Digital Bob Archive

1 September 1978 issue

DECEMBER 31, 1894-Telephonic communication between Juneau and Douglas as well as between different stores and offices in Juneau may now be had. Ed Webster has been busy with a force of men putting in posts and stringing up wires for the system. The central office will be at Bertram Bros. store on Front Street.

FEBRUARY 1, 1895-Superintendent Frank C. Hammond of the Alaska Improvement Company reports that work on the Silver Queen group of claims on Sheep Creek will be carried on this season on an even larger scale than ever before. Ten more stamps are being added to the mill, which will double its capacity. The stamps are coming from the Alaska Union mine on Douglas Island. Yesterday a force of men under William Stanton started taking out the last 20 stamps from the Union mill. Ten stamps will be kept in reserve. The other stamps in the Union mill were taken out earlier and placed in the Red mill near Silver Bow Basin. At Sheep Creek a Pelton wheel will be placed at the foot of the first falls below the Silver Queen to run a dynamo which will furnish light and power at the mine.

AUGUST 17, 1914-The C. W. Young Company has commenced to demolish the old barns and buildings that have extended from the rear of the plumbing shop to the waterfront. This is preliminary to construction of a new building which will extend a distance of 250 feet along the alley known as the Seward Street extension. One section of the building will contain eight offices and sample rooms for the use of traveling men. Another part of the new structure will house the undertaking parlors and chapel of the C. W. Young Company, which will be located on the ground floor. (Note: This is now the location of Ace Hardware.

JANUARY 20, 1914-Yesterday afternoon the Alaska Daily Empire, together with the printing business connected with it, was transferred by Governor J. F. A. Strong, who founded the paper, the Empire Printing Company. This firm was incorporated on January 15 by John W. Troy, John M. Cramer and Curt C. Johnson, all of Juneau. The firm was incorporated for $18,000. I. M. Jensen of Skagway is also a stockholder and a director of the new firm.

OCTOBER 3, 1916-The Gastineau Cafe opened yesterday at noon in the Gastineau Hotel Building. The proprietors are Gleves and MacKenzie, owners of one of the largest restaurants in Dawson.

MARCH 15, 1917-Before the largest crowd to see a basketball game this winter, Douglas beat Thane last night by a 24-14 score. The first half was very even and ended 12-11 in Thane?s favor, but after that it was all Douglas and Thane scored only two points in the second half.

MARCH 10, 1917-Burford?s Pool Hall, commonly known here as Burford?s Corner, in the First National Bank Building at Front and Seward, is undergoing extensive improvements. The large center pillar is being removed and replaced by a truss and new battleship linoleum is being laid.

JANUARY 13, 1920-The Enterprise Foundry at the south end of town will soon add a brass furnace with a capacity of 1,500 pounds to its equipment. Recently a 15-ton hoist was added. The foundry is working to capacity these days, with much of its production going to the Alaska-Gastineau Mining Company at Thane. Lagergreen and Wicklander are proprietors.

JANUARY 23, 1920-The fish hatchery on the lower floor of the Arctic Brotherhood building on Third Street in downtown Juneau is a busy and interesting place just now. A total of 7 million salmon eggs have been eyed at the hatchery, then replanted in such places at Duck Creek, Peterson Creek, streams around Eagle River, Falls Creek on Admiralty Island and at Warm Springs Bay. The work has been accompanied by Territorial Superintendent of Hatcheries A. J. Sprague and his assistants. In the hatching troughs at present may be seen every stage of the process.

MAY 19, 1921-Henry C. Alexander of Eagle River has received the first land patent issued in that valley and there is a general celebration by the residents. The homesteaders of Eagle River are busily engaged in seeding their fields.

JULY 26, 1926-Capt. James V. Davis, president and manager of the Davis Transportation Company which recently lost the contract for the Sitka and Skagway mail routes, announces that he will put the Estebeth on a Chatham Strait route, carrying both freight and passengers. Outbound the vessel will call weekly at Funter Bay, Hawk Inlet, Tenakee, Killisnoo, Chatham, Baranof, Tyee, Red Bluff Bay, Port Walker, Port Armstrong, Port Conclusion and Port Alexander. The return will be via Pillar Bay, Washington Bay, Saginaw Bay, Tyee, Baranof, Hawk Inlet and Funter Bay.

JUNE 8, 1928-The Juneau Chamber of Commerce has authorized the expenditure of the necessary funds to construct a float for the use of seaplanes on the waterfront. V. A. Paine is chairman of a special committee to oversee construction. Timber for the floats has been donated by two logging firms, Sawyer Reynolds Company and Charles Bender, while the cables and anchors are being contributed by the Alaska-Juneau Mine. Funds from the chamber will take care of labor costs for the job.