The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-09
REVELRY AT DAWSON.
nrr5<LEss MEN PLUNGE DEEPLY IN
DISSIPATION OF GAMBLING.

crcduIous Persons Seem to Sup~
pose-Luck Is = Big Factor and
There Are Many Failures as Well
~ Dazzling Successes.
ers,al Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.
Dawson City, Aug. % (via seattle,)
Wash. Sept. 26.)-Any one who has
,-e2n the reaxations of a frontier town
+, the United States during a gold boom
can understand without further explana-
rim what they are here. 1t is almost the
ssme spectacle. except that it is set off
by The novel environment of glaciers
The popular dance hall is the biggest
bglding in the place, except the head
quarters of the Canadian police 1t is
nearly seventy-ive feet long and fully
a.rv fe-t wide, and at night is transform
ell from a cold tenantless, barn-like
structure into a scene of reckless revelry.
All the women of Dawson, who did not
include GOOD regulations in their outfits
when they left the states, can be seen
in The throng that fills the place, and
rough miners and more polished tender
feet mlngle indiscriminately.
over ia one corner a piano, that must
have seen better days, a wheezy horn and
an instrument that it would be gross fat
terry 10 call violin, yield up plaintive
discords in response to the efforts of their
grizzled manipulators. But the dancers
do not mind the absence of real music
all they demand is noise and a certain
regular rythm, with plenty of drinks.
These the management supplies in abund-
unce, the last commodity being at the uni
form rate of 80 cents per" and take your
choice
\ woman of advanced years is the lead
Ing dispenser of liquors. She is familiar
Iy called by the old-timers Mother Abe"
1t viii be necessary in polite society to
draw veil over many of the dance-hall
scenes here, but one incident which saw
last night is of such frequent repetition
that il conveys an instructive suggestion
of life in Dawson. A miner in typical
mining garb was dancing with the belle of
the hall He was making a sorry mess of
his light fantastic effort, producing a spec
tacle more fantastic than light when the
lady in the case suddenly left him to be-
stow her Establishments on youthful new
arrival who bore evidences of recent con-
tact with civilization
The miner seemed dazed for an instant,
but promptly pulled himself together
Nhen the pair came whirling toward him
in regulation waltz step, without any
Nlondike frills, he braced himself, grab
bed the young man by the collar and an
other part of his attire and threw him
clean through the window, saying as he
uld so: III teach you tenderfeet to leave
my girl alone" Then he calmly seized
the giSling maid, without cracking a smile
himself and resumed his contortions.
1t Is only the newcomers who are sub
1Gclel 10Th
space The others are better acquainted
with the unwrtten laws that prevail and
make no breaks" which they are not pre-
pared to stand by and fight for.
The gambling houes is the natural asso-
ciate of the dance hall in Dawson, and
stands close by its side. But as far as that
is concerned the gambling house in some
manifestation seems to be close by the
side of about everything else in the town.
The establishment of this kind most fire.
quented and that has the honor of run
ming the "star dust game" is known as
"Joe's Place." and is taking in gold about
as fast as the miners can dig it, The
whole situation up here is a form of gam
bling, and naturally the men who have
taken the chances are possessed of that
subtle thing, the gambling instinct, to an
intense degree. Gambling is as natural in
Dawson as eating, and to some of the de-
voices even ranks above that gastronomic
custom.
There seems to be no evidence of any
thing crooked in the game, but that
may be the result of necessity. A man
who would run a CROOKED" game here of
any character and get detected would
have to take to the woods-and there are
no woods to take to. His finish would
be quick and certain. and this fact is so
clearly recognized that everything is run
ION the square"
Temptation in other ways to run
crooked" games here does not exist. The
money and dust" flow freely and there
are no divides" with civic authorities to
eat up profits.
AS rule the games are not heavy from
an American point of view. If a man
wins or loses two thousand dollars he is
regarded as a marvel of good or bad luck
as the case may be.
But life in Dawson, even in winter. is
not merely one long revel, and there is
plenty of the serious in everyday routine
TO occupy the attention of the household
er or tentholder. The matron in the states
can consider herself lucky in not being
oollSed to do her shopping at Dawson
prices. Here one must pay 500 for a hun
dred pounds of flour, % cents for a pound
Of brown sugar. 80 for a pound of bacon
and ~ for a pound Of butter. If he or
she yearns for the luxury of an egg, one
can be gotten for 70 cents and other es-
sentials are in proportion.
cigars, like all drinks, cost 80 cents
each, and a shave commands the same
price. The barber shop is a wooden hut
and the barber enjoys only a short sea-
SON When the cold weather arrives
boards are at a premium, and the barber
changes his occupation to that of faro
dealer.
There had never been much variety in
occupations at Dawson until this summer,
put then it must be remembered that the
city IS only little over year old. 1t was
porn in August, 1896, when the report
reached Circle City of the Klondfke gold
hhds.' Then Circle City moved in bulk
TO the new location and called itself Daw-
son There were only man, a boy and a
dog left behind.
since that time Dawson has grown, Tn
III now 1t contains a population of about
wv persons, but this is a floating popula-
tioh' Hundreds are leaving every week
1or other gold fields, while other hundreds
are arriving.
IL seems as If the population of all adj
yaceht Alaska is flocking here so as to be
near the center of the golden harvest when
we winter SHOWS waste away. When
every boat that has made the journey from