San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-08-29
LETTER FROM ALI
Mr.. AL, WHITL0W REOEIV
IN THIS CITY.
From Wallace hyde, Who Left he MIC
Weeks Ago Says Wages Are Sewe
And He Is satisf ed.

dixie gold fields, has been heard from.
He is in Alaska and writes to Mr..
AL. Whitlow, well known cabinet
maker of this city, from Dyea, under
date of August 3 He is satisfied with
the country and says it is great
place, that wages are high and en-
ployment good.
He urges Mr.. Whitlow to come up
there and says wages for carpenteres
are SIS per day in the gold fields.
Although several parties have left
this place for Alaska none except Mr..
Hyde have as yet been heard from
and it will be of interest to the read
ers of the Light to know how he likes
the country. That the letter is mailed
from Alaska there is no doubt as the
government postmark is plainly visi-
BILE.
The distance was so great and the
handling of the mail so rough that the
envelope was worn so badly that it
| had broken open at the edges and had
an official sealing stamp on it. 1t was
also marked, Received in bad order,
S-23-97, J. NJ. George, p. NJ
The letter in part is as follows:
"Dyea, Alaska, Aug. 2, 1897.
"Mr. Al. Whitlow:
Dear friend-I am now in the above
place which is eighty miles above Ju-
neau. This place is where most of
the miners enter the gold fields from.
There are three ways to reach the
mines-one by st. Michaels, up the
Yukon river and one is through Chill
coot Pass, about sixty miles from
here and the other is the Dyea trail,
which leaves this place. This Is the
one by which the miners who have
no money to squander go in. 1t ira
verses over the mountains to the lake
on the other side and then down the
river a distance to the gold fields, be.
ing about GOO miles.
Il am now with man named Cava-
naugh. He is well known in Dyea as
wei as in Skagway. He has eight
horses with him and is going to take
machinery into the interior for the
pUr pose of erecting saw mill ON one
of the lakes. He also has eight men,
| am cooking for the party at present
aud have good thing,
You should come up here. He
would give you $40 a day and board
1t is a great country. Come as soon
as you can. Don't delay. Carpenters
are in great demand and in the in
terror about the gold fields they get
SO a day. If you come bring lots of
warm clothes, plenty Of grub and a
horse to pack it over the country on.
You can get in easily on $3.50, but 500
extra would come in handy.
Bread is % cents loaf here and
everything else in proportion Some
things are not quite so high, but all
are high enough.
Bring your own cooking outfit, four
good heavy blankets, one rubber
blanket and other articles you would
need out in the weather when the old
thermometer registers 20 degrees be-
low the zero mark. If you come this
winter bring two good dogs and build
two small sledS or one large one on
which to transport your baggage and
you will reach where l am easily.
IF you don't come until spring bring
one horse along, as he can be used
easily to advantage, but in winter the
only animals available for transporta-
ton purposes are dogs.
There is new trail about eight
miles from here which will be much
easier and better to travel when COM
pleted. 1t is the Skagway trail, from
Skagway bay.
Il expect to go to the interior short
ly, but at present address my letters
to Juneau, general delivery, 'as that
will be my destination from here.
Send me some Sunday papers as well
as some funny literature.
Il am writing this letter in the open
air with the thermometer registering.
go degrees, very fine weather. l will.
try and tell you something about the
gold fields in my next letter. Good
bye. Your friend,
WALLACE HYDE"
Mr. Whitlow says he knows Hyde's;
character well and believes he will
stay until he strikes it rich. He says.
he is of pushing go-ahead disposition