The herald., 1897-11-02
Los Angeles Man Talks of
the New Town
HORSE NAILS At FOUR BITS
HAY FIFTEEN TO SEVENTY DOL
LARS PER TON
Five Thousand Population and Eight
Hundred New Buildings in
Four Months

AuA0IeU N0W 0U1lU1AkS Ill
Four Months
Joseph Burkhard of 998 West Twenty
eighth street has just returned from
three months stay at Skaguay, Alaska
He says that business is booming there.
Three months ago, when he arrived,
there was nothing but uninhabited open
country in sight; now there is a town OF
800 houses, with shifting population of
from 1000 to 5000 and as many more peo-
pie in nearby settlements.
"All trails to Klondike will be crowd
ed" said Mr.. Burkhard to a Herald re-
porter last night, land there are not
enough ships on the coast to carry all
who will want to go there. There Is
undoubtedly all the gold in that country
that it has been credited with and more.
In the next few years it will astonish the
world with the wealth Of it's output.
Skaguay is right at the foot Of White
pass. The route by it Is twelve miles
longer than by Dyea. but horses can go
by the Skaguay route while that by Dyea
is too steep for them. By Skaguay
through White pass one can reach Ben
nett lake in forty miles. There you must
build your boat Of lumber at 5000 thou
sand, 60 cents a square foot, kill your
horses and take the meat along to eat.
From Bennett lake you go into the
Yukon and SO one to the Klondike coun-
try. Since left have heard Of a tram
way being started through White pass
to Bennett lake. Work commenced on
it fourteen days ago. The intention is
to build for a horse line and afterwards
change to steam or electric power. This
news l got from the first issue of the first
paper published at Skaguay. 1t Is called
the Skaguay News and was issued Oc-
tober 18th last.
"Skaguay is on level stretch Of
ground running back about four miles
from the sea coast. Level ground Is
rare thing along that coast. You can
sail there for a thousand miles through
inland bays, among thousands of ISL
ands, amid most magnificent scenery of
mountain and glacier and not see level
stretch of more than few acres IN eX-
tent once in hundred miles.
"Skaguay has about five general mer-
chandise stores, ten clothing houses,
fifteen groceries, five drug stores, ten or
twelve doctors, ten bakeries, five black
smiths, four butcher shops and five ho-
tells. It's oldest inhabitant arrived there
about the middle of last July, less than
four months ago. I don't know how
many saloons it has. Gambling Is run
| wide open and there's lots of it, but it Is
on the whole an orderly town, all the
same. A United States marshal and a
governing committee of fifteen, selected
| by the citizens keep itiso. There are no
churches there yet and no public schoo.
There is no bank there, either. A man
brought big safe there and I rented
him a room for it and he moved it in
ready to start a bank. but couldn't get
it open and sent it back to Seattle.
1.-The biggest building in Skaguay is
4Ox6O feet and three stories high. The
| two upper stories are occupied as a
hotel and the custom house has it's quar-
ters there. The lower story is used for
stores I have general merchandise
store in it, and put up the building. 1t
had to be built strongly on account of
the winds, and had to be warm because
of the severe weather. 1t cost about
$4,000 to build it. Lumber there costs $25
per thousand for rough and $50 to $40
for dressed At first the town was all
tents; now it is all new houses. We have
a sawmill and have built three big
wharves. There was talk of an electric
| light plant when I came away. and
things move so quick there it may be
under way by this time.
Food is not much more expensive
there than here or in San Francisco or
Seattle. Bacon is 121s to IA cents per
pound, ham IA or Is cents, flour SLIPS and
$15O per sack. Apples and potatoes have
sold there for less than here at times.
because more were brought than there
was need Of Wood is $6 per cord and
hay has sold for $40 a ton.
"At one time there were 1000 horses at
Skaguay, and at the same time there
was hay and feed enough for $4,000.
Much of it was sold at SIS per ton, which
would barely pay the freight on it there.
Horseshoe nails sold for so cents piece
for short time. during a great scarcity
Of them.
whisky is always profitable If you
can get it there. 1t brings $40 per gallon
and Is cents a drink, and a weak, we'll
watered drink at that. Cigars and to-
bacco are about the same as here. The
cigar stand business was OverdOne. So
was the restaurant business. At one
time there were 100 or more restaurants
there. Now there are about twenty
five, and that's plenty. Rents are very
high, A $4OO house will rent for $40 per
month. There is no insurance and no
land title except squatter's right.
1T costs $65 to go from here to Skag-
uay first-class, SIS from here to San
Francisco. SO from there to Portland
The steamship fare is the same from
both Seattle and Portland, $40 to Skag-
uay. The steamer takes seven days for
the trip and the $40 includes board.
Second-class the fare from here is about
$40. A good many are still going, and
a number expect to get through the pass
and go on to Klondike in December,
when the snow packs
DE GRooT DISCHARGED
After Weeks Of Waiting Owens Makes