The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-20
Klondike Discoveries
Promise to Add Anoth-
er to the List of Great
Humanity Centers.

NUNS, say that just so soon as the
transportation problem was sufficient
ly solved to make it possible, business
would come into this town with a rush
that would compare faVorably with
the ONSLAUGHT of the miners upon the
pick of the placer mining country.
There is plenty of timber about
Skagua, such as it is. 1t was reported
here yesterday that discoveries of coal
had been made near by. With large
supply of wood and coal probabilities,
it is not at all optimistic to state that
manufactures must start here at an
early date. Capital invested in the in
Ception of opera tons of this sort would
be almost certain to bring larger re-
turns than could be secured elsewhere,
for the very simple reason that they
could afford to sell goods made at
Skagua at prices greatly in advance of
those obtaining in the states, and at
the same time put their figures far be-
low what they would be If the goods
were all brought here after being man
ufactured. This would be the result,
of course, of the existing cost of trans
portation, which is sure to continue Tor
several years to come.
The climate Of Skagua is not of the
sort which one seeks for the sake of
recuperation. The winters are long
| and the summers short. There is
plague of f1eas and mosquitoes The
| country is bleak and desolate. Yet it
| is Just as desirable as that which sur
rounds several of the cities of the
| Northwest, and perhaps with the i'm
provements that come in the van of
| progress. it will be more acceptable
still
Sc far as the nature of the products
| for which manufactures are needed
| are concerned, l do not think that one
can state with any degree of relia-
| bility any one thing, unless it be that
which pertains to mining which, of
| course will of necessity be the great
interest here. Yet almost everything
would pay In the way Of manufactures,
provided the projectors were backed
| by ample capital. 1t is the most fool
| ish thing in the world for a man to
| think he can come to this country,
| with gold field prices for everything
| to encounter, and start some manufac-
| turing business or something of that
kind with $500 or $500. He might as
we'll try to stem the tide Of the Pacific
| ocean with a tennis racket.
1t must be understood that this city
| is not in the heart of the gold fields.
| By no means. The star of gold, unlike
| that of empire, will northward take it's
| way here continually. Yet as 1 have
said before, here is the place where the
| first great metropolis of the Klondike
| is to be located. This statement is not
made with any desire to boom the
country-for if anything on earth will
| develop the practical side Of a man.
residence here will accomplish it-but
because the logical facts point to that
and nothing else. I predict that five
years from the date Of this letter will
see a population Of 100000 in Skagua.
You may laugh at it. deride it if you
| will, >but it is coming as sure as fate.
There are at present here, as I have
| said, II frame and log houses, saw
mill, stores, 4 saloons, restaurants,
! a blacksmith shop, and offices of a
| dentist and several physicians, togeth-
! er with a tailor shop. 1 think there
| are over 300 tents up here, and all oc-
! cupled by from two to five men. There