In The News   [NOTE:  Illustrations in the original article are not presented.] The Skaguay News. Paper Published Nearest the Klondike Gold Fields. Skaguay, Alaska. Special 16 Pages. Ten Cents. M. L. Sherpy, Editor and Proprietor. J. F. A. Strong and A. A. Smith, Managers Special Edition. December 31, 1897. Vol. 1, No. 12.   THE TRUE STORY OF SKAGUAY. YOUNGEST CITY IN THE WORLD. How It Grew - What It is to Day, and What it will Be. Gateway to the Yukon. No Mushroom Growth But the Beginning of c Commercial and Shipping Center. Skaguay may be properly termed a child of necessity. When the first startling reports of the unprecedented gold strike in the Klondike region reached civilization in July last there began the greatest rush to the Yukon country that the world has ever witnessed. All routes leading to the interior were soon crowded with all classes and conditions of men, and these reached routes were soon congested, so great and precipitate became the flight to the land of "plenty of gold." The White Pass, or Skaguay trail, was the newest and least known of the routes to the interior. It had been first opened three years before by Captain William Moore, of Skaguay bay, and a few miners. A rude trail had been constructed and it was known that the White Pass was some 3,000 feet lower than that through the Chilkoot mountains. But soon the demand for a new and easier route became urgent, and soon thousands of people were flocking to Skaguay bay, an indentation of Talia inlet, at the head of Lynn canal. The place has since become famous, and where, on the 27th day of last August, were but three buildings of wood, now stands a really pretentious town of 3,000 souls. At the beginning of September the place was, literally, a city of tents. But for the absence of the "pomp, power and circumstance of war," one might easily have imagine that here rested a great army, recuperating, it might be, for a flight on the morrow, or awaiting reinforcements for a decisive battle. But the glitter of warlike accoutrements was not there; no bugles called the men to arms or roused the drowsy sentry at his post. There was a roar as many voices; all was bustle and excitement, but the sound of the cannon was not there and the panoply of arms was absent. Instead of artillery there were pack trains, and picks and shovels, as a rule, were the only weapons seen on the shoulders of the men who threaded their way about the tented town. There was, indeed, a tumult of voices, but not of battle; a hurrying that betokened, not the approach of deadly combat, but the hot pursuit of a vast multitude in eager search for gold. It was, indeed, a motley throng that reached Skaguay bay during those months of July and August. Men who had figured conspicuously in the "days of old, the days of gold, the days of '49," were there, the light of their eyes taking on new luster, as they thought of the new golden El Dorado, at whose gateway they stood; the old frontiersman was there, with a new lease of life, and participating actively in the rush and hurry of the great exodus, and so was the "tenderfoot," fresh from the Eastern college, or the fertile agricultural country, the office, the store, or the banking house. Preachers, doctors, lawyers, professional men of every known calling, sat cheek by jowl around campfires or elbowed each other on crowded thoroughfares, in the tented hotels, saloons, or other places of public resort. Politics, religion, even home and family, were, for the time being, lost sight of in the mad desire to reach the golden country. Such were the conditions prevailing in Skaguay at the beginning of August. They continued a month longer, when those enterprising men, always found in the vanguard of civilization, and who had engaged in diverse kinds of business, foresaw that at this place would be built up a large city - the future metropolis of a great territory, whose riches are not alone locked in the bosom of Mother Earth, but which contains vast wealth of treasure in the waters which dash and beat upon its coastline, and in its thousands of timber-studded valleys, whose rich alluvial soil will yet be made to yield agricultural products for the sustenance, in part at least, of its population. When the necessity of laying out a town site became so apparent that it could no longer be deferred, a mass meeting of the citizens was held and a survey of the town site was ordered. The citizens decided upon the width of the streets and alleys and the size of each lot of land. The survey was made as directed and the town was platted. Immediately began the location of lots, and the few weeks that have followed since have been productive of results little short of marvelous, but which, after all, are simply emblematic of the pluck, enterprise, and determination that are characteristics of the American people. The town is situated in as charming a valley as the eye of man ever rested upon. The valley is narrow, being less than a mile in width. On either side rise mountain ranges, that on the east side being most precipitous, as well as most picturesque. Half way up the mountains on the east, just above the town, is a mountain lake, from which pours a great volume of water, leaping down the mountain side in cascades and waterfalls, sufficient to furnish motive power of the thousands of industrial enterprises, and which will form the future water supply of this growing city. On either hand, as you look northward up the valley, tall mountain peaks are seen, their serrated tops standing out in bold relief. On the west eternal winter is personified in a vast glacier that juts out from the mountain side, as if ready to leap below. West of the town, hugging the foothills, runs the Skaguay river. The natives call this stream the Skugun. The name, they say, has been in use since the crow made the earth and the Thlingits. A woman was drowned in the river and her name was Skugun. On the banks of the river lived a man, so the natives claim, named Keu-noo-goo, or the North Wind. Skugun came to him and became his wife. She told him that her name was Koot-Kay-too-oon-du-chin. Afterwards she fell into the river. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF SKAGUAY HAS HAD ENEMIES SHE'S ALSO HAD FRIENDS. 'Tis the way of the old world to shy [sic] a rock at anyone or thing it thinks is going down the hill, and when Seattle's press was having its howl at Skaguay there was one square firm, no little one, either, who took a decided stand in Skaguay's favor. We refer to that enterprising and reliable Alaska shipping firm, the J. H. Woolery Co. We can honestly recommend this firm to every one intending to ship to any Alaska point. Not alone can they furnish and out fit you with any and all articles you will require for your Alaska trip, and at prices that are away below the average. They can furnish you anything, hardware, clothing, provisions, etc. The firm of J. H. Woolery also issue a paper that is strictly up to date and gives you more reliable and interesting information regarding the Klondike region that you can get from any other one source. Send for a copy of their "Bulletin of the New Gold Fields." It will be forwarded you free, and we guarantee you will not find it filled with wishy-washy advertising matter, but with reliable and up-to-date facts relating to Alaska and the Northwest Territory that will prove of interest to any intending immigration. The J. H. Woolery shipping firm, of the Union block, Seattle, Washington, can give you transportation to any and all points in Alaska at lowest possible rates, and you can always rely on what they tell you, for they never misrepresent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 2. SKAGUAY AS IT IS TODAY. RECORD OF 3 MONTHS. What Has Been Accomplished Since the First Argonauts Landed on the Shores of Skaguay Bay. the story of the founding of the youngest city in the United States has been detailed in another part of this paper. But what of it today? The valley of the Skaguay is no longer the resort of wild beasts and nomadic Indians; the forest which covered the valley has fallen ___ with the axe of the pioneer. The tangled underbrush no longer affords a hiding place for wild animals. All has been changed in the short space of four months. A prosperous town has arisen. There are indications of life and push and progress everywhere. The young town is never silent. Many business houses have been established and a big trade has been built up. It is here that many people bound for the interior buy their outfits or add such supplies to them as may be found necessary. Pack trains and packers make their headquarters here, and the settlements along the trails leading to the lakes, and at the lakes, draw their supplies from the point. A lively, bustling town, having probably no counterpart on earth, is the result. It was not the intention of the men who first reached Skaguay, during the great summer hegira, to build a town. Those who were not bent on reaching the Klondike country settled here, temporarily, to take advantage of the opportunities offered for commercial purposes. These were many and lucrative, and business men in all branches were amply repaid for their enterprise. It did not take long to demonstrate the fact that a supply and outfitting point here was a prime necessity, and the necessity was met. Then began the erection of buildings, and the place was gradually transformed from a tented town to a substantial-looking city, boasting many pretentious business blocks and many of the conveniences of modern civilization. The population of the town has steadily increased and up to this writing more than 700 buildings, business and residence, have been erected, with many others in process of construction, while the population numbers 3,000 souls. Much credit and honor are due to the pioneer. It is the pioneer that paves the way for development and civilization. It is he who seizes the opportunity, uses it himself and shares it with others. The pioneer is usually broad-gauged; his mental vision is never "cribbed, cabined or confined," as is that of the denizens of great cities or long settled communities. He perceives and he acts. The torch of progress and civilization is in his hand. The pioneer fears no danger, because he knows none. It is the pioneer who has opened up the vast natural stores of the great West and Northwest to humanity. And it is pioneers who are building up a town which is the door to a mighty empire in the far North. Skaguay is now, and always will be, the Gateway City - the doorway to the great and practically unexplored and undeveloped interior region which comprises not only a good portion of the territory of Alaska, but the rich auriferous region known as the Klondike country, in the Dominion of Canada. Business opportunities, as a rule, are quickly grasped in communities which grow up as the natural result of development in a new country. This has been peculiarly the case in this section of Alaska. The business men who have located here, as a rule, are up-to-date men, men who have brought with them into this new field modern methods of business. There is a belief that finds current circulation in older sections of civilization that the frontier, the newly-settled regions, must of necessity partake of a "wild and woolly" character. Never was there a greater delusion. Though without any lawful form of municipal government, there is no more orderly town in the world than Skaguay. The town is without a legal city government simply because the Congress of the United States, in its wisdom, has seen fit to enact no laws which would give Alaska any measure of local self-government, and the laws which have been applied to the territory are wholly inadequate to meet any emergency. There has been a nominal supervision exercised over the town by the Committee of One Hundred and One, a body of men elected by the people during the first great influx into this place. It was a sort of a committee of safety, or vigilance committee, but this has fallen into a state of innocuous desitude, for the very good reason that there has been nothing for it to do. A town council of seven has since been selected by the people, whose duty it will be to regulate the town so far as the moral support of the citizens will enable it to do. Law and order prevail. Yet it would not be the truth to say that no violations of the law occur. Alaska has a prohibitory liquor law, a part of the legislation which Congress has seen fit to saddle upon the territory, and there is not a town or hamlet in the whole of Alaska in which the law is not violated almost every day. But the absence of serious crime is notable, and the order everywhere prevailing is, after all, but what might be expected from the class of people who have been instrumental in the upbuilding of the town thus