The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-08-18
ON THE KL0NDYKE.
Continued from First Page.)

the north side. The other side had
hardly been touched, although rich dig
I gings had been found there, too.
"A great deal has been said about
! the danger from thieves and cut
! threats in the Klondyke. 1t was given
TO me as a fact that people were in the
habit of leaving containers of gold dust
outside their cabins when off to work.
and not bit had ever been known to
be touched. OF course, there is no tell
ing what things may happen in two or
three years from now, but at the pres
ent time there is absolutely no danger
Then. too, the laws are very rigid, and
i is hardly probable that any one is go
ing to run any risks.
There is plenty Of money up there
to be had for the digging. Libbey, of
whom your readers have all heard
says that nothing in California was
ever known to equal the Klondyke.
One party returned recently with $685.
O0O which had been gathered in six
months. The sluice boxes had to be
cleaned out four or five times.
Now, then, something as to trans
portation. Two days before | left Seat
tie the steamer Walla Walla, from San
Francisco, arrived with 500 people,
were provided with horses. At that
time it was claimed a steamer would
leave Seattle every day in the spring.
There are a great many steamers in
Seattle now, and in the summer the
place will be flooded. The passage from
Seattle to Dawson City is $3.50 for first
class and S125 for secOnd-claSS. This
allows each one only $50 pounds of
baggage, but in the spring the passage
will be much less and people will be
allowed to take their supplies, etc. But
then by that time there will be no need
for any one to take supplies, as there
will be plenty at the Klondyke.
GA great many people go overland
from Dyea to the lakes, a distance of
271a miles, and haul their stuff across
the divide. Once there, they can easily
procure boats. After having gone down
the rapids by the aid of long ropes it
is a matter of only 500 miles 600 miles
a day. to Dawson City.
1.-TWO surveying parties left Seattle
recently to survey two railroads, these
to strike into the headwaters of the
Yukon. Next spring these will be built
from Dyea to the rapids and from there
little steamers will take the people to
Dawson City. The company claims
that the roads will be ready by next
August. The material will be shipped
into Dyea this winter.
1.-TWO crews of ships carpenters are
now in ST. Michael putting up steamers
for the Yukon. The frames are made
in Seattle and shipped to that place.
The Alaska Trading Company has a
number of steamers running up the
river now with stores and building ma
terial. I might say here that flour is
S12 per 100 pounds and lumber 81 foot.
The competition in the spring will
lower this materially.
while I am on this point I may as
we'll say something about what can be
made by laborers and others at the
Klondyke to show that the prices
for material and provisions is
nicely offset. A laborer gets SIS a day
and the cost of living is about 81 for
the same time. Ten or eleven dollars
a day saved is not bad. A meal is 81
and a drink the same.
"a lady went to the Klondyke not
long ago and set up a bakery. She
bought 100 pounds of flour for $12,
made on an average of 80 loaves from
one bag and sold a loaf for 60 cents,
profit of about $50 on bag. Of course,
you must understand that all of this |
is paid for in gold dust, weighed out in
the scales. II tn6r6 IS not QulLo enough
dust in the scales, there is never a
failure to call for the requisite amount, |
but if the scales should happen to go
down with a bump, no dust is taken
out to balance them.
1.-The KlOndyke is not the only place
where gold has been found recently. |
Some very rich mines have been struck
east of the mountains in the State of
Washington. Nuggets worth all the
way from 800 to $500 have been taken
out When 1 was in Seattle large pile
was placed in one of the show win
dows of a leading jewelry store. Then
again some rich placer diggings have
been struck in the Olympic range, be-
tween Seattle and the Coast. The soil
is extremely rich, and people are go
ing there, too.
"All this has created a great boom
in Seattle. The town is hung with pic
lures at various places, representing
prospectors going to the Klondyke in
all sorts of ways. For blocks along the
streets, provisions, done up in water
proof canvas coverings, are piled up
several feet high for the many who
have sent in their orders.
''The hotels cannot hold the people,
and many are forced to get lodgings
wherever they can, some even being
forced TO the very outskirts Of the city" |