Digital Bob Archive

16 June 1978 issue

DECEMBER 7, 1893-The boarding house of the Taku Mining & Milling Company, near the first falls on Gold Creek, was completely destroyed by fire on Tuesday forenoon. The fire started about 8 a.m., apparently from a faulty flue, but was not discovered until some of the men emerged from the mine at noon. The building had accommodations for 40 men and the loss is placed at $3,000. The property has been operated this season by Willis Thorp under lease.

JULY 26, 1938-Pilot Lon Cope of Marine Airways was extremely busy yesterday while Pilot Alex Holden was flying a charter trip to Yakutat. Cope made two emergency trips to Hoonah, brought patients to St. Ann?s Hospital on each trip. He also made two trips to Atlin, B.C., taking in loads of perishables and bringing back passengers to catch the Princess Louise and some Juneauites.

MAY 20, 1893-Willis Thorp, Juneau slaughter house owner, went below on the City of Topeka to ascertain the reason for the aggravating delays of late in the shipment of his beef cattle. For the second time this spring the town is without any fresh beef. The Puget Sound Beef and Packing Company, which has been making regular shipments, has recently been in litigation with another company and this may have caused the failure to make shipments to Juneau.

MAY 14, 1887-C. W. Young is building a large warehouse on the waterfront near the foot of Seward Street. He will use it as a carpenter shop and will also stock building supplies and hardware. (Note: The building is incorporated in what is now the Ace Hardware Store.)

JANUARY 3, 1914-Yesterday was the first business day of the new year and the Alaska Treadwell Company and Alaska-Juneau Mining Company both paid their corporation taxes to the territory for the year 1914. Both had paid the 1913 taxes almost immediately after the new law was enacted by the first legislature.

SEPTEMBER 6, 1911-Seven lives were lost in the worst hotel fire in Juneau?s history at an early hour this morning when the Juneau Hotel on Second Street was totally destroyed. There are conflicting reports on the fire?s start. One says it was in the kitchen area; another that an inebriated guest who was celebrating Labor Day, although it is not an official holiday in Alaska, set fire to the curtains in his room. The alarm sounded at 1:20 a.m. and the fire spread so rapidly that many were trapped.

Five people were suffocated or burned to death; two others were killed by falling to the ground when they attempted to jump to the McGrath building next door.

After the alarm was sounded it quickly became obvious that the hotel building was doomed and members of the Juneau Volunteer Fire Department who arrived on the trans-channel ferry with additional hose and equipment.

The hotel, standing on the upper side if Second Street midway between Seward and Franklin, was a threat to the entire block. B. M. Behrends, merchant and banker, broke out all of the blankets of his stock, soaked them in water and draped them over his store building and the adjoining bank. Many of the blankets were scorched but the buildings were saved. The Circle City Hotel, which faces Third Street, was charred. The McGrath Building, corner of Second and Seward, was gutted and its upper floor was burned away entirely. The Mayflower Billiard Hall, to the east of the hotel on Second Street, suffered damage, as did the ice cream and candy store facing Seward Street. Total losses in the fire, in addition to the lives, were placed at $50,000.

The Juneau Hotel, a three story building of frame construction, first opened its doors at the end of Juneau in 1897. It was built by J. J. McGrath, a resident of Juneau since 1882, to replace his Juneau City Hotel which had occupied the same site. McGrath still owned the hotel building but it was operated under lease by Paul Vincent.

DECEMBER 1, 1916-The big new dock being constructed on Juneau?s waterfront by the Pacific Coast Company is nearing completion. It occupies the site of the former Union Wharf and People?s Wharf and is 780 feet long with an average width of 115 feet. Coal bunkers with a capacity of 2,000 tons will be constructed at the north end of the dock, which is to be leased to the Pacific Steamship Company. A warehouse 192 by 51 feet, with office space at one end and living quarters above is also being built and will be painted with Admiral Line colors ? green with buff trim. A total of 1,500 pilings and 1,080,000 feet of lumber have been used in the construction. The piling was supplied by local loggers and the lumber came from the Worthen sawmill here. (Note: The wharf later became the Alaska Steamship dock and is now owned by the City and Borough of Juneau.)

JANUARY 3, 1914-The Juneau Athletic Club was organized at a meeting last night, with Leonard Hurlbett as president and H. F. Cain as secretary. The initial function of the club with a dance at the Elks Hall to raise funds. It will be held January 8 and the money will be used to furnish a first class gymnasium.

AUGUST 11, 1913-A Welte music machine, which plays from rolls, is being set up in the Jaxson Skating Rink by the Eiler Music House. The machine has 300 pipes running from one inch to 8 feet in length and is equal to a 15-piece orchestra. The machine cost $3,500, including 25 rolls of music. Construction of the rink is progressing rapidly and the hardwood floors will be laid soon.

JULY 9, 1938-Part of the first floor and balcony are up on the Gross Twentieth Century Theater building which is being financed by the Twentieth Century Investment Company of which W. D. Gross is president. When completed the five-story building will have 24 apartments, two store spaces and a 1,200-seat theater.