Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-03
ALASKA'S CHIEF CITY.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIED
ATTRACTIONS OF JUNEAU.

A Rush in Search of Curios-Tho Annual
RainfalI-Indian Bellies I'm Full Feather
ARTS of tho Toilet-Covering Their
Faces with SCOT and OLA BALL
Sitka, the capital OF Alaska. sleeps save
when she Is awakened for a day or "
by the arrival of a steamer-load OF tour
ists. Fort Wrangell, the premature or
spring of a gold rumor, is dead. Juneau,
the metropolis, Is the only settlement hat
shows any signs Of vigor, and she may
hope to live a not over-lively village life
20 long as the mines on Douflss island,
across the narrow straits, continue TO pay,
and no longer. There were sea birds
skimming the water Is we threaded the
labyrinthine channels that surround
Juneau.
This settlement has seen q good deal OF
experience for a young one. It was nrst
known as Pilsbury; then some humorist
dubbed it Fliptown. II was afterward
called Rockwell. and Harrisburg, and
finally Juneau, the name it still bears
with more or less dignity. The customary
Indian village hangs upon the borders OF
the town; in fact, the two wings OF the
! SttIltLlSuI dIC dDO " cos - Wy
per-skin seems not particularly interested
in its progress Of civilization further than
the occasional chance 1t affords him OF
turning an honest penny in tle disposal
Of his wares. No sooner was the gang
plank out than we all made q rush for the
trading stores in search OF curios. The
faculty OF acquisitiveness grows with
what it feeds on, and before the Alaska
tour Is over it almost amounts to q mania
among the excursionists. You should
have seen us, men, women and children
hurrying along the beach to the heart Of
juneau, where we saw flags flying from
the slaves that stood by the trading stores.
1t was no easy task to distance q competi-
tor in those thorouhfares.
JUNEAU's ANNUAL RAINFALL
Juneau has an annual rainfall Of nine
feet; the streets are guttered; indeed the
streets are cutters in some cases. know
Of at least one little bridge that carries
the pedestrian from one sidewalk to an
other, over the muddy road below. Twas
headed Off on my way to the N. w. T.
Co.'s warehouse and sat me down on O
stump to write till the rush on bric-a- brac
was over. Meanwhile l noticed the shake
shanties and the pioneers who hung about
them, with their long, slim legs crooked
under rush chairs in the diminutive YER
andas.
Indian bells were out in full feather.
They waddled up and down the lanes of
the town, sQuatted at the street corners
Or lay in heaps among the ware which
were displayed upon the strips Of narrow
sidewalk. Many Of them had wild berries
for sale or were eating handouts OF them
at intervals to encourage the appetite OF
the Indifferent customer. Some of these
Indian maidens had their faces covered
with a thick coating Of SCOT and oil, the
rims of the eyelids, the tip Of the nose
and the inner portions Of the lips show
ing in striking contrasts to the hideous
mask, which they are said to wear In or
der to preserve their complexion. They
look for the most part like black faced
monkeys, and appear in this guise a great
portion Of the time In order TO dazzle the
town, after a scrubbing. with skins as
fair and sleek as soft soap. Even some
Of the sterner sex are constrained to resort
to art in the hopo of Tightening their
manly beauty, but these are, Of course,
Alaska dudes, and as such are doubtless
~pardonable.
There is a bathhouse in Juneau and q
barber shop. They did a big business on
our arrival There are many billiard
halls, where prohibited drinks are TO be
more or less surreptitiously obtained. A
dance hall stands uninvitingly open in
the street. At the doorway, as we pass
it, was posted a hand-lettered plscard n
nouncing hat the ladies OF Juneau would
on the evening in question give a grand
ball in honor Of the passengers Of the
Ancon. Tickets, 50 cents.-Cor. San Fran
cisco Chronicle.