Douglas Island news. [volume], December 31, 1920, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
THE DOUGLAS ISLAND NEWS
DOUGLAS, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER :: 1 . 1920 NO 0
HIGHER TOTALS
IN ALASKA MINES
Almost Three Kilion Dollar* More
Produced in Territory This
Year Than Last
That the total value of all min
eral* mined in Alaska for the year
192"> will reach the auiu of 113,070.
000. an increase of f2,449.0S7 over
(hat of 1919. is the statement made
In the advance report of the I'nltnl
State* Urologiclal Survey, released
Mats aa the important events in min
tomatle pronpectlng that was carried
on in the Kuskokwim district by the
Treadwell Company.
The folio* ing la the report in full:
MNirtn and production In Alaska for !
1910 la now In preparation under
the direction of Alfred H. Urookn.
thlr- report relating to mining devel
"Pment during the year are abstract
ed in toe following statement. Com
l>lete stat 1st Irs of the mineral pro
months after the close of the year
to give prompt publication to pre
liminary estimates which, based on
General Condition*
dueed minerals to Itr value o! H60,
over half of which Is cred
ited to the last decade. About 75
Its can b? profitably exploited eveu
under th? moat adverse condition
er Isolation and transportation, be
on the capital and labor employed,
population. In forming communities.
tied at I mm than $:? 50 * ton. (2)
copper ores containing an uvera?eof
worth leu than 7S rcnta to the
of Juneau, but It also Includes the
P*r mines of Ketchikan and Prlncc
mal Industrial conditions this dls
nacc produced. Under the prescn*
high operating coats and relatively
low market value of mineral prod
ucts the profits on certain operations
are entirely swept away, so that
during the last two years there has
been no great Incentive to this form
of mining In Alaska, and but few
large venture* have been under
taken.
The long Interdict on the use of
th e mineral fuels of Alaska has
greatly retarded all form* of min
ing In the Territory. It not only
enhanced the coet of all mining by
prohibiting the use of local fuels,
but It made tho Industry lose the
advantage of the Imprnemeut In In
itusrlal conditions that would cer
tainly have followed the dovelopmeut
The situation was relieved some
what by the coal-land leasing act of
1913. but unfortunately this relief
came at about the time when un
stable Industrial conditions were
recently to affect the Alaska mining
As about IS per cent of the value
been taken from her gold and cop
In the tulnlng of those two metals,
which continued through 1920. hai
With the relative decrease In the
not be regarded as an indication of ;
the early exhaustion of the gold re
s large milragi of wagon roads are (
rr&l immediate Improvement can not .
Mineral Production. 1920
four large cupper mines in the Ter- <
Important Mining Event* in 1920
born relatively little prospected. The
little altered sedimentary rock*. In
Yukon. Such conditions aro favor
been more prospecting In thla prov
( Continued on Pace 3)
VETERAN OF NORTH
DEAD AT OAKLAND
John Murray, Pioneer of Douglas
Island and of the West Died
on December 11
John Murray, pioneer carpenter
unit contractor of Douglas, died on
Dec-ember 11 at Oakland, California,
where ho had been for the past year
making hla home. This news was
received here late this week In a
letter from hla brothor, Abner Mur
ray. formerly of this city, who Is
now living at Sitka.
John Murray waa born more than
seventy years ago In New Bruns
wick. Canada, and leaving that
place at an early age went to the
mining camps of the West, whore
he followed his trade of carpenter,
contractor and millwright. He help
? ! frame many mills, hoists and
other mill bulldlnga In several of
Hie olh-tlme mining camps of the
western states, Including California.
II' Drat came North more than 25
>ears ago at}d helped frame timbera
for some of the bulldiuga for Tread
well while the property waa In
charge of John Treadwell himself.
After an absence lu the South for a
number of yeara he came back here
and Improved some property that he
While here lie designed ami duiii
the ixmgla* public school building
lu the fall of 1902. Several yearn
later ho drew the plana and superin
tended the erection of what waa the
Alaska Labor Union hall and la now
known as the Liberty Theatre build
ing. Several other at rue tu res In the
ity were planned and ereeted by hint.
