Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-09-01
one JAN BROKEN It list.
The Skaguay Trail to the Klondike
Finally Opel.
A Moving Mass Of Men, Horses,
Cattle, Mules, Goats, Dogs and
Vehicles Pushing on to the Gold
Fields-Those Who Backed Out
Turned Town Site Boomers at
Skaguay.

Skaguay.
Seattle, Wash, August 31-The fol-
lowing letter, dated Skaguay, August
%, was received per steamer Utopia
by the Associated Presss
The jam is broken on the Skaguay
trail. A number of outfits have got
ten over and there is a steady stream
of moving humanity, mixed up in an
almost indescribable mass of horses Of
all sizes, ages and conditions; mules,
steers, mich cows, goats and dogs;
also vehicles Of every kinds and de-
scription to be imagined Three steam
ers are now unloading on lighters,
which convey the freight as near to
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 an
other dock, which is intended to be a
! up steam for the first time this morn
| ing. Rough lumber is worth $27 per
| thousand, but it cannot be got half
fast enough. The city of tents is not
being displaced, but is being re-en-
| forced by city of "shacks" of all
sizes and degrees.
| Skaguay is the boom town of Alas
| ka. Every man whose heart failed him
when he encountered the first hard
ship has turned town site boomer Four
weeks ago Skaguay was not known;
| to-day there are not less than 1000
| people, in addition to those on ships
I in the harbor. They have surveyed
! off the town site, the first corners
having first choice. The United States
| Commissioner is issuing some kind Of
certificate, fee SIS, surveyor another
SIS, then the squatter sticks up his
tent, shack or corral 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 choice location. Skag-
uay has all the useful Accomplishments
of frontier mining town. Dance halls,
roulette, faro, stud poker, and craps
find devotees ready to tempt fortunes
smiles.
There is no chance of famine here
though there may be shortage in GER
tain lines. On all sides "snail g
plenty is conjured by some enchant-
err" herabouts. Great piles of hay
grain, -four, bacon, sugar and all the
necessaries of life are in stock, appar-
emily for some time to come. There are
IAuc l~ss than 1000 horses at work on
the Skaguay trail, but it is hard to gel
any one to contract to deliver YOU
over the summit, at any price, but
you can get over for about so cents a
pound if you are willing to wait and
contract for sections. The packers al
This end of the trail do not like IN
contract farther than the first hin
six miles out, and he has to hire an
other outfit.
An unknown man has been shot on
the Skaguay trail by a committee OF
vlgllantes. Some time ago a sack of
Hour was stolen. Suspicion pointed to
a man who was encamped near the
summit. A committee of six was chos-
en- to ferret out and punish the thief
Ihese men went to the tent of the Sis
pected man and found the missing
sack. The man begged for mercy but
the committee, satisfied of his guilty.
decided that he should be immediateiv
! killed. Then man was dragged from
MS tent and tied tightly to a pole. The
committee stood off a short distance
and fired together. The thief's body
was pierced in six places. Feeling
| their duty done and sick of their task,
the vigilantes left at once, not even
waiting to put the bleeding form be-
meath the ground. For three DAYS 1t
| hung there in full view of those pass
| ing with their packs.
| Tacoma, Wash, August 31.-A letter
to the Ledger has been received from
| the north fork of the Macmillan river.
Alaska, from George Lennon. address
| ed to his wife in South Tacoma, Civ
| ing particulars of famously rich
strike on this tributary of the MacMil-
Ian river. He and his partner went
there from the Yukon on information
from an Indian, who accompanied them
last spring, and he SAYS they have
struck locality richer than the Klon-
| dixie. In three months they have made
cleanup Of $4,000. He says they
have large bucket and bean can full
of nuggets, and although they have no
scales, they believe it will reach the
amount named. They have staked off
five claims. and he tells his wife to send
up four friends, whom he designates,
as quickly as possible to locate proper
ties, as one man can locate only one
claim.
wG9E.S's REVOLVER