The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-28
WINTER LIFE IN THE KLoNDlKE.
How PrOspectOrs Live and Eat After
the Thermometer and whisky
Freeze.


From the Springfield Republican.
The following letter from a prospector
In the Klondike to a friend in Baker City,
Ore has just been made public. The let
ter is dated Circle City. Alaska. Feb. 6:
Your letter of Sept 6, 1896, reached here
to-day through the transportation medium
of a dog team from Juenau. There are
about coo whites wintering here, including
five women. The nativity of the popula-
ton is about evenly divided between the
American the Canadian and the Tacoma
man. The American and Canadian take
life as it comes, but the poor Tacomite
seems lost. He wanders around in daz-
ed sort of a way, evidently looking up
terminal site for the Northern Pacific rail-
road. We had quite a visit from old Bo-
reaS last month. He made a stay of ten
days with us, ana while he frowned we
hunted cover. The thermometers all
froze up. The last one went to pieces
registering 72 degrees below zero. A bot
tie of pain-killer 1 possessed, and the only
one in camp, was as solid as my views on
the financial question The whisky that
was called for in saloons was served on
napkin and doled out in solid four-corner-
ed chunks.
As a safeguard against the invaslons of
the atmosphere from the pole we are
blessed with good warm cabins and plenty
of provisions of the following kinds: We
have the choicest slabs from the two sides
of the fat porkers that were converted into
bacon for army purpose during the late
American rebellion; we have STRAWBERRIES
in three Varieties-the navy the pink and
the brown. We have the evaporated fruit
put up in several different boxes; you put
a few pounds from any box into a pail of
water, boil for several hours, then rip up
your imagination and sit down to a dish
of boiled peaches, pears, prunes, apples or
apricots; we have also the steaks that
CudahSbnd Armour deliver to the hungry
public in two-pound. cans; we have also
the tripe and the OK tongue. We have
the one x-bfand of -four warranted to be
easily distinguished from the white snow.
We have the essence of the COW condensed,
We have the pee.ings of onion put up in
round cans,and labeled Expressly for the
Yukon trade"
We have the lard from the oil wells Of
Pennsylvania and the butter from the
stockyards of Chicago. We have the
ground coffee put up in original packages
without a brand or trademark to Identify
the owners or manufacturers. The texture
of this coffee Is very delicate, and when
you boil you have no grounds for COM
plant or to throw out. We have a tea
new discovery that has not yet reached
the eastern epicures; you put a heaping
handful in one quart of boiling water and
in five minutes you will have brewed a
pale green fluid. small cupful of which
will satisfy for many days the hankerings
and cravings of the most confirmed tea
drinker We have the hotel and restau-
rant in burlesque. Every man Is his own
chief cook and chambermaid. For diver
sion we have the woes Of others For ac-
curing knowledge we have the stars to
read, and for meditation we try 10 solve
Gods reason for putting a gateway into
this useless country.
However, we are happy In our isolation.
There is a sort Of freedom in living here
that is agreeable. The conventionalists of
life have no claims upon me. am be-
holden to no one and no one 20 me. As
free as the wind 10 some and go, work
or play, sing or howl The pinnacle Of my
hopes, aspirations and desires Is realized
in that ecstatic moment when filled to the
chin with bacon and beans, i recline at
my ease on the sunny side of a glacier
and contemplate life through the hazy,
somnolent contentment of a full stomach,
without care TO Cypress me.
Circle City Is just now deserted, every
body is up at Klondike, or preparing to go
soon. Klondike river is over 200 miles up
the Yukon from here and gold was found
on IL a few months ago. II Is the richest
district the world has ever known, and
will produce millions this year / returned
here from the Klondike yesterday for grub
ana start DdGk lo-IloilOWs IA0hi ~ worth
500 a sack Of fifty pounds, and everything
else IN proportion and none to be bought.
Live dogs are worth from 81 to s. a pound
they are the horses in this country
The gravel Is frozen from eighteen TO
twenty feet deep TO bedrock, but we burn
a shaft down and then drift, using Are
instead of powder. The gravel runs IN
gold from s. 10 $50 a pan, and a young
fellow on a claim above me panned out
$4,000 In two days. was offered $780, 600
cash for my claim. ] still hold the ground
and will be either a millionaire or a pau
per In the fall. Men cannot be hired for
wages. Every newcomer I'm the camp IL
offered big wages, as high as $50 a day,
but seldom will any one work for another.
The only phantom that stands in our way
10 the goal Of the millionaire r. Mr.. Grub.
! have provisions enough 10 last me until
next June. and / am as we'll fixed as any
man In the country. II the boats DO not
get up the river before July we will be IN
rather hard lines, but as one cannot help
his Ills by bewailing them we will look
cheerful and feel certain that grub will be
plentiful next year.