, 1900-06-02
WRITES ENTERTAINMENT OF HIS
IMPRESSIONS AND EN-
P~ERIENCES.
Is Pleased With the Country and the
People He Has Met and Has En-
tered Actively Upon the Discharge
Of His Duties as District Judge of
Alaska.

SiLka and am now on my way back to
Juneau. On the 14th | was in Juneau
for two hours while our ship was un-
loading freight, on our up trip. | saw
the Tisdales there and they would not
accept any excuses but must go with
them and a a cup of coffee. | had
had my breakfast but they had not.
Tisdale is putting in a quartz mill
about 20 miles from Juneau. | have
had a most delightful trip. Mr.. Shoup,
United States marshal, was at Seattle
and came up on the same boat. He is
a very pleasant man.
This is indeed a most wonderful sea
voyage. You never realize you are on
the ocean. 1t is like sailing along a
great, broad river, with green timbered
pine covered hills raising out of the
water and running up and up to the
snOw-clad peaks above. Never a wave
or the least rocking to the ship, except
for two or three hours, and that is Just
enough to break the monotony of that
ever beautiful sail. | never had the
slightest inclination to be sea-sick at
any time, and have taken my regular
three meals daily with satisfaction.
While at Juneau, Il ship went
across to Douglas island, a mile or two,
ard | wen down and saw the great
lreadWe!l mine, now owned by the
Rothchilds M for which they paid
many millions. Went through their
great stamp mills. Saw them not only
taking the quartz from the mine, but
the whole process of reducing it. A
thousand stamps each Weighing a
thousand pounds, all going at once
in the several mills makes a ire
mendous pounding. | met quite
a representation of the bar at
Juneau and arranged to do some court
work on my return, then ven on up
the Lin canal, as it is called, about
100 miles to Skaguay. We arrived
the e about $50 o'clock in the even
ing, and strange to say the twilight
lasted until and after our arrival so
that one could read a paper without
trouble. You can hardly imagine it.
S~kaguay is a fine town, but | saw little
of it, as our good ship left the next
morning at s o'clock. This is where
the railroad crosses the celebrated
White Pass to Lake Bennett, on the
headwaters of the Yukon river. On the
18th we sailed back through the Linn
canal nearly half way to Juneau and
then passed to the westward between
different islands to Killisnoo, where
we stopped for the night. There was an
oil factory here and a small band of
Indians. These Indians look as if they
might be a cross between the heather
Chinee and some other race. The own
ers of the factory employ them largely
in catching behring's from which they
make the fish oil. Out of the bones
and waste they make guano that is
shipped to Hawaii for a fertilizer. The
smell of fish here is remarkable.
We left the wharf early the next
morning, about 5 O'Clock, and got in
to Sitka about 8 o'clock. l Immediate
ly went to our court house with Mar
shall Shoup n opened court. Order
ed a term at Skagway beginning on the
2Sth inst; appointed a jury commits
s%ioner, ordered a grand and petit jury
for the Skagway term, entered a judg-
ment in an equity case, approved Off
GERS accounts, etc. The Cottage City
was there eighteen hours, so after
a fairly busy day, We boarded the
steamer again about 9 o'clock in the ev-
ening, went to bed, and this morning
awoke on the ocean again on our way
back from Sitka to Juneau where we
shall arrive at about $50 o'clock this
evening.
The United States cutter Bear had
arrived a day ahead of us, having TAX
en- a shortcut through the islands
instead of going via Juneau and Skag-
way. DR.. Sheldon Jackson came on
the Bear and called on me shortly after
my arrival. had a good visit with
him. Appointed two United States
commissioners on his recommendation
for the Arctic country n qualified
one of them and sent commission by
Rev. Jackson to another. Captain Tut
tie, commander of the Bear, also
called.
Sitka is the incest little town il
Alaska-a good climate, though damp
an ideal place for rest crre. A mail
steamer comes in twice a month and
that is the only excitement. One is
practically u of the woodworking
to do but catch Goldfish, salmon, hall
but and the finest crabs in the world
and sleep. Persons troubled with ner-
vousness come mere and forget they
ever had any nerves.
The Indians live in very nice houses
of their w building-some of them
two-story. The Indians here are me-
chanics and do very good work.
| have had a most delightful trip.
We had rs to 100 passengers, and as
jolly a set as You ever wish to meet.
Some played on pianos and sang, 9TH |
ers played whist, others remained on
deck, taking in the sights, watching |