Detroit evening times., 1943-08-22
How TheJdps
SDied0nA|aska
30 YedrsA90

NJ xIfIsN the sly japanese landed at Attu and Ksa
w and attacked Dutch Harbor in their thrust at the
w Aleutions, looked the Nipponese had
braved unknown uncharted sea-ancs the
foggy hc edge n Atlt
way the Coral Sea and in the Soomons 10 save face al
home
But veteran "sourdoughs' who had been through
rough days mining camps nodded their heads
knowingly They recalled certain lnGldenls and persons
them that the Japs had made blind stab
w1cU trey landed IN the barren KlcItians
The veteran "sourdoughs' felt that tho Jars moved
accurately and quickly because thcv following plans
made 50 years ago Alaska all gold mining
prospecting gambling.
And they recalled Frank Wada-"Jap Wada" thcy
called him -She appeared the Alaskan back
the the NiPponcse seized Formosa IN The
Chinese Japanese War
Just how Wada got into the territory mystery
easy took foreigner granted
those days when mans past his secret They
him come and like other prospectors into the
Yukon, British Columbia and Canada And he made
sional trips into the States travelling far
New York
There was one thing that marked him apart from his
fellows than Wada talked and acted like
techncaly professional sourdoughs watching him
chart trail sketch a map Of claims said That
Japs good a engineer"
Charles sctu,mcr early resident Dawson recalls
Wada well He first mot The Jap when Wada uushcd
500 miles of mercicss between Fairbanks and Da"
son-to tell Of the discovery Of gold Pedro Creek
Wada drew such picture riches a mass
migration Of dogseds started through the 6ocgrec below
cold from Dawson for Pedro
When the strike pctercd out Dawson miners turned
the brngcr OF false
Let's string the little yclloWbcly up. suggested
It's a deal" shouted others.
Wada made dash for hfs dog team but the angry
caught him and looked a tree
Then the Jap had inspiration his pocket he
drew clipping from the Seattle nteigencer which
told how Wada who claims Travelled In the
Arctic than any other living man crew and
whalers with the steamship Jeanie'' According the
story Wada while the cutter Bear trying
ship that caught the ice Wainwright
food the treachcrous floos the besiegcd
article interview with Wada appeascd angry
In 1916 Tom Haley a miner and college gcoogist
rrogDp Dfrt tho 4pq qardr in oh,
Russian settlement Umnak Island just west o
alaska, which Dutch TIarbor is located
Haley entered a tundra-sod been inn
proved In the building a sheet-tin table like
draughsmans, underlad with wood imported there
the sandl and rolls Of intricate maps the
Mcutian chain Of islands Haley noticed especially the
contour lines drawn in detail with the obvious land
attitudes and ship channels indicated
The geoogtst found plenty Of food fancy nsh
vegetables a "sourdoueh mix" froR which
himself He remained there three days and about
leave when the occupant Of the lonely shelter returned
That man was Jap Wada.
Haley Introduced himself thanked wada for the food
and thought no more about the hideaway But ne did
remember the incident % years later-on December Z
roft-wren he was visiting his daughter a Navy
Honolulu and heard the bombs dropping Pearl Harbor
Frank Wada long after Haley met him in his
Alaskan haunts He stll took mysterious trips Appar
emily made gold strike realized money from
any mining ventures lie the impression that his
trips outside TO promote mining ventures but none
ever materialized.
In the late '2os Haley again encountered Wada.
time he was scouting" fishing territories For the Jap
fisheries maybe for Japanese Navy information
Wada undoubtedly knew the Alaska coastline inti-
mately wasn't Of course, the only Jap ever to slip
Kiska Attu Agattu and other spots now IN the war
news But he undoubtedly was top man among theH'
He last was heard Of definitely in Edmonton where ne
went TO spend his declining years But Che Cohsaoie
Rlae4peed- E1nfeateasaYs Maaf left there Ter san
Francisco, great gateway TO the Orient m l95l. ~
Now the sourdoughs wonder whether Jap
Wadas Alaskan knowledge wasn't pretty useful TO the
Lords when they struck out IN their sneak war Tor
conquest