The Ketchikan miner., 1908-12-19
KETCHIKAN
Local Happenings of the Past Seven Days Tersely
 Told.
(From Wednesdays daliy)

Fred Patching of the Loring hatch. cry, is in town and registered at the Stedman.
 The Jefferson is reported as having left Seattle on time and will conse- quently reach here early tomorrow morning.
 There is little doing in the social world just now, everybody is evident y resting up for the holiday festiv- i,ies.
 This was Police Magistrate Plumly's s busy day, several malefacators being brought hefore him, all of whom paid the fiEes assessed against them.
 Martin Buggy with crew of men and the pile driver is engaged in re- rair.ng and reinforcing the New Eng land Fish Co.'S. dock at Bellana. Word has been received here of the serious illness of Fred Spurrell with tuber cuiosis at Santa Barbara, Cal His wife anu one month old baby is at his bedside.
 The cold weather for the past two days has caused the coal dealers to carry with them very broad smile, and Capt. Andy Anderson is smoking very fine cigars.
 The gasoline laucrh Alma that welt on the beach duling the storm about week ago is reported as being nigh and dry, aud the owners will not he able to put her afloat until lh. next high tides. he is ashore Il Clover passage.
 It has been said that "Marshal Field, Jay Gould and Potter Palmer were in the habit of carrying a yer, small amount of money in their uockets.n Tue same can be said of sene Of the rest of Us when We alt sune.
 r. J. GiIluOre has received fine -pecI men ut coiallte, ttom one of tn, local hshermel. The specimen is a very file Une about four feet six inches ID length with spreading branches like the limbs of tree or shrub. It was taken fro Il the water at one hundred and thirty fatLoms, md Is certainly curosity in it's every uetail.
 The fine coastng for the last two dars has caused the small boys to get busy repairing and buildinsg sleds. Jimmie Say!es and Dale Hunt have secured the services of Knight anu Morrow to build them an eighteen-fooi bohsied with sufficient beam to pro- tect the feet and lower extremeties of passengers in case of collision. The "craiL" will be two ton displacemeni which is liable to take place at an, point below the Catholic church. Sh' will be in commission tomorrow night.
 The juvenile population are having loyai sport coasting down the hill on Main st eet, these frosty evenings. The nly thing that mars their spj Tt the danger of cclliding vi b he ie uf old lun.her that as occupied a portion of the street for the past lew months.
 The following from the Wall Sure, | Journal should be a sufficient hint |, the men intereste in Alaska to gel busy: The close of the year shows little change in the mining sil a or of Alaska. More capital is neeoeu ir tbat county and better traI sportatioL methods necessary to develop the re- s)urces of the country. A few good properties are working successfully, but he rest of the gold comes from small prospec.ors who arc merel, transient and take the top layer. so to speak, leaving the poorer gravel fol those who can afford the equipment and pay the cost of getting machner. 10 the place of action. The receni panic really hurt deveolpment il Alaska, and probably placed the country year behind what wouh have shown next year if money hat been obsauable. The proper mehod. have n, t been used to interest tht public in this country, which is reall, enormously rich in various metals out side of gold.
 A ruipor reached the Miner yestei day to the effect that NJ. E. Martin had under contemplatino the building of a two story business block on his property at the corner of Front ant Dock streets, so d representative was dispatched to iuverview him upon the subject, the result of which was tha the rumor was to a degree confirmed During his stay in Portland the past year, Mir. Martin became interested in the construction of large buiding' out of cement blocks to such an exCen that he mnde a careful l.vestie eatior as to cost and durability of sucl material, and was soon satisfied tha , it was the proper material for th' construction of buildings here, costini a little over one third more thar wood. bes ides being more durable