He improved under medical care and q strict diet. and last winter he was asked 70 20 to Washington City to help in the work performed in the in i. tarest of the Alaska Engineering Com mission. Finally, however, he was ad vised by physicians that his recovery was dependent on the cessation Of bus ] iness activities and he determined to quit his official position. He has as :. socisted himself with the Finance and Trading Corporation, 43 Exchange Place New York City. His work with i il is not of such an active character as to endanger his recovery to health.
 Mr- Christensen aside from his posi- ] ton with the Alaska Engineering Com mission. was prominent in the affairs Of Anchorage He was president of the i Alaska Fair Association, federal food ] administrator for the Anchorage dis ! tict. member of the executive com . mittee of Anchorage Chamber of Com merce and master of the Anchorage ] Masonic lodge.
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