The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-09

| family. The Indian and his squaw ac-
| cumulate money and bury 1t. Many
own their own homes. but the squat
ter's right" rule has decided that the
/ Indian shall live in their own settle
| ments outside of the town limits, ana
| the watchman of the town enforces this
rule, obliging all male Indians to leave
i the town not later than nine o'clock at
night. This rule was inausurated in
| the interest of both races. whites and
| Indians. to avoid any conflict between
| the races.
| Juneau has three excellent weekly
| papers, edited with marked abllty-the
| Alaskan Free Press, the Searchlight
and Alaska Mining Record. The latter
| is the recognized authority of the min
ing world.
| Juneau has two or three as commodi-
Gus stores as are found in places of its
size in the states and present the finest
| display of furs yet seen, and at reason
able prices, even to curio hunters;
among them the bear, wolf, seal, mink,
| otter. fox, beaver and other skins, and
the celebrated Chilcat dancing blanket.
Those of Koleher & James and Decker
| Bros. are the most inviting. Juneau
has an electric light plant. which for
four months of the year gives way to
the brilliant light of the sun, taking its
| turn again for the eight months in the
| winter, excepting for IA few hours at
| midday. The difference of time be-
| tween Juneau and New York Is four
| hours. At Juneau We are within eight
degrees of the arctic circle, or twenty
| three degrees from the north pole. In
June the sun rises at 2.45 and sets at
S.55, followed by long twilight
| COST OF LIVING.
The cost of living here is learned
from the following pacards found
in front of the stores: Milk. II
cents per quart: eggs. 20 cents
a dozen; butter, As cents per pound;
potatoes, SIT per ton; hay. $50 per ton;
wood, S. per cord pine lumber, SIS NJ;
| British Columbia coal, $l2 per ton.
Fresh meat brought from the Sound is
| 60 per cent. higher than at Seattle or
| Victoria.
The saloon question Is agitating the
people of Juneau. 1t Is problem difl-
cult of solution for the reason that the
prohibitOry law which was enacted by
congress very soon after the purchase
of the territory for the purpose of with
holding liquor from the Indian popula-
tion has proven wholly imperative and
is very unpopular with the white popu-
lation; hence the impossibility of en-
| forcing the law, as it simply prohibits
the importation of liquor. but not its
sale to the white population, This fact
has proved a strong incentive to the
| smuggling of liquor in the territory,
| while the white population are very Sc
we're with any white man that Is de-
tected in the sale of liquor to the In
dians. and will push him to the eX
tremity of the law when detected. 1t
Is declared to be utterly impossible to
impanel a jury who will render q ver-
Il . t,..t t.,ff fft..
the whites, as they regard the law in
it's application to the white population
as wholly unjust. The only possible
way of controlling the liquor traffic In
| Alaska, it is claimed. is by repeating
the prohibitory law 80 far as 1t relates
to the white population and enact in
its stead a stringent license law, al
lowing the white population Of any
town to determine by popular vote as
to how many licensed saloons they will
have in the town and make the license
so high that it will make those that
receive them detective force against
all others who attempt the traf-
fc without license. Liquors are mostly
smuggled from Fort Simpson, b. c.,
and the thirty saloons here are amply
supplied. The United States govern
ment loses IA large revenue in conse-
quence.
Low MORALS.
Juneau Is compared to a western min
| ing town, with all its vices set down in
the midst of a native heather popula-
tion, and for this reason the morals of
| the community are not of high type.
and the natives who come to trade or to
work in the mines are often subjected to
the vilest influences to be found any
where. There is the same disregard for
the Sabbath and Christian institutions,
the same frequenting of the saloons and
gambling hail. the same recklessneSs
and vice as is found in the primitive
west. The effect on the natives can be
readily imagined. Yet the influence of
our Missions are like light houses on a
dangerous coast The Presbyterian
church and the Mission Home with
its seventy members and forty scholars
under the care of Rev. l.. +. Jones and
wife. and two teachers, are almost the
only factors in the elevation and civil
iZation of the native families located
here. Here | must pause to make brief
mention of our visit to the Mission
where we were attracted by the singing
Of the native children. 1t is an inter-
esting slight to witness this group of
dark skinned native boys and girls
with straight, stiff, black hair. gath
cred around the cabinet organ, singing
the Gospel songs so familiar to us ALL
Just think of 1t, only q few years since
were these little waits taken from the
dirt, filth and degradation of their own
homes to be cleaned, civilized. educated
and Christianized. We attended the
native prayer meeting and witnessed a
scene of devotion and reverence which
Christians everywhere may well emu
late. All tourists who visit the prayer
| ma i,,r~ Of hn oh,
are surprizcd at the readiness earnest
ness and Dromptness of the native In
dian in taking part. The attitude and
tone of voice were touchingly express
sive. Aside from animated singing,
two or three would rise at once, either
to offer prayer or speak. We were
especially interested in four of their
number, who. after an earnest eXhor-
tation, followed in prayer in their own
native tongue.
"All roads lead to Rome" and all
routes in Alaska lead to Juneau. But
If juneau hopes to retain her prestige
and grow to metropolitan dimensions.
she must plane down the sides of her
mountains, or erect sty-scraping build
ings with elevators, to accommodate
her populace. for nearly every foot of
available ground is already occupied
IN A GOLD MINE.
Interesting as is Juneau and it's en-
virOnments, there are still more de-
lightful spots to be visited. Directly
across the channel on Douglas Island.
Is the great "Treadwell Gold Mine"
not only the richest gold mine in the
world, but near 1t is the largest quartz
mill in the world. This island Is twen-
ty-five miles long and from five to
eight miles wide, and is as much a
treasure island for gold as the Priby-
lofts are for seals. This one mine has
yielded many times more gold than was
paid for Alaska. Alaska Is called a
Land of Cold" for here gold "glitters
in the sunshine" when viewed from the
Treadwell Ledge, and only awaits fur
ther development of man to unlock yet
undiscovered treasure vaults of the yell
low metal