far. It must not be understood, from what has already been said, that Skaguay is peopled by only the best class of citizens. As in every community, no matter where situated, there is a class whose mission in life is not a strict observance of the Decalogue. So here, too, may be found those that are objectionable. But, as has been said, law and order are upheld, in the main, with commendable zeal, and much larger, older, and, in the common acceptation of the term, more highly moral communities might well take pattern after this town of the far north. The majesty of the law is represented by a United States court commissioner, who alternates between Skaguay and Dyea, and a United States deputy marshal. With only these officers of the law, and with the scope of their powers somewhat limited, it is, therefore, a matter of some pride to the citizens to see their town grow and prosper with no flagrant violations of the statutes, yet without any form of legal government. The town has wide streets, as yet unpaved, with good sidewalks in the business thoroughfares. It has a church and a school. The social side of life is not forgotten in the bustle and rush and all the attendant excitement that usually is found in a community of this kind. Its population is not wholly made up of the male sex, as has been frequently stated, but many of the business men located here have brought with them their wives, mothers and sisters, to share with them the life of pioneers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 3. THE FUTURE OF SKAGUAY. WHAT IT OFFERS ALL. The Metropolis of a Territory Which Is In Itself an Empire - The Front Door to the Yukon Country. What of the future of Skaguay? Hundreds of towns have been founded in the past few years which, in the minds of their founders were to become mighty metropolises. The unparalleled advantages claimed for them were sounded far and wide, but, alas! [sic] for the towns, and their people, the bubble was punctured and wreck and ruin marked the place where, in the fond hopes of many, a mighty city was to roar its stately head. Most of us who have lived in the west have witnessed too many such failures. Money invested in many towns of the great and boundless west has been worse than wasted, since besides the pecuniary loss involved, it brought home to the investor the fact that his judgment was as worthless as the place in which his money was sunken. And man's confidence in his judgment should not be too often shattered. It has been stated elsewhere that the building of a town at this point was a necessity. Every day demonstrates the truth of the statement. Towns have been built where no necessity existed, where no "long felt want" was to be filled. They were built as mere speculations and always ended disastrously for the investors, and quite frequently for the promoters. That is not the case here. When the news of the fabulous gold discoveries first reached the "outside world" and the great rush to the interior began, the prime question was the best route to the interior. That by way of St. Michaels and the Yukon is long and expensive. The season is short, hardly lasting more than two months in the year, and, therefore, cannot be called either a permanent or feasible route to the interior. From its very nature it cannot furnish the necessary means of transport to the tens of thousands of people who will make their way, this and coming years, into the great gold country. The Chilkoot pass has been used for years, but it, too, has its drawbacks, and can never become a popular route. It is not the writer's intention to decry any of the routes to the interior, as he realizes that the facilities of each and every one will be taxed to the utmost, and what is said here is considered necessary, because it is intended to show what makes Skaguay the gateway to the interior, and why? [sic] The Chilkoot trail can never be transformed either into a rail route, a wagon road, or other means of reaching the interior. The physical contour of the country traversed by the trail forbids it. The Dalton trail, by reason of its great length, 350 miles, and the rugged character of the country through which it passes does not furnish what is demanded - an easy, cheap and expeditious route to the gold fields of the Yukon country. The Stickeen river route, like the Dalton, is both lengthy and dangerous. The question then is, where may this route be found? Here it is answered: That leading from Skaguay to Lake Bennett through the White pass. Elsewhere is detailed the reasons for the failure of so many argonauts to reach the interior, via this route, during the months of August and September. The distance from Skaguay to Lake Bennett, following the trail, is 41 miles, and the pass through the mountains is 500 feet lower than the pass through the Chilkoot. the lower altitude of the White pass is the key to the situation. This gap in the mountains makes the building of highways, either railroads, tram roads or wagon roads, entirely practicable, and these will furnish the desired means of quickly reaching the interior from tide water at Skaguay. These facilities will soon be afforded the people. Already there are under construction from Skaguay to Lake Bennett, a tramway and a wagon road. Both enterprises are being push as rapidly as men and money can push them, and by March 1 next, the highways will have been completed, whereby the traveler, landing at Skaguay in the morning, can reach Lake Bennett by night, with his entire outfit, at a cost trifling, when compared with that which it now takes to reach the lakes of the Yukon country. The hardships, toll and privation heretofore incident to a journey into the interior will have become entirely eliminated. The great tide of travel each way will pass through the Gateway City. All other routes must necessarily be abandoned, for speed and cheapness combined will give the route from Skaguay every prominence. The completion of these highways, only 30 miles each in length, to Lake Bennett will be followed by the building of highways - steam, tram or wagon roads, along the chain of lakes to the Yukon, and it is not too much to say that the near future will witness a continuous railroad line from Skaguay to Dawson City, and other prosperous towns, which will yet spring up and flourish ion the great Alaskan basin. In the meantime, steam communication will be established on the lakes and the upper Yukon, thus affording direct transportation between Skaguay and the gold fields. What then must be the future of Skaguay? It does not take a great amount of imagination to picture the future. With an admirable location at the head of Lynn canal, an excellent harbor, open at all seasons of the year, here must be built up the metropolis of Alaska. All around Skaguay lies a highly mineralized country, too, and but 40 miles to the south some of the richest quartz mines in Southeastern Alaska have been found. The next few years will witness the development of hundreds of other mines as yet undiscovered, lying at the very door of the city. It is not too much to predict that within the next two years Skaguay will have become a city of 50,000 people, perhaps 100,000 would be nearer the mark. This is the opinion of men who have visited the section and studied its location and resources. These opinions have not been solicited, but have, in every case, been voluntary acknowledgments that here will be built up the future metropolis of the great northland. It is already the largest town, in point of population, and as a commercial point its trade equals, if it does not exceed, that of any other town in Alaska. Skaguay can have no rivals, because it holds the key to the commercial situation in Alaska. Other towns will be built and will grow into prosperous communities, but here will be located the great commercial entrepot of the far north. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 4. THE BEST WINTER TRAIL. SKAGUAY HAS IT. Only Fifteen Miles to the Real Headwaters of the Yukon - The River as a Road Bed - Open at All Times - Food and Sheltering Places Enroute. The question as to the best winter trail to the Yukon is just now an important one. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of eager gold-seekers will attempt the task of reaching the golden Klondike or some of its tributaries during the present winter. To those who contemplate such an undertaking it is here pointed out that they will make no mistake if the White pass, or Skaguay trail, be selected as the route. The Chilkoot trail is not a winter route. The great height of the pass and the violent snow storms which rage for days, and sometimes weeks, at a time, render this route impracticable during the months of December, January and February. It is hazardous in the extreme. Men have been known to walk for weeks until the storms ceased for a day or two and enabled them to cross the mountains. Others have been lost in the blinding blizzards that wheel mercilessly across the bleak mountain range. Fuel cannot be had on the summit and this fact alone adds to the great terrors of the journey. On the other hand the Skaguay trail affords a comparatively easy and entirely safe means of approaching the lakes. The pass is fully 800 feet lower than the Chilkoot pass and fuel is abundant. The Skaguay river forms a bed of ice on which either dogs, horses, or men can travel with ease and safety, drawing heavy loads. The trail at this writing is in excellent condition. The route across the summit has been flagged by the erection of guiding posts at short intervals, and the traveler is absolutely safe; he need entertain no fear of being lost in the snow storms and perish by the way. Stations have also been erected at convenient distances, where the traveler may find food and shelter. Pack trains are now being operated on the trail and the route will be kept open during the entire winter. The Canadian government will transport its supplies for use at the different posts which have been established along the route to Dawson City. These supplies will be sent forward during the winter season, and should the reports of a shortage of food in the Klondike be fully verified, that government, as well as private parties, will endeavor to supply the sufferers at Dawson City through the agency of this route. The advantages secured y following the river bed a distance of some 13 miles makes the trail considerably shorter than the route used as the summer trail. The summer route is 41 miles long; the winter road will be several miles shorter. Then there is the ease and facility with which goods can be transported, to be taken into consideration. These can be placed on sleds drawn by horses, or an sledges drawn by dogs and forwarded direct to Lake Tagish. To Capt. William Moore, of this city, is the credit due for the opening up of the White pass trail. Capt. Moore first went over the route of the present trail in 1887. The work of opening it up, however, was not commenced until last summer. It was done hurriedly and Capt. Moore himself says that it was not intended as a permanent summer trail. As a winter trail, however, he says that it is by all odds the best; in fact it is the only feasible winter route. The winter trail to the summit is an excellent one and on reaching the Summit lake there is a gradual descent to the lakes. The best winter route does not lead to Lake Bennett but to Too Chi lake, which empties into lake Tagish. After Summit lake is reached, freight to almost any amount can be placed on sleds and a clear way is open to Too Chi - 21 miles distant. It has been frequently stated that the Indians never used the White pass as a trail. this is true. The Indians are professional packers, and the Indian name for White pass signifies "No summit." That is the ascent is so easy, that the traveler does not know where the summit begins. On the northern side, as has been stated, the slope is gradual. Indian packers have never plied their vocation on the White pass trail simply because horses can be ____ over the entire route. [missing word may be 'led'] W. Brooks, who has operated a pack train for several months on this trail, is authority for the statement that it is the best winter trail, and that the freight that can be hauled by horses from Summit lake to Too Chi, is only limited by the capacity of the sled. W. A. Bigelow has pulled on a sledge 300 pounds from Skaguay to the summit and 150 pounds across the divide to Summit lake. W. F. Saportas, formerly of New York city, is now engaged in transporting eighty tons of freight for the Canadian government to the lakes. W. M. Davis, of Seattle, will take through about eighty tons this winter, Mr. Davis will use horses and sleds. And this list might be added to indefinitely. Another feature which will commend itself to the prospective gold-seeker