Connecticut western news., 1899-03-02
OUR GOLD DIGGER.


 Schemes 10 Make Money-A Conn.
 ecticut Dsiryman Reminiscence oi
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 From letter written by H. F. Em mons at Haines Mission, Alaska, Feb. 8, 1899 we make the following extracts: The weather is so warm here that we sit in our cabin every day and night in our shirt sleeves and have to let our fires go out early to be able to sleep un- der one cover of our wolf robes. The thermometer IS averaging about 2S' above zero which is warm weather for winter. especially if you have on very heavy underwear. could not ask for a finer climate, and am not at all home | sick
 The alien law of British Colum- bia is causing considerable friction on this coast now ss no aliens can mine there unless they have mines already and none of them can acquire new mines other than what they now poe sess. Thousands expected to go in there this spring a there is large country to go over and the general opin. ion is it is quite rich in gold; but you must make allowances for all these eI- pectA tions. Nearly 30 per cent. of the men that came up here last year never struck pick into the ground. They underwent hardships to get here. and the next thing you heard of them they had sold their outfit and gone home. having never looked day for gold These people act As if they believed some one was waiting for them with barrels of gold all coined. and that they had missed seeing them. A very few men do take the trouble to dig into Natures secret ravines and after much toll and many hsrdships the geni opens his rocky vault and brings out the treasures they are after.
 "I would not advise anyone to come to Alaska, yet had come here twenty Ava years ago would now be worth all the money could desire. There are many ways to get wealth. The islands are used largely for breeding purposes; some of them for breeding silver gray foxes. of which large numbers are sold annually Wolves are also raised, both animals being fed on fish of which there is an abundance. Iu selecting an island care is taken to locate on one that is far enough from the land to prevent the animals from swimming away. Deer are abundant and sell for cents a pound at wholesale. Bears are plenti- ful. Yesterday (Csndlemss day) Hsines Mission was interested in the maneu- vsrings of large black bear and cub on the top of lofty snow capped noun tain rome twelve miles to the west. A party on snow shoes started out to cap ture her.
 Do think there will be a crowd here2 Surel Tbe vanguard is on the ground now and boats are here every day. Stores, markets and wharves are building; everything is ou hustle. A jewish merchant is trying to gobble up all the land here that is held by men who have built their cabins and lived in them . year; but he won't make his scheme work. The citrzens held 8 mass meeting and marched in a body and cut down his fence as fast as he built it, and now he has not foot of fence up. think they will hang him yet. There are no rights to land only possessory rights; DO ownership ny vir- tue of deeds, unless in case of land grants to schools and missions.
 Dyea is dead and buried Sksgusy is stung to the quick by this alien law keeping out aliens from Atlin which means all of British Columbis; but Haines Mission is Uncle Sam's sod and will give good account of herself in the near future if the gold fields of Porcu- pine river turn out as good as is ex- pected.
 People make a great mistake when quitting for journey into Alaska land I made it myself) of bringing so many and such heavy clothes. Good medium underwear, and above all plenty of liz ht for summer, in all, clothes about the same as one would uss at home; only no overcoat
 But must tell you about "Dairy farm in Dyes owned and operated by one man. I called upon him yesterday and learned to my surprise that his in- come foots up Sl0, 752 a year. which if | a neat income when one understands that one man does all the work and there Is no expense connected with 1t but what the proprietor attends to him. self. His stock of COWS are not large enough to overtax one mans strength and patience if be is fortunate enough to possess any of the latter. was cur | ious to see his stables SO he took me out l under bunch of large fir trees and | there saw his herd in a small log barn. Just as I entered my eyes fell upon . large Holstein COW who gave every evi- dence of being . good milker but on nay | life could not detect any more COWS, goats, bears or anything that one would naturally expect could contain a drop of milk. Finally I asked him where the rest of his COWS were, and you can ina zine my surprise when he told me | he had but one COW. Then where do you get the 40 gallons of milk day that you told me you sold? (for be hsd told me he sold 40 gallons day, which equals 160 qts, at 20 cts a qt.) "Why," said he 'ithat COW gives it Why man. said I, that is impossible; 40 gal Ions, 16O qts day. 50 ats to milking. 8 ten-quart pails full at each milking. that is hard lump 10 swallow. But at the same time I told him did not want him to think I was questioning bis veracity. He led me, dumfounded as I was, into his cabin and told me to sit down, and we talked and smoked. I told him that was farmer out home in New England and kept COWS but could not get hold of such COWS as his. He says "perhaps you do not think l sell 160 ats dsy?" said, you look like e truthful man, and had no reason to disbelisve him (but thought all the time he lied like trooper.) Finally he said well stranger came from Conn ecticut and learned few things on dads old farm and have lesrns d more