ALASKA HAS IRON MINE
I. W. Mason arrived in Haines on
Sunday morning on the Humboldt.
Mr. Mason is from Seattle and is here
at the instance of the Alaska Iron
Company, of which concern he is a
member. He will investigate into
matters pertainoing to the company
here and will also visit the company’s
holdings in Rainy hollow.—Pioneer
Press.
GROWTH OF RUBY CITY
Telling of the rapid growth of Ruby
City on the lower Yukon, P. McDon
nell, an old resident of Valdez, has
written to George Krau, under date
of September 20, 1911. McDonnell de
parted for the interior last spring.
The town was growing at a remarka
ble rate, two or three buildings being
started every day, says McDonnell.
Two saloons had opened and three
more had applied for licenses. The
town had two newspapers, ten stores,
ten restaurants and four cigar stores,
each of which have two pool tables.
The N. C. Company brought down
300 tons of grub from Fairbanks just
before the close of navigation but
had not opened a store.
The prices of food supplies are rea
sonable. Ham 35 cents; bacon, 40
cents; sugar 12V.; cream, $7 a case;
potatoes 1214; tomatoes, $7.50; and
others in proportion. « Eggs were 75
cents a dozen. Lumber was selling at
from $50 to $80 a thousand. Four saw
mills had been installed and wrere work
ing full capacity.
McDonnell savs there are between
800 and 100 people in the camp.—Val
dez Miner.
NORTHWESTERN IN STORM
That Postmaster Kindell’s wireless
apparatus is working well these days
was proven last night, says the Skag
wav Alaskan. While at the receiver
at 12 o’clock midnight, Mr. Kindell
picked up a message from Captain
Hunter on board the Alaska Steam
ship Company's steamer Northwestern,
while off Sitka, northbound, to the ef
fect that the weather was very thick
with a severe gale blowing. The mes
sage was directed to the Seattle office
of the Alaska Steamship C’o., via As
toria, Oregon.
Continuing the message, the opera
tor said that they were compelled to
heave to, and that the waves were
running mountain high, and that the
ship was rolling so heavily that he
could not keep his point in place ,on
his receiving; instrupient. )
Mr. Kindell also heard 'the Alameda
talking with the former vessel, while
the former vessel was out at sea,
about three hundred miles south of
Ketchikan, northbotlnd. The Northwes
tern operator asked the A^apiecfeC ’ tV'
take the message and " relay \t to ..As- ',
toria, for fear that that station should
fail to receive it direct from him.
THE LURE OF ALASKA
The Lure of Alaska is a never-end
ing source of amazement to those
who have not become through associa
tion both brother to the wastes and
friend to the great solitudes of the
mighty territory.
Such incidents as that detailed in
the discovery by L. L. Bales of im
mense sulphur deposits partly explain
it. This man who had a supreme dis
like to mining and a consuming desirev
to hunt the game of the north has
A fortune thrust upon him.
< For a long period, he trifled, with
chunks of sulphur, refined by the natur
al fires of great volcanoes. He despis*
ed the deposits. They were unpleas
antly odorous and when they got- into
his footgear they made walking a bur
den.
When he returned to civilization he
found that the stuff has a commerci
al value; but the world demands more
and cheaper sulphur. If his deposit
measures up to expectations, he will be
a rich man.
Yet it is not alone his gamble. Ask
an Alaskan to define it and he will
tell you he likes the north because,
“It's a place where a man’s a man,”
Musing spirits admit that the coun
try “grows on them.” They berate it
roundly but permit none else to do the
same. They curse its long winters, its
hot summers, its mosquitoes, swamps,
and silences. They praise civilization
and the bright lights.—Pioneer Press.
MINING NEWS
There is very little doubt but that
work on the consolidated Perseverance
and Oxford properties will start up with
full speed early next spring. This the
Sourdough has on the best authority.
It had been feared that legal difficul
ties due to the settlement of the es
tate of Col. Sutherland might delay the
actual work for a year or more, but
there is no real ground for apprehen
sion. All the properties are to be con
nected underground, and the ore taken
to mills on the beach.
