Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-03-10
LATE NEWS FROM KLoNDYKE,
A Montgomery County Man Writes
From Dyea A Most Interesting
Letter.
From the MONTGOMERY Standard.

From the Montgomery Standard.
(This letter reached here the first
of March. 1t was postmarked Ju-
neau, Feb. IA.
DYEA, ALASKA, Feb. 10, 1885,
Friend Ike: Yours of Jan. 10 to hand
and I will try to answer, although am
not writing for publication. I am put
ting it mild when 1 say there has been
at least n million dollars invested in
lumber to build the town of Dyea
since the first day Of October. Build
ings are going up every day, and
hammers and saws making music
all over the town. The town lot L To-
Gated is a very good n However,
before I start for the Yukon 1 shall
sell it. l am holding it now at $500.
But If l { cannot get that I will take
less. No doubt a building OIL it that
would cost $50 or s75 could be rented
for 81 or s1.5o per day. The same
building in Montgomery would cost
800 or $25. When I first came back
to Dyea from near Sheep Camp the
first of November I could almost have
had any lot in the town at a price
ranging from one hundred to two
hundred dollars. Now, this Is the
tenth day of February, and lots have
sold here for $1,000 to $500. There
is no doubt in my mind that one for
tune has slipped through our fingers
by not hitting when the IRON was red.
We could have located lots at
Skaguay when W. arrived there that
are now worth all the way from five
hundred dollars to two thousand, and
we could have also got in on the
ground floor in Dyea. skaguay still
has the pull over yea but when the
ice and snow break up in the spring,
Skaguay will loose out while Dyea
will gain.
There is no doubt in my mind but
what Dyea is the place for a man to
come il he wants to get in on the Yu-
kon. Hay has been as high as 500
per ton here this winter and / do not
think it ever has been lower than $40
or $50. OF course when it was 800
there was a shortage. Lumber has
been selling at $35 to $50 per thous-
and, generally at $45 to $50, and al
most impossible to get at that price.
Now it is more plentiful; quite a lot
of it arrived In the last few days. Flour
sells at 49, so to "a per hundred, but
1t has been scarce lately and it ad-
vanced'to So per hundred for a few
days. Some things sell high while
other things sell about rs cheap here
as at home or on the coast.
Freight from here to Sheep Camp is
cheap. There is!good money in freight
ing. One cent per pound is the ruling
rate, yet 1 have heard of some cuts to
6oc per hundred. Anything like a fair
team will draw a sled from here to
Sheep Camp and make the round trip
In o day, all the way from 1000 to
5000 pounds. OF course, as soon as
the ice and snow is gone, so they win
have to pack part of the way on pack
horses, the rates will advance.
I think if a person was bringing an
outfit to sell, good grub would be the
stuff. I don't go much on clothing
and blankets. Sugar is all right, bacon
fairly good, condensed milk, baking
powder, candles, good evaporated
fruit, rolled oats, rice, ETC., all good
articles. A lot of jim Grow prepara-
tions put up for the Klondyke are best
when left alone.
Anew things I forgot to mention about
lot. So far no taxes to pay and
do not suppose will be- before town
ID patented. have a pole fence and
, tent on the lot which is sufficient to
hold it for the time being.
I expect to start for the Yukon
about the first of March; too early
ret. In fact, / think leaving Lake
by the first OF April would
oe soon enough, but expect to start as
,arly In March al the weather seems
I wantt to take just q SARGE
IN outfit as I possibly can-enough to
'un me at least IS months. 1 came to
his country to better myself and ri,
Expect to get something out of it.
If am 30 fortunate as to
,et q good location this summer and
'ould get enough nuggets and the
lain secured 30 it would keep, IL
night come out over the ice next I
winter for a. month or. 60, to bring +,
he good tidings to you. L
John McCafferty Is here and liz doing
cry well. I would very much like to
Tom Fipps to go In with me. 4
Yours, T. E. SEE. |
We will win il it takes all summer.