Digital Bob Archive

6 October 1978 issue

FEBRUARY 26, 1887-The Juneau Minstrel Troop will give an entertainment on March 2 in the hall formerly used as the Palace Theater. The ladies of Juneau are especially invited to this show as it was gotten up more for their entertainment than for money making purposes.

OCTOBER 26, 1893-Ed Webster and Frank Bach of the telephone company are preparing to connect Juneau and Douglas by wire. A cable for this purpose was sunk in the channel some time ago but has not worked satisfactorily. Now a pole 70 feet high has been placed on the edge of the channel near Gold Creek. The pole is supported by several pilings and an aerial wire will be strung across the channel from it. The company now has five stations with Bell instruments. Three of them are on Douglas Island and two in Juneau. They are the Treadwell Company store, the Treadwell wharf, and Bach?s home and office, all in Douglas. In Juneau they are the post office and the steamship wharf, with the central station at Webster?s house.

JUNE 20, 1900-The City Brewery went into operation at 6 p.m. yesterday with the starting up of its refrigeration plant. The firm was recently incorporated for $15,000 and it will have one of the largest payrolls in the city. William Matlock is president and William Deyo is manager, while the brewmaster, Col. Fisher, is a graduate of the famous school of brewing at Wors, Germany. Principal owners of the company are George Kyrage, William Winn, Lockie MacKinnon and G. G. Darrow.

JANUARY 10, 1914-Within 40 days the office of the general agent for Alaska Pacific Navigation Company will be moved from Seward to Juneau, according to B. F. Watson of that company. Better communications and a more central location are the reasons given for the move. The line will be known as the Admiral Line and will operate the Admiral Watson, Admiral Evan and Admiral Sampson on the Alaska route.

APRIL 10, 1914-Surveyors this morning set stakes for a new two-story reinforced concrete office building to be constructed by the Treadwell Gold Mining Company next to its general store. The building will house all of the company?s main offices and the survey crew.

MAY 4, 1914-The Taku Railway and Navigation Company, a Washington state company, Saturday filed articles of incorporation with Secretary of Alaska C. E. Davidson. Capital stock will be $300,000. Object of the company is to build a railroad from Taku Inlet to the Canadian boundary to connect with the proposed line to be built by the Atlin Railway Company, a Canadian firm.

NOVEMBER 21, 1914-Juneau has a new fire brigade, created under a reorganization plan which wiped out the old volunteer department. This was done by resolution of the City Council, adopted last night. A temporary organization of the new unit has been effected and Sim Frieman was appointed fire chief. The new organization will have 20 members to start with, 10 of them nominated by the fire committee of the Council and 10 to be chosen by Chief Frieman.
Nominated by the Council in addition to Frieman were Charles W. Carter, Alvin Goldstein and J. W. Bell. The old department was organized by Emery Valentine and gave 19 years of useful service.

OCTOBER 24, 1916-The second annual entertainment of the Douglas chapter of the Sons of Norway will be given on Saturday evening when ?Paa HyCelen? will be presented at the Lyric Theater. It will be followed by a dance at the Labor Union Hall.

JANUARY 11, 1917-The Island Ferry Company, operating the ferry Gent between Juneau and Douglas, has presented a bill for towage amounting to $500 to the Juneau Ferry & Navigation Company. A few days ago the ferry Alma, owned by the latter firm, broke her crankshaft in the channel off Mayflower Island. A strong wind was blowing and the Alma blew a distress call. The Gent took her in tow and took her to the Douglas ferry float where she was safely tied up.

FEBRUARY 17, 1920-About 150 tons of coal crashed through the center portion of the City Dock and into the bay about 11:30 last night, shortly after the Princess Ena unloaded it. Longshoremen were still at work in the area but the breaking timbers warned them and all escaped. About 30 feet of dock caved in and at first it was feared the entire structure would go. In all there were about 700 tons of coal on the dock at the time. It is believed that most of the lost coal can be recovered.

NOVEMBER 17, 1922-Four lights to mark the course across Mendenhall Bar have been installed, with R. G. Keeney in charge of the work. The fuel containers for the lights holds enough to last eight days without replenishing. Pete Madsen is in charge of keeping the lights burning.

FEBRUARY 26, 1925-The George Bros. Quality Grocery store opened this morning in its new location next door to the old one, on Front Street in space formerly occupied by the Post Office Store, which has moved across the street. The front of the building will be remodeled as soon as weather permits, according to Tom George, a member of the firm. A shoe department will be opened in the store space formerly occupied by the Quality Grocery.

JANUARY 5, 1935-Joe Kendler, proprietor of the Alaska Dairy, had purchased a new International one and a half ton truck to be used in making his milk deliveries. Business has picked up to the extent that it requires a larger truck which he bought from the Service Motor Company.