The herald., 1897-08-13


loaded bucket.
In tine dead of winter there are only
five to six hours of daylight, and no sun
lat all.
Everybody works at 50 degrees below
zero and down, although a great many
work when it is between 60 and "a. The
cold is very cry, and no one seems to
mind it much. But very little win]
blows, but when it does and the tenn
perature is low. everyone usually goes
inside.
The dogs lie outside in the very coldesi
weather The best hauling dogs are
crossed with a Wolf and they are nat
ural born thieves Tney are adopts, and
will steal everything from a fryingpar
to side of bacon. Fights are Of hourly
Occurrence, ard the least provoca tior
sets them all going.
The trip is not one that needs be
dreaded One wants to leave juneau
about the 10th or 18th of April. A great
many Will tell you ii is too late, but it is
not and If you come earlier you Will only
be lying idle that much longer Cre
should buy everything but blankets and
tent in Juneau. You car buy most
things there absolutely cheaper thar
you can in Frisco. Three pair of extra
heavy blankets. a rubber blanket, and
a piece of ten-ounce duck SX6 will COM
plete the blanket li9..
Get a 10x12 eight ounce duck wall ten
as Sx10 is riie too small. The mer-
| chants at Juneau know exactly what
| you need. An outfit for two men will
cost about $500, putting it low A man
should. If he wants to be independan
have from $3.50 TO $500 in his pocket when
he reaches here. That will keep him
! for one year, whether he gets any work
or not And if he is fortunate enough
to locate a good claim and don't put in
| any work, he will need that much for his
winter and following summers outfit
There have been more creeks discoV-
| cred in this vicinity this year than ever
before. and if grub is plentiful this fall
| there will be IA great many discoveries
next sprng. The boats are very late
this year, but as they are now towing
bargeS, and there are several new boats
it is hoped that there will be an abund-
arce
The following are few prices al the
| post (at the creek 10 cents pound Is
added for freight: Flour per cwt., 50;
| beans per pound, 12c; sugar 25c; best
| tea, $125; bacon, So to 40c; dried fruits
| 25 to soc; coal oil, $12 a case: rubber
| boots S12 per pair; shirts SIS; canned
| goods, soc per can; whisky, SOC drink
A man will not make as much money
| here as one might suppose, but ir spite
| Of high prices he can save.
| may take a position with one of the
companies, as they give excellent board
and good, salary. One has big adj
vantage if he has a friend in the couE-
| try A man can only take one claim
| on a creek, but he may locate on as
many creeks as he likes.
On British soil it costs $15 to register q
claim 500 feet, and on American soil you
locate 1920 feet, which is too much, an
there is no fee. There is fort here
with twenty soldiers American. 1t Is
six or eight miles west of here, and
number of creeks are located on Ameri
can soil.
Birch Creek and Circle City are 1l(
miles down the river, on American soil
Three months work year must be put
in on a claim to hold it. We boast five
or six saloons and billiard and poo
tables and "accompaniments.'
A crowd of the latter left here few
| days ago for Circle City, where they
have two or three dance houses.
Regards to all my friends. Yours as
ever. LEWIS W. FOX.
A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
"EI. DORADO CREEK, N.W.T., De
cember 26, 1886 My Dear Farwell'
- 10y a IA
Year to 'yez' Well now, this is the
country! That is if a man wants
chance to make from moderate to az
Independent fortune inside of about three
years. The wheel of fortune has Whirled
once for me, and though l didn't dra W
blank, ] failed to draw capital
From the outlook | think she will Whirl
once again for me within a year. On
August 26 1 located on Bonanza creek
claim No So, below Discovery. The
same day l went up to No. 22 above (the
rext vacant claim), and after camping
there two whole days. decided to holo
my lower location, when | might hav4
taken No %. A week ago one-half ol
No 90 which has a very cloudy title
was sold for $4,000, at the rate of $240O
for the whole, and the sale was forced
one, too. The claim is worth every cent
of $4,000, and the probabilities are that
from 100000 to a million or two will bC
taken out Of the ground within tvs
years.
THE prospects in this country art
something startling. Fancy on No. ,
on Ell Dorado, one pan $102. 25; one pan
5000; one pan, $40; one pan, $56. They
have two feet of gravel 20 feet wide
which will average $40 to the pan Or
No. IA on Ell Dorado, one pan, ~ ounces
($17 an ounce. On 81 above Bonanza
where the first rich winter prospect by
burning" was found, they have three
feet of gravel, Sc to the pan, and foul
feet more 81 to S4. On Bonanza 4 abov,
to Sc above, the prospects are dollars
to the pan. (See postscript.)
Fancy, on Miller creek they took oul
$50, 600 from an average of Is cent dirt
three feet of gravel, 60 feet wide. No
body knows how long a sack they will
nave when these dumps are washed out
in the spring. Some claims actually may
take out hundreds of thousands. Many
claims have panned out $1,000 to $15Ot
come in that Little Bear creek, which
everyone supposed was N. c. had
showed up $3.50 to the pan. Hunkel
creek has not many prospecting on it
but will prove very rich from the way
things look now. / have claim No. "a
4 ~ Vltt1 II 11aa ;.,,1