is the fact that the wagon road and tramway now both under construction, will afford means of reaching the interior, as far as they have been constructed. To those, therefore, who do not care to wait until these enterprises shall have been completed, March 1 next, the Skaguay trail, as the best winter route, is confidently recommended. The traveler must first come to Skaguay before he can reach the entrance to the pass across the Chilkoot mountains. At Skaguay he can convince himself of the truth of what has been written concerning the advantages of the Skaguay trail. The investigations that he will make will thoroughly satisfy him as to what route he should take during the winter season to reach the interior. The following letter, written by Capt. Moore, appeared in an Alaska publication on Nov. 20th last. Capt. Moore is a veteran navigator, a man of intelligence and wide experience, and what he has written relative to routes to the Page 5. interior may be taken as a fair and candid expression of opinion gained from personal knowledge. Capt. Moore says: "I have read with interest may recent articles published on the various routes to the Yukon mining country, and as they all contain so many erroneous statements, I deem it but just to given such information as I have gathered from some thirty-five years of actual travel and experience through the country in question and over some of the routes referred to. At first I intended only to consider the matter in a general way, but so many writers are evidently prejudiced against all routes and in favor of the Stickeen-Teslin, that I shall confine myself to a comparison of this with the Skaguay route. "First we will take up the Stickeen route by stages. From Wrangel to Telegraph creek the distance of 140 miles up the Stickeen river is navigable for small light-draught steamers carrying from 50 to 100 tons, for three months in the year, the balance of the year travel must in canoes - say two months - and on ice the remaining seven months. From Telegraph creek to Southwest bay of Teslin lake we have 165 miles over an altitude varying from 1500 to 3000 feet above the level of the sea, of a very swampy nature, with timber only for light work, and railroad bridge and trestle timber would have to be shipped in from the coast. This item alone would be a very expensive one considering the uncertain nature of the Stickeen river. I will add here, my knowledge of this river is from actual steamboating on it for years. From Southwest bay of Teslin lake to head of Hootalinqua river we have ninety-five miles of lake travel navigable for four months each year, and thence to Nick Silver's bar on the Hootalinqua it is some sixty-five miles; from the bar to junction of Hootalinqua and Lewis rivers sixty-five miles more, and from the junction to Dawson City 362 miles further, making the total distance from Wrangel to Dawson City 892 miles over a route which, if the Stickeen river to be used, is reliable for three months only in the year as a rail and water route. "Now, considering the Skaguay route, we find the distance by proposed railroad from Skaguay bay to Nick Silver's bar on the Hootalinqua river 137 miles an all rail route with the laborious part of its construction, as it were, in the palm of one's hand. From the bar to junction of Lewis and Hootalinqua rivers 65 miles, and from the junction to Dawson City 362 miles - these latter distances being the same on both routes, as in both cases I have made Silver's bar the objective point - making the distance from Skaguay to Dawson 564 miles. This rail and water route is open five and half months in the year as the rivers are navigable about that length of time, and it is also shorter by 314 miles of the uncertain inland travel. At Skaguay there is a fine harbor, ample wharf accommodations, distinct but a few days steaming from all coast ports through an unobstructed channel, open throughout the entire year. "In spite of the cry "all Canadian route," Skaguay approaches nearer to this than any other, being but fifteen miles of American territory to be traversed. Now, confronted as we are by a large immigration the matter of routes and immediate improvement thereof is an all important one, and since a thousand misstatements have been made regarding the accessibility of the Yukon district from various points on the coast, notably Skaguay and Wrangel, I feel justified in calling attention to these facts. "Both provincial and Dominion governments are working for the impracticable Stickeen route - I say impracticable, for it certainly is such unless a railroad is built from the mouth of the Stickeen to Teslin lake - and all influence seems directed to it, to the detriment of other and more favorable roads. "Dignitaries of state were cautioned ten years ago about such ventures and details laid before them, yet records show that thousands of dollars have been wasted on useless exploration, notably in 1892 and 1897; thousands of lies have been told, and the impression is that the "Quartette" has been bullied into such transactions. All government appropriations have gone in one direction, when proper application of such would have directed public notice to other points of greater importance. Such action has, and is, diverting capital from investment where it should be most useful, leaving at least one great route almost entirely overlooked. "The proposed Stickeen-Teslin route is, I claim, an entirely impracticable one and all money invested therein an utter waste, for if the Stickeen river be depended upon for navigation it can never be a popular, profitable or reliable supply route, and the distance is too great to the inland waters to ever make a practicable winter route. People are already on an unprecedented move and no road ready for them, to say nothing of the absence of the means of relief to those already in the interior. The British Columbia and Ottawa governments will b e held responsible by the world for this neglect, and any suffering resulting therefrom. Ten years ago I warned them that when nature's great quartz mills were discovered - as they now have been in the new glacial fields - that relief would be needed, and urged upon them the necessity of immediate action, but was politely dismissed and their total lack of preparation shows with what head they accepted a commoner's suggestions. The public demand is now for immediate relief and cheaper transportation, with least handling of goods. Via Skaguay to Hootalinqua river, and thence by steamer to Dawson and other points lies the route. So many false impressions have been sent out regarding the Skaguay trail as a pack trail, notably by inexperienced people, that an emphatic denial is in order. As a matter of record the trail has been passable and traveled this whole season, and some 2000 outfits have gone over it to the lakes and thence to the interior, that never would have left the coast had not this temporary trail been opened. I say temporary trail, for its construction was the result of a limited private appropriation, and its object to disprove statements that the route was impassable for pack animals. This question has been settled, and while but little repair work has been done on it since its completion, experienced packers have worked continuously over it up to date, Nov. 14, with profit. The most recent arrival from Lake Bennett, Mr. J. McKeown, says he made the trip with a 1400-pound blind horse and 250-pound pack in two and a half days, finding the road better than ever. It is true a few have turned back discouraged - there are always a faint-hearted few - and from such, I am sorry to say, newspapers accept any information, accurate or otherwise, but it is generally in full keeping with their discouragements resultant from an entire lack of experience. So great has been the overpowering desire to reach the gold fields that all humane feelings were crushed and full eighty per cent of the horses dying on this trail died from actual starvation or its indirect effects. "Trails are nearly always the advance guard of the wagon or railroads, and in constructing this I had but one idea, viz: to prove the feasibility of this route. Now, having done this it remains for the public and governments to follow, properly open, or assist to open what has been gratuitously laid before the. Ex- Mayor Grant, of Victoria, B. C., recently stated in an article that with a wagon road he would contract for the delivery of goods from Skaguay bay to Lake Bennett for 3 cents per pound. This, coming from an experienced man is valuable testimony and should carry deserving weight with officials of all governments having public interests at heart. As an instance of this road's value I would mention that on or about Sept. 12, a large band of cattle was landed at Haines' Mission for travel over the much talked of Dalton trail, but after meeting repeated storms and losses they were forced back, brought to Skaguay and by this route taken in on foot to such a point as would enable the owners to make proper disposal of them. "For winter travel Skaguay offers an ideal sleighing route up the creek bed to summit of White pass; thence on an almost level water course to the lakes - there being but 250 feet descent in some forty miles - the headwaters of the Yukon are tapped in a distance of thirty-five miles from salt water. The indisputable facts are so evident to the thousands residing in Skaguay that one cannot help thinking that "a big axe" is being ground and surely it is not in the interests of Victoria merchants, as many would make them believe. Whatever route is made the popular one will in nowise effect their trade. The present customs arrangements tend to favor Canadian trades people, but unless American aggressiveness becomes a part of their business methods the Yankee will yet win the trade. "No; a job is on hand, a spirit of prejudice, born of the unholy greed of money, is abroad and its mantle is obscuring Lynn canal. However, the sunshine of popular approval will soon dispel the cloud and in the near future Skaguay will be world-renowned as the door of Alaska. Yours truly, "William Moore." Skaguay, Alaska, Nov. 14, 1897. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 6. WHEN AND HOW TO OUTFIT. SKAGUAY OUTFITTERS. They are Prepared to Sell You What You Want and Need at Correct Prices. The question of securing an outfit is one of prime importance. Too great care cannot be taken in making a selection of food, supplies, and clothing for a year in the Yukon country. The opinions of miners and others who have spent some time in the interior vary greatly, but one is always safe in taking a supply sufficient to last one full year; if he has the means to take in a two years' outfit he will make no mistake. From reports gathered from many reliable sources the writer is led to believe that the average outfit taken in by prospectors during the past season was totally inadequate to the wants which will be required to be met. In a rigorous climate, such as is found in the interior of Alaska, the food supply is an important one. Man requires more food in a cold country than in a warm one. The half of a yearling calf only makes a meal for the men of a certain Siberian tribe. Miners in the Yukon district require strong and rich food and they will drink bacon grease like so much water. On the other hand denizens of warm or hot climates keep themselves cool on rice and fruits and other watery food. In selecting an outfit, of course much will depend upon the taste and means of the fortune seekers. The first essentials are a good supply of food and clothing. The food may be plain, but let there be plenty of it. If luxuries can be afforded, take them along; what is not needed for actual use can be sold at a good profit. The clothing should be ample and it pays always to buy the best quality of everything - food and clothing. It is a good plan for a number of men to form a party, say of four or five. As in union there is strength, so each one can be of material assistance to his fellow during the journey. The experience of the past season, however, is not favorable to these parties of men. Without an exception, almost, every party that started out dissolved before the lakes were reached, each man going in alone or forming new alliances. However, men who understand each other and are willing to bear their share of the burdens, will find no difficulty in getting along together. It is the shirker who breeds trouble and discontent. For a party of five the outfit can be reduced quite materially, inasmuch as the same articles will serve for a number. For a party of five the outfit might include: 1 tent, 10x12 feet. 1 Yukon stove. 1 frying pan. 2 coffee pots. 6 plates. 6 cups. 6 knives and forks. 6 spoons. 2 butcher knives. 2 hatchets. 1 drawing knife. 1 plane. 2 hammers. 