The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-03-17

Mr.. Gus. W. Lowell also received tbe
following letter from this brother. jos. p
Lowell:
IN CAMP NEAR THE Voor or WHlrg Pass
ALASKA, FEB. 27TH, lS9s.-DEAR (ius-As
! expect chance to mail letter. uill
write YOU few lines TO let Won hear from
me. This leavss US 3 we'll. We have
gotten about Z Of our outfit upon the top
OF The Summit and the rest Of them near
me loot OF the summit and we are going TO
40 our best to get them all upon the sum
init by the LIST Of March, as the COMPANY
who are building wagon road from Skag-
way to the Summit have posted notices
mat on aud after March LIST thew will
charge toll Of cents per pound for all
goods carried over it, but | think they
WIN have trouble in collecting such toll as
their road is not completed and our trail
only strikes their road in few places, but
! suppose there is 1000 people between
Skagway and where we are at and they all
say they wont pay any toll, vet we will
be ahead of The trouble.
II you see anybody coming tell them |
they had just as well come to Skagway or |
Wrange, as by the time they paw duty and |
freight on their eutfit they can buy an
outfit in Skagway as cheap as anywhere
We paid duty in Skagway to the United
States. This bonding business is all
iake az yOu nave to pay custom house
broker 30 and pay an inspector 5000
per day 10 accompany the outfit through
TO British lines, and by the time it. is all
added up we found it cheaper to ray the
duty, which amounted to $1,000, than to
have them bonded. They wont let man
put up the money even, he has TO 20
through the form and pay the money in I
spite of all that can lie done
We expect to he On lake Bennett in
lew days. ! was ON the Summit today.
II was not very COLI as the weather has
moderated very much in the last day or
wO. 1t may be two months yet before we
get TO Dawson, as we will have to wait for =
he Ice to break up TO 90 down the lakes.
IS we expect TO sell our horse "a soon as il
re get our stuff to the lakes, as it would d
Ot pay us TO try to haul our staff through ia
Dawson on account Of the scarcely and
rice of horse feed HAY is worth $l2J n
er ton and oats ) cents per pound at the q,
'kes. SO you see il would not pay us to u
~ to feed horses and haul our stuff when a,
e can make boat and 90 so much
leaper.
Well don't know any news of interest Po
write rs | hardly ever see any news ~
'peis, aud any sort Of news papers sells vi
n % centsup here where we are.
Tell Charley Tarter that said he ought Nj
be up here, as blacksmths in this PR
untry get 30 cents apiece for mailing on VIII
old shoe that has come off ard 800 hin
r making and putting on a set of shoes
suppore you had better direct any Su
ter to me at Dawson as that will be the th.
xt postoflice will see. ma
Give my love TO all, and write me all I
news. From your afectionate brother, Va
Jos. p. LOWELL. nio
n B. If you think of coming anywhere anC
this country to go into the merchandise aud
sness think that Wrangle is the best !
zee, and will he the best town anywhere mo-.
this country. 1t is already good sized Ina
lie town. We stopped over there one tnr,
mt There is more business done and y
re money handled in wrange in one ,
than there is in Big Stone Gap in 10
nths. ! /. day