Having been In Loa Angeles. Cali
fornia. when that elty was but a vll
lie sold out and loft Alaska to make
lie aald he would eome bark to
tuo,
.hing over a year and where he died.
lulque characters that ever lived on
Jouglas Island. Although quite well
>ff. he had very simple taates. He
?ad one of the keenest senses of
urero devoted mostly by him to taking
a hite dog. Jerry, and thinking up
oki's to tell to hi* friends. Many
Realdea his brother. Abner. vlth
?liom he made his home while In
iiid his family. He was never mar
NATIVE WOMEN'S SOCIETY
Following the example of the na
sland Wednesday organized tfaem
-lety under the name of the Alaska
iska Native Brotherhood. The now
regulation* and bylaws as the Alas
Henry Stevens, treasurer. Meetings
Among the charter members are
the following: Mesdames Sarah
Smith. John Dennis. Joe Rogers.
Hanson. Thomas Johnson and the
orfleert; the Misses Bessie Daniels.
Daisy Fox. and Susie Marshall.
ENGINEER LEAVING
Livingstone Wernveke, mining en
gineer for tho Treadwell Company,
who returned several weeks ago from
N'lxon Fork on the Kuskokwlm river,
? here he was In charge of mine de
velopment for tho company, will
leave on the Princess Mary tomorrow
morning for Seattle, where he will
remain for about two months visit
ing with Mrs. Wernecko and the
Since arriving here several weeks
ago Mr. Wemecke has been busy
writing up his note* and making
out a report of the work doue by
the men under him in the Kusko
kwlm. He will return over the Ice
to Nixon Fork and again take charge
of the work for the company.
GETTING BETTER
According to Information received
here, Oscar Grundler, who has been
under treatment at Seattle for an
Injury to his hip. has now had the
plaster cut that he haa been wear
ing for many weeks removed from
the limb. Tho hip Is saining In
strength constantly and It Is hoped
that ho will loou hare the use of It.
SEVERAL SEEK
FEDERAL JOBS
Republican Club Receives Applica
tion! From Several for
Endorsement
Several aspirants were present
Tuesday evening at the meeting of
the Douglas Island Republican Club
to urge their fitness for various Ter
ritorial and dlvlslonsl offices. Among
those making speeches were E. P.
Kendall, Grover C. Winn and Jack
Wilson. It was decided to hold an
other meeting on January 20, at
which time the club's announcement
of Its endrosemcnts will be made.
Among the applications filed
Tuesday nlgbl wore Cash Cole and E.
L. Hunter, of Juneau, for colloctor
of customs; 11. H. Kolsom and Orover
C. Winn, of Juneau, for United
States attorney; lack Wilson, of
Treadwell. for United States mar
shal; Kd. I\ Kendall, of Juneau, for
surveyor general and ex-offlclo sec
retary of Alaska; Guy L. Smith for
the position of postmaster at Doug
MISS TRACY
TO MARRY SOON
Former Superintendent of Douglas
School Will Marry University
Teacher
Tlie engagement of Miss Floy
Tracy, former superintendent ol
schools and teacher In Itouglas, was
announced recently lu (be Seattle
PoMt-Intelligeacer In the following
"Mrs. Joseph P. Tracy, of 8cattle,
suholiKirs llii- engagement of her
daughter. Floy, to Mr. Harold Hotel
ling. Mlsa Tracy Is a graduate of
V ?? itnilnstiT College and Mr. Hotel
ling of the University of Washing
ton, a member of Sigma Kl and Phi
Iletta Kappa honorary fraternities, a
former student of the University of
Chicago and assistant in mathemat
ics at the University. The wadding
will take place soon after Christ
Miss Tracy waa one of the most
popular of Douglas teachers and
look the poeltion of superintendent
of schools here about four years ago
upon the resignation of Miss Malloy.