200 feet of rope. 6 pack straps. 1 handsaw. 1 whipsaw. 12 assorted files. 1 brace and bits. 25 pounds of assorted nails. 15 pounds of oakum. 10 pounds of pitch. In addition, each man should have a gold pan, a pick, shovel, axe and hatchet, a pocket compass, a stout clasp knife, a pair of snow glasses to save the eyes from the glare of sunlight on snow and a rifle for hunting. A shotgun is also useful. As to clothing, a full equipment for each man should consist of: 3 suits of heavy woolen underwear. 4 heavy overshirts. 1 dozen pairs of heavy woolen socks. 2 pairs of German socks. 1 Mackinaw coat. 1 canvas coat. 2 pairs of heavy rubber boots. 1 rubber overcoat. 2 suits of light underwear. 2 sweaters. 6 pairs of mittens. 4 pairs of stout overalls. 2 pairs of Mackinaw trouse3rs. 2 pairs of heavy blankets. A little rubber for mending gum boots and coats, needles, thread and general repairing materials should be included and thirty yards of mosquito netting to furnish protection from those pests, both while at work during the day and at night while trying to sleep. The writer's experience as to what is necessary in the way of provisions impels him to caution each person going to the Yukon to take in a plentiful supply, notwithstanding the fact that he will be told that the great improvement in transportation facilities next year will settle the food question in the interior. It will not. There will be tons upon tons more food taken in, but there will be thousands upon thousands more of people to eat it. Transportation for passengers will be greatly facilitated too, but that means that just so many more people will travel thitherward. And, moreover, a man with plenty of food is always able to face almost any conditions. The following supply of groceries should last an ordinary man one year: 350 pounds of flour. 150 pounds of bacon. 100 pounds of beans. 15 pounds of tea. 25 pounds of rice. 50 pounds of dry salt pork. 100 pounds of dried fruits. 50 pounds of salt. 2 pounds of evaporated vinegar. 20 pounds of condensed milk. 50 pounds of corn-meal. 50 pounds of rolled oats. 50 pounds of coffee. 100 pounds of sugar. 25 pounds of dried beef. 25 pounds evaporated potatoes. 10 pounds of evaporated onions. 10 pounds of baking powder. 2 pounds of condensed soup. The outfit should also include a box of candles, two dozen bars of soap, mustard, Jamaica ginger and a half tin of matches. A small medicine case, well stocked with standard goods is necessary and quinine and calomel should always for a part. Whisky is not necessary, but it may be added to the list. An outfit such as the one outlined above can be purchased in Skaguay for from $150 to $500, according to quality. It will be abundantly sufficient to last a man a year in the Yukon country. Indeed, a man if he so makes up his mind, can get along with less, but it is essential, as has been stated before, to take a full equipment of things necessary to life and as many comforts as possible. Skaguay has a number of mercantile houses thoroughly stocked with all manner of goods necessary for the Yukon trade. The close proximity to the country, and their constant contact with packers and others returning from the interior, place them in a position to know just what is needed and to supply it. These business men are in the outfitting business and their prices will be found to compare most favorably with those of much larger cities. Competition here is just as keen as elsewhere. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 7. THE SKAGUAY AND LAKE BENNETT TRAMWAY COMPANY. SKAGUAY'S FIRST HORSE CARS. What This New Highway Means for the Gold Seeker - To Be Completed By The First of March, Next. The Skaguay and Lake Bennett Tramway Company is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Oregon to build and equip a tramway from Skaguay to the international boundary and thence to Lake Bennett. Without any bluster or blare of trumpets, work was begun several weeks ago. Since then steady progress has been made and the work is being pushed vigorously under the direction of Mr. e. A. Webster, superintendent and manager of construction. When a News representative made a trip over the line, as far as already constructed, a few days ago, there were evidences on all sides that construction was being pushed with all speed, in the way of building a large bridge over the Skaguay river, tie cutting, track laying and preparing the right of way for the roadbed and track. Mr. Webster evidently realized the need of quick and cheap means of transportation between Skaguay and the lakes of the interior when he first suggested the building of a tram road under the present plans, and the company, after a thorough investigation, decided that this was the only practical system that could be utilized in order to be ready to handle freight in quantities early the coming spring. THERE ARE PICTURES ON THIS PAGE --- FOLDER 1186, FRAME #130 The tramway is what is known as the pole tram. While it is a new system to the masses, its capacity and durability have been thoroughly tested in mining and timber countries. "This company," said M. Webster, "is not distracted or frightened at the talk of the building of tramways of other kinds, steam and wagon roads, believing, in the first place, that there will be business for all, and, secondly, the company is building on a basis that will enable it to meet any and all competition that may arise. What is needed now is speed in construction, and this company can show to any one interested, or to the public at large, that it can and will be the first in the field to transfer goods to the lakes. Our road will be completed long before any other competing line can possibly be opened for general traffic. The company's officials feel safe in making the statement that they will have their road completed to the summit by March 1, 1898, and construction will then be pushed as rapidly as possibly to the lake, and freight will be laid down at Lake Bennett from Skaguay in twelve hours. "As soon as the first five miles of the road is completed, and that will be within the next thirty days, it will be equipped with rolling stock and motive power and placed in full operation, and as each succeeding mile is finished it will be operated, and so on to the end. "This company, being first in the field, had its choice of routes, and good judgment was used in the selection of this one, whereby any possibility of rockslides is avoided, as well as other dangers common along passes through precipitous mountains. "The cost of construction, in comparison with a narrow-gauge railroad, is about one-fourth, and the same comparison will apply to wagon roads. The carrying capacity of this tramroad will be about one-third that of a narrow-gauge railroad and about twelve times that of a wagon road, that is, provided the wagon road be kept in good condition at all times." The importance of having this highway completed in the early spring is thoroughly understood by this company, and it may be taken for granted that what is promised will be fulfilled. The directorate and officials of the organization are men known all over the Pacific coast for probity and uprightness, and they will lose no time in completing the work. The officers of the company are: Harry E. Battin, president, Skaguay; Henry C. Eckenberger, Portland, Or., vice president; treasurer, Henry C. Ash, Philadelphia; secretary, Geo. C. Durham, Portland, Or.; superintendent, Enslie A. Webster, Skaguay. the above, with Alexander Kunz and Cleveland Rockwell, of Portland, Or., form the directorate. The executive board is composed of Messrs. Battin, Ash and Webster. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUARTZ CLAIMS NEAR SKAGUAY. Messrs. Miller, Daveney and Cross, of the White Pass Hotel and Restaurant, have three quartz locations a few miles from Skaguay which promise big things when developed. They were located two months ago, and several assays made of the rock taken from surface croppings averaged $11 in free milling gold and $30 in concentrates to the ton. These gentlemen expect to develop their claims in the spring. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ TRAMWAY FOR WHITE HORSE RAPIDS. John Hepburn, of Victoria, B. C., is building a pole tramway around White Horse rapids, the most dangerous piece of water on the route down the Yukon. The tramway will be three miles long and the motive power used will be horses. The cost of freighting goods over the tram line will be one cent a pound, and boats of two tons carrying capacity will be carried for $10 each. The line will be in operation by May 15. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 8. Skaguay has the best wharfage facilities in Alaska and its harbor is never blocked by ice. Read the article headed "Skaguay Has..." Not a bad record for a 120 days old town, is it? The rivers, streams and gulches of the Alaskan interior are filled with gold, and many Klondikers will be discovered there the coming year. The town of Skaguay is situated just fifteen miles from the headwaters of the Yukon. It is the gateway to the great interior country. There is no more orderly town on earth than Skaguay. Its people are law-abiding and the absence of serious crime has been a feature of the town since its inception. If you want to outfit, or if you wish to add to your outfit, remember that Skaguay merchants can supply you at reasonable prices. No other town in Alaska has the same facilities for outfitting Yukoners. The quartz mines of Southeastern Alaska are steadily increasing in number, and slowly but surely this once despised territory is taking a front place among the precious mineral producing countries of the earth. Gold-seekers who are going to the Yukon country will make no mistake in buying their tickets to Skaguay. They will find here good hotels, an orderly but live town, and open highways to the lakes and the Yukon. The duties charged by the Canadian customs officials on miners' outfits averaged this season about $12 per man. This average will probably be reduced next year, as duties heretofore levied on personal effects and actual wearing apparel will not be taxed. The steamship companies which now operate steamers between Puget Sound or Portland and Skaguay are the Washington & Alaska Steamship company, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, and the Alaska Commercial Steamship Company and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company. Several new companies will engage in the business early next year. Skaguay merchants carry the largest stocks of goods in Alaska. Their close proximity to the gold fields and their constant contact with returning miners enable them to provide just what is needed for an outfit. The intending purchaser can buy only what he needs and will not be encumbered with what he does not need. Prices will be found to be reasonable, and the purchaser will receive fair and courteous treatment. In other columns of this issue of the News will be found articles and illustrations [not in this page] showing the progress being made on the two highways now under construction between Skaguay and Lake Bennett. The companies having this work in charge are bona fide concerns and will carry out the promises made to the public. The illustrations which accompany the articles referred to show the actual progress being made on each road. [NOTE: Not all illustrations will be shown in this transcription. Colleen] ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Skaguay held its first election on Saturday, Dec. 4, when seven "councilmen" were elected to look after all matters appertaining to the welfare of the town. It will be the duty of the councilmen to originate measures for the material and moral welfare of the town; to arrange for police and fire protection; look after the sanitary condition of the town, and, in short, to discharge every duty falling upon the shoulders of a city council of any incorporated city or town. In discharging their onerous duties the seven wise men of Skaguay will have as their staff and comforter the moral and financial support of the citizens, and it is safe to say their edicts and ordinances, though lacking the legality which law is supposed to given them, will be strictly enforced and observed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ OUR SPECIAL NUMBER. In presenting this special edition of the Skaguay News to the public, the publisher feels that no apology is necessary. The wok was undertaken in the first place, in order to show to the tens of thousands of people who have their eyes on this section of Alaska - the Gateway to the Yukon country - the actual conditions here prevailing, and the means afforded in order to reach that Mecca of miner, prospector and gold-seekers generally - the Klondike Country. Although the matter used in this issue has been hastily prepared, it will be found to be accurate and trustworthy. Our idea has been to convey in a brief and concise form information that will be valuable to all intending argonauts. This is not a boom edition; it is simply a veracious chronicle of the rise and progress of the newest city on earth, and a compendium of information that every man, woman and child in the English-speaking countries will find useful as well as valuable. It is not pretentious; it was not designed to be; but if it is homely it is truthful, and is intended to be of some assistance to every wayfarer who sets his face hitherward, and to every sojourner who enters the doors of the Gateway City of Alaska. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ SKAGUAY ! The child is born that is to be the giant of Alaska. It's name is Skaguay. Not a very mellifluous cognomen, it is true, but the immortal bard has told us that there is nit in a name. Skaguay would get there just the same by any other appellation. she is a child of fate, born of necessity and rocked in the cradle of the stirring times that begat her. Geography is her sponsor, and has pointed with unerring finger to the site where she sits and grows and flourishes like a green bay tree in summer time. A few short months ago her site was a virgin wilderness, whose echoes were awakened only by the soughing of the north wind and the gurgle of the waters where the river meets the sea. Today the screech of steam, the gleam of electric light, the roar of exploding dynamite, the clatter of builders' tools, and the multifarious other sights and sounds that accompany the march of commerce startle the newcomer and echo back from the long-silent Alaskan hills. This is Skaguay. And why? She sits at the gateway. Her pass-key is the one that opens to the world the storm-locked treasure box of the Yukon. For, after all has been said and done, the stubborn fact remains that hither must come and go the all-year round traffic to and from the interior. Hither may come nearest the heart of the country the ocean-going steamer; and hence may go the shortest line of rail or other road to the gold fields. The same natural forces that placed upon the map other commercial centers are at work building Skaguay. The world goes after its wealth and to its markets by the shortest possible routes. In the economy of wealth-getting time is money, and, while money may not be of much value in the Klondike, the days that stand between the gold seeker and his Mecca are often worth their millions. Skaguay realizes to the full extent the value of the hand she holds. She is playing it boldly, but in doing so cherishes naught but charity for her neighbors and a pax vobiscum for all the world. She sends not only the open hand but also the gladsome heart to all comers. There is room for all, and will be business for everybody. Come and help us build the San Francisco of the North Pacific ! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ BROOKS' TRIP OVER THE SUMMIT. Reaches Lake Bennett With a Large Outfit. It has been said that no man could cross the summit of White Pass at this season of the year, as the snow and storms were obstacles insurmountable by man, but the proprietor of the Brooks' pack train has demonstrated that pluck and energy are all that are required to accomplish the feat. November 15th Brooks started with his train, and on the 17th met the first section at the second bridge on their return, having cached their cargo a half mile this side of the summit, due partly to the condition of the trail, and partly to the shortness of feed. Undaunted, Mr. Brooks pushed on, and reached the cache of the first section on the evening of the 18th, where he unloaded his train and retraced his steps a short distance where a camp was made. At the approach of dawn next day after a hasty meal and re-saddling the horses, Brooks pushed on to the cache, when facing the bleak winds of the summit, the train was again loaded and their heads turned toward Bennett. Here Brooks displayed his ingenuity by constructing improvised shafts to a sled, and placing a horse at the helm attempted to plow his way through the drifts of snow, but soon both horse and sled were upside down floundering in the snow, which forced him to abandon this method and again press on in the lead breaking the way, foot by foot. With pluck and perseverance the train reached the "Little Meadows" in the afternoon and none were the worse for the trip except two men with frozen noses and another with a frozen finger. Here the men who were employed to pole the summit, and who had accompanied the train thus far, were left and on the following morning the train proceeded to its destination and returning , arrived in Skaguay on November 22nd. It is interesting to note that it registered 20 degrees below zero at the meadows which would mean at least 25 below on the summit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mr. Frank H. Reed, formerly of Whatcom, Wash., is city engineer of Skaguay. Mr. Reed was official surveyor for the original town site and has a complete record of all locations. He is thus in a position to furnish reliable information concerning property interests, and will pay prompt attention to any inquiries concerning investments. Mr. Reed made the first official map of Skaguay, and has for sale blue prints of the same. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE FIRST CHURCH OF SKAGUAY. Largely through the instrumentality of Rev. R. M. Dickey, a young Presbyterian minister, the first church edifice and school were erected in Skaguay. Mr. Dickey arrived in the town on October 6, and next day being Sunday, he held services, when the question of building a church was broached. In a few days the idea had crystallized and soon sufficient funds were collected for the purpose, and it was decided that the church should be open to all Christian denominations. Mr. Dickey is a graduate of Manitoba College, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and is on route to the Klondike country as the representative of his church in establishing missions in the district. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 9. FROM WOMAN'S STANDPOINT. HINTS TO WOMEN. What Should Be Taken and What Should Be Left Behind - Other Points of Value and Interest. [Written Specially for The News.] Women have made up their minds to go to the Klondike, so there is no use trying to discourage them, for -- "When a woman will, she will, And you may depend on it." When our fathers, husbands and brothers decided to go, so did we, and our wills are strong and courage unfailing. We will not be drawbacks nor hindrances, and they won't have to return on our account. We go to encourage, to assist and help provide for their bodily comforts. There are a few things, however, a woman should carefully consider before starting out on this really perilous journey. First of all, delicate women have no right attempting the trip. It means utter collapse. those who love luxury, comfort and ease would better remain at home. It takes strong, healthy, courageous women to stand the terrible hardships that must necessarily be endured. The following suggestions may be of some value to those who are contemplating making the trip next spring. My experience thus far has shown me the necessity of women being properly clothed and equipped for the trip to the interior, and I can speak with some assurance, having been especially observant along this line. First and most important of all, by far, to be considered is the selection of proper footwear. It is not necessary to have shoes to or three sizes larger than one's actual last, simply because you are going on a trip to the Klondike. Get a shoe that fits, and if the sole is not very heavy have an extra one added. The list that follows is the very least a woman should start with: 1 pair house slippers. 1 pair knitted slippers. 1 pair heavy soled walking shoes. 1 pair arctics. 1 pair felt boots. 1 pair German socks. 1 pair heavy gum boots. 1 pair ice creepers. 3 pair heavy all-wool stockings. 3 pair summer stockings. Moccasins can be purchased here of the Indians. The tall bicycle shoe with extra sole would make an excellent walking shoe. A pair of rubbers fitted to these might come in handy during the rainy season. In the way of wearing apparel a woman can comfortably get along with: 1 good dress 1 suit heavy mackinaw, waist and bloomers. 1 summer suit, waist and bloomers. 3 short skirts of heavy duck or denim, to wear over bloomers. 3 suits winter underwear. 3 suits summer underwear. 1 chamois undervest. 1 long sack nightdress, made of eiderdown or flannel. 1 cotton nightdress. 2 pair Arctic mittens. 1 pair heavy wool gloves. 1cap. 1 Arctic hood. 1 hat with brim broad enough to hold the mosquito netting away from the face. 1 summer dress. 3 aprons. 2 wrappers. 2 shirt waists. Snow glasses. Some sort of gloves for summer wear, to protect the hands from mosquitoes. BEDDING. 1 piece canvas, 5x11 feet. 1 rubber blanket. 3, or better 4, pair all-wool blankets. 1 feather pillow. A ready-sewed tick will be very nice to have, for it can be filled with dried moss and makes a good pioneer mattress. An old miner would no doubt laugh at me to scorn for suggesting a little satchel or handbag, but the comfort derived from the hundred and one little _etas a woman can deftly stow away in it will doubly repay the bother of carrying it. In the matter of outfitting the commissary department, one can follow, as a rule, almost to the letter, the lists that have been published over and over again by leading outfitters. From actual experience I find evaporated eggs a failure, and every one who took saccharin as a substitute for sugar are loud in their condemnation of it. Take plenty of sugar. One craves it, and 200 pounds per outfits is not too much. the lists fail to mention butter, on account of its being looked upon as a luxury, but all the old Yukoners taken in a goodly supply. Some carry the tub butter, while others prefer the 2-pound tins. The miners say pure grease makes a pleasant drink. If so, butter makes a pleasant drink. If so, butter will certainly not be amiss. Corn meal, sugar, tea and coffee should be packed in tins. Take plenty of tea. Fifty pounds of rolled oats is the usual amount mentioned on the lists, but 100 pounds is far better. Baking powder and candles are apt to be the first articles to disappear. A few extra pounds would come in very handy if one were where these articles could not be purchased. Dried blackberries or raspberries make a delicious dish mixed with dried apples, and are a change. Take both white and pink beans, for one grows so tired of them, and a variety may lessen the degree of weariness. Lemonade tablets are preferable to lime juice and citric acid, being easier to carry, having no weight or bulk. The evaporated goods are a grand success. The onions, soup vegetables and minced potatoes being especially palatable. A good-sized mess box with hinge cover and lock containing enough food for the trip will be found a great convenience and avoids the necessity and extra work of opening sacks and boxes at every camp, besides being specially handy for the cook. The following is a list of what the box may contain: Flour. Bacon. Beans. Rice. Sugar. cornmeal. Extract of beef. Baking powder. Yeast cake. Salt. Pepper. Pilot bread. Prunes. Dried fruits. Canned roast beef and tongue. Chocolate. Condensed cream. Most of us know how unpleasant it is to live in a trunk, but when an Alaskan outfit is packed and hammered down in a canvas bag it is a whole day's work to find anything. I have succeeded in making a little improvement in packing some parts of the outfit. With three canvas bags, one used exclusively for bedding, one for wearing apparel and a third for foot wear of all kinds, lots of unnecessary unpacking and repacking can be avoided. Several people who have used the sleeping bags have been sadly disappointed in them. A piece of heavy canvas 5x14 will take the place of the heavy, inconvenient, ready made sleeping bag. Fold half the strip of canvas on the ground, place your bedding on it and draw the other half over. You are thus protected from the dampness and win and have something doubly useful, for if you are caught out in a blizzard without a tent, you can stretch your canvas over a pole and make a tent at a moment's notice. Annie Hall Strong. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPRESSIONS OF SKAGUAY. Before and After Taking, What I expected to Find and What I Did Find in the New Metropolis. Women pioneers hold an honored place in the history and development of the west and great northwest; and when the history of the development of Alaska, and the great interior region, known as the Yukon country, shall have been written, it will be found that women have played no inconsequential part therein. There are two sides to the life of the woman pioneer. One represents hardships and privations - hope deferred which maketh the heart sick, trials and disappointments. The other presents fuel for the spirit of adventure, and its attendant excitement, leading one on and on in the hope - in this case - of golden reward, and the fondest fruition of one's most cherished dreams. When the most contagious of all fevers, known as the "gold fever," began to rage I was among the first to contract "acute Klondicitis" and immediately started northward to the land of "plenty of gold." The awful talks of suffering and privation counted for naught as long as shining nuggets were to be the reward. All went well until we reached Juneau, and here my heart almost failed me; for, judging from the terrible tales told by returning and disheartened goldseekers I was to fall among the riff-raff of the whole country at a place called Skaguay, which was the initial point of the then congested White pass. Cutthroats and mobs of evil-doers were said to form the population, and it was alleged that they lay in wait for the arrival of "tenderfeet." Was it any wonder I hoped the time would be long ere we reached the awful place? However, on the morning of the 26th of August, we steamed around a point into a bay and right before us lay the really beautiful situated little tented town. It looked peaceful enough from the deck of the steamship Queen, but the faces of the future Eldorado kings look anxious and for once I remained behind, while the gentlemen of our party went ashore to find a camping place, thinking I would just as soon postpone my entrance into this modern Sodom until it became compulsory. Towards evening, with fear and dread, I actually ventured ashore. To my surprise I found a surging crowd of people busy as bees rushing hither and thither - but everything was orderly and quiet. No one attempted to rob or mob. Everyone was kind, and those that were already settled assisted in every possible way to smooth over the rough places and brighten camp life for the argonauts. There appeared to be a general feeling of bonhomie between these friends of a day. Kindness was the watchword; there was no evidence of violence or crime - nothing but kindness. Such were the people of this much maligned town the day I landed, and there has been no change, and, in saying this, I think I voice the experience of every woman found within the confines of Skaguay. But the little tented town is a thing of the past, and in its stead has sprung up a bustling town of 3,000 souls, and we old settlers, that have grown up with the place during the past three months, are proud of our town. Skaguay is the baby city of the world in age, but come and look at her and be amazed ! We have a church and school house. We boast of electric lights, a telephone system and other adjuncts of modern civilization, and when our tramway and wagon road shall have been completed, Skaguay will be the principal gateway to the interior. Brave, staunch and upright citizens built Skaguay, not riff-raff, hence our prosperity. A. H. S. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the best business rustlers among the many such in Skaguay is Mr. A. Heathorn, agent of the popular steamship "Farallon." He never overlooks a bet - not even a white chip - in his efforts to get business for his steamer, and by his courteous and gentlemanly treatment of all with whom he comes in contact he succeeds in making friends for himself at the same time that he is securing his share of the trade. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 10. DAILY EXPRESS TO DAWSON. A Colorado Syndicate That Will Annihilate Space Between Tide-Water and the Interior. One of the most important enterprises to be inaugurated early in the year, with Skaguay as the initial point and headquarters is a daily express line to Dawson. This highly important and thoroughly practicable enterprise is in the hands of a corporation composed for the most part of Denver, Col., capitalists who know exactly what they are undertaking and always accomplish it. The company will be known as the Colorado-Alaska Commercial Company. Its plan is the establishment of a pony express for the transportation of mails, light express matter and valuables. Dog teams, sledges of an improved pattern and ponies will be used. Stations will be established at a distance of about twelve miles along the entire route, and fresh relays of animals and men will be used between such stations. One train, with a capacity of two or three passengers and several hundred pounds of express matter, will be dispatched each way every day. Mr. J. T. Cornforth, of Denver, a veteran in the pioneer express business, is in charge of the work for his company and will have his line in operation early within the new year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABOUT THE KLONDIKE SAW MILLS. One of the best paying propositions in Alaska is a saw mill. the few mills now in that country have made their owners a fortune, rough lumber selling at from $100 to $500 per thousand, according to conditions. Anyone familiar with lumbering can make no better investment than to take a suitable saw mill. the Mitchel, Lewis & Staver Co., of Seattle, have made a special study of the matter, and designed for this trade the Klondike Saw Mill, engine and Boiler. It is complete, does the work, cuts 5,000 to 8,000 feet per day, and weighs all told but 2,000 pounds, no single piece weighing over 150 pounds. Owing to the conditions of the trade the company carries only a small plant in stock and builds to order. Write them for particulars, giving as near as possible the following information: When will you leave Seattle, by what route, and where to? Will your logs be taken from the water or not? Will you have any machinery besides the mill? Will you want over or not, and if you have power state size and number revolutions fly wheel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. D. BRACKETT'S STORE. One of the best places in Skaguay to get value for your money and to find just what you want is at J. D. Brackett's. The proprietor of this house if one of the most enterprising and best-known young men among the many pushers of this booming young city. His stock of goods is entirely new and is one of the largest to be found in the place. It consists of everything needed by the Yukoner, and the prices compare favorably with those to be found in any of the outfitting hoses lower down the Coast. When you get to Skaguay Call at Brackett's and look over his stock and prices. They will please you without doubt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMERICAN BAKERY. Messrs. White, Hanbloom and Carroll came to Skaguay with a complete outfit for a bakery and lunch business. They have bought a lot and put up a building and are now prepared to serve the incoming Klondikers with first class bread, cakes, pies, etc., also lunches at short notice. Be sure and look them up when you arrive in Skaguay. You will receive courteous treatment and good value for your money. Holly avenue near Runnalls street. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLANCY'S PLACE. Of all the places of resort in Skaguay that [are] known by the above name is one of the best known and most popular. Located in the business center of the city, it is always to be found by the newcomer, and all old-time residents know Clancy's. All visitors to this place are treated with uniform courtesy. There is music and dancing every evening. clubrooms are maintained in connection, and a first- class cafe is soon to be added. The management leaves no stone unturned to make their visitors enjoy themselves. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADVERTISEMENT. Moore's Wharf. Established in 1887. Situated to the Eastward and Southward in Skaguay Bay under the shelter of Moore's Bluff. A safe landing for steamers and discharging of cargoes in all weathers. Absolute safety for vessels from the high winds of this latitude. Now ready for business. Improved Facilities for the handling of freight. For further information, address J. H. Escolme, Managing Director Alaska & Northwest Territory Trading Co., Board of Trade Building, Victoria, B. C. Or, Wm. Moore, Local Manager, Skaguay, Alaska. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 11. SKAGUAY AND YUKON TRANSPORTATION AND IMPROVEMENT COMPANY. SKAGUAY'S NEW WAGON ROAD. How to Travel Inland by Horse or Dog Team Over the New Highway to the Lakes. With a view to furnishing the readers of this edition of the News the most authentic and reliable information concerning the progress being made by the Skaguay and Yukon Transportation and Improvement Company, in the construction of their wagon road from Skaguay to Lake Bennett, a representative of the News accompanied General Superintendent Geo. A. Brackett over the road on December 1. But first a word as to the company and its objects. The Skaguay and Yukon Transportation and Improvement Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of Washington four weeks ago. It is capitalized at $500,000; its object is to construct a wagon road from Skaguay to Lake Bennett. Surveys had previously been made under the direction of Norman R. Smith, C. E., late of Port Angeles, Wash., and upon the completion of the organization of the company work was immediately begun under the superintendency of George A. Brackett, of Minneapolis, Minn. Among the local incorporators are: T. M. Word, merchant; D. Samsom, hotel; C. E. Kelly, druggist; F. H. Clayson, merchant; W. Clayson, merchant; Norman R. Smith, C. E.; D. McL. Brown, wharf builder. Among the non-resident stock holders are: Ex-Congressman Ackland, L. K. Hart, John G. Greener, V. E. Schwab, of Nashville, Tenn.; C. A. Bullen, of Portland, Or.; Ben Williams, of Victoria, B. C.; Geo. A. Bradley, of the Kerry Lumber Co., Seattle; John P. Hartman, Seattle, and Geo. A. Brackett of Minneapolis, Minn. The officers are: T. M. Word, president; Geo. A. Brackett, vice president; D. Samson, treasurer; E. H. Hatch, secretary. The News representative walked over the entire completed portion of the road, more than five miles, and found a roadbed that cannot be surpassed, for strength and durability, in the United States. The route selected runs along the Skaguay river for the first five miles; the grade is easy and the road is thoroughly macadamized, abundant material being found along the route for that purpose. At the Canyon a steel bridge costing $18,000 will be erected. this bridge was constructed by the Portland (Or.) Bridge company, and is now in transport to this town, accompanied by a force of bridge men, who will place it in position. Thus the first ten miles of the road to Lake Bennett will soon be open for traffic. The road will be thirty-eight miles long when completed; the grades are easy, and freight may be placed on wagons at the Skaguay docks and taken through without stoppage to Lake Bennett in a few hours. On the bridges being built by this company, tolls, not exceeding three cents a pound, will be charged when the entire system is completed, but the road itself will be free for all travel. It is proposed to have the road completed by March 1 next, and the management of the company is bending every energy to rush the work as fast as possible. In the meantime the portions of the road completed will be utilized, in connection with the winter trail. It is expected that connection can be made with the winter trail to Summit lake in about forty-five days from December 1. This will enable the traveler to have his goods hauled on sleds drawn by horses direct from Skaguay to Lake Bennett or Too chi lake, the road from Summit lake being already in excellent condition, and the amount of freight that can even now be carried is limited only by the capacity of the sleds. It may be stated in conclusion that the gold-seeker need have no doubt as to getting through the White pass, either this winter on a snow road, or in the early spring by means of one of the best wagon roads in the United States, at cheap rates. Table of Distances. From Skaguay to -- Summit white pass, 18 miles Lake Bennett, 38 miles Foot of Lake Bennett, 53 miles Foot of Caribou Crossing, 56 miles Foot of Takou lake, 73 miles Tagish house, 77 miles Head of Mud lake, 78 miles Head of Marsh lake, 98 miles Head of Canyon, 123 miles Head of White Horse rapids, 126 miles Tahkeena river, 138 miles Head of Lake LeBarge, 154 miles Foot of Lake LeBarge, 185 miles Hootalinqua river, 218 miles Cassiar Bar, 245 miles Little Salmon river, 288 miles McCormick's trading post, 329 miles Five Fingers, 349 miles Pelly River post, 408 miles Stewart river, 528 miles Ogilvie, 548 miles Dawson City, 600 miles Forty Mile, 648 miles Circle