The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-19

millionaire, were the biuost OF blue men when
they went TO The klondise digginss: ,sy
the navigation on tho Yukon River had ceased
then, and the steamer, Arctic had made its last
trip. So there were few arrivals In the hlon'
a' Dawson ESs'SV city had two white people among Us
City was completely abandoned, BY Oct; l
there were over loo people at Dawson CITY
a big business, and Lndlc. the first white man
there, made thousands OF dollars by selling
cheap pine lumber to the miners at $40 tho
thousand feet, The Increasing cold made no
difference TO the crazy miners at Dawson ely
and amin 'G Ex cabins nt,,I Hi9ng , E6 RoT S6S a aIai BoH' baS
been stakcd out up and down both sides of
the creeks. The Canadian mining laws made
claim. and one man could have but one claim
in each district; What a hustlinS there was
was growing colder every day. and many men
paid over $500 The 900 feet for lumber TO has
len the building of some abode. Lasorcrs that
snapped up, AT $40 and Sls a day; me naive
s"ms Se SS,G that MeFs more precious there
When the middle Of October came we were
entirely cut Off from all the rest OF the world.
Once In about six weeks a few letters that
cost Us sl.5o each for carriage came to Dew.
busy getting gold to think much OF letters.
When men who had never had more than a Few
%Te making qDs'" Several or IN bundled nd dollars every
day they arc too restless TO think Of letters
s sopic " Sf interest th GGia' fkE S'T w we're 'a tiSes ono to
build from, the pitch pine, and then when inc
E EISi %a sad dug Dse out th SHd put a"H IN 'G piles IL a warm arr
cabin. Then the fires would be started again
and more diSTins ,y would ,nc 13I,9w and I9 iSa S water s,r
used for pannins the gold. Sometimes a her
ion v, Of s 5.ys n, you'd 3 n?,, be w or iSe SyeF M a d nndi
lamps and candles were lighted Then there
was water to be made by melting ice and snow
for washing aud dril king purposes, besides a
round OF domestic duties in our cabins.
1T was hard work day after day. We never
staut disputes as to the day Of the month.
We had no time for games or for melancholy,
night came that sleep at once overcame us.
In December and January there was scarcely
Some Sony n miners S built V their cabins cstds over over ,h heir claims HdrE;
and by building a hot fire in the cabins kept the
ground more or less thawed al, the time;
,omc fifteen or so feet below. How weary every
time lust winter, i would ofteN have gladly
given a 800 nugget for a slice Of beefs,eak:
taking out were not to be compared with even
the lowlest home in civilization. Then the
If life. There was stale -four that cost us $40
for a loC'pound sack: co1lsh cost $4q Tor l90 20
TPe enna'' sd p9Ek S %ss sol sod i'G only = i RHu aS pound oaSGdnl lots ITS
for sis; potatoes brought S65 for 100 pounds,
and dried fruits. ranged from 70 cents to 81 a
pound. We paid 30 cents for the vilest con-
coction OF alcohol and brown sugar that was
called whiskey, and common flannel shirts were
eagerly bought NJ Sl6 each. while rubber boots
ing sold for $40 a pair. Slabs from tho Daw-
son City sawmil we're used for fires in the mines,
and immense numbers were bought at so
cents each, while sawdnst brought 70 cents q
sack. All buying was done with gold, and Sl6
an ounce for gold was he exchange value.
We became as used to handling gold dust at
Klondike before the winter was over as a saw
miller does to handling sawdust.
Now a word about the climate in the klon.
dixie reg ion. The coolest weather last winter
dozen Thermometers IN the whole region. Tho
coolest weather noted, was 81 below, zero,
The air is 50 dry and crisp that men used to
work in the mines in such weather. The wind
blows almost constantly; The, snow seldom
falls more than three feet on the level, but It
is present constantly from early October to
April. \ common winter dress OF the mines
is a garment that the native .Alaskans'sell. 1t
Is a blouse Of heavy skins, with trousers of
seal. These are fastened close about the body.
which i, eaTelopcd in two or moro suits of
heavy uDderclothing. For footwear low boots
OF tough walrus hide or rubber boots are worn.
sent!al. In summer the mercury sometimes
rises to go. and is often at 75s. Then
5 asrEoci is in as uin mssh .n spn a minsr a" IN 5 insrs .n IL
7 July b mSy wor 5s IN = Af SGo "a s solar sn,a mSe1 ISr G ~ n.
ter. We're sluiced and PANIED for the gold. No
, one can mention the summer climate in the
4 klondike country without a thought Of the
L, mosquito and gnat pests. Surely there never
0 could be more Of 9 plague than these. ILoy
1 u III iphus XIV M 'ihh MUSE h4'hs
the banks of the rivers ana creeks, anu no one
$ ever knew such ,rapaeious insects. They have
and the sting Of a few dozen of them will make
r a mans life miserable for days, The Indians
r nadly on cliffs when frcn1ied by = swarm OF
n mosquitoes. Native horses Will break har
along the creeks ana rivers, and ther suffer
Il agcnies at times from the plague: To he SURE
. lhiy use AL manner anne u. Of SeyiIes to Keep th e, mos no..
t netting over their heads and shoulders anc
n gloves on their hands. but there is constant
h suffering from the insects even then. Frost,
c are frequent in summer and they are welcomed
< as q temlorary relief from the plague OF saats
What have been the biggest finds OF gold
= in the Klondike region that you know OF per
"Oh, that one by Dan Mcdonald on Bonenz.
e Creek: idon,t believe it has ever been saHalierd
2 middle Of last september Mcdonald, who is
|; PARTNER of Joe Ladue, the founder Of Dawson
d men We're WORKING rockers and slaices, ans
8 they .shovelled in gravel for four hours. The!
z got for that work the enormous quantity Q
Clarence Berry and his bride wife, who brough
$l35'3So to san Francisco last July, took out
down to zero, too. saw them cleaning on
e several pounds Of, gold rhGire then. H.. 5
70 Clements Of Los Angeles and a man nance
together, and they hired Ave men to work fol
them. Clements told me they took out owe
II = pouhuS VI kOlu III TWO NtthS. L uCuTu ~
II man named Sloan, from Vancouver, who
9 with one helper, cleared up 10000 in 81,
10 weeks. He brought down on tho Portland will
10 him in July over 800, 900 In gold. When | wa
at sixty Mile Creek last spring | saw a pilc o
gold that had bcor taken out the week before
go. there; Three Englishmen named Man
Is chester. Phibhs, and Dlummond owned tn,
gold. They were working on FL Dorado Crcel
o and sank a iif;een-foot hole in the gravel, tel
70 feet from the water. They kept striking j
N richer as they went down. Well. at "a dep.l
1t OF twelve feet they ran into the richest dirt
10 ever saw. For two weeks they could work
IA few hours "a day when every pan was wort
% -. and sometimes a shovel full OF gravel raj
10 over, Sl.25. Just a few days before | hear,
ID Of this the Englishmcn had worked In golt
n that went 81 to tic pan. The men are Il It
70 yet, and the last | heard from them, which wa
In June, they were each making olor 81, 300
N week. They have all their gold there still
and II must be II largo fortune by this time
ut Mrs. Wills. who was formerly Il cook In Tia
n coma. and who suffered bitter adversely anC
Id deep poverty for Two years In Fort Yukon
IN has come out about as well as any one l knov
IN up there. She has two good Indians to worl
OF for, her., and her claim in Discovery Creel
" will urphahlys V.inll lnr "A ,,nnH ADnn nnn a., -