The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1897-12-18
ALASKA AS 1T Is.
Views of Men Who Have Been There and
Are Returning

Are Returning.
The steamer Elder, which has been
waiting a hours for an opportunity to
put to sea. will probably get out today.
Among her passengers is q man named
H. Fl. Hixson, of Portland, who came
down on the Elders last trip and is
now returning to Skagway. He says
that town has the best prospects Of any
point in tha5 country. The hammer
never ceases its music. In the con-
struction of new houses and buildings,
there seems TO be no end of work for
all who want employment. Carpenter
are getting large wages. 60 cents to 81
per hour being the average. No hobos
reach that country, as walking is not
good, and the steamship companies
look out for stowaways. An electric
light plant is being completed, large
gang of men are at work on the wagon
road over the pass and the tramway
will be finished in the spring. Skag-
ways future is pictured as bright one.
Just one year ago Monday, the 9th,
Walter Nash started from Dawson
City with large pack of mail and sue
cessfully made the trip up the Yukon
and oyer Chilcoo5 pass and into Dyea.
Nash, who is a Portland man. came
down to Oregon on the Elder recently,
on business "trip. and is now one of
her passengers back to Skagway. He
says he will get through to Dawson in
a short time, and that all the news
paper reports published from Dawson
City and Alaska have been greatly ex-
agerated and highly colored. There is
plenty of gold in Alaska and Klondike,
but.it doesn't come in the big chunks,
as published. The country is not so
rough and difficult of access as pictured.
Any one can get through now over
Chilcoot pass, with perfect comfort,
if he knows his business The pass
itself is, he says, about like the hills
| back of Astoria. There is but one
short steep place on it. After reach
| ing the lakes there are miles and miles
which can be traversed by sledge, un-
! der sail, over the ice and snow. Not
I only are the people not starving in
Dawson City and the mining districts,
4, but they are better off for food and
: clothing than thousands of Door
wretches in the cities of Portland and
San Francisco, which are today organ
izing relief expeditions for the Alaska
miners. He says there is shortage
in some sections of the mining regions
of certain articles, but not sufficient to
create famine. His advice is to keep
the relief expeditions at home and re-
lieve home sufferers, as there is plenty
of food on the way to Alaska, in the
legitimate lines of trade. He character.
ICES these relief expeditions as mere
advertising schemes.
AS to the country Mr.. Nash says
there are thousands of acres of arabic
land which will produce all kinds of
hardy vegetables and grain. On his
own ranch near Dawson, in '96, he
raised beets, turnips, carrots and oats, |
which he sold at good price. He
says there is too much yellow journal
ism for the good of the country, which |
has a fine future before it in other re-
spects than mining. Properly pro-
tected persons do not notice the cold |
much more than in Portland. Alaska |
is the place for young men of mbitiop,
who can always earn So to 81 in wages.
Skagway and Dyea are both growing |
cities and will be good commercial |
points in the future.
Mr.. Nash says that from his obser-
vations during his three days stay in |
Astoria this city is planting an acorn |
which will soon grow into mighty |
oak of one of the greatest commercial |
ports on the Pacific coast.-Astorian |