The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-27
Of Dusssin the


ing it. At the lower end of the town near
the foot of the mountain is a fine spring
OF good water and Water-carriers are earn
Ing as high as $40 day in carrying water.
charge of twenty-five cents a bucket is
exacted.
Lots 50 by 100 feet are now selling for
amounts varying from $500 to $4,000, and
an ordinary building lot on the edge of the
town at the base of the mountain is sold
for $3.50 and upward. Last year logs sold
for 81 apiece, and now they command 50
and 81. Most Of the buildings are CON
structed of logs hewn on three sides and
solidly ehinked with heavy moss. The roofs
are made of poles, on which a layer Of
moss fully 10 inches thick is laid and then
layer of dirt about u inches deep serves
to keep out cold. If green logs or logs that
are not properly dried are used they crack
and make reports not unlike a pistol shot
when the heavy frosts come, and for the
remainder of the winter frost will accum-
ulate on the inside of the cabin, and it is
impossible to get enough heat out of the
stoves to thaw the lee. Heavy embank-
ments of earth piled up against the huts
on the inside serve as additional protection
against the chilling blasts of the Arctic
winter gales. A few saloons are built of
lumber with double walls, between which
sawdust and moss are tightly packed, but
old Yukoners tell me that such construct
| severe cold weather.
About eighty log cabins and some 800
or 600 tents constitute the improvements
of Dawson City. The buildings are on
the streets, and a wide avenue separates
the city from the river banks. The two
commercial companies have built fine,
large two-story stores and warehouses.
The improvements made by the Alaska
Commercial Company must have cost
| a If Ort IN
American Trading and Transportation
Company were not much less expensive.
To build the commonest kind of log
cabin 1SX24 feet costs from 5000 to 5000,
and the buildings erected by the former
company cover an entire block, and are
of the most substantial character that
money and labor can build.
Front street is the principal thorough
fare, and is the locality where nearly all
of the business is transacted, and is on
the east side, facing the. river, The
street is full of hewn tifnbers and chips.
and carpenters are working from early
dawn tin late at night erecting cabins to
accommodate the demands of the trade.
Mechanics are paid an ounce for nine
hours work, and many of them are earn
ing from $40 to $25 a day. In another
month the river will probably freeze, nav
igatioh will cease and cold weather will
be in order until the middle of next May.
Consequently, all buildings must be finish
ed by the middle of October, and on ac-
count of the great demand for cabins, car
penters are practically naming their own
wages.
The streets are full Of tents. but tho
Canadian officials are compelling builders
to erect cabins on the lines of their prop
erty, and in a short time Dawson City
will bear the resemblance of a well-laid
out frontier town. Aside from the two
stores, three or four barber shops half a
dozen laundries, a secondhand store or
two, two saw mills three butcher shops
two jewelry stores, a dozen physicians
and dentists, couple of real estate or
fees, The principal business engaged in
Is the sale of intoxicants. Compared with
prices in the states the charges at first
glance seem exorbitant, but when the pre-
vailing rate of wages of from 80 to $15 a
day is taken into consideration, the
charges appear reasonable Meat Is sold
for 70 cents a pound, and at one time dur
ing the summer ice sold for 81 so a pound
Some enterprising fellows went down the
river a short distance and found a small
glacier, and realized a neat sum in SELL
ing ice to the saloons. The laundries
charge $l.25 for washing and ironing a
White shirt, and 75 cents a piece for fan,
nels. Shaving is 50 cents, and hair cut
is ST. Loaves of bread, and small ones
at that, find ready sale at 50 cents.
The district to the south of the Klon-
dixie, called Indian river district, prom
ises to be very rich. and hundreds of
claims have been staked out Shameless
have rushed off to Dominion, Sulphur and
Quartz creeks, and staked out every foot
of available ground to the number of 300
or 400 claims. Prospects In places are
extremely good but, as before stated. it
is impossible TO obtain anything like salts
factory results in the summer season
and it will probably be months before
anything like forecast of the outlook
can be given with any degree of relbabil-
ity. on all of the territory in the creeks
that have mentioned there Is not a
claim that can be staked out to-day. Fv-
cry possible claim has been located. and
unless new districts are discovered the
thousands who expect to come here next
spring and locate claims Will be bitterly
disappointed.
There are many miners of experience in
this locality who believe that some fine