The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 28, 1934, Page 12

OUGLAS, located on Douglas Island, across Gastineau Chan- | miles and a from nel, one half ant 1 townsite in Alaska.” The contour of the town- site is level wi enough slope to make good drainage, the foot- hills © not closer than a half mile from the beach. With some- thing over a mile width, suf- ficient area i for between 10 or 20 ent popula- f approximately 600 History and Growth The Island, 25 miles long by an > of five to eight miles in has proved to be a veritable island” since during the nearly forty years' operation of the famous old Treadwell mines ad- join Douglas, in which $66,000,- 000 of gold was produced, the dividends on which would have more than paid the purchase price of $7.200000 that was originally paid for Alaska. And yet pros- pectors have so far only scratched the greater portion of the Island’s shore Vancouver named the island for his friend the Bishop of Salisbury It was an untouched wildernes until 1881 when the town as founded. With the growth and development of the mines, Douglas grew until she had a population of 2,800 in 1917. On the night of April 21 of that year came the cave-in and flooding of the mines. operation of which have not as yet been resumed, Government and Utilities Douglas municipal affairs are handled by a Mayor and City Council form of government. The | present officials are: Mayor, Guy L. Smith, and Councilmen Ed A.| Andrews, Hans Loken, A. J. Balog, Joe Reidi, James Sey and John Feusi. There are three city em- Magistrate-City Clerk finger all in one, a ‘Treasurer, and a Town Marshal and Street Commissioner combined The United States Marshal’s office also maintains a Deputy Marshal here. The city has an efficient, self- supporting volunteer fire depart- ment, with motor fire truck and other suitable equipment and owns a salt water pumping system which includes a storage tank of 135,000 gallons capacity. Also the city has privately owned electric lighting, telephone and fresh water systems Public Properiies Publicly-owned properties consist | of public school buildings and | grounds valued at $35,000. A stand- ard lem of education is main- | tained which includes a four-year | high school course., Four v.eachers} | Douglas Has Promising Future --- History Told are in the high employed and five in the grades. In Fire Department Building, a wharf, coal bunkers, cannery build ings and floats, a hall building, and a asium dance h ing Real t of a b den lots as yet 1 into a number of erfri and locations suitable for industrial sites. School for Indians der the direction of the Of- fice of Indian Affairs a new in- dustrial school and community cen- ter building for Indians, the first of its kind to be built in Alaska is now in the course of construc- tion at an estimated cost when completed with ground improve- ments of about $15,000. This new institution representing a remark- able advance from the present poorly equipped quarters rented by the Government since the former school was destroyed by fire in 11926, promises wonderful advantages for the people to be served by it and to the entire community. The building should be ready for occu- pancy about March 1 Children’s Home The Alaska Children’s Home, an institution for dependent children, was organized here about two years ago and is duly incorporated under the laws of Alaska. Superintended by Rev. J. W. Cadwell, the opera- | tion thus far of the home has been a success. At present 17 children are being taken care of in the home. Its present site and build- ings are owned by the institution but the need for new quarters with more modern facilities is felt by the management and plans are be- ing made to provide same in the not distant future, Employment Facilities The principal source of employ- ment for Douglas wage earners is the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company in Juneau, with subsid- iary plants, Treadwell foundry and power plant on the Island. The business houses and various Ter- ritorial and Federal offices in Ju- neau likewise offer many workinz opportunities Douglas has one industry within her city limits, however; a salmon cannery which operates three or four months in the summer and provides: employment during the canning season to around 30 men, women and children. The build- ings of the cannery are owned by the city and leased to the Douglas Fisheries Company, which operates school | t: addition to the school prop- | the town owns a City Hall and | city | theatre and large Mercantile Interests Douglas has its shares of mod- ern