The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-08
FORT WRANGEL is PEACH
The Dirtiest as Well the Livelies'
in the Country.
THE PEOPLE ARE TOUGH
The Confidence Man Is the Boldest
OF His Kind "A Great Decrease in
the Klondike Rush - II Is q
I Thing of the Past.

lett Nelhart last winter Tor Aiasha- mas
beer heard from. He has reached Ju-
neau and writes to a friend the fol-
lowing letter descriptive Of the country:
4, II left Seattle the sth of this month
and arrived at Fort wrangel two days
later. Here the boat laid over 10 hours.
] found Jay Walker at the dock when
i landed. and during my stay ] was his
guest; and. let me record right here,
Jay u prince of hosts. He spared
neither trouble nor expense to make my
stay as pleasant as circumstances
would permit. Jay had set up a chair
in a saloon. but business was not very
nourishing. and he Intended to go IN
land by the Stickeen route as soon as
tha river should break up. As to
wrangel, she is a peach. A mushroom
town, located on a sidehill, sloping down
70 the beach to a little bay. She has no
streets. shacks and tents simply scat
tered around promiscuously, wherever
space could be found between stumps.
She is unquestionably the dirtiest as
well a the liveliest little burg have
veritable bog. full OF springs. dead
stumps, shacks. dead Indian dogs. tents,
dead FISH, totem poles, empty tin cans
and live Indian dogs too numerous to
mention. The town has a population of
about 1000. composed chiefly of gam
blex, confidence men, the fastest wo-
men in the world. a lot of dirty In
dams and a few Klondikers intending
70 go inland by way OF the Stickeen
river. The wrangel confidence man is
undoubtedly the boldest of his stripe.
He does his work openly and without
disguise. He plays upon the credulity
OF the tenderfoot passenger who Just
steps ashore to TAKE in the town while
his boat is unloading whatever freight
II may have for h place. About 10
days ago they obtained from one boat
the neat little sum of $1,000. from an
other 81, 800. Every boat that touches
wrancel has it's tale of woe. but the
good times are pretty near a thing of
the past, for the Klondike rush il, TO
what 1t was. no more.
Il landed i'm Juneau on the 18th. But
Ter. Kegan and Killeen were on the
dock. The escorted me to their hotel
n Immediately after registering we
proceeded to tax in the town In a light
way. OF Juneau little can he said. IL
il picturesquely enough located at the
mouth OF Gold creek. fronting the bank
and surrounded on three sides by snow
capped mountains 5000 feet high. Pop
ulation, Douglas island included. about
5000: three-quarters are whites n
Indians. Ii Is unquestion-
= ably the dullest place in the universe.
and only second to Wrangel in filth
ness. Ii is raining. raining all the time.
The My thing that ever happens Ia
break the monotony IL the screaming OF
an incoming steamer. That Is the sig
nal for everybody TO make a rush for
the lock.
AS / said before. the Klondike rush
Is a thing Of the past. The passenger
lists of the up-going steamers are very
light. A good man. disappointed klon-
dikers nave returned and they are re-
turning on every boat. A few days
ago 800 returned on one boat; yesterday
200 on another. In consequence of TINS
the Seattle papers are daily making
new and rich discoveries and picking
up nuggets the size of which make
water enough i'm the mouth OF an or
binary tenderfoot to run a 20-stamI
mill. It will not do to believe a great
deal of what the newspapers publish IN
regard to Alaska In general and klon
like In particular. II is almost I'M
possible to obtain reliable information
from the inside: but very few have com
out, and no two of them tell the sans
story. I would not advise a friend oi
mine to start for Alaska at the presen'
stage Of the game. There is plenty a
time. The Colonel l believe, intends
20 start inland about the LIST OF May
Jerry. Paddy and myself viii not star
TIL July or August. providing WORK car
he had here in the course OF a Wee
or two"