The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-31
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF
MAKING MONEY IN THE
KLoNDfKE.
BIG PROFITS At DAWSON.
CITY REAL EsTATE UP A THOU
SAND PER CENT I'm SIX
MONTHS.
FORTUNE TO BurhI,D A COTTAGE.
Costs Thousand Dollars
Cold in Tents.

SEATTLE,Aug 30.-Not I'll the money
on the Klondike is being made in the
mines. The value of real estate in
Dawson City has multiplied a thousand
fold in less than six months. When
Joseph Ladue laid out the town of
Dawson City in August, 1896, he chose
a site mile below the mouth of the
Klondike on the east bank of the Yu-
kon. At that point the river makes q
slight bend and in front of Dawson
there is an eddy formed by the waters
of the Klondike and the Yukon. This
gives Dawson a fine frontage, steam
boats landing within a few feet of the
warehouses on the bank. On Sept. 1,
1896, Dawson City consisted of two log
cabins, one small warehouse, a saw
mill and few tents, with a population
of about twenty-five men and one wom-
an. Mr.. Ladue was then selling his
best lots at from S. to 500 each These
lots in July last were selling at $500 to
$1,000 each, with every prospect of go
ing still higher. In July Dawson's pop
ulation had grown to 5000 and every
sixteen by eighteen feet were renting
for from $40 to SIS per month, and none
was to be had at even these prices. On
every hand cabins and tents were being
set up.
It costs a small fortune to build a
small cabin at Dawson. One of average
size costs in the neighborhcod of 81 GOO
Building lumber is scarce, logs being
brought down the Yukon from ten to
fifteen miles.
The question of shelter will be a hard
problem this winter, as enough cabins
cannot possibly be built to shelter the
people already there, Living in tents,
with the thermometer from forty to
sixty degrees below zero, is almost an
impossibility. There is no such thing
as keeping warm in a tent when the
weather is so frigid.
The principal street of Dawson is
along the water front. The main por-
ton of this is occupied by stores, sa-
looms, dance houses, warehouses, etc.
One block is given over entirely to sa-
looms and dance halls. Dawson is a
typical mining town, and next spring
it promises to be the breeziest mining
camp in the world. Everything is wide
open, and gambling is always in full
blast, with no limit. In spite of all this,
the town has been orderly. Dangerous
QuarrelS are very infrequent, and TO
serious crimes have yet been commit
ted. The Canadian mounted police
represent the law-dispensing powers of
these towns, The only competitor to
Dawson is the old Indian ranch, mile
distant, on the Yukon. This place has
been renamed "'LousetoWn' by the min
ers. A part of DaWson'S population,
which is already in evidence, is fully
1000 dogs. These welcome the arrival
of every steamer with bowls that would
drown a hundred calliopes. Every
known breed of canine is represented,
and, to quote one Of the Yukoners, there
is continuous performance of dog
fights going day and night
Dawson is an all night town. The
restaurants, saloons, gambling dens,
saw mills and stores are never closed,
and everything is going with a rush.
The following was received per
steamer Utopia today:
The jam is broken on the Skaguav
trail, number of outfits have gotten
over and there is a steady volume of
moving humanity mixed up in an al
most indeScribable mass of horses Of
all sizes, ages and conditions; mules.
steers, mich cows, goats and dogs;
also vehicles of every kind and de-
scription to be imagined. Three steam
ers are now unloading on lighters
which convey the freight as near the
shore as possible before it is loaded on
wagons or anchored above high tide
The Utopia is unloading at the only
wharf a very shaky structure. Two
pile drivers are at work on another
dock, which is intended to be a sub
Stantial affair. A new saw mill got
up steam for the first time this morn
ing. Rough lumber is worth $27 per
thousand, but it cannot be made half
fast enough. The city of tents is not
being displaced, but reinforced by
city of ''shacks" of all sizes and de-
greeS. Skaguay. is the boom town of
Alaska. Every man whose heart fail
ed him when he encountered the first
hardships, has turned. town site BOOM
er. Four weeks ago .Skaguay was not
known; today there are not less than
1000 people in addition to those on
ships in the harbor. They have sur
veyed off the town site, the first COM
ers having first choice.
The United States commissioner Is
issuing some kind of a certificate, fec
S., surveyor another S., then the
squatter sticks up his tent or shack
and is ready to skin the first tenderfoot
that comes along. Transfers by quit
claims are quite common and as high
as 5000 has been paid for a choice loca-
ton.
Skaguay has all the accompani-
ments of frontier mining town.
Dance halls, roulette, faro, stud poker
and craps find devotees ready to tempt
fortunes smiles. There is no danger
of famine here, though there may be
shortages in certain lines. On all
sides Smiling plenty as is conjured
by some enchanter'' abounds. Great
piles of hay, grain, flour, bacon, sugar
and all the necessaries of life are III
stock, apparently for some time to
come. There are not less than 1000
horses at work on the Skaguay trail
but it is hard to get any one to con-
tract to deliver you, over the summit
at any price-but you can get over for
about thirty cents a pound, if you are
willing to wait and contract by sec
lions. The packers at this end of the
trail do not like tor contract farther
than the first hill, six miles out. At
Dyea the Indians are moving the
freight on an almost unbroken stream
from Dyea to Lake Linderman, and
1t is not much trouble to contract to
get ones entire outfit. over at one trip
for thirty to thirty-five cents per
pound. No one should come expecting
to get over this fall at less than these
rates, and no one should bring boats.