mercantile establishments; four | grocery stores, meat markets, a drug store, hardware store, photo- graph shop and studio, barber shop and pool room, bakery, restaurant, laundry, machine shop, dairy, mo- tion picture house where the lates ing pictures are shown seven nights a week, one lodging and one boarding house. The coal busi- ngss of the town is handled by the city and two transfer companies | attend to deliveries, | a fourth class post office. The newspaper field is well cov- ered by the Empire Printing Com- pany of Juneau, publishers of The Daily Alaska Empire. Transportation Freight reaches Douglas by boats from Seattle all the year round |all the steamship companies regu- |larly operating boats to Alaska, ex- cept the Canadian Pacific Steam- ship Company having their vessels call in when they have shipments The Estebeth stops at Douglas on her way in and out of the channel on the Sitka and Chichagof run. | | The Juneau Ferry and Naviga- | tion Company operate a 12-trip | daily service between Douglas and | | Juneau. Churches, Lodges, Etc. Three churches, Congregational, Episcopal and Catholic, are active in Douglas, services being held in| |each at regular intervals. The first | mentioned is more in the nature |of a commnity church and a large | majority of the children of the | Island attend Sunday School there. | | The following lodges are m‘!:au—{ |ized in Douglas: Masons, Eastern | Stars, Eagles and Auxiliary, Odd | A. | Fellows, Rebekas, Encampment, IN. B. and A. N. S. A great ps of the social life of the community |centers around the fraternal or- ganizations. | Chamber of Commerce | Of much importance to the | growth and development of Dougla: |is her Chamber of Commerce which numbers among its members city | officials, private citizens and prop- ierl)' owners in general who are |alert in their endeavors to secure possible benefits for the commun: and at the same time stand read; Ito exert their influence towa | meritorious legislation for the Ter- | ritory both in Alaska and at Wash- | ington. The local body is a mem- ber of the All-Alaska Chamber. | Channel Bridge Assured | The most important development for Douglas, and indeed for the entire Channel since the beginning | of successful operation of the won- derful Alaska Juneau mine is the proposed bridge across the Channel to connect the mainland with Douglas Island, the construction of | which has been approved by Con- | gress and toward which $250,000 has already been allotted. After | working for the bridge for close on to 20 years realization is near |at hand and the advantages of | vehicular and foot travel between |the two towms cannot be easily | | overestimated. e e R FIRE: Agricultural Continental Fire Association Great American Hartford Fire Globe Newark Fire Niagara Fire New Zealand Springfield Fire AVIATION: Underwriters Manager— Fidelity Phoenix Fire Ins. Co. of North America Liverpool and London and London Assurance Corp. National Fire of Hartford New York Underwriters Northern Assurance Pennsylvania Fire Phoenix of Hartford Scottish Union & Natl. United States Aviation ACCIDENT and HEALTH: Continental Casualty Co. Maryland Casualty Co. ALLEN SHATTUCK the plant. INSURANCE IS OUR BUSINESS Read the List of Coverages and Carriers and Learn that You Haven’t an Insurance Need We Cannot Protect. WORKM TION — Lial Theft, Plate Glass, Etc.: Maryland BONDS: Maryland National AUTOMOB! of Phila. Co. Phoenix MARINE: Standard & Marine Continen Co. LIFE: We have satisfied thousands with our service WE CAN DO THE SAME FOR YOU If You Have Property in Alaska that Needs Protection SEE US ALLEN SHATTUCK, Inc. . JUNEAU, ALASKA . Assistant Manager— Curtis G. SHATTUCK | WofiOOOOW%"éWOOOO ‘W%: Providence Washington Ins. Great American Ins. Co. Fire Association of Phila. ALL RISK¢ Commercial Uflion Assurance Equitable Life Assurance So- ciety of the United States. COMPENSA- ty, Burglary, EN'S Casualty Co. Casualty Co. Surety Corp. ILE: Ins. Co. Marine Ins. Co. tal Ins. Co. There is also| The opportunity afforded by the | Public Works Administration of the Federal Government by granting |loans on most favorable terms to | municipalities is one which reaches out a protecting and life-! hand to towns such as Dougl: {the City Council is endeavoring to | shape its plans to take advantage lof the opportunity for the present | land future residents. Complete accord of the city’s of- | 1Ifit'mls with the policies and pro- | (gram of the leading officials of the Federal and Territorial govern- | ments, President Franklin D. Roose- | velt, Gov. John W. Troy and Dele- | |gate A. J. Dimond