Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-02

center OF the city of tents for 4 has,
ball grounds, and this served as the
scene OF the other sports Of the occa
| sion. There were ball teams Of mer
, and ball teams OF women: and races OF
every description. American flags flew
from many OF the tents and a streamcr
| bearing the words Welcome to Our
! Fourth Celebration" was hung from
TWO pine trees across the main street
| The street WAS Il dirt road, but that
made no difference.
! The fat mems race was held OH that
! road. AS were also the races OF the
| girls and boys. | have a photograph
Of the Anchorace girls baseball team
! The members arc lusty maids and
malrons dressed in hloomers that come
to the knee. with white MILDLY blouses
and white caps or hats. They wear
+ tennis shoes.
| The Fourth OF July came six days
before the first government sale OF
| lots. No one then had a fixed habita-
! ton or homo. The most OF the poo
/ pie lived on the flats in tents. waiting
for the government to lay out the
town. There were. perhaps. 1000 tents.
and three or four times that many in.
hahitants All were expecting 10 make
their fortunes in selecting good lots
and growing ,ip with the town. When
the auction occurred the first lot
brought ss2j and the total sales of
that day ran up TO more than 500. 600.
Since then the people have shown much
| ri
was laid out with large public PARKS,
| amusement grounds.
GREAT INTEREST SHOWN
IN BASEBALL GAMES
So far ! have to visit any town OF
, size in Alaska that has not its base
| ball field. owing to the topoErapny of
the town, which is built upon hills
| rising almost straight up from the
water the diamond at Kctchikan is
necessarily confined to the beach 1t
/ is situated in a cove or bay which is
Hooded when the tide comes in ana il
! is possible TO play ball only between
tides The wharvcs on great piles
come close to tho ball ground, and
the people sit there with their feet
hanging and watch the game going
on below.
( The baseball ground at Prince Eu.
pert, over the way, could not be laid
out on the beach. The water there is
deep and there is no space clear at
low tide. Nevertheless tho town has
it's diamond. 1t is on the top of :,
con"likc hill, which was sliced off for
:he purpose. II cost $4,000 or $4,000
To blast the rocks and level the ground
The field is now smooth and has an
amphithcater of hills as it's grand
stand Prince Rupert has tennis court
fioorcd with boards and its people are
fond of sports of all kinds
One OF the Fourth of July events at
hetchikan consists of fishing matches
| in which the halibut fishermen con-
tend as TO who can cast his line the
most quickly and draw il in again
without tangiinG. The men are wonder
| fully expert. The lines are several
miles in length and there arc hundreds
of hooks on one line. The lines mus,
be dropped so that the hooks rest on
the bed OF the sea. Last Fourth of
| July the men caught Sc worth of hall
but while throwing their lines. and
that Notwithstanding the contest was
| not TO sec who could catch fish, but
who could cast the line quickest
! Many OF the sports Of Alaska are
held In the evening. This Is so in
| every part Of tho country, and cspc.
ciaily In the Interior. II Is so also
| IN the klondikc, whore. June 81. a
baseball game is held at miduirb, IN
celebrate the time when Dawson has
twcnty-four hours of daylight Photo.
graphs arc taken by the light of ,bo
/ midnight sun. and the playing CON
|
! morning
| The Dawson baseball mark was m,do
a, a cost of $4,000. 1t IS the sconn ~,
! many International contests Team.
20 from Juneau and other parts of our
I territory To play the Canadians and
last year Dawson sent "a team 10 Fair
| "'hNS' ~" mics away. to compete for
| the international championshin north
/ OF '"'i'ndH 81 White Horse Canada.
belongs to a baseball league which
! Also includes Skagway, juneau and
Douglas Island. This league imports
PLAYERS from Seattle. Vancouver and
other coast towns, and II has if. an
! nunl games for supremacy.
among the most enthusiastic Of thu
| pan players arc The Indians. Some Of
ia" 'f!bcS nave their own niuos, which
! N'i''' ioiB Instances to viii,
the whites. Last July ban team
'a'ho from the Pclly River. scvcr,l
hundred miles away, 10 Dawson IN ,L.,,
'hc team there. The Indians were con.
p"r-c"iorcd, long haired. Iustv br,yn,
ana 'h'y ran like dcoy. playing in moe.
casin..
TENNIS ALSO POPULAR
IN THE NORTHWEST,
TENNIS is another game which is con-
mon throughout the northwest Eyor,
town has It's courts and It's ,ourp,
menus inc Dawson Lawn Tennis C,uh
mas II membership OF forty. and il own.
TWO fine courts which were buiI, =,
"A cost Of $4,000. The courts are usu,u,.
!!oorcd with boards, and this {.
pecially so along the coast where III.
MOST air makes the ground unf,, for
fameS' There arc tennis courts ana
baseball fields AT many OF Tho ,o;,i,,.
camps and AT dominion Creek. IN ,ho
kIondike mining district m, -,