The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1877-08-23
NoIrs FROM DEADWOOD.
The City NeWspaper-A m.
Settlement-The Cost of Lfvfng-L.-
leSsness.

AsO-sA DA-<AD w WIZ
settie&entTse COST Of Livins-.:.w-
lessness.
Correspondence n. Y. Times.
/ think the best idea of life
and times in Deadwood may be gained
by glance over its daily newspapers,
which, by the way, are slightly larger
than sheet of foolscap and are delivered
TO any part of the city at SIS a per year,
or 81 per month, the editor takin. the
caution to announce in his prospectus
that he expects every subscriber to
"down with the DUST and not offer
" coon-skins, scalps. or watered bug
juice" in payment, as lie Is here in
Deadwood intending to prospect
through the murky channels Of litera-
ture solely for the colors" The paper
before us calls attention to the opening of
a new clearinghouse, and the novel way
in which they do such things here is in
dictated by the editors assurance that
"the opening of Brown & Thum's new
bank will be celebrated tonight, and
George Single says he will have corps
of attentive walters to supply the wants
of gentlemen who desire anything in his
line of refreshments, and We do not speak
wide of the mark when we say he can
put them up right" A local notice in
another part of the paper tells US that
Bloom, on Lee street, is in receipt of
party vests, ties and gloves, which will
be IN demand for the great opening"
We are informed that on a toll-gate
house on the Bear Buttes Road, is a sign
reading thus: Loose pilgrims free;
packed pilgrims, five cents and that the
prevailing color of pantaloons worn by
gold men in the Hills is shade between
salt mackerel and Goldfish. There is
every symptom that Deadwood is a fast
town, fof a local announcement says:
Mrs. Marquette, whose husband poisoned
himself on Monday night, married again
Tuesday morning, before her dead hus-
band was fairly cold. This is only
proof of the business-like character of
some of the denisens of Deadwood. An
appeal for charity in behalf of the poor
is couched in the following ornate Ian
guage:
Miners, men of wealth, you upon
whom the Hills has seen fit to lavish her
richest treasures, you to whom the earth
has chosen to empty her apron of gold
did it ever occur to your mind that
thousands more deserving than you have
been denied these gifts, and have
been reduced to beggary, while they
labored, struggled and endured to pro-
cure them"
Very few of the business men of
Deadwood have any idea that this is
their abiding city" The stores and
saloons are put up in sections, ready to
take apart at once, and cart off to set up
again for a similar service in the newest
mining camp. There are no homes.
Some men have their families here, but
they generally room in the rear of the
store and get their meals out. They all
seem IN a state of expectancy, as if wait
ing for the next train. On some of the
fertile patches on Spearfish and other
streams, small ranches have been estab-
lished, and few have felt located suf-
ticlently to try market gardening, the
result being good supply of stuff at all
the groceries and selling at prices well
up.
The cost of living here is on a decid-
eddy sliding scale. Some of the hotels
have got down to so cents for "square
NEAL or VIII take you in at SO week
without bed, and the restaurants an
nounce their ability to give man a
meal at 30 cents or So as he may elect.
But hotel fare is uncertain, especially
when there is no -four in the city, as
happened to be the case last week The
several varieties of bacon-boiled, broil-
ed, or fried-in that case formed the
chief item at table, with stub radish or
onion-top to give it a relish. When
-four is up to $40 per hundred, or $40 per
barrel, (only they don't put it up in
barrels here,) the bakers loaves are a
marvel of ittleness. The inconvenience
of being far away from a good base of
supplies was further illustrated few
days ago when we had to pay 81 gallon
for coal oil, and our neighbors up at
Troy, two miles away, couldn't get it for
less than $25. Those nights the hotels
were in darkness, the stores closed early,
and at the theatre two or three tallow
candles, some that party of campers
happened to have, did duty with the
" stars" For ii while matches were out.
Other things got scarce. But there is
one commodity that seems always to be
plenty.
Were one to set up housekeeping here
he would encounter some difficulty, first,
in the way of getting house at all; sec
ond, in the matter of paying at the rate
OF $50 per month per room, and last, but
not least, the market prices. Run over
the list and see: Flour, $40 per sack;
best steaks, 80 cents per pound; coal-oil,
So per gallon; vegetables, Is to 10 cents
per pound. If you put your washing
out, the festive Cinnamon, who is here
with his washee-house," charges So per
dozen. AS for servants, if you can af
ford the luxury, tolerable one can be
had for $50 month.
There is not much law or order in
DeadwOod. Courts have just been es-
tablished, and the city is policed; but
the police happen to be in league with
the gamblers, who rule the town, and so
criminals are apt to go unwhipped of
justice. The saloon men refuse to pay
their licenses, 800, and defy the law.
Claim jumpers and town-lot jumpers
have things pretty much their own way.
The streets are in filthy condition, and
there is much sickness. Taking it all in
all Deadwood can be best described as
disorderly, sinful, sickly city.
Grand Duke Nicholas.