Douglas Island news., 1915-07-14

The Situation at Anchorage
 Mir. George c. Hazelet recently re- turned from a weeks visit to Anchor age and told the following story to the Cordova Times:
 "l went to Anchorage 10 investigate conditions in the town for my own sat. isfaction and to size up the business at first hand.
 CT found the largest tent town ] ever saw-from 2,OOO to 2,5OO people are fed housed and their wants, in a way, taken care of in tents, all located on the gov ernment railway terminal ground.
 "There are from 9 to 30 restaurants and as many lodging houses, ranging from 8xlO to 1Gx2l feet There are from l2 to 10 places where groceries are sold, running from peanut stands with sugar, coffee aud the staples, mp to fair stocks of groceries, including fresh vegetables and fruits, and more are coming in with each boat. There are two or three places where mems furnishing goods are sold in conjunc- tion with hardware, etc., and as many dry goods and ladies' furnishing places. 1 The town has 15 or 20 barber shops and one bath tent, six laundries, two watch and clock repair shops, three tin shops, five transfer outfits; two drug stores, one saw mill; one picture show, one newspaper, several lawyers, no salooue, but plenty of booze, ten cigar stores, with several real estate and brokerage firms. Numerous other small bushes. ses are represented.
 "There are GOO to TOO men out of work. The railway officials tell me they employ 1000 meu in all capacities. The work is strung along 20 miles from Anchorage toward the Matanuska riv- CT, let out in station work. The right of way is cleared beyond for some dis tauce. Common labor is 3715 cents an hour, eight hours work with a shut down on Sunday. Carpenters receive from 40 to 60 cents per hour.
 "It is said to be the intention of the government to dredpe out dock site and put in concrete dock, with lock. This is necessary because of the ex- lreme tide of 42.6 feet, the second high est in the world, and the ice conditions that prevail during the winter.
 "Agents of the government are ad- vertising that Anchorage is to be the ocean terminous, that coal bunkers will be erected, and a naval base estab lished. It is evident it is their inten- ton to make it an open port the year around if possible. However, this is not believed to be possible by men that are familiar with conditions. talked with a nun Der of men, some of whom have lived in Cook inlet for the past 9 years, and all of whom have operated boats in that section, and they are unanimous in the opinion that it can- not be done. They explain that i'm mense ice gorges pile up clear across the inlet in any ordinary winter, and move back and forth with the tide,
 ometimes for distance of 60 miles. The iulet as a whole does not freeze over, hence it is not a question for an ice breaker, but the ice and snow freeze in masses 10 to l5 feet thick, and move back and forth from , to II miles per hour owing 10 the stage of the tide.
 "My observations were that boats are required to wait for the tide to go in auy direction from Anchorage. In fact, the book says that sea-going yes sells should not attempt to go in over the bar between Fire island and Me Kenzie point, at less than half tide. .To go to Knik Arm from Anchorage one must wait until the tide is flood ing, and to get out of the arm must wait until it ebbs The same applies to Turnagain Arm. Leaving Anchor age from Turnagain Arm, one must go out on the ebb tide, aud lie back of Fire island until the tide turns, and go up the arm with the flood, and reverse the thing 10 get back.
 "It is said that 300 homesteads have