The silver star., 1897-09-23
LETTER FROM J. g. PRICE.

The following letter comes direct to
the Rico News-Sun and gives gone very
good news relative to the condition Of
things in general in the golden region.
The correspondent. it will be remem.
bered, was speech maker at Dolores
on July 4. last. and made many warm
friends on that occasion:
SKAGUAY, AlaskaJ Sept. 4, 1897.
Messrs. HUT & Casey, Rico. Colorado:
will now try and give you the letter
promised, although l never tried to
write letter where so much could be
told generally and so little definitely.
left Tacoma on the 18th of August,
on the City Of Kingston, and had one of
the most pleasant trips Of my life; had
very nice weather as far as Juneau good
accommodations. nice crew and every.
thing moved Of smoothly; arrived in Ju.
neau on the 22nd and remained there
until the following Thursday, and to say
the weather was bad would be putting
it mildly, a. do not think there was
two hours Of my time In juneau that it
did not rain.
From Juneau I came to this place and
found q regular frontier town with, l
should Judge. about 1000 people scat
tered through the timber. There was but
three or four houses up when got here
but now there are about ffty and people
building night and day. This place is
pleasantly located at the head Of Skag.
uay bay and is almost entirely in the
timber. The weather has not been good
but it Is great improvement over Ju-
neau. At Dyes there is no town at all
except trading post and one or two lit
tie restaurants. Now about the trails.
I was up this trail lthe White pass)
about half way and found the condition
terrible; and but few Of the hundreds
getting over it and every short distance
you will see one and sometimes more
dead horses that have fallen and been
injured and had to be killed or had kill
cd themselves. From this point to the
foot Of the trail 1t is about four miles and
1 vsnturs to say there 10 not . point in
that distance Of more than two hundred
feet at time that there 10 not supplies
and parts or outfits that have either
been abandoned or lett to got some 9TH
or time, and the first snow must neces.
sary cover hundreds of dollars' Of out
dts. a. not over five men out OF hun.
dred will get over the pass before the
winter sets in. People are in general
confused and are not working with any
system at sll and tie most unfounded
rumors are always afioat. To talk to
ton different men about this pass and
you will get ton different stories. and the
reports going out to the press are not to
be relied on but very little. a. most Of
them are to cover some point the writer
wishes to make. Dyea 10 about ten miles
from here and every day some OF those
who have tried that tsss (the Chilcoot)
come to this place and many leave hero
to try that pass aud the people in gen.
eral are just "milling back and forth
from one place to another and doing
nothing to profit; however. from what
can see and hear more people are get.
ting over tho Chilcoot pass at this time
than at this pass. bit they have closed
this pass for . few days and the people
are turning out On masso and, trying to
improve It aud II they keep people OF
for q little time ana work Il they can
get over II all right. There are about
500 horses here, few mules and some
cattle. al used for packing purposes. It
is thought that this will be the ultimate |
trail. - the Dyea trail you cannot get
horse over It all. A line Of railroad 10
being surveyed from here to the lakes. |
but have very little confidence In It
amounting to anything, All kinds Of
are in the air. and business 10
certainly ON the boom here at the pres.
ent timc and everything going at fabu.1
lous prices.
Some juneau parties arc putting in .
wharf. We have saw mill running. but
the future IT tho town depends. At this
time entirely on the trail being put put |
In shape. ~ that 10 the only support the
town hes at the present time. or will
have 10 the people who come here to 60
over the pass. II they. put this pass In
good shape. thiB town being thp head Of
navigation will make good lively town.
but II trail proves to DO failure tho
town will not amount to anything In the
course Of q few months,
Prices range hero about ss follows:.
Shave 30 conts. hair out si. bath. can't
got, fresh meat y cents per pound, haul.
ing % for about four blocks. all kinds Of
drinks q cents. meals (ham and eggs)'
80 cents and up (mostly up), ordinary
shoes from u to GIG per pair. but % md
.sggs 40 cents. bread . cents pcr loaf.
and everything In proportion. Wages
from % 10 $40 pcr dsy but that is now
falling IN md huk few can And NuvthinV