CONCLUSION 417 



Unfortunately, we came in so late that I could not see the 

 works, and the next morning before daylight we were on the 

 trail again for Fairbanks, where we arrived at 10 A.M. on 

 Wednesday, February 26. The most interesting sight which 



THE ALASKAN RANGE AND AN ALASKAN MAIL-BOX. 



we saw along the trail was the railroad, looking rather out of 

 place with the dog and horse sledges running parallel to it. 



Fairbanks itself was a great surprise to me. It is a large 

 town, with several big hotels, immense stores (N. A. C. and 

 Vachan's) and dry goods stores as large and well assorted as in 

 many " outside " towns, where the latest fashions can be had 

 nearly as quickly as in New York. There were shipyards, 

 machine shops, where almost any kind of machinery could be 

 made or repaired ; there was electric light, steamheat, and a 

 waterworks, with water mains along the main streets, placed 

 there in case of fire, against which special precautions were 

 necessary, as the town was built chiefly of wood. There were 

 club-rooms, saloons, and dancing-halls, even large and beautiful 

 jewellery shops, where everything in that line could be bought. 

 There was a theatre and a large skating rink. There were 

 splendid restaurants, two or three large lecture-halls, and three 

 newspapers, sold in single copies at the trifling price of 25 cents 

 .apiece ! 



A.I. E E 



