To the Citizens of Douglas.
A petition to the Senate and House of
Representativea in congress assembled
can be found at the office of the Miner
awaiting signatures, This petition prays
for the following legislation:
i.—Representation in congress by a
delegate to tha house of representatives.
2 —Provisions whereby actual and
bona fide residents may acquire title to
the public lands upon the same terms
and conditions as have been heretofore
granted to American citizens in other
territories of the United States.
3. —Authority to incorporate our towns
and villages whenever the people thereof
shall so desire, and to establish munici
pal government therein, vested with the
usual powers of carrying forward local
improvements and a police establish
ment.
4. —A repeal of the prohibitory liquor
law, and the substitution in lieu thereof
of a stringent and well guarded license
law.
Every man in Douglas should sign
this petitiru. Si tnilar ones are in circu
lation elsewhere, and in Wrangel the in
habitants signed it to a man.
This question of representation in
congress, and the other equally import
ant ones, must be settled, and the Min
er is anxious that the people of Doug
las should speak with no uncertain
voice.
— —
SOME GOOD THOUGHTS.
Our reward is in the race we run, not
in the prize—Rogers.
l’oliteiies is an easy virtue, costs little,
and has great purchasing power.—Dr.
Alcott.
It is an uncontroverted truth, that no
man ever made an ill figure who under
stood his own talents, nor a good one
who mistook them.—Swift.
Order is the sanity of the mind, the
health of the body, the peace of the city,
the security of the state.—Southey.
What a man does is the real test of
what a man is, and to talk of what
great things we would accomplish, if he
had more activity of mi lid, is to say how
strong a man w ould be if he had more
strength.—Matther.
It is much easier to meet with error
than to find truth; error is on the sur
face, ami can be more easily met with,
truth is hid in gieat depths, and the way
to seek it does not appear to all the
world.— Goethe.
My experience of life makes me sure
of one truth, w hich I don’t try to ex
plain, that the sweetest happines we ev
er know, the very wine of human life,
comes, no from love but from sacrifice—
from the efifort to make others happy.
This is as true to me as that my flesh
will burn if I touch red hot metal—John
Boyle O’Reillley.
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SOME OPINIONS OF ALASKA.
Never heard of the place—Average
member of congress.
Great country. Big profits. Keep it
dark—Alaska Commercial Company.
Full of rocks and wharves—Patterson.
The only inhabited portion of the
globe entirely covered by water—Tourist
during rainy season,
j Hard place to get avvav from—Birch,
i Understand there is good fishing there
—Grover Cleveland.
An unknown country, outside of Sitka
—U. S. S. Pints.
Great place for wharfage—Carrol.
A snap—Customs inspector.
I’m in it—Liquor traffic.
Is valuable chiefly for its harbors on
the Pacific coast, its furs and fisheries—
Quack en bos History of the 1 nited
States.
The killing of seals for their furs is
the chief business interest in Alaska—
Eggleston, History ofUnited states.
Coast fisheries of great value, and for
ests of white pine and yellow7 cedar
amond the finest in the world—Ridpath,
History of United States.
Coal and iron ores are the most im
portant minerals, but the value of the
deposits remains to be ascertained—En
cyclopaedia Britannica.
Juneau Ferry Changes Hands.
Mr. F. I). Nowell has purchased the
interest of Mr. E. O. Sylvester in the
Juneau Ferry & Navigation Company.
We are authorized to state that inmie
| diate steps will be taken towards the
building of a substantial dock at Doug
las. Within a few days a contract will
be let for a structure 700 feet long, hav
ing a “T"’ with 100 feet face. Upon the
dock will be erected coal bunkers of
large capac ty together with whrehouses.
A commodious boat will very shortly re
place the Lone Fisherman and there will
in future be 110 cause to complain of the
service between Juneav and Douglas and
! near points.
No immediate change is contemplated
in the management, and Capt. Tibbetts
will be found at his post as usual.
Mr. Nowell will perform the functions
| heretofore exercised by Mr. Sylvester.
The change, with the possibilities it
’ opens up, will be hailed with delight by
those whose business requires them to
1 make constant trips across the channel.
There was room for great improvement
and it will come now without the possi*
bi'dty of a doubt.
Is There Platinum In Alaska?
It is reported on apparently reliable
authority that platinum has been found
in veins of syenitic formation in Hun
gary, but it is not stated whether the
discovery is of commercial importance.
If true this is a remarkable occurrence
in mining history. At present all plati
num used comes from placers which are,
in many instances large producers, but
so far it has never been found in rock, in
place, and its origin has always been a
mystery.
Platinum is an extremely va’uable
metal (ranking almost with gold) and
and at the same time a very useful one.
It bas been found in small quantities in
Alaska in placers, associated with gold,
as elsewhere.
Its actual existence, however, in a cy
t-nitic formation adds another possibility
to its discovery in this country. Cyen
itic rocks are an important feature in the
formation of our mineral belts. Pros
pectors should bear this in mind.
The anniversary exercises at Oilman
hal1 to celebrate the birth of“Bobbv
Burns" last Monday were well attended,
and the participants enjoyed themselves
immensely. The festivities commenced
with a grand march led by Mi.-s M.
Frasier and W. Gillispie. W. I). Brown
offic attd at the bagpip s. The prog am
consisted of recitations, songs and duets.
Mrs. John McLaughlin accompanied on
the organ, and Mrs A. M. Ness’er on the
guittr. Mi-s Mabel Falconer and Miss
Mildred Powell, costumed as Scotch las
sies sang “Annie Laurie.” Messrs.
Miller and Fremont performed a medley
of Scotch airs, and Mr. Ludlow, Miss
Vinta Chisholm, MissVol erg Anderson,
Miss Annie Mussett and Miss Annie
McCormick also contribu ed to the even
ings enjoyment. After a deligh ful pro
gram had been rendered dancing was
indulged in until a late hour. Af
ter singing “Auld Lang Syne,” in vvhiih
all joined, the party adj -urned to the
Douglas City Hotel and partook of a
generous supper.
Dick Johnson is sinking a shaf on his
property at Funter bay The shaft,
which has already at ained a depth of
35 feet, is situated about six feet above
high water mark. The lode comes to
the surface and shows for a distance of
500 feet. At the bottom of the shaft the
vein is free-milling and about ;5 inches
wide. Mr. Johnson has a beautiful spec
imen of 01 e from this claim about a foot
square and six inches thick, wlrch is
honeycombed w th free gold on one side,
lilts properly is about 300 feet in a north
westerly direction from the Boston &
Alaska company’s mill.
— -
Capt. \\ al ace again _ cunmai ds the
Topeka, having recovered bish alth.