The miling of ore will be commenced
at the Kensington properties this
spring. The railroad and the dock have
been Completed.
It will probably be eight months be
fore the work of taking out ore in con
siderable quantity will start at Eagle
River. A number of new drifts are be
ing cut, and about two-thirds of a year
will be required for dead work.
TENAKEE LITIGATION
The dock at Tenakee will be very
much in evidence at the coming January
term of the district court at Juneau.
Last spring suit was brought against
John Eidsen, the owner of the dock,
for four hundred dollars for money bor
rowed following his conviction and
fine for selling liquor there. In Sep
tember, J. N. Sehnider brought a suit
for an additional four hundred dollars,
also for borrowed money. In both cas
es, attachments were issued against the
dock. And now Ed. Snyder, Tenakee’s
most prominent citizen, has brought
suit for a mandatory injunction, by
which he seeks to have seventeen feet
of the dock removed. Hellenthal and
Hellenthal, attorneys for Snyder, in
their petition filed in the district court,
say that when Eidsen built his dock, he
encroached upon the land occupied by
Snyder, who had a scow out in the
tide water, at which ships and canoes
landed. Snyder says that Eidsen so
built his dock as to prevent the use of
the scow.
The address of Eidsen is not known.
He and his son were formerly both at
Tenakee, but they put the dock in the
hands of an agent and left the country.
The dock is said to be worth about
$3,000.
A PIOUS HOPE
C. R. Reed has received a letter from
C. R. Koon, formerly of Juneau, from
Ruby City. .Of that place Koon says:
“As yet J dare, hot call this a mining
camp, true there is a little so-called pay
ore on Long creek, also Glen Gulch, but
as yet nothing tQ justify the town that
was built here. Everyone is living in
hopep1 ahdvthe'Conditions are favorable
for 3 ca.mj># if prospecting will produce
the gold, for there certainly will be
lots of work done here this winter.
“ We have two newspapers, tele
phone and telegraph connections, we
have, in fact, everything but the gold,
and as I heard a person remark the oth
er day, we are bound to get that—God
would not break so many people all at
once. ’ ’.
FOR THE KIDS
H. Mclver, amusement director
of the Treadwell club, informs
us that on Saturday night,
December 23, there will be a Christ
mas tree at the Treadwell club. Santa
Claus will no doubt honor that insti
tution. by his presence. There will al
so be a program suitable for the occas
ion. There will be a big time for the
kids and adults, too.—Dispatch.
The Alaska Drug Company is
dispensing beautiful holiday sou
venirs to' their customers. They
are wall ornaments containing a picture
covered with glass and a small ther
mometer. They make a pretty orna
ment for any room.
“Mickey” McKanna and Ed. Guil
lard, who are now running the MeKan
na transfer line, have taken bachelor
apartments up on Second street. Their
chief treasure is a suit case filled with
good things to dring recently won
by Ed on a raffle at the Phoenix Bar.
The prize for the lucky one at the
Lyric is on display in the window of
Jensen’s hardware store. This is
prize night.—Dispatch.
Be sure to see our Christmas
line of presents. Dolls and
Toys for the children, and
USEFUL
PRESENTS
for all the grown up folks
To JUNEAU
HOUSE
HOLDERS
THE DOUGLAS ISLAND CONCRETE WORKS
have made the blocks for nearly three hundred chim
ney during the summer just past and all of them are
giving perfect satisfaction. 8 inch Chimney Blocks
50c each. Telephone Douglas 4r3-6.
GOOD PLUMBING PAYS!
Take a look at my work in the new
Alaska Labor Union Hall.
J. MINKOVE
E. M. Peters
PLUMBING
STEAM FITTING, SHEET
METAL AND MACHINE
WORK. JOBBING AND
ALL KINDS OF REPAIR
ING DONE ON PHONO
GRAPHS, GAS ENGINES,
& SEWING MACHINES.
FRONT STREET
Near Baseball Park
DOUGLAS CITY