Seward, The Jlew Metropolis,
Is Advancing to* Front Rank
V \ Editor Alaska Forum:
■' Skagway has-settled down to; about
one-fourth of its size five years ago,
hut that fourth is very prosperous. I ■
spent a- pleasant visit of ten days there
and then took the Westbound boat for
■ Sewsard.- At Sitka I spent an hour with,
. the governor, with no damage to either
party. AH the towns where we stop
ped-seemed to be prosperous. Valdez,
is enthusiastic over-the beginning of
grading for two railroads to the inter
ior. About one-third of. the town was
destroyed by a flood and the buildings
in another third are vacant, but the
snap and the push of the whole shoot
ing match seems to be concentrated in
the remaining third.
Landed in. Seward Oct. 11, . exactly
two months after leaving Rampart. I
spent two days looking for office rooms
to my liking and finally found them on
the second.floor of a yet unfinished
building in a desirable location. It has
plastered walls, electric lights and all
up-to-date conveniences. It is the fin
est building, in the town except the rail
road. headquarters. The latter is by
far the finest building in Alaska. The
main front is of brick .three stories high
and ..elegantly finished and furnished,
and well worthy such an undertaking as
. the Alaska Central railroad.
The new company has practically re
built the twenty miles that it bought
from the “promoting" company, and
now everything is being done in a first
class manner. The main office building
I just mentioned, is 56 x 120 feet and
cost about $50,000. Construction trains
now run to mile 46, and the rails will
be laid to mile 49 this fall, when the
first tunnel is reached. The next fifty
miles has heavy work in many places,
tunnels and rock. cuts. Work will be
. pushed all winter. At present the work
is all in dirt as we have had no winter
weather as yet.
• -The CQinpany has already spent more
than two' million's of dollars. Our old
friend arahneighbor,, Mr* Jas. Dodson,,
better k^own as ■VWiifdjr Jim," is on
the force.'t«I don’.tic now., what, his po
sition is designated, but believe he is.
superintendent of: the t farther ..end of
the track.
Seward has the best townsite I have
Rampart Gold Mines. Company
Abandons BigiMinook Creek
The announcement tl\at the Rampart
iGold Mines Gofnpany and the Hoosier
Hydraulic Company had consolidated,
and that - the former company would
abandon Big Minook creek and move
their hydraulic plant to Hoosier creek,
was made the early part of the week.
The Big Minook concern has expend* d
immense sums of money, but with the
exceptiou.of a.few weeks operations cn
the creek iastsummer nothing has been
accomplished.
The removal of the plant to Hoosier
will result in great financial gain to the
new combination as Hoosier creek is an
admittedly rich placer proposition., and
the Big Minook company's plant is am
ple in capacity to handle an immense
amount of ground in a short time. Bids
are now being solicited for the carriage
of the plant, estimated at 150 tons, to
Hoosier. i
C. P. Robins, of the Big Minook con
cern, states that the plant will be mov
ed as early as the weather conditions
will permit and a survey of the creek
has been completed. A head of 200
feet with a pressure of 86.8 pounds to
the square inch at the elevator will be
obtained for working operations. It is
also the intention to run a bedrock
drain as far down creak as is practical.
seen in the north. It iies on the west
side of the bay, near its north end, has
a splendid harbor and the land dopes
uniformly the water’s edge, giving per
fect drainage. The whole region is well
timbered. The city has water works
and electric light plant. Building is go
ing on as fast as lumber can be secur
ed. The railroad sawmills have no
time for outside work. A mill on the
edge of. town furnishes much of the
rough lumber, and as soon as. Sound
lumber,is landed it also vanishes like
water on a hot stove.
We have five regnlar steamers from
Seattle every month. The Northwes
tern Steamship Co. have just added the
Oregon to its fleet. The time via Ju
neau is 10;days, by direct route 6 days.
It will be less when vessels do not have
to go.to Valdez to register as is now
thencase.. Seward as yet only a sub
port and red tape, cannot be abridged.
C. H. Gibbons, m. d.
Seward, Alaska, November 16, 1905.
m
me King
c
WHISKEY
Northern Commercial Co.
Distributor*
t
I D~1-I
$
| GENERAL MERCHANDISE
In 11 I * TIN, granite &
| r uil Line crockeryware
JAMES B. WINGATE
Notary Public & Conveyancer
F orum Office Rampart
n9H
m
Masonic Association of Rampart
Meets on the last Saturday evening ot Ji
month. - All M sons invited to ttend.
J. H. Hudgin, M. D. Pres. f. B. Wingate, Sec.
ODROP us a line and have a copy of the
Weekly Alaska Forum mailed to your
outside friends or relatives. They will
appreciate your thoughtfulness. Saves
letter writing. We pay the postage.
Notice
To Whom it May Concern: Notice is hereby given,
* that any and persons are hereby warned not to
enter upon, or to remove any wood from claim No.
10 above discovery on Little Minook creek, under
penalty of prosecution fof^respass.
Rampart, Nov. 20, 1905. . Press Ireland.
Coldest Weather in Six Years
Rampart is experiencing the most ^
severe weather in six years. The ex
treme low temperature has practically
blocked all traffic for the past ten 3.
The freighters have suspended laooi'
until a rise in the temperature allows
the.working of horses. During the
cold snap the lowest temperature was
recorded last Tuesday night, —65. At
Ft. Gibbon the, same night, the ther
mometer registered 75 degrees below.