Miss Tracy was urged to return here
three years ago, but preferred to go
living, and has since that time boen
lu that city, where she bad a very
She has a legion of friends in tho
North who wish her happiness in her
married life.
NOTHING DOING
Few New Year's activities are
planned on Douglas Island this
evening and many from here will go
to Juneau to attend the two dances
that aro to be given by the Klks and
the Shrincrs.
BILL SIGNED
President Wilson today signed the
bill and It Is now a law allowing
owners of mining claims until July
1 next year In which to do their a>
Happy
New Year
Best Wishes
for 1921
Guy s Drug Store
QITY L. SMITH. Prop.
3d and D St. Douglas, Alaska
WORMS SCARCE
AND FEW GRAPES
Prophet Makes Some Prediction*
for the Year 1921 That
May Be True
Ilecently we received a letter con
taining predictions luado (or the
coming year by a man named lieu
l>en H. Mai-Donald, of Blnghampton,
Mew York.
There wan no letter of explanation
sent with the predictions and Itcubcn
did not explain himself In any way.
We rather think that he may bo
some kind of a weather sharp and a
reader of the stars, but as we never
happened to visit his barroom when
he was on sblft we can not say any
thing about him for sure.
Two of his predictions will somo
what worry people of this place.
One is the fact that grapco will be
scarce, as will also be tbe case with
worms. Tho shortage In the worm
market, according to him, will mako
a poor year for fish. The short grape
crop will naturally make raisin wine
expensive and hard to get.
As the old year 1920 Is on its last
legs we consider that many peoplo
will be glad to know what Is to
happen In the new year, so we will
pass on Heuben's predictions:
The entire country, after enjoy
ing unprecedented prosperity In fer
tility of land, unlimited domauds for
building material, machinery, auto
mobiles, clothing, shoes and luxur
ies. due to only one thing, which is
that Venus reigns supreme In 1920,
but must now undergo a three-year
adjustment to bring business to a
satisfactory basis
During the year 1921 Mercury, a
doubtful planet In many ways, like
the thermometer, will regulate busi
ness and prlcwi In all parts of the
country. Since storehouse* are filled
with manufactured articles that must
be sold. It standi to reason prices
will gradually decrease. Capital
and labor will have mauy disputes;
some are never satisfied. A person
should not try to overdo. Live and
High price* arc for good times ?
low prices arc for hard times. A ma
jority of the people are earning and
^pending more money than over be
I'ricea arc regulated according to
? ho price of iron and pork. Whon
iron and pork aro high, wages and
''ommodltio* will be high and vice
vcma.
it will requlro two or throe yeari
for those who have left the farms to
plunge Into town and city life to
realize there is more real living and
money In railing crops than in man
ufacturing luxuries for foreign
countries.
In 1921. government officials will
Investigate many concern! and as
a result fraud orders will be inued
in general to protect the public.
The weather for 1921 will, In gen
eral, be somewhat dlsagrecnbic. Jan
ary and February will be change
able. The spring will be Inclined to
be dry. cold and unseasonable. Plant
accordingly. The summer will be
wet. which will benefit those living
In locations with very little rainfall.
In some localities, hay and grain
wil rot. unless given proper atten
tion. The fall will be wet with
early frosts. De prepared for such
weather and gather crops carefully.
The winter will be one wiin plen
ty of mow and Ice whlcb Is good for
the soil.
Fruit will vary ? In certain local
ities some kinds will be abundant,
in others somewhat of a failure un
less Riven special attention. Grapes
will be doubtful. It will bo an off
year, which will give the vines a
rest. Nature knows best. Mice will
be very numerous. Better feed a
cat than mice. Worms scarce, con
sequently fish will be scarce and
poor In quality. Big fish stories
will bo out of fashion. Disease of all
kinds will cure, hut slowly. Contag
alarmlngly. An epidemic will pre
vail in cattle, sheep and bogs, but
will soon bo overcome by govern
ment service and reatrlctlons. The
agricultural departments will be of
i;roat help to the people In many
vuya ? the Information sent out Is
leliable and should be appreciated
l>y more persons.
