The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-06-14

Some Features Of Life In the Prfnci-
pal City Of Alaska

Some Features Of Life In the PRINCE
PAL City Of Alaska.
Juneau is not pious town. notwithstand-
ing it has Methodist, Presbyterian, an
Episcopalian. Greek. Catholic and an
Indian church, all of them thrifty The
fact Is, Juneau Is good deal Partisan In It's
style, and is decidedly wide open. Gam
bling places. saloons, dance halls and dives
abound. and they appear to be q necessity
OF existing conditions. The streets Of Ju-
neau. beyond the one at the water front.
are mostly uphill, and they are all paved
with plank, says the Washington Evening
Star. Wagons are few, 10 in all, but there
are platform sheds on low runners, that can
slide down street like a toboggan. There
are 20 bicycles, but just where they can
run is not apparent. There is an opera
house, and q unique method OF having shows
In 1t. Every Friday night 1t Is open to the
best people, at 81 a seat. with selected
talent from the variety shows of the town
where the best people cannot go-except
the men.
Socially Juneau is quite gay, and pink
and other hued teas prevail in the after
moons, while assemblies, balls and other
functions take up the night time. On spe-
cial occasions flowers are ordered from
Seattle. There are Is or 80 ladies who are
prominent In society, and entertain. Men
are plenty, but there are few unmarried
women, and there is an urgent demand for
them.
There are two banks and the stores are
very large, with fine window displays. One
firm pays its window trimmer sos month.
What 3.5O0-size town in the states does as
well as that? Extensive stocks are carried,
running from $4,000 to $15O.0O0, with an
nual sales running as high as $3.50, 900 at
retail. There is a big bushes done in
Indian curios, the Indians selling as high as
5000 worth a year from their houses and
on the streets. One excursion steamer last
season carried out $4,000 worth of Indian
baskets.
The press Is represented by the Dispatch
daily. and its weekly, the Morning Rec
ord, by E. c. Russell, Jr., a hustler; the
Alaska Miner and the Truth are weeklies.
There are two or three libraries and free
reading rooms maintained by the citizens.
and they are we'll patronized. Dealers sell
large quantities Of paper-back novels as
we'll, and all the periodicals of the East are
in eager demand.
There is no police in Juneau, the police
function being in the hands of deputy Unit
ed States marshals, and there is little dis
order. Juneau has q climate that is all
cloud and fog and mist for about 367 days
in the year.
4 sAll kinds Of hardy vegetables are raised
around the town. and one man has a floral
garden where roses and other flowers -four
ish as the green bay tree. Prices are quite
reasonable. Good board may be had at from
IS to IS a week, and rooms at from $40 to
$50 month Drinks are rs cents each, ex-
cept beer, which is Is cents, and cigars are
two for a quarter, but good scent cigars
are to be had, and the time-tried, fire.
tested Pittsburg and Wheeling stogie can be
had at "two-fer." or 81 hundred. shave
costs quarter and hair cut SO cents.
Best hotels. which have water, electric light
and all the modern improvements. charge
81 and So q day. and some very fair as low
as 81 day.
The town is lighted by electricity from
a fine plant, and it has waterworks, sup
piled by mountain streams, SO high up that
there is force enough to throw water all
over town. It is cold water, too, and beau
tifully clear.