Digital Bob Archive

SEPTEMBER 1918 - PART 2:

M.S. Bloch, fish buyer on the Juneau waterfront, had his license revoked on order of the U.S. Food Administrator because he had been paying more than the established price for salmon. The government had set a price of 32 cents apiece for sockeye salmon and 9 cents apiece for chum salmon. Bloch had been paying 38 to 40 cents and 13 to 15 cents for the two species.

Mayor Emery Valentine, after a dispute with members of the City Council over an agreement with the Pacific Coast Company with regard to a new waterfront street, abruptly declared the meeting adjourned and left the Council Chambers. The mayor had also refused to entertain a motion to fill a vacancy on the Council. After Valentine left the meeting, the Councilmen named J.H. Montgomery as chairman and proceeded to elect W. George Johnson of the Juneau Hardware Company to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of E.J. Ellingen.

Alaska's quota for the Fourth Liberty Loan drive, which opened on September 18, was $1,370,000. Juneau had the highest quota of any Alaska town, at $358,900. This was followed by Nome, $188,600; Fairbanks, $182,100; Cordova, $119,200; and Anchorage, $113,600.

Rain began to fall heavily on Wednesday night, September 25, and continued during the night and into Thursday. The Weather Bureau measured the total as 6.32 inches in 24 hours. As a result, Gold Creek went on a rampage and every road out of Juneau was blocked by slides. One bridge over Gold Creek and the Mendenhall River bridge were both carried away and part of the Lemon Creek bridge was heavily damaged. The torrent from Gold Creek moved six dwellings off their foundations, and four of them were swept away. Many other houses were flooded with from two to six feet of water. Members of the Juneau Fire Department and the Juneau Home Guards turned out to help people remove their furniture. The entire first floor of the Native Hospital was flooded and the patients and nurses were evacuated by rowboats and a big canoe. Most of the patients were taken to St. Ann's Hospital. Damage was estimated at a minimum of $250,000, including $100,000 to homes in the Casey Shattuck Addition. The track of the Alaska Juneau ore haulage railroad was taken out in six places and there was heavy damage to the flume. The Ebner mine lost its blacksmith shop and dam. The Juneau Water Company suffered $8,000 damage when its concrete intake was swept away and its flume damaged, and the Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. lost part of its intake and flume. Power was off for more than 48 hours. Slides along Gastineau Avenue totally destroyed four houses and almost destroyed a four-apartment building. The Gastineau Hotel was flooded when water ran in its back windows, down the stairs and out the front door, and the Wills store was partially flooded. The Daily Empire missed two editions and the Daily Dispatch missed three.