The daily morning Alaskan., 1901-03-01

The latest news from Valdes was brought by the steamers Ruth and Newport that arrived in Juneau sev~ eral days ago. When they left there was foot of ice on the bay at Valdes, and the Newport was frozen in four days The United States marshal had not arrived at the time the steamers sailed, and lot of promiscuous shoot ing had been going on. Captain Moore of the Newport says:
 'Swansport is the only place where a boat can dock and unload at all times. but 1 think it very doubtful if the mail town will be changed from Valdes eith. CT to Swansport or to Blumhauer' S townsite across the bay This latter ia right where the trail comes out, and should have been made the town in the first place The government will build a wharf for its own use this sumr:er.'
 He also reported that there was like ly to be some trouble about the fact that the Cook Inlet miners have to go 400 miles to Valdes to record claims.
 The wreck of the Ruby Couson near Valdes is not broken up yet, and plans are now being made to save her.
 | A. Mays of the New York Stock Exchange, who went North on the last trip of the Ruth, was the only passen, ger to return on her.
 "Valdes," said Mir Mays, "is goina to be a good town. In fact, it is good now. Beds are about $2 a night and hard to get even at that price. Meals are not so high, but they will average about s cents.
 -"I have leased a large building known as the Valdes Opera House for term of five years, and we will open up there in about 30 days. As soon as had leased it rented it for one night to Kid Gallagher, who had arranged for a prizefght with a soldier. 1 got $25 for the hall and $25 for the bar or $50 for the one night. The first night was in town there was lot of shooting going on in the saloons, all good natnred, though. They shot a hole two feet square in the roof of one place there"
 Goods are quite reasonable at Faldes and Blum & Co. of Juneau has a large. branch store there. Dr. Damourette has leased building for hospital and expected to open in few days.
 A newspaper plant was expected to arrive from Seattle few days before the Ruth sailed
 "The. rival townsites dop't amount to much as yet" said Mir. Mays, "and 1 don't think they ever will. It's pret ty hard to take trade away from an es- tablishcd and we'll advertised town like like Valdes. It would take half mil> lion dollars to advertise some other town there so it would be as well known as Valdes.
 "They have a we'll developed copper prospect right at the head of the bay, and l think Valdes will be a good camp Virgin bay is going to be good camp, too. The company working the copper property there has spent near ly $5o,ooo already and the mine show ing up better than any of them ever hoped A prospector sold a copper prospect while I was there for 5000 in spot cash They are working steadily and there will be other mines there also. So that shows there is there. Virgin bay is 6ol miles this side of Valdes." ! Dr. See of Yakutat was a passenges south on the Newport and says that place is going to be active this year.
 A party of surveyors are in the coun- try surveying a right of way for rail | road from Yakutat to Dry bay, dis .ance of S miles along the coast. They are supposed to be in the empty | ,f J. J. Healy, but nothing definite is Snown.
 The surrounding mineral country las been overlooked by prospectors yho have confined themselves to work ag he beach sand which carries gold n paying quantities.
 Over on Kantagg Island for ins- ance, there is squaw man who has aken out nearly $Io,ooo from the beach ince 1895. Last summer he worked t odd times with a two length sluice ,ox and cleaned Up over $500. That Ioesn't sound very big perhaps com. 'ared with the tales one hears of Nome and the Klondikc but it could