City, 888 miles ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 12. DEFENSE OF SUMMER TRAIL. LAST SUMMER'S JAM. How It Happened and Why - Reasons for "Horrors" and Dead Horses. The White pass, or Skaguay trail, has, probably, been the subject of more adverse criticism in the newspapers of the United States; has been the fruitful source of more anathemas on the part of many of those who essayed to reach the lakes during the past few months; has been so misrepresented by those who failed in crossing the divide that an impartial statement concerning it seems to be both necessary and appropriate at this time. The News, therefore, presents to its readers such a statement. When the great rush to the Klondike gold fields was inaugurated last summer, naturally one of the first questions confronting the intending argonaut was by what route was he to reach the goal of his desires. This, necessarily, was not a question of easy solution. For years the Chilkoot pass had formed a highway by which miners and others had reached the interior. The difficulties which beset the traveler over that route were well known, and it is not a subject for wonderment, that so many people, anxious to speedily reach the new gold fields, with as little delay as possible, were eager to find a new and supposedly easier way to the lakes. The White pass trail, it was believed, afforded what was desired, and thousands of men set out over it. It must be remembered that the trail was comparatively unknown; that but little work had been done upon it so as to put it in a condition for travel to pass over it. The route, moreover, had not been selected with any care. It may be truthfully said that a way had been merely "blazed" out and that the path between Skaguay and Lake Bennett was about as nature made it; man, at least, had improved it but little. In the unprecedented rush that followed, a veritable stampede it may be called, the ill-prepared path was in no condition to withstand or accommodate the immense travel so suddenly flung upon it. thousands of men and horses lined the trail within a few days and in a very short time after the rush began, the congestion was complete. By reason of the great stampede the trail was well nigh impassable. The low marshy plains became quagmires and the mountain path a slippery toboggan slide. Added to all this was the fact that the great majority of the gold-seekers were men inexperienced in mountain traveling, unused to hardships of any kind, and who knew literally nothing of "packing" or pack animals. A "tenderfoot" fails always where an experienced mountaineer threads his way in safety and with dispatch. The tales of woe that have filled the columns of the newspapers; the vitriolic denunciations of the Skaguay trail by the men who failed to cross it with their outfits; the terrible experiences recounted by the disappointed are the logical outcome of what might be expected of men who were in no wise fitted, physically or others, to endure the journey and who had not counted the cost of the undertaking. It is not the intention of the News to cast any reflection upon the men who so gallantly attempted to cross the mountain ranges, and failed. Many of those are deserving of all credit for the heroic efforts that they made. That they failed is not to their discredit, and had they all succeeded in reaching their destination this plain statement of fact would not have been necessary. These men battled with a mountain trail, all unused, as they were, to such mode of traveling, and physically unfitted for such work - they failed. The experienced, and those who knew how to rough it, succeeded. This writer has talked with many men who have traveled over the Skaguay trail several times since the first of last August. Some have denounced it in unsparing terms: others have emphatically stated that it is no worse, and in many respects better, than many of the mountain trails in Colorado and other mountain states. Experienced packers from the mountain states have had little trouble in reaching Lake Bennett with their outfits, and are united in the statement that this trail compares favorably with any on which they have operated. Mountain trails are never strewn with roses; difficulties present themselves to there man unused to such thoroughfares, which are enough to daunt the stoutest heart, but, we repeat, to the man who knows how to surmount such obstacles as must necessarily present themselves, the way is open. The people of Skaguay were alive to the difficulties which the White pass trail presented to the average traveler; they have learned of the criticisms, the denunciations which have found their way into the public prints of the entire country, with regret, since they know that much of the criticism was unjust, for the reasons that have already been pointed out in this article, and that the ireful denunciations which have been evoked were not warranted in fact. The trail has been greatly improved since the August rush began and for weeks past it has been pronounced in excellent condition by those who have crossed it. But as a summer trail its mission is ended. Before the buds appear on the trees again Skaguay will have two thoroughfares - a wagon road and a tram road - leading direct to the lakes. In the meantime the White pass as a winter route has never been assailed and it will be the favorite route for travel until such time as the highways alluded to shall have been completed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE PLACE TO EAT. the White Pass Hotel and Restaurant, on Holly street near Runnals, conducted by Messrs. Miller & Devaney, is not only one of the pioneer houses of Skaguay, but at the same time is the best place in the city to secure a square meal. Mr. Miller, the senior partner, being an old-time French chef, knows how to tickle the palate with just what it craves. the house also employs Mr. James C. Cross, a well-known chef of New York city, who is an expert in his profession. Don't fail to give this house a call when in Skaguay. They will be sure to please you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 13. ALASKA COAST WEATHER. Summer and Autumn Are Usually Delightful Months. Alaska used to be considered simply as the home of eternal snow, ice and Siwashes. The illusion has been in part dispelled in the past few years, but there yet remains much ignorance concerning the climatic conditions therein prevailing. Its fame as the greatest mineral producing region on earth is constantly spreading and the extent and richness of its gold deposits are being recognized. But to many the very name Alaska sends a chill cavorting down the spinal column. It is beginning to be known, however, that the climate of the coast region, as far as 60 degrees north latitude, or Southeastern Alaska, is much milder than could be expected in such a high latitude. The mildness and humidity of the climate is, of course, due to the Japan current, which makes its grateful influence felt even in the region of what is termed perpetual ice and snow. The cold winds of winter come from the interior and from the glaciers. They are called Takou zephyrs in some parts of Alaska. At Skaguay, only fifteen miles from the headwaters of the Yukon, in latitude 58 degrees north, and longitude 135 degrees west, the summers are as pleasant as can be found anywhere on the Pacific coast; the spring is pleasant, though the precipitation is quite heavy, and the autumn - the writer speaks from experience - is delightful, the only unpleasant characteristic being the occasional high winds which prevail. September, October and Nov ember are usually pleasant months, with little snow or frost. Up to December 1 of this year the only snow of the season fell on October 1. It lasted only for a day. The month of October was fine throughout, without either snow, rain or frost. Captain William Moore, an authority on Alaska and Alaska matters, says that usually the weather is coldest in this latitude in January and February, when 25 degrees of cold are sometimes experienced. Usually, however, the six rainy. From August 1 to August 15 there was but one rainy day. In the interior of Alaska the weather during the summer months is warm. The winters are cold, with usually clear skies, and the snow fall is not extremely heavy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THORP'S EXPERIENCE. Willis Thorp, of Seattle, was in Skaguay several days not long since. The gentleman only recently returned from his trip over the Dalton trail, and says that it was a sad failure for him from a financial standpoint. Mr. Thorp started from Haines' Mission about September 15, with nearly ninety head of cattle and thirty head of horses. When about 150 miles out on the trail a fierce and blinding snowstorm struck the outfit and in one night twenty of the horses succumbed to the wintry blasts, and the following night five or six more of the poor beasts were found frozen to death, and Mr. Thorp, seeing that the entire party were liable to perish, ordered his men to take the back trail. He arrived at the Mission and the cattle, with the exception of five or six that strayed, arrived there a day or so later. Mr. Thorp will dispose of the cattle to the best advantage possible, but his loss will doubtless be very heavy. Mr. Thorp, notwithstanding his terrible experience still believes in the Dalton trail, but now questions his judgment in starting on such a perilous trip so late in the season. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE POPULAR HOTEL. The pioneer house, and at the same time the most popular resort for travelers and the business public of Skaguay, is Samson's Hotel; in fact, Samson's has become known as headquarters. The house is first class in every respect, and has nothing but the best to be had in all its appointments. Mr. David Samson, the head of the concern, is one of the most enterprising citizens of the new metropolis of Alaska, and is always first to head the list for any enterprise calculated to push the town. Mr. Denny M. Brogan and Mr. Gus Miller, partners of Mr. Samson and assistants in the management of the house, are well known to the traveling public and are ever busy looking after the comfort of their guests. Stop at Samson's. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 14. THE SKAGUAY BREWING CO. Another Permanent and Prominent Industry Just Getting Under Way. By the time this special number of the News reaches the public there will be in operation in the business center of Skaguay another permanent and prominent industry in which the town may take pride. This is the Skaguay Brewing Company. Messrs. William Matlock and R. C. Smith, well-known business men of Portland, Or., are the promoters and proprietors of the enterprise. They came into the city a few weeks since, purchased an eligible site and began at once the erection of the necessary buildings. The main building, which is to be added to from time to time, has dimensions of 30x75 feet and is of two stories. the plant with which the concern is to begin business will cost from twelve to fifteen thousand dollars, and will have a capacity of forty barrels per day. The firm has secured the services of an old-time and long-experienced brewer from one of the leading breweries of San Francisco, whose well-known skill will guarantee a first-class article of product. It is the purpose to manufacture both steam and lager beer, in addition to which soda and bottling works will be conducted. The necessary machinery, vats, etc., for the correct manufacture of the popular beverage were secured in Portland, and the firm will store during the present winter a thousand tons of pure ice, with which to keep the manufactured product cool during the heat of the summer months. