Douglas Island news. [volume], December 14, 1898, Image 1

About Douglas Island news. [volume] (Douglas City, Alaska) 1898-1921

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
DOUGLAS ISLAND NEWS. _
VOL. 1. DOUGLAS CITY AND TREAD WELL, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1898. NO. 4.
B. M. BEHRENDS
BANKER AND MERCHANT
-Headquarters
For
Holiday
Goods
The Largest Stock of Toys. Novelties and Fancy tioods
in the Northwest.
A General Banking Busiuess Transacted.
Jiiueau, Alusk u.
Caterers to Family Trade
J. P. SMITH & CO.,
I
Groceries
Meats
Vegetables
Fruits
I I
' Fresh Meat Supplies reeeiveil on every in- j
I coining Pacific Coast Steamer.
?
kL . .
f 1 Butter and Kggs of first-class grade always i
L i on liuml.
t!
?
I Douglas City, - - Alaska.
M
ALASKA TREAD
WELL COLD MINING CO
Mercantile Department
DOUGLAS ISLAND, - - ALASKA.
WHOLELALE MERCHANBISEZ KETA,LI
Full Line
of Christmas
Vovelties
Just Received
Hardware
Iron & Steel
Pipe Fittings
OUTFITS FOR THE GOLD FIELDS.
Gel ov i' Prices before Purchasing
clseirhere. We mil do the right thing.
IDE MEIIffl ID IE.
A News Man Visits the Mill. The
Engine Room and Crusher.
Red Whiskers.
I,
HOW AN ENGINE WAS LOST.
A News man boarded the ferry boat
Ia*t Friday afternoon for a trip to the
Alaska Mexican Gold Mining Com
pany's mill, which is located about a
half a mile down the channel from
Treadwell. Capt. Tibbets looked so
pleasant and happy that it made us
feel good all the balance of the day.,
There was a strong head wind going to
Treadwell and the Lone Fisherman en
gaged in several hysterical jumps and |
twists before she got to tier landing
place. Engineer Danforth, of the
Alaska, and his charming wife were
also passengers. Our old friend Capt.
Bell, formerly of the Alaska, was also
"in evidence,* and we started out on
our mission 01 utiws om- .
rounded by friends aud acquaintances.
At Treadwell we inspected the Alaska.
We like the little craft for several
reasons. One is, that she is owned by
Capt. Willson and Mr. R. Sylvester
of Fort Wrangel, two of the best men
that are this side of the pearly gates. j
Then, like Desdemona's love forOthel-j
lo we like her for the danger she has I
endured, for she has gone through j
many narrow escapes and it is only be- j
cause she is well officered that she
lives to ride the waves and dare the
storms. Bidding our friends good bye
we are soon at the Treadwell store, j
Here we tried to pump some news out
of chief clerk Bertram^ but the pump
wouldn't work. We shied around to
keep out of Manager Corbus* way, but
our success was only partial. We
didn't know how we would come out if
*? l-? ? ?? 'Mil- rr?Qr?finr> of bim
we LLitJt LI 1111 (11LCI uui luvuviv*.
last week, but fortune favored us and
we are still sound in limb.
But we were goiug to the Mexican
and off we started up the railroad track
which happened to be clear of cars and
engines. The track runs along the wa- j
ter front and on the land side is built
up with cabins that are occupied by
the Indians and dogs, the latter seem-!
ingly by far exceeding the former in
population. There are many hard
working Indians but for some reason i
wo never happened to see them when
sc engaged, but while on the way down
the track we saw a big burley fellow
chopping wood and he was doing a
good job. So much were we pleased
with the swing of the ax and the grunt
blow that we stoDDed
IIIAV iuuv/nv\4 vuv -v.*
and gazed at him with admiration, but
when we stopped the fellow laid down
his ax and we are still deprived of an
occular demonstration that an Indian
can and will do hard work.
This reminds us that we have made
enquiry several times about the In
dians as laborers, and we are told that
as a rule, one white man will do
about as much work as two Indians.
They never work up to positions of re
sponsibility. A number are employed
at the mines however and the company
keeps them.
Several years ago an Indian was told
to take fifty pounds of powder down
the track we were walking on. He took |
the stuff and carried it part way, and
when in front of an Indian cabin he
laid the explosive down on the track.
Presently one of the little engines
came tooting along. John Laughlin J
was the engineer, and John did like to
ride fast, and the little locomotive was
doing its best. The engine struck the
fifty pounds of explosive. Like grand
father's clock "it stopped short, never
to go again," and for a long time, what i
was left of the engine laid a twisted j ^
mass of steel and iron alongside the [
I ]
track. John was shook up but not ;'
? ? /x AA?>nr\finTT f h A !
lLIJUltMl. J. I1C tUUi^uuj ir|'iuv/vu vuv ,
engine with a new one which John
ruus now. It was one year two mouths I'
and some odd number of days before j1
he quit swearing and "thinking swear" 11
at the Indian.
