BEATS THE TAKU
The gentle zephyrs blow some at Bal
boa, if one may correctly interpret an
epistle from the genial J. (’. Tolman,
game warden for the Alaska peninsu
la, to C. ('. Shea, received on the steam
er Dora, says the Seward. Gateway.
When J. ('. and his son arrived on the
scene, they found that the major por
tion of the shingles on a shack which
was to be their domicile, in lieu of any
any other abode in that vicinity, had
been scattered about on the beach, torn
from their setting by a gale of a few
days previous. A former subject of
Sweden happened along in a dory. Now,
a boat was just what J. C. wanted, in
order to get about over his domain.
He opened negotiations and agreed to
purchase the craft. The Swede de
parted in peace, leaving the dory on
the beach. One morning, several days
later, J. O.fl found fragments of what
had formed the boat lying along the
shore a half a mile away. A breeze had
occurred during the night.
J. C. Cook took with from Seward a
sledge of which he was justly proud.
One evil night the wind playfully
picked up this snowr vehicle, dashed it
against the house, broke the handles
and other parts, and set the remainder
down a thousand feet distant. Nowt J.
C. is industriously engaged in building
a low sod house in which to store his
sled—if he can patch it together. He
says he is building a low house so the
wind can’t see it.
in rne course oi an omciai lener .j.
C. pauses at intervals to discuss the
wind. As a matter of fact he grows
enthusiastic and emphatic when he di
verges from matters pertaining to
game, to write a few thoughts, as they
come to him, about breezes in general
and those at Balboa Bay in particular.
If .T. C. would consult the Good Book
he would find somewhere, in speaking
of the wind, it says, that ‘‘no man
knows from whence it eonieth, or
whither it goeth. ” But J. C. is con
vinced that he has learned where it
bloweth.
MAY BE YOU
During the Xmas holidays Smith’s
Drug Store is giving away free chances
on a large beautiful doll for each dol
lar cash purchase. The grand drawing
will take place Xmas eve, and maybe
you will be the lucky one.
CHANGE OF DATE
Douglas, Dec. 16.—The boxing carni
val that was to have been given. ,i.on
Christmas day at the Lyric theater un
der the auspices of the Douglas Athletie
club, will be given on next Saturday
night, December 23, at the same place.
The change was made necessary for
Several reasons and meets the approval
of everyone. From every indication
there will be a big turnout of fans.
—‘From the Dispatch.
CONDUCTED AT A LOSS
In a letter in answer to the demand
of the Arctic Club of Seattle for a re
duction in the cable tolls, James Allen,
chief signal officer of the army, says:
“Very little fault has been found by
the people of Alaska with the rates now
established. From time to time an er
roneous impression is circulated that
the Alaska telegraph line is one which
is producing a revenue to the govern
ment. On the contrary, it was con
structed by the government at a large
expense, and the yearly maintenance is
much in excess of the receipts. The ap
propriations made by congress for this
system have been generously large and
any reduction in rates is simply to ask
congress to appropriate additional mon
ey to make up what is, as stated above,
a considerable deficit. Compared with
the charges of other lines, it is not be
lieved the rates are excessive or that
under the circumstances connected with
the maintenance and extension and the
betterments of this line that any re
duction should be made at present in
the toll.”
The latest thing now is a new bar
ber shop on Thlinget Avenue. The shop
is located in a new building recently
erected by John Haho. The street is a
busy one, having several stores, a res
taurant, a shoemaker shop, and a bar
ber shop, among the conveniences of
that choice residential section of the
city.
A LIMIT ON GRUBSTAKING
Should we abolish the power of at
torney to locate claims? The privi
lege of staking for another by power
of attorney has been grossly abused,
until it lias become a matter for debate
whether the privilege has not result
ed in more harm than good. In the
spring of last year the delegate from
Alaska had a bill in congress which
purovided that no placer-mining claim
in Alaska should be located by an at
torney or agent for another, but only
by the locator in person. The delegate
argued to the house committee that
only by destroying the privilege could
the abuse be cured. (Joveronor Ilog
gatt, on the other hand, took the stand
that it would be useless to abolish the
power of attorney so long as one man
had the right to stake as many claims
as he chose. The staker could simply
transfer the claims to whomever he
chose. But the delegate was strongly
opposed to limiting the number of
claims one man might stake.
