FROM KETCHIKAN
Death of John Douglas
All Ketchikan, if not all of south
eastern Alaska has been called upon
to mourn the anAmely death of one of
Ketchikan's most respected citizens,
Mr. John Douglas. When the news
reached this city it cast a profound
gloom over his many friends here.
Douglas and some friends were at
work on a scow near the Sunny Point
cannery about 25 miles west of here,
when one of the men lost his footing
and fell into the water. The man could
not swim and Douglas immediately
jumped in to rescue him. It is thought
by those who witnessed the accident
that Douglas must have come up under
the scow, and been stunned so that he
sank without a struggle. He never
came to the surface alive.
Dragging for his body lasted several
hours, but was finally rewarded, and
the remains reached his home at Ket
chikan, under the care of sorrowing
friends. The funeral was held Sunday
under the auspices of the local lodges
of Odd Fellows and Red Men. Mr.
Douglas was a prominent member of
both orders. He was not married, but
he leaves a host of friends along the
Alaska coast who had learned to hon
or and respect him.
Warehouse Collapses ^
A very serious accident happened at
the Ketchikan cannery this week. The
store house containing about 5,500
cases of salmon suddenly collapsed and
dumped everything into a formless
heap. The building was on piling over
some rocks in shallow water, the cat
astrophe occuring at high tide. Of
course the damage was considerable,
but the management is of the opinion
that a large percentage of the salmon
may be saved. At present a large
force of men are at work on the de
bris, sorting and saving all that can be
used.
Brevities
Billy Seymour, the Weiss fish buyer,
is a busy man these days, closing up
his work for the season.
Cohos are running here now in small
quantities and the boys are making
good money hooking them from among
the humpies in the creek.
A large black bear was seen by one
of Ketchikan’s prominent citizens
within a half mile of the village this
week.
Since the beginning of the year, it
is reported on good authority, there
have been over five hundred new and
permanent arrivals in this city. It
is almost impossible to find an empty
house of any kind in Ketchikan.
MISS HALL AND JACK WELCH
When Miss Grace Hall locked the
door of the Treadwell schoolhouse last
spring, announced that she would not
come back to Douglas Island, but
would go to Minnesota to remain, and
Jack Welch bade her good bye at the
dock, the feeling spread that the lit
tle white god was no longer in busi
ness at the old stand, and that the
charm which hung over the Treadwell
school had vanished into thin air. When
the key was taken from the nail in
Dan Webster’s office last fall it bore
the legend, “Key to the Matrimonial
Bureau,’’ but it is said that when she
handed it back to him last spring, Tie
sighed heavily, and tore up the label.
For years and years, the Treadwell
school has never failed as a match ma
ker. It was built a score of years ago,
more or less, and, so the legend runs,
in all that score of years, a bride had
come forth every spring. Doubtless
there be chronic old grouches who
think that they can remember years
when the spring term did not close
with marriage bells, but was there ever
a legend that some old grouch did not
stand ready to assassinate?
For all that, however, when the
steamer bore that charming, blue eyed
woman away and left big John Welsh
—hard rock miner and incidentally a
prince in Dame Nature’s House of
Lords, and with nothing, apparently,
remaining of the legend but the marks
which John Welch’s shoes had left on
the stairs back of the 700 mill, the
friends of the little white god were sor
ry, very sorry indeed.
But before Jack Welch quitted his
post as assistant foreman at the Tread
well mine, and took the City of Seat
tle for the Sound> last week, he told a
few friends that he was going to Min
nesota, and that he and Miss Hall
were to be married this fall. After the
wedding they will leave for Kentucky,
of which region Jack is a native, and
there he expects to buy a farm, leave
hard rock mining and take to rows of
corn, while Miss Hall, no longer cul
tivating the three R’s, may devote
some time to the three P ?s—Peas,
pumpkins and potatoes.
SALOONS IN TROUBLE
Because the two young men who
bought out Jack Lindsay’s saloon at
Haines did not know that the filing of
an application to run a saloon by one
who had not before been in the busi
ness did not authorize them to sell li
quors over the bar, and refused to be
lieve it when they were so informed,
they have lost an opportunity to get
rich in the Lynn canal town, just now
on the eve of prosperity.
Under the law, when a license ex
pires, and a new application has been
filed, and the $1000 license fee depos
ited, the saloon keeper may continue in
businss until the court acts. This pro
vision does not aid in any way an ap
plicant who is starting in business, and
under the law he must wait until the
court acts. When the new men who
bought out Jack Lindsay applied for
license, Judge Lyons was out of the
district, and al lthe licenses were held
up, but they proceeded to sell goods.
Complaint was made, but they contin
ued to sell, and the facts were report
ed to the prosecuting attorney’s of
fice. Prosecuting Attorney Rustgard
says there is no doubt about the law,
and that a license cannot now be
granted to them. Their money will,
however, be refunded, and it is proba
ble that Jack Lindsay will again take
the place over.
Complaint has also been made
against the Peerless saloon, in Junerfi,
on account of the Overman-Fisher
shooting, and another row which is said
to have occurred there. There is also
objection to Peal’s place in Sitka, and
these three applications have been held
up at the request of the prosecuting at
torney. All the other saloon licenses
in Southeastern Alaska have been
granted.
ADVENTURES OF SCHOOL MA’AMS
Getting a dinner for a song is a ra
ther old idea, but the Douglas school
teachers got one for a shout last Satur
day.
The Misses McGill, Johnson and
Dow, rich in the possession of Mrs.
H. C. DeVighne as a chaperone, took
the first ferry for Juneau on Saturday
morning, and reached the Perseverance
mine at noon.
Just to exercise their lungs they
‘hollered.” It was a healthy “hol
ler, ’ ’ which shook the snow over on
Mount Olds. Foreman Jackson, half
way up the tram, paused and looked
around.
“How do you do,” he said.
“Fine,” they answered.
“Won’t you come in and have some
dinner?” he asked.
“We hoped you’d ask us,” they an
swered. So they went in and were hos
pitably entertained at the mess house.
Coming back they had another ad
venture. On the road they met a man
with a two-seated carriage, driving a
handsome team that looked good to the
girls from Kansas.
“Are from Douglas?” he asked.
And they owned up.
“I’ve come to take you home,” he
said.
“Why, who sent you?” they asked.
And he did’nt know.
While he drove up the road, look
ing for a place to turn around, two of
the teachers, fearing an abduction,
“hot footed” down the road. The
others consulted.
“Maybe he was just joking,” one of
them suggested.
“But,” said another, “how did he
know we were from Douglas?”
As the rain was falling four of them
decided to ride, and got back to Ju
neau without further adventure. Since
then several good Samaritans have
owned up that they sent the carriage.
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