For the first time we are at the Mex
icau mill. Fortunately the first man 1
we met was C. W. Forman, foreman of 1
the stamp mill. He piloted us to the
boiler room, for in the winter they run ,
with steam. From there to the engine j
room where two powerful machines are 1
running. We don't know who the en
gineer is, but his engines and room
are the neatest and cleanest we ever
saw. The floor looked as though it had
just been scrubbed with lye aud finish- j
ed with sand paper. From there we I
went through the stamp mill, where j
120 stamps are pounding the rock into j
powder. The noise, no one can do- j
scribe it. We asked the foreman how :
many tons of ore were put through the
mill in a day. This he refused to tell j
us, but as our readers would like to i
know, we will tell them that the j
amount is over 300 tons. Each stamp
will use between two and a half and i
three tons a day, the former being a
fair average.
We were given permission to go to ;
see the crusher and we climbed stairs
until we were up a quarter of a mile or I
more. We found three or four men
making some repairs and of course the j
machine was not at work. Wo got a
good look at its construction. To us j
it is one of the most interesting depart
ments of a stamp mill. A small man
with red whiskers seemed to be boss
around there. He gave us an awful
look and we thought our presence was
offensive. We put on one of those in-1
nocent small pica looks and waited to I
be ordered away, but the order didn't
come. When we had seen all there (
was to see we took a glance at the man i
with the red whiskers, he looked at us, j
I--J1 -1 Vli nnr neiinl !
UriCl UUUUUUK l/ciom/j wi uu?>.. |
movements, we decouded to mother {
earth.
We did not see all there was to see. j
; Mine Foreman Stephenson was ? not in
1 evidence. We wandered to the black
smith shop where four men were en
gaged in sharpening the drills. We
asked one of them, a large, good look
| ing, good natured man, how much bor
I iDg a drill would do until it would need
re-sharpening. He informed us that it
depended altogether on the rock
through which the drilling was done.
In very hard rock it might need re
sharpening very often. The informa
tion thus gained was so convincing and
satisfactory that we departed for home,
with the expectation, however, of again
visiting the Mexican boys.
in Brain.
Both Towns Doing Well. Boat
Building for the Yukon.
MR. G. L. RICE, OF JUNEAU.
The last trip of the Cottage City
brought Mr. (r. L. Rice back to Juneau
for a few days. Mr. Rice has been in
Alaska for some time and is the pro
prietor of the Nevada Restaurant,
which is probably the best in all Alas
ka. He was just in from Bennett.
tVtllCn IS IOCJ11CU Ull l lit? innu niwi
which it is named. A News man
looked up Mr. Rice for the purpose
of learning something of the true con
dition of things up there. After the
usual salutations the reporter asked
Mr. Rice for the Bennett news. 8 Of
course we are publishing a paper for
all Alaska.
"Well," said Mr. Rice, Bennett, which
is thirty-eight miles from Skaguay, is
quite a little town with five hotels, two
general stores, bakery, barber shop
and other business houses. A detach
ment of the North-west mounted po
lice is stationed there. J. J. McKenna,
mining recorder for the Atlin district,
is stopping there for the winter and sc
also is Capt. Rant the justice of the
peace."
"Any boat building up your way?"
"Oh yes, there will bo a number of
boats built at Bennott in the spring.
The North American Transportation
Co. will build five; the Fort Steel Co.
three, Steve Bailey of Seattle three, tin
Upper Yukon Co. two and it is also re
ported that Captain Roberts will build
? ill ..,,,1 o
ttirCe. i.UCrO IS a SilW iihu mum atiu ci
plant for the construction of smal]
boats."
"Have any people come out from
Dawson on the ice this season?"
"No, wo look for the first to come out
about the 15th of this month. Last
year the first party got out on the 22nd
The railroad company is breaking i
trail from the end of the road to Taku
Arm."
In answer to a question as to the
general health of the people he stated
that there is no sickness there this
winter but that last summer there was
considerable typhoid fever. There arc
about 150 people wintering at Bennott
but Mr. Rico looks for a town of 1,00C
in the spring.
"But how about Atliu?" said the
News man, "we have a trail 01 our owli
to that place."
"Atlin, which is located on Lake At
lin, is right in the boom at this time
I am putting up a 40 x 80 two story lio
tel in that place myself, There an
probably fifty buildings in course oj
construction now and the town is go
ing right along. There are from 800 tc
1000 people in the district who will staj
there for the winter and be ready foi
early work in the spring."
"What, in your opinion, are the pros
pects for that district?"
"I think the Atlin district will moel
all expectations. Some people thinl
the output will not be much, but mj
judgment is that it will be a greal
milling region and one that will con- j
tin 110 for years. Juneau and Douglas j
City will certainly be benefitted by the
opening of this new district ana more
especially by the opening of a new trail
| across to the mines." #
Mr. Rice will probably be on his way
back before this issue is publish-1
ed. lie is a man of good business
judgment and has, we have been in-:
formed by others, been doing well. Mr.
Rice was in Dawson last summer, but
reported nothing new about that town
or country.
The Collector.
