The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-26
HARDSHIP OF YUKON LIFE.
zHTNGS 1nE SEEKERS ron GoLD IN
AiASKA HApE 40 ENDURE.

Ala nA Aa1 49, - a.
"" o"" r'T
'''O"" '"o ''"t summer b"v
''""phSht lave " winter Hard Work
Preparing Cinins - Demand for Mar
ringcnbi~ Women aud Pack IIor-r.-
tirci. Ger Go Inv. n N.v,r,,..
'oNhN,' ni"sNn' hprh 81 Next week. or
et !eas' III ten uuFH' inc sun Will be up again,
an' '"e" .no bitterness VIII get ont OF the cold
pr'..y .uo"l,' aneuuS inc boys are bettlhS
" 'uo u",o NJ "nlch tne Ice VIII break up IN
."o riNei' i"ur months OF more from now, ana
~" "'eN vi t"o 'neN VIII oeHih 10 make DOCKS
",.h" ""'e U 'he hrFlVhi OF the nrst steamer.
lms J" l"rt OF a letter from on old juneau
man VINO Is now NJ the head OF one OF the
u"i'hR companies NJ rorty Mile. The letter
was "rtttcn NJ inc end or January, ana was
V e'Ncu IN juneau Jnstn snort time ago. IL was
or"uEhC out ny ono Oh ire three or -FOUR mai
couc"eS' u" the people III the interior cal
th"r messenger. who have come out from
tne 'uKon country th's winter. III gives a III
VI" narration OF one phase OF the lire OF the
nv" VINO eIaS IN IN" 1ukon throuuh Tine long
wn''r' y" nooct three moh'hs AT ,lrcie
NitN' ana TOT practicnlly MS long MT Forty Mlie'
'he sun goes OUT OF siRht III tho winter tlme.
anu ine weather CONDITIONS practically rum
.h'so INES OF the otu song whioh talks ABOUT
inc t'me OF the year having come Tor the long
oark hiEhts ana inc snow
hut existence by lnmpiiRht Is not the great
est OF the inconvenience which must be borne
by those whose desire for gold leads them to
pass the winter In the Yukon country. NO
other place on carth which Is ihhabited NY
ciViiAeo white beings mas SO great a range OF
temperature IN all PROBABILITY az the placer
diGgings In the Interior or Alaska. The con-
tinued absence OF the sun In the winter seems to
enable the cold TO accumulate with MS great n
force as the long presence OF the sun In the sum
mer helps the heat to pile up. The thermometer
from more than 100 above zero in sum mer 70
more than so below in tho winter. Added to
the inconvenience Of these extremes Of tenn.
pere'uIe Il inc unpleasah,ness Oh 'ae very
mgr wihos. Inc vino whistles uo"n throuRh
the iukon valley WIN sucn force " so @n,s, mes
sn". "o e1ue "o"., ~, ~
saying OF the old miners ana blow the BARK on
Tsar.. =. ,o.,.,. Gov r,r,,, r,,v ~. ,o,s.
49,. .s,. to- 1,.,no NJ ,auo,,sh. III ~,
obv.ated in a measure by next winter. One
OF the enterprisine circle CITY business men il
light plant this summer. and next winter when
Circle City WON'T have to depend on the au-
only traains post oeyoho inc Aretio circle
Circle City had to do this last winter. When
It ia FIRST tried on. living by lamplirht isn't a
pleasant experience. The reversal Of the or.
binary custom of lamplightine at bedtime by
the practice which is necessary there of light.
ing a lamp when a man gets up and burning
st all day long i, a frst-class inducer of the
blues. Before the sun goes DOWN for the last
time in the winter. and before 1t appears again
at the beginning Of what passes for 81 spring %:
there Is n long season OF twi'iHht. on ihe
a ali hands wnss t nsu sHE goes se out %H"n of fG Doors e9s te'' bid Sim Il
Eoni-by.
twenty-four hours. whi,h the miners call days.
and then comes tho black night. when the stars
darkness the aurora frequently make its most
GORGEOUS displays. as II i were doing Its hest to
i %ske s a,msafs esr fd 5n9 av sD or six Of days tsf In ss Success It,
sion. with .splendors of color which no man who
has seen i would ATTEMPT to describe accurate ,ttc
acain and the ,desolation Of the winter night Is
ended. the real trouble Of the miners begins.
wonderfully rand vegetation is springing up
with, rank, growth. mosquitoes. gnats. and vel
mvrinds..I It is aimoat impossible to. avoid
them. They drive the boasts almost frantic.
and + exercises tho hes. phh,i ~ 2 OF the h"rdt
These are conditions which make life din
probably do not obtain in any other placer
digginps on earth. unless. %nerhaps, an excap-
ton Is made of those al. Cooks Inlet. Tie
o.her conditions OF life in the mining camps
are probably 10 more uEcomfortnbie than
those which have been endured in all the
mining camns Of the states. The boarding
houses Of Circle City and Forty NIL. and the
other Yukon camps do, not present elaborate
bills of fare. ond such board as they do serve
is not to he had for nothing. That condition
miners NAV expect tn find anywhere. Tho
difficulties Of getting into and out of the Yukon
operate 70 cause social limitations, which may
but the men who have gone into the Yukon do
Guilty which causes them the greatest regret
Is that the trail over the pass. Is so hard TO
cover. and the trip by st. Michael's and the
river Is So long and tedious, that very few wo-
men have been persuaded 70 undertake the
Journey. and fewer still have been willing to
endure the hardships OF AN Arctic winter.
Usually one season Is enough.
They make n pretty fair fight and are COM
paratively courageous against the swarms Of
pestiferous insects. but they wluld rather 90
heIow and avoid the long. cold night. Every