The Dickinson press., 1898-04-16

farther than the Dyea trail. Hors:
draw loads to the very summit, hu; :;
is inevitable that the tide of travel Will
turn toward the Chilkoot pass in q few
weeks.
Conditions on the Dyea trail vary
from day to day. Just at present there
Is a we'll worn road, but the snow has
worn off in places, exposing the rocks.
Prices for moving freight along the Dyea
trail vary from day to day. The charges
at present are 2 cents a pound from
Dyea to Sheep Camp, 8 cents from
Sheep Camp to the Scales and 3 cents
from the Scales to the summit. where the
British flag is flying.
But, II the gateways to the Klondike
hin by bearing false witness against
their neighbors, in divers ways they are
also sinned against.
For instance, a man arrived at Sheep
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.
He showed me a newspaper clipping
wherein it was stated that people were
dying there like sheep. They were taken
with a disease asmewhat resembling
oerebro spinal mh4ingitis, ''turn black
and die in . few hours. There are 16
bodies now awaiting burial" continued
this alleged reliable authority, and then
followed startling reports Of murders
and .outlawry. Az 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 I am '.bound to
die anyway If we 60 to Dawson City,
I took two days and my life in my
hand" and went back to investigate.
sksguay Il 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 90 far as
could learn there have only been about
II deaths in town since last September,
which is not bad for a 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
al the general run Of towns in so called
civilized localities. I saw a notice stuck
up warning gamblers and thimblerig-
gers to leave the place in "a hours OF
suffer some dire calamity which was
not specified. It bore the signature Of
Committee Of 101, " but l am inclined
to think that some irresponsible indi-
vidual added about 100 to the commit
tee.
To 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'tr" Everything Is overdone. So
far asI can learn there is a scarcity Of
nothing under the sun to eat, drink OF
wear. Skaguay has three newspapers,
one Of them a daily, from 50 to rs sa'
looms, three or four theaters, restaurants
at every hand, professional men galore
and hotels ad lib. I got as good a din
ner there for SO cents as would beBerved
in New York, Boston or Chicago fol
the same money, and a man offered *
sell me a forequarter Of lamb for 9 cent
q pound.
A Tip to Travellers.
Dyea is about half the size Of Ska
quay. In many respects it is more at
traotive than its neighbor down thu
canal. It has fewer saloons and gam
bling houses to the square foot ant
seems more sedate and respectable. Per
haps this may BE- due in part to tn,
presence Of a detachment Of Unite'
States troops N the borders Of tn
town. At all events, everything is quie
and orderly there. Miners and other
who contemplate q trip into the interio
by the way Of Dyea should not hav
their baggage Or outfits marked "Dye
Wharf," as they will be advised to d
by interested parties before they tax
the steamer: Let II be marked simpl
"Dyea, Alaska" The wharf is abou
three miles below Dyea town. Commu
nication between the two places is b
the way Of . private road which we
constructed at considerable aexpense
The cost Of. taking passengers an
freight from the wharf to the town
and all must pass through the tow
who are going over the trails heavy
Goods billed simply to Dyes are left o
the beach about q half mile from th
town. over q fairly passable stretch {
sand. The conditions are inconvenien
enough no matter which course is taken
but the beach is far preferable.
A. A. Hill