CONDITIONS AT
PRINCE ROPERT
The following “job lot” of information is culled from
the answers given to inquirers by The Empire, of Prince
Rupert. The questions answered relate to land, water, cli
mate, freight rates, price of eggs, town lots, lumbago, ce
ment, etc., and one is able to form a fair idea of the new
terminal city and its surroundings. The first inquirer is a
California man who asks “How can the country be reached
from San Francisco ?”
Answer—By steamer or train to Seattle or Vancouver,
or by steamer to Victoria. Steamers run from Seattle, Van
couver and Victoria direct to Prince Rupert. Time from
San Francisco to Prince Rupert, five days; fare, first-class,
$40; second-class, $30; steerage, $16. There are five lines
of steamships operating passenger and freight vessels from
the south to Prince Rupert. From Prince Rupert all points
in Northern British Columbia can be reached by steamer,
steamboat, wagon road, or trail. Any part of Northern
British Columbia suitable for settlement can be reached
from San Francisco at a cost of $100 and within 15 days.
Land- -An alien can preempt land in British Columbia
by first declaring his intention to become a British subject.
Title can only be obtained at the end of five years, and
under the laws of Canada any alien living in Canada for
five years can become a naturalized British subject. The
cost of getting out naturalization papers is $2.50. A de
claration of intention can be made before a notary public
or a justice of the peace. Any land within 20 miles of
Prince Rupert, suitable for cultivation, will grow small
fruits and vegetables to perfection. Chickens can be raised
without difficulty and with profit. But the land will cost
from $50 to $100 to clear, for it is timber land. * * The
land near Prince Rupert cannot be classed as specially
adapted for fruit. Small fruits, like strawberries, goose
berries, raspberries, etc., are grown; but apples, plums and
cherries do not seem to do well, except in localities on
Skeena river 100 miles or so east of here. The price of gov
ernment land is $5 an acre for first-class, and $2.50 an acre
for second class. The land near Prince Rupert suitable for
gardening or small farming is owned in great part by the
Crand Trunk Pacific railway and the Province of British
Columbia, three-fourths by the former and one-fourth by
the latter. This land, aggregating 15,000 to 20,000 acres,
is now7 being surveyed into blocks of 5, 10, 20 and 40 acres,
and when the survey is completed, the land no doubt will
be sold. It is all within eight miles of Prince Rupert.
There are no improved lands anywhere near Prince Rupert,
except small patches on an Indian reserve.
Prince Rupert—Prince Rupert has a population of 600
and 400 more work within ten miles of its postoffice. There
is no rate of taxation, except the provincial rate, which is
1 per cent. There is no chance to buy business or other
lots, and will not be before May. There are no stores for
rent at any price. The freight rate from Vancouver to
Prince Rupert is three dollars per ton ship measurement by
Mackenzie Brothers steamers. Business is going on in
Prince Rupert, for there are over 120 separate business
houses, and all are doing business. Lots will be sold in
May. Until lots are sold, there can be no great amount of j
employment for mechanics, and less for clerks. If a man is I
a good rustler he can get work, for the railway contractors
and the contractor who is planking streets and laying side
walks employ from 1500 to 2500 men; but there are no soft
jobs in sight. If lots are sold in May, buildings to house
from 4000 to 6000 people will have to be erected, in addi
tion warehouses and stores will have to be built, for all
buildings in Prince Rupert, excepting a few, are temporary
and will have to be torn down as soon as lots can be ob
tained by purchase. All of the people living here are
squatters. Licenses to sell liquor have not been granted in
Prince Rupert, and it is not likely any will be until the
town is incorporated. There are good hotels, restaurants
and lodging houses, of a combined capacity to care for 1000
people. It is difficult to get a site on which to erect any
kind of a building (except a cabin to live in), and there
will be no change until the lots are sold. There are no
buildings for rent or for sale, and therefore no show to en
gage in business unless by purchase outright of someone
already here.
Climate—The annual rainfall is from 100 to 120 inches,
and varies from 2 to 20 inches a month. Near salt water
the thermometer seldom shows below zero. In the interior
from zero to 25 below. On the coast, there is both snow
and rain during the winter; in the interior, little if any
rain falls between December and March. Two degrees be
low zero was the coldest weather during the past winter.
Lumber—Prices range from $17 for rough up to $38
for best flooring.
The water for culinary use is soft and good.
Cement sells for $14 a ton in Prince Rupert.
Fresh eggs sell for fifty cents a dozen in summer, and
75 cents a dozen in winter.
Old-Time Koyukukers
Back From Outside
A quartette of old-time Koyu
kukers—“Cap” J. H. Johnson,
Phil Eiffler, John , “Little”) Ol
son and Andrew Hansen—arrived
on the stage Saturday last, re
mained over Sunday, and passed
on to Gibbon, where they will
start per dogteam for the Koyu
kuk diggings. During their stay
in the Springs they spent their
time very enjoyably with former
; residents of their district who are
| now residing here. The party
!is just returning from an all-win
ter trip to the outside. “Cap”
| Johnson and Mr. Olson visited
Europe. All four of the party
| have been residents of Koyukuk
country for the past nine years.
|* Mr. Johnson was for several
j years the deputy marshal of that
precinct, but is now devoting his
energies to his mining properties
—some of which is the best in
the district.
“Little” Olson, who with his
brother and partner, made the
rich strike on Nolan creek in
November, 1907, took out about
$125,000.
Phil Eiflier and partner (Cook)
are installing a hydraulic plant
this winter on Myrtle creek, and
will have it in readiness for op
erating by early spring.
WATCH YOURSELF QO BY
Just stand aside and watch yourself go
by;
Think of yourself as he, instead of “I.”
Note closely as in other men you note
The bag-kneed trousers and the seedy
coat.
Pick flaws, find fault; forget the man
is yon.
And strive to make your estimate ring
true.
Confront yourself and look you in the
eye,
Just stand aside and watch yourself go
by. •
Interpret all your motives just as
though
You looked on one whose aims you did
not know.
Let undisguised contempt surge
through you when—
You see, you shirk, O, commonest of
men!
Despite your cowardice, condemn what
e’er
You note Pf falseness in you anywhere.
Defend not one defect that shames your
eye—
Just stand aside and watch yourself go
by.
And then, with eyes unveiled to wha
you loathe;
To sins that with sweet charity you’d
clothe.
Back to your self-walled tenement
you’ll go
With tolerance for all who dwell below.
The faults of others then will dwarf
and shrink,
Love’s chain grows stronger by one
mighty link—
When you with “he” as substitutes
for “I,”
Have stood aside and watched yourself
go by.
Rampart, Aka. S. E. H.
Otto Kroelile, who has been pros
pecting on the Tolovana for the past
six weeks, returned to town late last
week.
FOUND
On March 29, at 3:10
p.m., by Harry the
Jap (thank you), on the ice in front of
Morrison’s warehouse, -a small duck
skin pouch containing valuables. Owner
can recover same by describing prop
erty and paying for this notice.
HARRY THE JAP, Finder.
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