The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-24
BETTER WAIT TWO YEARS
JOHN G. STAHLMANS ADVICE
TO KLONDIKE VISITORS
Affairs VIII Then Have Settled
Down, He Writes, and Travel
VIII BE Easfer-Thoue who
Have Opened the Gold Country
Will Leave the Field in Dis
gust.

Edward H. Stahlmann, of Stahlmann
| & Brady, Of the Metropolitan Annex,
No. 3S9 Robert street, has received a
letter from his brother, John c. Stahl-
| mann. on his way to Dawson City. The
| following extracts will be interesting,
| as we'll as valuable, to many who are
contemplating a journey to Alaska The
| letter is dated Sheep Camp, April 2.
Il am WELL" said the writer land would
nave been on my road, on the other side,
that are part of the ills of this section OF
the country. l had slight attacks of the
| diseases. The water at Dyea is SO strong,
ly impregnated with arsenic and other min
erals that 1t is dangerous to drink any guam
tity;;
Il have packed or sledded my groceries
from here to the scales. or summit of Chill
coot pass; have got couple of days more
work as soon as the weather clears up. It
has been storming for several days; could
hear the snow slides all the morning. 1 am
camping a short distance below where tho
glacier came down, several months ago, and
killed several people, but am in a safe To-
cation for quite while yet, until the creek
rises.
When the weather is good you can pass
line OF people and sleds drawn by men.
horses. Jacks dogs. mules. ETC.. from Can
or seven miles from the scales to the summit
1t Is like stairway, filled with people, as
thick as they can get together, with from
pounds. 1 generally carry so pounds. That's
what most of them carry. ! carried 100
could not make any time by it. as it takes
too long and tires one too much.
u ,rIhe price Of packing has come down.
only one and one-half cents per pound. The
freighters from Dyea to Sheep Camp, though
are gluttons: They charged two cents per
take from ton to ton and half per load,
and make from $40 to $50 day. There is
no 81 snow from Dyea now to sled on.
If you know any one who wants to come
to this section, tell him to wait. If 1t is
any good, 1T will be better in two years.
The people going in now will have all the
the country in disgust after helping to open
it. After this crowd gets through to Daw-
son, there will be houses and stopping places
all along the road, and it will not be neces-
sary to pack a lot Of grub with you and make
pack animal of yourself. Some of them
have food enough to last two or three years.
are, inside of six months, and go back home.
1t would not be very difficult trip if you
only had to pack your blankets, though it is
pretty steep for two or three miles.
''Dyea is quite large town, with houses and
tents for a mile or more, and Skaguay is the
same. There are lots of business places. Very
few of them can quit even. After the rush
Is over and things settle down, they will be
better.
eff you know any one who is gong tell him
not to start with less than $1,000. and go by
he invests couple of hundred dollars in the
proper articles. he can make the price of his
trip Duties on the British line are high on
some articles, and he wants to find out what
they are. The chances are that by fall the
Dyea route will have pack trains running as
far as the White Horse Rapids; and if you
do not have to pack your grub this route will
be all right. There are two wire tramways
partly completed up to the Chilcoot summit,
besides which draws up sleds You can
get your freight landed on the summit from
Dyea for five cents, at present.
Il think on the ocean slope of the noun
tains of Alaska will be the best place to
prospect for quartz, but no one wants to stop,
all going into the interior.
IF person watches the people, 1t is the
greatest sight on earth. There are persons
from all sections. excepting some of the
Asiatie races; generally all of the kind who
save their money and have quite a business
talent for making it. The "sure-t thing" man
Is here in all his glory, and his kind seems
to be the only one that has come here to stay:
for the aforementioned class. the saving kind,
are his mutton. When they get back home,
what tales you can hear! Ed, do not think of
coming to this country at present Wait,
and tell your friends the same"
Sheep Camp, April g. 1898.