The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-09
fsmther than the pyea trait. gor.s. o.n

farther than the Dyea trail. Horses osn
draw loads to the very summit, but IL
IL inevitable that the tide of travel will
turn toward the Chilkoot pass in few
weeks
Conditions on the Dyea trail vary
from day to day. Just at present there
Is well worn road but the snow has
worn on In places, exposing the rocks.
Prices for moving freight along the Dyea
trail vary from day to day. The charges
at present are cents a pound from
Dyea to Sheep Camp, cents from
Sheep Camp TO the Scales and cents
from the Scales TO the summit, where the
British flag is flying.
But, If the gateways to the Klondike
sin by bearing false witness against
their neighbors, in divers ways they are
also sinned against
For instance, "a man arrived at Sheen
Camp from the States the other day
who said that the reports in the press
concerning Skaguay were so startling
that he did not venture into the town.
lie showed me a newspaper clipping
wherein it Was stated that people were
dying there like sheep. They were taken
with disease somewhat resembling
cerebro spinal meningitis, turn black
and die in a few hours There are l6
bodies now awaiting burial, continued
this alleged reliable authority, and then
followed startling reports of murders
and outlawry. AS it costs little or moth
ing TO get from Sheep Camp back to
Skaguay, and as we are not quite ready
to pack over the summit to Lake Ben
nett, and, moreover, as | am "bound TO
die anyway" if we go to Dawson City,
l took two days and "my life in my
hand" and went back to investigate.
skagusy Is All Right.
found less sickness there than would
be expected considering that the streets
were anywhere from ankle to knee deep
in mud and slush and the sanitary con-
ditions about as wretched as it would
be possible to imagine. But so far as l
could learn there have only been about
II deaths in town since last September,
which is not bad for mining town of
5000 people, Nor is there an unusually
lawless element in the place. Gambling
goes on night and day, and an occasional
fracas occurs, but the place is as orderly
as the general run of towns in so called
civilized localities / saw notice stuck
up warning gamblers and thimblerig-
gers to leave the place in "a hours or
suffer some dire calamity which was
not specified. 1t bore the signature of
Committee of 101," but am inclined
to think that some irresponsible indi-
vidual added about 100 to the commit
tee.
70 any one who has an idea of COM
ing up to these mining towns for the
purpose of engaging in any mercantile
business let me give Punoh's advice,
"Don'tW Everything is overdone. So
far as can learn there is scarcity of
nothing under the sun to eat, drink or
wear. Skaguay has three newspapers,
one of them daily, from 90 to 20 sa-
looms, three or four theaters, restaurants
at every hand, professional men galore
and hotels ad lib. 1 got as good din
in New York, Boston or Chicago for
the same money, and man offered to
sell me a forequarter Of lamb for Q cents
pound
A Tip TO Travellers.
Dyea is about half the size of Ska
quay. In many respects it is more at
tractive than its neighbor down the
canal. 1t has fewer saloons and gam
bling houses to the square foot and
seems more sedate and respectable. Per-
haps this may be due in part to the
presence of q detachment of United
States troops on the borders OF the
town. AT all events, everything is quiet
and orderly there. Miners and others
who contemplate trip into the interior
by the way of Dyea should not have
their baggage or outfits marked "Dyea
Wharf" as they will be advised to do
by interested parties before they take
the steamer Let it be marked simply
"Dyea, Alaska The wharf is about
three miles below Dyea town. Commu-
nication between the two places is by
the way of private road which was
constructed at considerable expense.
The cost of taking passengers and
freight from the wharf to the town
and all must pass through the town
who are going over the trails heavy.
Goods billed simply to Dyea are left on
the beach about half mile from the
town, over a fairly passable stretch OF
sand. The conditions are inconvenient
enough no matter which course is taken,
but the beach is far preferable.