Digital Bob Archive

FEBRUARY 19, 1887-Local merchant W. F. Reed last week opened his big safe and showed us sacks of gold dust taken from local mines. Each local merchant has a safe and stores gold for his customers, but Reed has the biggest safe of all and hence can be considered our foremost banker.

Mr. A. T. Corbus has been designated the sole agent to take subscriptions and advertisements for The Alaska Free Press on Douglas Island. He is connected with the Treadwell mine.

The Indians are bringing in large quantities of herring which they peddle around town. They catch them with herring rakes.

New advertisers in the Free Press: Mrs. B. Levy, Dry Goods, Indian Curios, Dealer in Hides and Furs; A. Goldstein & Company, General Merchandise.

The Juneau Minstrel Troupe will give an entertainment on March 2 in the hall formerly used by the Palace Theater.

MARCH 5, 1887-The steamer Al-ki has arrived with a thousand tons of coal for the Alaska Mill & Mining Company at Treadwell and it will be possible to again start up the 120 stamp mill. The mill has been shut down since cold weather shut off the water supply.

About 40 miners will leave for the Yukon as soon as the Lynn Canal wind lets up. Among them are Preston Cloudman and Thomas Kiernan who were members of the Emund Bean party that opened Chilkoot Pass to the miners the summer of 1880.

The ferry Marion is again making regular trips between Juneau and Douglas Island. For several days the boat was unable to make the run because of high winds and ice in the channel.

Juneau has gotten to be an expensive camp to winter in. Wood is selling at $4.50 a cord, coal at $13 a ton, and coal oil at $2.50 for a five-gallon can.

The Juneau Fire Association has elected these officers: John Timmons, president; W. M. Bennett, vice president; W. F. Reed, treasurer; Karl Koehler, secretary; and Herman H. Hart, fire chief. The association now has 60 paid-up members.

The instruments for the Alaska Cornet Band are expected on the next steamer.

Miners bound for the Yukon are heading north by canoe and on the steamboats Yukon and Seal.