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ H. A. BAUER & CO. There is a time in the life of every man when the kind face of Fortune is revealed unto him. Then he who is energetic and wide-awake will seize the opportunity thus afforded and by dint of courage, energy and industry ultimately find himself on the road to wealth. Such is the belief of T. M. Word and H. A. Bauer, the young business men who have entered into business under the firm name of "H. A. Bauer & co." Mr. Bauer is a gentleman who has been in business in Alaska for the past thirteen years. He is a business pioneer of the territory, is of well-known ability, and thoroughly understands all the needs of any party residing on the coast, or in the interior. T. M. Word, the other member of the firm, is a gentleman who has been in the wholesale and retail business for the past twenty years, and when he determined to come to Alaska he severed a connection of ten years' standing between himself and the wholesale firm of Bauer Bros., of San Francisco. Of his business ability there can be no doubt. These gentlemen have determined to outfit men for the interior and have bought an enormous invoice of every description of goods for miners' use, also for residents of Skaguay, Dyea and other near-by points. These goods will be offered to those in need of such at four different points - Skaguay, Dyea, Sheep's Camp and The Canyon. From the above it is readily seen that this firm will have four different places of business along the route to the gold fields. From the amount of business energy displayed and the reasonable prices to be charged, considering the far northern location, it is hoped and prophesied that these young men are chasing Fortune. And they deserve it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ FIRST AND LAST CHANCE. Mr. Ed Drew, formerly of San Francisco and Portland, Or., is numbered among Skaguay's pioneer business men. He was early on the ground in the rush of last season, and was fortunate in securing one of the choicest business locations in the city. When you arrive you will find him on the corner of Broadway and McKinney street, at present the most popular business corner in Skaguay. The First and Last Chance Saloon, conducted by Mr. Drew, is one of the neatest and coziest in Alaska. Nothing but the very best goods the market affords will be found behind his counters, and you will have courteous treatment at all times. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ DR. J. A. CLEVELAND. One of the men who has identified himself with the upbuilding of Skaguay and the neighboring town of Dyea is Dr. J. A. Cleveland. Dr. Cleveland came to Skaguay before its beginning, almost, and quickly grasped the situation. He engaged in the lumber and lighterage business and by his good management and excellent business qualifications has established himself firmly. Dr. Cleveland, besides his lumber and lighterage business, is engaged in land transportation, and is ready at all times to take merchandise and outfits direct from the steamers and deliver them at the lakes. This part of the business is centered in the Dyea and Yukon Express company, of which Dr. Cleveland is the owner, with Harry D. Irvine as manager. In the lighterage business Dr. Cleveland has ample facilities for handling immense quantities of freight, having the largest lighters, specially fitted up for handling cargoes, on the North Pacific coast. He is also interested in a wharf now in course of construction at Dyea, where he handles all the freight from the steamers for that point. Dr. Cleveland has made hosts of friends in Alaska by his uniform kindness and courtesy to all with whom he comes in contact. He is one of the most unostentatious of men, but his purse and his voice are always ready to aid in a substantial manner any enterprise calculated to benefit this section of Alaska, or to aid any work whose object is the betterment of the conditions, material and social, of his fellow man. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ BEST HOTEL IN ALASKA. The Burkhart Hotel, located on the principal business corner of Skaguay, is in one of the largest and best constructed buildings at present in Alaska. The house is conducted by Mr. F. F. Clark, a veteran in the hotel business, who knows how to make his guests comfortable and at home. The rooms are all well heated and there are accommodations for 175 guests. Being thus centrally located and well conducted, the Burkhart is earning its reputation as one of the leading hotels of Alaska. When in Skaguay you cannot do better than to call on Mr. Clark. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ STEAMER FARALLON. One of the best all around steamships operated on the Alaska run is the Farallon. She has been for a long time and will continue to be a favorite. She is operated by the Alaska Commercial Steamship Company, with Captain John Roberts as master, and a full corps of able and courteous officers. Upon her return from the north, upon her present trip the Farallon will be put onto the drydock for extensive repairs, resuming her regular run on February 1, which her already ample accommodations for passengers will be found to be increased and strictly up-to-date in every respect. It is the intention of this company to put two or more additional steamers on the run after the first of the year, and the traveling public may be assured that at no other hands will they receive more courteous treatment, more prompt attention, better or quicker service. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADVERTISEMENT. HOME DINING ROOM. Strictly Home Cooking, The Finest Regular Meals Served in the City. Miss K. M. Mahan, Prop., McKinney Street, near Broadway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 15. THE GERMAN BAKERY. And coffee House - Corner Runnalls Street and Holly Avenue. Messrs. Ronkendorf & Oschensky, proprietors of the above named bakery and coffee house, beg to announce to their many patrons of both Skaguay and Dyea that Mr. H. Oschensky has just returned from Portland with a great supply of all goods suitable to the demands of the holiday trade, and are prepared to promptly furnish the trade and families generally with bread, cakes and pastries of all kinds, including ornamental confections suitable for balls and parties. This is the first bakery started in Skaguay and progressive ideas have been their motto from the start. Today the establishment is equipped with a modern brick bake oven, and a twelve-foot French range, secured by Mr. Oschensky on his recent trip to Portland. Both Mr. Ronkendorf and Mr. Oschensky are men of wide experience in their business. Mr. Oschensky was at one time proprietor of the well-known Queen City Bakery, at Seattle, and at present, in addition to his business here, controls the Lavier Bakery of Portland. Mr. Ronkendorf was for five years foreman of several leading bakeries in Seattle, and latterly was chief of the baking department on the famous excursion steamer Queen. Especial attention is called to our coffee house and lunch room, carried on in connection with the bakery, where quick service and moderate prices will be the rule. The patronage of all our old customers and their friends is invited, with the assurance of our every effort to please, not only regarding the quality and excellence of our work, but for the moderation in prices charged. Give the German Bakery a call. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ SKAGUAY AND DYEA TELEPHONE CO. This enterprise has but recently been completed. The proprietors of the line are Kelly & Co., druggists of this city. The line has been extended from Dyea to Sheep Camp, on the Chilkoot trail, and will ultimately reach Lake Lindeman. The distance between Skaguay and Dyea, which places are separated by a rocky peninsula, is about five miles, and from Dyea to Sheep Camp is about fourteen miles. The firm of Kelly & Co. is made up of live young men, who are interested in several other enterprises in the town. The telephone line receives a liberal patronage and has been found an invaluable means of communicating with the neighboring town, especially, as is sometimes the case, when water communication, by reason of heavy winds, is not practicable. The Skaguay central office is located in Kelly & Co.'s drug store on Broadway. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE HOTEL SKAGIT. This very comfortable hotel, complete in every particular, is located near the Seattle dock. It occupies a central location and is within a couple of minutes' walk from either of the other wharves and the business portion of the city. The hotel also has in convection therewith a first-class barber shop, baths, a bar 12x28 feet, club room 12x28 feet, and a concert hall, 30x32 feet in length. the hotel is steam heated throughout and there is no more comfortable hotel to be found in all Alaska. The proprietors of this house are Messrs. Courley & Smith, both well and favorably known gentlemen from Puget Sound. Mr. Gourley was for several years one of the Chinese immigration inspectors for the Puget Sound customs district. Courteous treatment of guests, neat and warm rooms and an excellent cuisine are among the features of the Hotel Skagit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADVERTISING. TRY I. D. SPENCER & CO., For general merchandise. Bond St., Skaguay, Alaska. BAY VIEW HOTEL Day & Turner, Props. Bond St., near Main Desirable rooms; correspondence solicited. Skaguay, Alaska. All Modern Conveniences Newly built; newly furnished; electric lights; electric bells. HOTEL FRANKLIN S. O. Wheelock, Prop. American and European Plan. Special rates to families and parties of two or more. Strictly First-Class in Every Respect. Cor. Main and Front Streets Opposite P. C. S. S. Co's Wharf Juneau, Alaska. B. M. BEHRENS' Banking and Mercantile Establishment Wholesale and Retail Dealers in General Merchandise Klondike Outfits at Wholesale Prices Retail Stores supplied at Jobbers Rates A general banking business transacted. Exchange issued on Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, New York. Juneau, Alaska. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page 16. TIMBER OF ALASKA. In His Report for the Current Year Gov. Brady Says of the Timber Resources of Alaska. In his report for the current Gov. Brady says of the timber resources of Alaska: The whole coast of Alaska, including the islands from -54 degrees, 40 min., to the eastern part of Kodiak Island, is covered with timber to the snow line of the mountains. Hemlock and spruce prevail, but in places there is yellow or Sitka cedar, and upon Prince of Wales island the red cedar attains large size. It is difficult to estimate the quantity of each, except to say that the amount of spruce and hemlock capable of being sawed into good, merchantable lumber, is very great. This timber is one of the great resources of the country. It stands today almost in its virgin state for all that the Russians and Americans have used from the first until now it does not amount to as much as is burned in one small fire in Washington or Oregon. Fire very seldom takes hold in these dense forests. The moss on the ground and over fallen tree trunks is deep and holds water like a sponge. The rains are so abundant that the moss and thick underbrush is kept soaked. Growth of large trees can be seen upon the mountain sides with apparently no soil whatsoever. Every man who builds a fire to cook a meal or builds a house in cover his head is a trespasser upon this timber reserve. The government has not put it on the saleable list. The people use it for all domestic purposes and for mining. It is almost as necessary as the water and air to support life in this latitude. What trees are taken are cut within a few hundred feet of salt water and are put in by what is known as hand logging. Very much of the lumber and timber used in the construction of the quartz buildings in and around Juneau has been imported from Puget sound. There need be no fear of Alaska being denuded of its timber so long as rain falls as it does and that will surely be as long as the Japan current flows and the native settlement on Halleck island the mountains stand up. The place of ten miles north of Sitka, and where they still lived at the time when they massacred the Russian settlement, in 1804, is now thickly overgrown with tall spruce, many of them over two feet in diameter. Great mountain slides occur, when acres of timber from the top to the bottom of the mountain are sloughed off into the sea. In a few years this bare place is covered with salmon, black currant, devil club, elder and other bushes and in a few years more a growth of alder will choke down these and then by and by the alder must given place to the spruce and hemlock. It appears like big fish eating little fish even in the vegetable kingdom. The early disposal of these timber tracts is a matter of great concern to the people, for they would at once enter into the lumbering business and in the near future could build up a very profitable trade with Japan and China. The great facilities for water transportation will make the southeast coast very desirable for lumber shipments. Common rough spruce lumber sells in Sitka at $18 per 1,000 feet, tongue and grooved flooring and beveled siding at $18 per 1,000 feet, clear boat stock, dressed two sides, $25 per 1,000 feet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADVERTISEMENT. Alaska Snow and Ice Creepers The best thing out Manufactured at 118 Union Street, Seattle, Washington Go Well Shod and You Won't Slip Patent Applied For Don't go Without Them. To be had at any hardware store, or at the above named place. Price $1.50 Weibel's Yukon Stove, Smallest, lightest. Most durable of all. Weight only 28 lbs. complete. Telephone Buff 645 G. Weibel, Mgr.

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