1 We were pleased to meet the collect
; or of this district, Mr. Ivey, while at
Juneau last week. We had heard so i
' '
much both in favor of and against him
I that we were anxious to see and know
1; the man. We were pleased to find :
* ?? _i .I.I.i full of mirth.
| 111UI ^cuiai auu um .........
lie is of that nature that makes strong |
friends and bitter enemies. If he is j
j weighted down with cares he certainly
j does not manifest it. We sincerely
! hope the collector will get his matters j
1 j all fixed up and that otiicial scandals
! may lie far removed from Alaska, i
k| Whether some of his appointees are
1 { corrupt or not we do not know, but we ;
feel certain that if they are Mr. Ivey
will l>e the last person to shield them, j
i
Reward for Dishonesty.
>
, j The rubber-necked single-taxers of
j Washington got the democrats, popit- j
lists, and silver republicans in their.
? fusion convention to indulge in a kind
I of half-way indorsement of the single- j
L j tax humbug. After the election was .
j over, or as soon as the shouters for
j Jeffersonian purity were restored to
I rf<v?irlnrl that thev i
j CUllSl/IUUBUOTO, U1H,J ? (
11 had been stepped on and severely in- j
. I jured, and now they are "going for" |
[ i fusion and the pops. The pops are not
all single-taxers, although single taxers
are all pops. The half-way indorse- j
ment of the single-tax idea is what!
. cleaned out the whole fusion outlit. |
. It ought to have done so. The Demo
crats are not single-taxers; you can't
t make a third-rate, second-hand, half
t; soled, single-taxer out of the poor
est kind of a Cleveland Democrat, and
,! such political dishonesty deserves de
[ | feat. The elements that compose fu
sion may oppose and defeat any future
5 alliance, but one thing is certain,
, neither one possesses sufficient merit
} j to ever elect anything single handed
I j and alone. With a three-handed j
fight the democratic and populist de-1
> sire for spoils must remain unsatisfied, j
L
' 4-Urv Ivrvaf nonoro 1T1 n 11 Alaska
UUtJ Ui mn uooi j/(n?u?u ??- v.? ,
' J is the Skaguny News. It has been
' leased by I?. J. White and A. M. Rous
' j seau. The paper containing this an
5! nouncement only reached us last week.
^ Its advertising patronage is first-class
from which we judge the business men
* of that city know a good thing when
they see it.
Our old friend Capt. Bell, who was j
so long the master of the Alaska is
t now on the Lone Fisherman. There
: are few men in Alaska who are as well
7 posted on Alaskan waters as Capt.
t Bell.
The District Attorney.
The new district attorney, Gen. Fred
erichs, and his able assistant, Mr.
Daily, think they are running in hard
luck because they lost a few cases at
this term of court. They are both off
wrong. They tried the cases well,
made good, close arguments and man
fully did their duty, but juries in nine
teen times out of twenty will do just
as these juries did. In the Lambson
case the defendant a captain of a vessel,
under considerable provocation, land
ed nineteen number six shot in the
body of an Italian. The charge was
about 230. The captain probably was
too hasty?probably did not stop ex
actly at the line of demarkation be
tween the criminal act and self de
fense, but how often will poor, frail
humanity do so. The jury took hu
manity as it was, gave the defendant
the benefit of the doubt and acquitted
him. It was not hard luck to lose this
case. In fact after listening to a part
of the trial, we hoped they would ac
quit him.
In the burglary and larceny ease
from Fort Wrangol the "bad man," the
man who did the actual breaking and
selling of the stolen goods , broke jail
and has never been heard of since.
The defendant, an alleged accomplice,
was tried. lie was urged to plead
guilty, by his lawyer, but refused, be
cause he said he was innocent. Some
circumstances pointed to his guilt?
they often do toward an innocent man.
The jury thought these circumstances
not sufficient to base a conviction on
and there are many people besides tho
jurors that thought so, and are still of
the same opinion. The district attor
ney tried the case well aud ho lost, not
011 account of "hard luck," but because
he should have.
The jury is tho judge of the facts.
There are twelve minds and they must
agree, aud while juries, owing to the
proneness of humanity to make mis
takes, sometimes commit errors, yet it
is a fact beyond question that a jnry
is a better trier of facts than the ablest
courts. Wo do not think the honest,
conscientious decision of a jury
1 1 1 1? ".*? rv.l Tfn mr.m Ko*?a
Sheep Creek wharf. Since then wo
have been informed that our descrip
tion of the matter was not altogether
correct. Wo stated that the noise ho
made whilo calling for help could bo
heard three miles, but should have
said live.
"Dad" Earl wants a good old fash
ioned heaven too. Our desertation on
future happiness has met with the ap
proval of saint and sinner.
U S '-V.
SllOUia L)U lUlJ'U^ncu. u? wouiwia
take the same oath to do their duty,
that the court and district attorney do,
and they make no more, probably less,
mistakes. The judges are reversed
much oftener than the jury.
We offer these suggestions not in the
spirit of criticism. Wo only wish the
district attorney to know that his work
has been well done and the few cases
he has lost is not through any fault of
his and that neither is the court nor
the jury to be blamed.
A Corroction.
Last week we published an account
nf ? man fallincr into the bay at the