Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-30

p SCENE. ARRIVAL OF THE PROV
when 10 Is deeper than the latter figure
II cannot bee worked.
The upper part o. the gravel is BARREN
and the pay-dirt lies directly upon the
rock b-neatr. am T. generally very thin.
10 get at this Iay-dirt all the upper
gravcls must be shOve.led or ana this
preliminary work often requ res an en-
tire season. even IA a. very small cain.
When the gravel is deeper than certain
amOuut-s1y 10 feet-the task Of reuoy-
INK il becomes formidable Ia this case.
the pay-ai~t can be sometimes be got
at i'm the winter season, when the graVels
are frozen hard, by sinking shafts through
these srayeis and ds.tng along tne
pay dirt
owing TO the dlnicu ty in bringing in
supplies. prices are very high at the
river posts. and much higher in the
d inss. The freight alone from the
coast TO the cigg mss. costs as nigh as
20 cents pound, SD taat when one eats
.o,atoes al 81 q pound and bacon at
s. cents a pound. Other thing being IN
proportion. tae cost " living Is enormous
ana even employment at so PEE day for
sixty days out OF the year will not
enable a man 10 glow rich very rapidly
Owing 10 the high price Of supplies, no
claim that does not pay at least $40 Il
day TO each man working can be worked,
except at a loss.
Romance has also entered into this
dominion Of Mammon and unrighteous-
ness. Ii has come in the form OF
pretty girl about whom nobody knows.
and yet whom every one loves. she
Is by no means a daughter Of the gods
and is neither diyiney tall nor most
diyinoly yair. bat she IS a sturdy beauty
.H.. f..a nh o na
gosslps have il. Is making money. Not
only does she work her claim, but on
more tnan one occasion has defended
il with reVOlvers. II there Is anything
that the miner admires it Is a plucky
woman. II there is auSht that he really
loves. it is "a pretty girl, WHO seems not
to Dee aware Oh his existence. Pleasant,
bright. with a CHEEKY word Tor an, and
word OF affection for none. this g.rl
o. the mines has almost set the dlggings
by the ears.
10 man has the slightest claim upon
Annie Graves. as she caiIs herself, and
If any man alleged that he did have,
il would PROBABLY have tendency to
shorten his existence. Miss Annie Is
IN many respects like unto the typical
wcstcrner. About the medium heient,
She is Of good figure. ANA carries her-
self ike "A princess. Her face rs neither
oval nor round. A. one OF the red
s1hled gentry said: "She's pretty-thats
all" There is scarcely nigH bat
what. IN some one Of the places where
whiskcy and cards rule there is not a
quarrel over this youns woman between
men. who have, perhaps. never spoken
10 her. Sire Is the daughter OF the
digging. and there is 10 man here who
would not fight lor her at the drop Of
the hat.
As TO her history. she f. entirely re-
tlcent. No one knows from whence
she came. The most that ANYBODY can
say IS that she simply appeared here
one morning and from that time the
clgelngs Inhabitants have been her
slave. II n ght be thought rather
dangerous task for pretty youns woman
10 20 about alone and apparently friend
les. 30 TAR as close friends are concerned
bat the man who would say an INSULT
ing word 20 aunie Graves had better
turn hls thoughts 10 the next world.
for that g. the direction IN which be Is
sure 10 go
So the Gigg.ngs grow and prosper, ana
II all goes we'll there will b no such
things as hard times in our part OF the
word for many a long day The rich
ness OF The Yukon gold-helds has been
proved beyond all question.