The Nome nugget. (Nome, Alaska) 1901-1904, 1904-03-12
MINING
S1ocKs.
Having a Boom in Wash
ington State
SEATTLE IS Selfish
But There is Always Plenty OF
Money When AlaSkanS
Reach the Town.
SEATTLE IS Selfish

Seattle, Jan. IA large number OF
Nomeites have already gone East.
Chilberg and his friends, who are In
terested in the exhibit at st. Louis,
have already left: so has Mike sullivan,
DR.. Wesley, w. j. keene, Capt. Fersu-
son and host of Others whose names
| can't recall There Is very little go
Ing on here. Business for the holidays,
| think, WAS excellent, but now beg MS
the cheap sale period TO eaten an!
few dimes left over after the holidays.
Seattle and the entire state OF Wash
inston, seem to have mining STOCK
boom. Not, however, in Alaska proper
ty. butof Washington. There are stocks
galore on the market ana anythlnS
therefore, in the mining line Is viewed
with suspicion. Seattle never has been,
and | doubt if it ever Will be, good
place for Alaskans TO get ala oil any
kind. There has always been, and still
remains, with Seattleltes feeling that
they can do without the Alaska trade
This is, of course, denied by the press,
but it is nevertheless true to the letter,
I have talked with scores of business
people THAT is, people one would con
slider business mem and they really
seem satisfied that Seattle is all o. X
ANYWAY. There is one thing certain,
and that is they always have plenty OF
money in circulation when Alaskans
come out in the fall and go back in the
spring. But when they have taken
their departure. dull times is the cry.
| have had several letters from East
ern parties and | am assured that a
great deal of capital will find its way TO
Nome the coming season. believe
Nome, and Alaska in general, Will re-
ceive great benefit from exhibits at st.
Louis. 1t will. of course, be too late in
the season for Nome to get much bene-
fit from this source of advertising this
season, but the year following Will,
without doubt, benefit Alaska largely
thereby.
In Seattle, at present, there are sew
eral large enterprises under way. The
tunnel under the city for the Great
Northern is being pushed. The dirt
is used in filling tide lands for the rail-
road company. The federal building
is going ahead fast. The digging for
the foundation is going forward, the ex-
cavation being done by steam shovel,
which loads wagon every minute.
The Erickson building, near the post,
office, is progressing. The Butler motel
is again open, and large new building
OF Hamm & SchmitZ on the other side
of the street from Butler hotel, is al
most complete In this latter building
the permanent Alaska exhibit will be
placed, the second floor being used for
this purpose.
Jas. j. Hill is spending $1,000 900 at
Smiths cove, which is to be the termi-
nus for his Oriental steamship line and
the railroad But with all improve
ments going on and contemplated. run
ming into millions, Seattle is dull-very
dull-overcrOwded and overbuilt. 1t
takes lots of money and business to
support city having the drain upon 1t
that Seattle has, and to which so little
attention is paid. Trading lots and
iack-knives will not last always. The
interest and insurance premiums alone
sent East by Seattle would support
city twice its size. All that saves Sc
attic is the floating population going
to and coming from Alaska.
If the trouble between Japan and
Russia is not hea led, and war begins,
you may have Uncle Sam paying auten-
tion to his Boring sea possessions.
There is a petition before congress to
suspend assessment work in Alaska for
some years, or until proper facilities
are at hand, The claim is made that
this should be done because Of the short
season, lack of transportation, and also
because of the fact that the government
receives no gain. These are substali-
TALLY the reasons given, and, n" doubt,
it viii be granted. Is it good? Who
benefits? The poor man? Nit.
i $. w.