Furthermore, 1921 will be known
in history as the "chemical year."
Many chemical discoveries will be
made, hence chomtsts and doctor*
will bo popular. Newspapers and
magazines will be read and referred
to by all classes of peoplo more than
i vcr before. Every day, something
now and useful will be heard of.
Bccomo a stockholder In the Unit
ed States? buy war-savlngo stamps.
MAY RETURN NORTH
That Bert Stedmnn and family
may come North again next spring
Ih tho new* received hero. Mr. Sted
tnan has for some time been work
ing at varloui mining ramp* In Idaho
whllo the family la at Urcsham, Ore
gon. Work at the present time
among the Idaho mining camp* la
more or less erratic and the family
may decide to return here in the
spring.
Mrs. Stndman Is the sister of Carl
H. Krickson of this city and the
family resided for a number of years
on the Island previous to leaving for
tho South about three years ago.
TENAKEE ENJOYS
HOLIDAY TIME
Big Christmas Tree, Program by
Children, Dance and Plenty
to Eat
After having ipcnt Christmas at
Tenakcc, Capt. Joe Manlcy arrived
In port Tuesday afternoon with hli
boat, the Karl M. Capt. Manlcy re
ported that a very pleasant Chrlst
maa wai spent at the hot spring*
town where, on Christmas eve at the
Grand theatre, there was a big
Christmas tree eutortalnment by the
school children and a dance that
lasted well into tho following morn
ing. Supper was also served at mid
night and refreshments at other |
times during the evening.
The following program was given |
by the school children under the di
rection of their teacher, Miss lmpl|
Aalto, of Douglas:
Song, "Away in the Manger". . School |
"If Santa Claus was Pa"
Francis Murphy!
"Two Little 8tocklngs"..Adele Black j
"A Rest for Santa Claus"
Harry Nelson j
"The Longest Day" Edna Jack j
A playlet, "Santa Claus at School"
"Envy" Buster Paddock
"Christmas Gifts". Maggie Howard
"A Gift to Santa" Alice Orava
"Florence's Chrlstmas"..Crceta Black
Song, "Christmas Bells" School
"Ted-* Stocking" ~. . Charles Jack
"Grandma's Mistake". .Carrie Howard
"If You Don't Believe"
Thuadore Orava
"Sam and I" Katberlne Nelson
"Eavesdropping". Raymond Paddock
"Mrs. Santa Claus".. ........Aille Orava
"What Do Johnny Want?" ..... I
. .... Dermott O'Toolel
Song. "Silent Night, Holy Night"
"Not Lettiii' On" Sam Nelson |
A playlet, "The Christmas Spirit"
School |
Orphan Song I
lOdlth Murphy and Adele Black
"Sandman's Visit" Hoy Murphy
"Jessie's Shilling". .. Edith Murphy
Songs, "O, Little Town of Bethle
hem." Ilumoresiiue"... Miss Aalto|
(Accompanied ou mandolin by
Harry Perry)
"Good Night Song" School.
OFFICERS INSTALLED
Charles Schrnm was Installed as
master of Castlneaux Lodge No.
124. F. and A. M.. and Mrs. Marie
Wcschenfelder as matron of Nugget
Chapter No. 2. Order of Eastern Star,
at the joint Installation of officers
of the two lodges on Tuesday evening
at the Odd fellows' hall. All the
other officers of the lodges for the
comli k year were also Installed by
James Chrlstoe, installing officer for
the Masons, and Mrs. May Johnson,
who acted for the Eastern Star.
The Installation ceremonies were
attended by Masons, Eastern Stars
and members of their families and a
few friends. They were followed by
p banquet.
GAMES FRIDAY
There have been no basketball
games on the Channel during tly>
past week and the next one that is
scheduled will be played next Fri
day evening, when the boys' and
girls' teams of the Juneau and
Douglas High Schools will meet for
the last game of their Interschool
series of four. The flnal game Is to
be played In the gymnasium of the
Juneau public school.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
Mrs. August Olson entertained
^bout ten of her lady friends last
night at her beautiful home on D
1 street at a Christmas party. The
feature of the evening was a big
Christmas pie that contained gifts
for all those present. Tho hostess
was assisted by Mrs. Jack Cottrell In
serving what was said by those prea
' i iit to be some of the most delicious
, and varied refreshment seen here In
j a long time.