The debate hinges strongly on the
system of grub staking, which depends
upon the power of attorney. There are
hundreds of prospectors in the wdlds of
Alaska who are maintained in their ex
plorations by persons in the towns of
Alaska and on the Outside, and the
prospectors in return locate ground for
their grubstakers by power of attorney.
Wipe out the power of attorney, and
you shut off the flow of capital that
makes a large amount of prospecting
possible. Require each locator to
stake his claims in person, and compara
tively few claims will be staked and
fewer will be worked. The prospector
will be hurt as much as the capitalist,
because when his grub runs out he
will have to spend a season working for
wages to buy another grubstake. To
abolish the power of attorney would
be to put a check upon the entire de
velopment. of the placer fields.
Two years ago the Tanana Miners‘
Association proposed a local mining
regulation that no claim should be val
id if made otherwise than in person or
under written power of attorne3r, and
that no claim located under power of
attorney should be a valid location un
less such power of attorney was record
ed previously to the date of the loca
tion. The delegate has since abandon
ed his abolition idea, and has adopt
ed the idea of the Tanana miners. He
has gone further. Following Governor
Hoggatt's argument, in his new bill he
proposes to permit a prospector to. stake
only two claims a month for himself
and two for each of two persons be
sides himself. This is something simi
lar to the law in the Yukon.
But the delegate proposes in addi
tion that no more than a total of two
claims in all Alaska may be located for
a grubstaker in one month. This mdans
that in ease ol stampede, a person with
money may grubstake only one. pros
pector. It places a limit upon grub
staking. It is questionable whether
in proposing this the delegate dobs, not
put a check upon a kind of activity
which is desirable and necessary.—Fair
banks Times.
INDIAN IS WHITE
Jim Jake, a Thlinget Indian more fa
miliarly known as “Pinto" Jake, by
reason of his white man’s complexion,
is a patient at the government hospi
tal. Jake is a sufferer with a skin dis
ease that in a similar case last sum
mer puzzled Western Alaska physici
ans and was first diagnosed as leprosy.
The finding of several Western Alaska
physicians in the “leprosy" case caus
ed no end of excitement in medical
circles and straightway Dr. Foster, an
attache of the Board of Health, was
sent North to make an investigation.
The patient who was supposed to have
the dreaded scourge was as healthy a
specimen of the aborigine as you could
find, with the exception of his facial pe
culiarity, and after a brief examina
tion the "leper" was discharged from
an isolation of several days.
“Pinto" may live to be a white man,
figuratively speaking. His face is now
nearly the shade of a white man who
has been tanned slightly. He takes
great pride in his distinction. But he
objects to the name of Pinto.
E. D. Pindar, a former hoist man at
Treadwell, is a returning passenger on.
the Jefferson.
SUPPERYSTUFF
When drawing your pay, if you wish
to avoid spending all, lay aside just
enough for present needs; then bring
the balance to this bank and deposit
it in a savings account. We pay inter
est on such accounts, compounding
semi-annually and accept any sum front
ONE DOLLAR up.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:
Henry Shattuck, Pres. J. E. Beale,
Cashier. F. W. Bradley, John Reck, P.
H. Fox, Geo. F. Miller.
FIRST j
NATIONAL I
BANK {
JUNEAU, ALASKA
For Dainty and Beautiful
Christmas presents the
stock of
timer 6 Smith
Douglas Alaska
is without a rival on Gasti
neaux Channel. Silver Toilet
Articles—the handsomest sets
ever brought to Alaska. Cut
Glass dishes and vases, and
many other articles people of
taste choose as gifts for their
friends and relatives at Xmas
OAK HEATING STOVES CANNOT
BE BEATEN
One cannot be too careful in bay
ing a stove in this climate. After
years of experience, I have come to
handle the ESTATE OAK because
it is peculiarly adapted to the Al
aska winters. They are little giants
to heat, and cannot be beaten for
economy.