The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-16
LETTER FROM ALASKA,
TEXAS MAN TELLS OF THE oIT-
LOOK IN KLONDiF<E REGION.
The Country Is being Developed
and Much Gold Has Been Found.
Price of of Labor.

The following extracts are from letter
written to Mr. C. S. Penfield of this city by
Mr.. l.. b. Sheppard, who is now located at
Healy, st. Nicholas Island. Alaska. Mr.. Shop
hard lived at Sandy Point in Brazoria ooun-
ty. for several years. and went to Alaska
about fourteen months ago. He is in charge
of the interests of the North American
Transportation and Trading company at St.
Michaels, the mouth OF the Yukon river. He
gives some interesting facts in regard to con-
ditions in the Klondike region. writing as fol-
lows:
our harbor has been filled with boats this
season. as high as forty-two ocean vessels III
the harbor al one time, aside from great
number Of river steamers our company mas
done an immense business; in fact 1t seems
as If che could hardly get through the amount
OF business. after they look back over It,
that has been accomplished ny the two com
panies here this season. There has been
quite u number Of outside companies that
have been failures soon as they reached
this point. Many people got thus lar ana
then stranded. A large number have arrived
here by boats, which have made false repre-
sensations down In the States, and when inc
people got here they found no boats or trans
portation TO take them to their destination.
This has caused considerable litigation mere
this summer, and your humble servant being
the commissioner. IL has given him 1t u
of the inside of the pecul'arities OF lie on the
great Yukon. -.
"a great number OF small boats have been
built In the harbor TO so up the different
streams tributary TO the Yukon, such as the
Tanana, Kuskowim. koyukuk and otners
which are all large navigable waters. anu
these have an abundance Of smaller streams
putting in where gold Is found.
These small beats, pushing up the IT'D
utaries of the large rivers, VIII develop lne
country much more than has ever been mere
tofore, and look for good results from thss, ,
small enterprises. They seem like tns OF
prairie schooaers going into the new coun
tries CT Iowa and Nebraska 10 develop ,hs
steamers and enterprises go up these rheis
and put out their prospeciors along or tne
tributaries wherever there Is gold, ana " "a.
mot help but produce favorable results, esp,
cially on the American side. TheIe ~ svJ
fnl,,d M al OF the streams and none tnal
have beard Of but where color can De saw y
by panning-of course, some In sreater guam
titles than others. a. her.
THE great number OF people coming 10 mere
will have tendency TO reduce ,ns Pr co,ia
labor. SO that mines. which heretofore eoaid
moi be worked will probably be deseiops s.
now Tho amount OF transportation eolnlp ",
into the country and the different stores, VIZ
hying down the cost CT living IN ths sans
nronortion' | look for. Within the rex, ~
or three years. a very large output rom 'ns
American side clean down to the, eoas,. I'M,
..some OF the outfits that nave s"ns , ~
these tributaries have all the way ir snS
TO % men provisioned ior wv ,ssanic will
hacked by capital. This class oil psepic ~.
csr,ainIy develop the country. ana there nass
hsan so many OF them that they WIN eo. IN,
nal, Tor me area OF GOLD prcduc.ng ts "a,
lions m Alaska, but nest year the results ~"'