has been ex-| | pressed and represents only a part of the appreciation which is felt for their services so badly need The Island is a paradise for| hunters and fishermen. The hills abound in game of several varieties and- the streams in trout of many species. During the past summer a fine trail from the center of {town up the hillside to the Tread- well ditch was built by the Gov- |ernment under one of the many |beneficial unemployment relief plans of the President and easy access to many miles of good-going travel is afforded WESTERN FUR ‘ PROSPECT CALLED ENCOURAGING Fur prospects in the far wes ern area of Alaska are particular- ly bright for this season. Both the farmers and trappers are expect- ing a price for their product that will allow them a profit on the year's operations both on the Al- aska Peninsula and in the Aleu- tian Islands. e Since the discovery of gold at Juneau in 1880, Alaska has pro- duced more than $400,000,000 in gold, two-thirds of it from placer mines. e Alaska S. S. Official T. B. WILSON Since his appointment as Vic(u;pul‘suod in furthering and improv- President and General Manager of | ing Alaska Line operations, and Alaska Steamship Company | €Omes to the Alaska service well- R T fitted to carry out such policies. PN SRR Mr. Wilson entered the transpor- voted himself to the development | tation field in August, 1911, as a of steamship transportation be-|clerk in the passenger department tween Alaskan ports and Seattle.| of the Southern Pacific Company. He has already demonstrated the| During his spare time he studied aggressive policies which will be| wircless telegraphy, then in its in the |fancy, and in February of 1912, took a position as wireless operator in San Francisco. The following year he went to Manila as a wire- less engineer to establish stations for the United States Government. | When this job was finished he re-entered the transportation field in 1915 and, at the time of the World War, was assistant traveling auditor for the Southern Pacific Company. Wilson joined the American Ex- peditionary Forces as an officer of the 419th Telegraph Battalion of the Signal Corps and left military service at the conclusion of the war with the rank of captain. With his battalion he received an official citation for service under fire in the Toul sector. Returning to civilian life, he resumed service with the South- ern Pacific Company as traveling auditor with headquarters in San Francisco. In 1922, he was made chief clerk of the San Joaquin division at Bakersfield, California, and from then on promotions came rapidly until 1924 when Ke became Supervisor of Transportation for the entire Southern Pacific system. ‘When the Seuthern Pacific Com- pany organized its motorcoach service in 1927, Wilson was selected as Vice-President and General Manager of the Southe Pacific Motor Transport Compa His selection was immediately justified and his pioneer competit 1 the industry soon learned to look to him as a leader whose efforts and judgment redounded to the benefit of the entire industry. Wilson soon vast and pictured a single system of way transportation flung in array over the entire West his dream was not long fulfillment. Under his le it was only a matter of mon until Pacific Greyhound Lines « into being. Into this compret sive system, tapping every 3 passenger traffic source from Port- land, Oregon, to El Paso, Texas, and east to Salt Lake City, were consolidated many of the pioncer companies whose names were mous from the very beginning of bus transportation. Though one of the youngest ex- ecutives in the nation’s transpor- tation industry, Wilson astonished financial and business leaders throughout the country early in 1933 when it was announced that Pacific Greyhound Lines had op- erated in 1932 at a net profit ma- terially in excess of the earnings & | : i z % z z : | Alaska Piling and Logs FOR TRAP AND DOCK Spruce - Hemlock NOW OPERATING LET US QUOTE YOUR | REQUIREMENTS \ Juneau Logging Co., Inc. JUNEAU, ALASKA Holding Fast To Established Principles Through all the business changes of forty-two years, the management of The B. M . Behrends Bank has remained the same, and has adhered unfailingly to the established principles of sound and conservative banking practice. Now, as since 1891, the safety of depositors’ funds is the first consideration here, and the good will of customers is regarded as the the assets of the institution. —OFFICERS— B. M. BEHrenDs, President AUGHTON, Cashier Jas. W. McNavenTO greatest of GEORGE E. CLEVELAND, Asst. Cashier Asst. Cashier The B. M. Behrends Bank JUNEAU, ALASKA