WON ITS GAMES;
NOW FOR HOME
Douglas High Basketball Team De
feat* Wrangell High School
and Legion Tearai
Having played two games at
Wrangell and won both of them, the
Douglas High School basketball team
will return here at noon tomorrow
on u gas boat, after having been out
of town since Christmas eve, when
they left on the steamer Jefferson.
The Trst game was playod Tues
day evenlug with the Wrangell
High School team and was won
rather easily by a score of 38 to 12.
The following evening the Lazy Five
and the American taglon teams met
to decide which one would play
Douglas on the following night and
the Legion boys were winners. Wed
nesday evening Douglas beat them
in a hard game by a score of 36 to
22.
A game was scheduled for last
night at Wrangell between the boys
and a team from Petersburg, but ac
cording to telegraphic advices re
tolved today It did not materialise,
so the boys will return to their
homes here.
I'erhups no sporting event In re
cent years has been watched with
such keen Interest as has this "barn
storming" trip of the high school
boys to Wrangell. Having won six
consecutive vlctoriee on Gastlneau
Channel aud not met defeat this sea
son It was as a reward of merit for
(he boys to be sent away from home
to meet teams of Wrangell and other
cities In the other part of tho di
vision that might want to come there
to play for the championship of 8.
K Alaska.
The American Legion team of
Wrangell was conceded to be an cx
? uedlngly strong one that defeated
all comers last year and started this
year off well. It Is a senior team
composed of men who have played
together for tho last two seasons.
The luam gavo the high school boys
? hard contest.
With (he winning of these (wo
games the Douglas High School (earn
will have played eight games this
season and won all of them. They
have but one more gamo scheduled
and that I* the one at Juneau next
Friday evening
The lineup of the team I*: Sin
clair Brown, center; Arthur Nelson
and Harold Gallwas, forwards; Mar
tin Gallwas. captain and running
guard; William Mauley, guard, with
Albert Oarn, substitute Thorn
making the Wrangell trip In addition
to the team were Supt. Gordon C.
Mitchell and Arthur Gam, coarh.
The first telegram from the boya
was received Monday by the Doug
las fire department. Brown, Martin
and Harold Gallaws, Nelson, Arthur
Gam, Km!! Palmbom and Richard
McCormick united In sending the
wire, asking to be marked present
at the meeting of the department
that night. I'almbom and McCor
mick accompanied the (earn as far
as Wrangell on their way to Seattle
and stopped over to see the games.
Tuesday several people received
wires announcing the results of the
first game and yesterday the same
thing happened and phones were
kept ringing all over town announc
ing the glad tidings.
It In predicted that there will bo
some wonderful stories told by (he
boys upon (heir return here tomor
row. At leant one of them took hli
first ride on a regular steamer when
he boarded the JelTerson and the
rest of tlicm. while more or leaa men
of the world, have never been far
ther away from home than Juneau
to engage In any kind of athletic*.
No hurry-up ralla have been aa
yet received here over (he wires by
iny of (he parents of the boys for
funds, but K Is thought by (hose who
know them best that there Is not
enough cash left among (hem (o buy
coffee and. aKhough (hey will not
be absolutely hungry, as It was ar
ranged (ha( different homes at
Wrangell were each to take In one
of the boys.
After having braved the perils of
the deep, blue sea, stormed the Wran
gell basketball teams In their own
home town and snatched the laurels
of victory from their brows the
young men will next Monday settle
down to the prosaic humdrum of
pimple school life at Douglas. It
will be an awful change.
VISITING SON
Mrs. Peter Gravrock has been vis
iting at the home of her son, Carl II.
Krlckson. since before Christmas.
She will return to her home at the
Perseverance mine next Sunday.