The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-30
AN INDIANA BOYS LETTER.
Experience of FIR. Hover in the Yu-
Ixon CONCENTRATIONS High.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind, July %
Through the courtesy of Miss Ella Hover,
of this city, the Tribune gives below
portion of a letter from her brother, who
has been in Circle City, Alaska, for two
years, but is now in the gold regions. Its
contents verify many of the reports from
that country. He writes from Dawson
City, under date of June g. He says: Aft
err writing my last letter to you from Circle
City, there was a strike made three hun
dred miles up the Yukon of very rich dig
gings, and as L got excited and had to go,
| left Circle City March 2, and was thirty
days on the road. 1 had to pull sled with
three months provisions. 1t was the hard
est trip of my life. L left without tent or
stove; had one fur blanket and two wool
en- ones; had a fur parke Ga. parke is simply
a coat with hood attached and no buttons.)
The Indians make them. The best are
from the Siberian reindeer-good mts and
footwear. pulled two hundred and ninety
pounds, and had to double-trip sometimes
1 had ninety pounds of flour, forty pounds
of beans, twenty pounds of dried fruit, ten
rolls of butter very rank, pepper, salt,
ten pounds of rolled oats, five pounds of
lard, three pounds Of tobacco, fifteen
pounds of bacon rank), two pounds of tea
and five of coffee. This constituted my pro-
visions for three months.
We'll, this climate is so pure and healthy
that one is hungry all the time. But by
being little stingy l managed to get along
all right. The last month l had nothing
but flour and beans. There very little
fresh meat here. The bears are all in their
holes In winter moose meat is very
scarce, Well, the excitement proved to be
all right. There are two creeks that are
good, and are far better than any ever
located on the American continent Men
that were never worth fifty. dollars to their
creek is the richest. l have seen a single
pan of dirt wash out five hundred dollars.
and there are SiXty-six claims that are
good on Eldorado, and $50 on Bonanza
gulch, that cannot be bought for one hum
dred thousand dollars for a quarter inter
the good creeks, but l have staked on a
small creek that runs into Bonanza near
colorado. There We're many men
Flour sold for $50 'i per spF nn9:
dred bacon 81 per pound, when we could get
it, and everything in proportion There is
plenty of work here. Wages are SIS per dav
tor ten hours. l worked fifty DAYS on
bread, and you can imagine I didn't get fat.
The ice went out of the Yukon Nav II The
hrst steamer reached here June 9. Plenty
Of provisions now. Flour sells at SO nor
hundred; that is better. 1t is summer, and
water is running in all the gulches I must
tell you the ground is frozen to bedrock
in this country. so one cannot mine in the
summer. Sometimes Il place is twenty-five
W III y ACCl uStp, ana IL water is run
ming you can't get down. The only v-av
is to wait till winter then build a fire and
thaM the gravel, and then drift. 1t is SLOW
work. l worked one day and washed ONT
$500; just struck a rich spot mot for nv
self) The people are very honest here
Some men have five hundred pounds ali
81 per ounce. Nobody thinks of stealing.
The diggings are fifteen miles from the
Yukon. Dawson City was built since
all the posts on the Yukon. 1t takes only
is a strike made.
This new field is twelve miles from old
Fort Reliance, at the mouth of the Klon-
men here now. Not all are rich. | happen
to be unlucky so far. but l have the gold
fever-to give up now | think would he
very foolish So l must stick TO il a little
longer.
You can't imagine how glad | was to
hear from home and to learn that ali are
living yet. one cannot buy much with 500
here. The lowest division is four bits ia
cents.) Whisky is 81 a drink, and such STUFF
as will knock man silly. l am not stuck
on it,
"A years food costs FROM $500 to 500
A NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. outfit and some few
ncknacks consist of flour, 400 pounds S4S.
beans, 100 pounds. SIS; bacon 100 pounds
$50; rolled oats, so pounds, $25: rice So
pounds SIS; split peas, 80 pounds. SOS: con-
densed milk is cans, $24 coffee, 20 pounds
$50; tea. 5 pounds. IS; sugar, 100 pounds
$23; salt, 70 pounds. $40; case meat, 40