Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-07-08
Jhe Daily 9rfss aud 1akotaiau
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YkkKToN DAKOTA.
Monday Evening, July 8, 1873
HARD TIMES IN oeAowooo.

HARD TIMES IN DEADW00D.
Cash Is Scarce aud Applications for Credit
Numerous.
Correspondence Chicago Times
Bcadwood, Dakota, June, 25.-The re-
cent rains have operated to the great Injury
of the entire Hills country. Frelghting,
travel, transportation of mails, mining, and
commercial transactions have been greatly
retarded. All roa1s leading to the Hills
have become bottomless; streams are un-
FOrdable, and as result hundreds of freight
wagons are corralled at various points be:
tween here and the railroad, while every
ranch is jammed with express matter and
fast freight, dumped from coaches unable
to proceed with their overheavy deck. loads.
Mining, particularly upon gulch diggings,
Is effectually stopped and cannot be resum.
ed for many days to come. or until the
drifts, shafts, and tunnels, which are com.
p:etely filled with debris, are cleaned out,
and the many sluce bo3es, carried away by
the current. are replaced. l doubt that
over half dozen claims are in a condition
a: the present time for working, and know
of but three upon which clean.ups are being
made.
AS result, "hard times" is the universal
cry and the experience of all, and necessi-
tates general and dangerous credit system
that is slowly and surely destroying the pros
perity of the Hills. Outsiders naturally
suppose that cash basis is the only one
upon which trade in mining camps is estab-
lished. Quite the reverse, at least as far this
place is concerned. In no city in the world
having the population of Deadwood, ven
ture to say, can you receive the "accommo-
dation'' here extended, and nowhere else are
collections 80 difficult to make. Everybody
is in debt; everybody unable to pay; every.
body is on the dun, but everybody is conf
dent Of good time coming, and which will
undoubtedly arrive with the resumption of
sluicing and the consequent abundance of
our circulating medium, dust. The only
gold yield at present is of quartz mines,
which are being worked by machinery pur-
chased on time, and as the paper given by
the mill-men is rapidly maturing, about all
of the product of the mines is shipped east
to meet obligations, while employees are put
off upon one pretext and another, and tenn
porarily deprived Of their earnings. These
latter and their families must live. They
have no mony, but, armed with letters from
their employers, they find no difficulty in
securing credit, and thus become consumers
without in the least mitigating the strin-
gency of the times. Said pioneer mer-
chant to me on yesterday, "There is but one
class Of men in the entire Hills that pays as
it goes, to-wit, the Californians."
They have been the salvation of the coun.
try without them we would all have been
bankrupt long, loug ago. Their disposition
is probably no better than that of others, but
their ability is commensurate with their in
clinations. They have bought over mill
lion dollars worth of property, and twice as
much machinery, paying solid cash for it all.
On the other hand, eastern speculators have
come in, and by dickering, secured interests
in mines, the consideration being the erection
of mills and machinery. being subsequently
purchased on credit, freighted in and erect.
ed on credit and paid for, if at al, out of the
proceeds of the mine. Unfortunately all
mines do not pay-or at least have not been
opened upon pay rock-hence it is that 3
few Of the mills have been tied up, or SOLD
by the sheriff: When this oppressive in
debtness that must be met or else cause {
suspension of work, shall be lifted from thu
shoulders CT the people, and when the hun
dreds Of gulch claims shall produce their dai
ly yields Of hundreds Of dollars( which mus
uOW 6OOu OCCuE Dtuc Ol6Ck 11lllb Will etueTRt
from this embarrassment and present con
dition of prosperity unparalleled in the
history of America. One good feature
of this depression is the breaking dowr
Of prices to something within the
bounds of reason. Necessaries of life
command prices that will favorably com
mune with Chicago or other eastern rates
while luxures are in the demand, but oh
tainable at sstonishingly low prices. One
other benefit is derived from the Commercial
malady: l. e. . general cleaning out o
blacklegs-or at least forced suspension
of their nefarlous business Early in til,
season they focked hithcr from every di,
rection, crushing the fond hope that thi
would provea golden year for them as vel
as for those in legitimate business, ant
great preparations for the harvest were &C
cord,ngly made. Mammoth gambling halls
ornate concert and liquor saloons. elaborate
ly fitted up bunko apartments. houses o
tprostltution by the score, and every know
device for capturing the unwary, were es
tablished and opened with pomp and cere
mony. For short time they dourishei
then attendance declined. One by one th
doors were finally closed, until now th
great mass of these disreputable beings pas
the day upon the streets, and lodge 9
night the Lord knows where. No NOR
conclusive proof of the disaster that hs
overtaken the sporting fraternity could b
given than that presented by the fact tbs
dealers are running ten-cent games, an
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