The Ketchikan miner., 1908-03-07

formerly reiofore was, is yet better than half a dozen dead men. He vii reopen his office in the Rodman build ing on Main street.
 Capt. James Thompson, erstwhile fishermen, and since last fall caretak CT at the Kiam location, is in towr for brief stay, and is making his calculations for rre-establishing the sal. mou saltery, at Skowl arm, at which place he one time carried on opera. tions.
 The Cottage City is reported tC have left Juneau at o'clock last evening, and may be expected to ar rive here very early tomorrow morn ing. Considering that she left only last Saturday, made calls at Calder and Shakan, and got through Wrangell narrows as late as noon the next day. she promises to break all previous records for fast sailing on this round voyage.
 A re-adJustment and reduction of 1 the customs force of the district has resulted in several inspectors being dropped from the rolls. Among those dropped from the service, is former inspector R. L. Colby, Of this place, who will go to Juneau on the next up trip of the Cottage City, to accept a position on the Daily Dispatch. He will be missed from Ketchikan, but DO tears need be shed over his los of government position since he goes direct into another equally as lucra tive, and being an accomplished craftsman can always conand employ ment at better salary than is ordi- narily paid to those in the public service.
 Current criticism of the ent. rtain- 'nent given b, the native people at the mission school house the other evening induces the belief on the part of The Miner. that it fell short of do- ing full justice to the merits of the several performers. Her bert Murchi- son is spoken of most highly as an inn personator, while Charley Bathle is aid to excel any ptestidigateur who ras ever exhibited here. These favor able comments encourages the helief hat the entertainment might be re- peated with profit to the organ fund, and to the further pleasure of the public.
 The cable ship Burnside arrived down from Valdez early last night, ud anchored in the stream here till about o'clock this morning, when -he proceeded on her way to Seattle, 10 await another summons to the field of operations where her services are most likely to be required. She found the Sitka-Valdez cable broken in three places. and the same number of breaks in the extension from Valdez to Sew ard, all of which she picked up and repaired, and the cable is now work ing throughout it's entire length. The breaks were occasioned by an earth quake shock, which could not have been much more severe without doing serious damage in that particular region.
 The following meteorological sum- mary of the weather conditions during the week ending March I, 1908, is reported by N. B. Whitfield deputy U. $. land and mineral surveyor:
 February 27-6 a. m. to p. m.- clear, wind from northwest, avg. temp 14 deg.
 February 28-6 a. m. to p. m.- ,clear, wind from north and northwest, avg. temp. 29 deg.
 March 1-6 a. m. to p. m.-clear, wind from north and northwest, avg. temp. ? deg.
 wind from north and northwest, avg. temp. H3 deg.
 March 3-6 a. ID. to 6 D. m.-clear, wind from north, avg. temp. 2 deg
 March 4-6 a. m. to 6 p. m.-clear, wind from north, avg. temp. 23 deg.
 Lowest temperature in February, 5 degrees above zero.
 Rainfall during February, 3 9-l0 inches.
 Snowfall during February, S-l0 inches.
 Elsewhere Councilman Pittenger tenders his thanks to the officers and members of the fire department for the prompt and effective work done by them at the fire which threatened the destructi on of one of his buildings last Tuesday. But that it would have been unusual in a mere card of thanks the councilman might have mentioned that which The Miner should have said ere this, that fire organization anywhere could not have acquitted itself more creditably than did this one on the occasion referred to. In just three minutes from the time of the sounding of the alarm they were on the sceLe of the fire ready to lay the hose, and in four minutes more had streams playing on the flames,