The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-05
YANKEE CUNNING
WINS At ATL|N
Americans Get Around
the Exclusion Act.
HAVE FOUND A METHOD
HIRE CANADIANS TO ACT AS
THEIR REPRESENTATIVES.
Attempt to Bar Aliens Has a Blight
ing Effect Upon the Cities of
the British North
west.
BY HAL HOFFMAN.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

aliens A deputy gold commissioner,
representing Gold Commissioner Ora
ham, who has made his headquarters
for this winter at Bennett, arrived at
Atlin and proceeded to enforce the
law requiring a logger's license to cut
timber; also exacting 20 cents stump
age, and 25 cents a cord for wood used
as fuel. The man who told me this to-
day, said complainingly, that he sup
posed by this time everybody had been
compelled to take out a license to
breathe.
The immediate effect of this action
was to stop the construction of cabins
and all other buildings except those be-
ing erected by companies or persons
having plenty of money. Scores of
cabins and small stores remain stand
ing in various stages Of completion.
This deputy is said to have temporar-
lily stopped real estate transfers.
AS most of the buildings, and active
operations in general, are being built
or backed by Americans, when the news
of the exclusion act becomes known
there it is expected to have, at least
temporarily, the effect Of a cold shower.
But he is a poor Yankee whose in
S0uully uOSS IlOl ARISE 10 TIE OCCdSlOH-
who does not know more than one way
to skin d rabbit. American claim hold
ers here and at Skaguay are looking
for Canadians to represent them on
shares after the cleanup. The only
difficulty about this encountered up to
the present time seems to be that there
are not Canadians enough up here or in
Atlin to go around. The proportion of
Americans to Canadians in Attn or
Alaska coast cities is about ten to one.
On this account many are thinking of
going down to Victoria and Vancouver
to find Canadians to become nominal
owners of their claims, and some have
already started.
Atlin City is now a camp Of about
thirty buildings and still growing. 1t
is not thought that the present setback
in building will be any more serious
than a temporary thing. 1t is under
stood there and in the coast towns that
aliens may engage in any and all bust
ness except mining. If this proves to
be true, there will be a large and lively
camp at Atlin anyhow. The question
of which place, Atlin or Discovery, is
to be the metropolis of the Atlin Lake
region, seems to have been pretty we'll
determined already. There are almost
four times as many buildings at Atlin
City as at Discovery, and proportion
ate amount Of all-round activity.
Skaguay has just received the first
severe shock to her pride and promise.
The exclusion act did it. l have just
returned from trip of inspection
there, and the difference Is apparent TO
careful observer as he gets uptown.
The railroad and occasional trains run
ming on Broadway look quite metro
politan, where a little more than year
ago was a bowling wilderness dotted
with tents, and the depot is large, COM
modious and lofty. There are many
cities in California twice the size of
Skaguay which have not as good rail
road stations. But business at the
present time is comparatively at
standstill, and merchants are complain
ing. They stand mutely appalled, at the
depressing effect.
The general impression in all Alaska
is that the exclusion act, in view of the
opposing general sentiment in Canada
and the United States against it, will
shortly be repealed or, anyway, it will
not be enforced. The effect in Juneau
is not so visible, as the bulk of the
travel to the interior is by way Of
Skaguay and White Pass, but this will
possibly change, as the availability Of
the Taku trail becomes more widely
known.
serious demonstration against the
exclusion act took place last Saturday
evening before the American Deputy
Collector of Customs Considerable
feeling was shown but there is no dan
ger yet of a serious outbreak. About
forty teamsters and packers working
between Skaguay and White Pass
called on Deputy Collector Andrews
and protested against the Canadians
horses packing outfits and other pack
ing property used on the trail and asked
him to take action with the object Of
forcing them to stop operations. These
horses are undeniably Canadian and
oh; !,
American packers and pack trains in
carrying Canadian goods in bond to the
lakes. Every American horse which
goes over the summit and beyond the
Canadian customs post there must pay
duty. The drivers of pack trains are
determined lot of men when once
aroused and trouble may occur at any
time unless their employers, the owners
of the pack trains, keep them in check
The deputy collector told the delegation
that he did not see what he could do
for them or what the department could
do, but said he would lay the matter
before the Collector for Alaska, J. w.
Ivey, who is now in Washington, D. c.,
looking sharp that his official scalp re-
mains in place. And thus the matter
rests at present.
Frank Grey, accompanied by Path
finder H. w. Powell, has returned
from an inspection trip of the Taku
trail, from Juneau to Atlin. Mr. Grey
represents Canadian capital invested in
stern wheel steamboats, and in horses
which did not operate on the Stickeen
River and trail from Wrangel last win
ter owing to the failure of that trail.
He is from Vancouver and is an expe-
rienced packer. Mr.. Grey has been over
all the trails to the interior and he saws
that the Taku is the easiest of all.
There is no summit to cross. and with
a broken trail he says that a team can
haul three tons on the ice all day long,
the ascent being scarcely perceptible.
He proposes to establish relay posts
from the mouth Of the river to Atlin.
where fresh horses can be had for pack
trains, by which means he expects to be
able to haul goods into Atlin in two
days. The company also expects to run
the steamers on the river in the spring
when the ice breaks up. There is plenty
of grass on the trail for horses in the
summertime. Small steamers now leave
Juneau every few days with parties for
the Taku trail. The Miller party. which
started in two weeks ago with several