Digital Bob Archive

MAY 1918 - PART 4:

The Federal Food Administration urged all Alaska fishing boats to use glacier ice in order to save ammonia for war purposes. The same agency was also suggesting that mills be set up near some of the tidewater glaciers to grind up chunks of ice and that the ice be reformed into blocks for easier shipping.

Commencement for the Juneau High School was held on Thursday, May 16, in the auditorium of the new school building on Fifth Street, the first such program to be held there. There were 13 in the graduating class: Joseph Acklin, Helen Smith, Harold Koskey, Olive LaBounty, Wilbur Burford, Frances Ptack, Roberta Coryell, Clara Madge Case, Joseph McLaughlin, Rena Ellinger, Rose McLaughlin, John Meir and Elvira Wittanen. The Douglas High School graduated Norma Ripin, Virginia Laughlin, Alex Sey and Elmer Jackson.

The wreck of the steamer Al-Ki, which went ashore at Point Augusta in November 1917, was purchased by the National Rag and Metals Company which hired Charles Warner of Juneau to manage the salvage operation. He was assisted by Frank Fisher from the company's Seattle branch. They were removing the engines, boilers, winches, anchors, chains, piping, windows, doors and fittings - everything, in fact, for which there might be a market.

Albert Pederson, owner of a dairy north of Juneau, complained to Governor Riggs that four wild dogs had attacked and killed one of his most valuable milk cows before he could go to its rescue. He shot and killed one of the dogs but the other three escaped. The governor was able to offer sympathy but nothing else.

The Worthen Lumber Mills was advertising that it would deliver mill wood, cut to stove length, at $3 a cord, cash. In the same column of the paper a four-room house was offered for rent at $25 a month.

In Douglas the Serbian Church, the Congregational Church and the Lutheran Church all closed for the summer because of low attendance. The Roman Catholic Church and Episcopal Church planned to hold services as usual.

The annual excursion to Whitehorse for the Queen's Birthday celebration on May 24 was nearly cancelled because of lack of boat transportation, but at the last minute the ferry Lone Fisherman of the Juneau Ferry & Navigation Company was made availabe. The White Pass and Yukon Route was offering a round trip fare of $5 between Skagway and Whitehorse for those attending the celebration. In the past Juneau took at least two baseball teams to Whitehorse but this year had trouble recruiting men for one team. Most of Juneau's best players were on Army teams.

Henry Shattuck, who had operated the sawmill in Juneau, took a lease on the mill in Craig, which had a capacity of 50,000 feet of lumber a day. He had contracted to cut spruce lumber for use in building airplanes for the government.