Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-10-17

comes, food can't be bought All the
more reason for keeping things whirl-
ing.
There is no repose in Dawson.
Everything is roaring, and there is
merry sort of deyiltry in gambling
and drinking-drinking and throwing
around the gold that men elsewhere
are dying to get-in the face OF this
specter of the Arctic winter.
There are John Oakhursts all over
the place. In this whiz and whir the
man who keeps his head has all the
best of it, and the faro dealers are
gathering the dust in scoops.
There are 5000 persons in the camp,
and 2,000 scattered along the creeks
within so miles of it, The 5000 are in
tents and cabins on a level swamp,
some of it timbered with slender pop
lars, and all of it dismal, and the
swamp does it's best to be triangle
and puts its base along tie yellow Yu-
kon.
SOME OF THE PRICES.
Front street faces the Yukon, and a
strip averaging $50 feet in width has
been reserved as a thoroughfare. Front
street never sleeps. There may be some
connection between this insomnia and
the circumstance that there are IA bar
rooms on the street, where one sees
such writing on the wall as this:
Stud poker checks, S. stack;
''Flushes beat threes;' "Straights don't
co." This faro game never closes;
$25 to $50"
The revelry is not so indecent as thf
revelry of the slums of a great city
but it is more delirious, and it is not ag-
gressive and keeps its temper. Really
the list of amusements is very short
but what is lacking in variety is made
up in price. 1t costs a dollar for 6
dance, and you don't get your choice
of partners; every drink costs half {
dollar, excepting beer, which has not
answered at roll-call since Paddy Burns
drained his glass 60 sleeps ago. If one
says mildly: Boys, have something,
the man in the starched coat behind The
bar takes half an ounce from the in
viter's sack, and if one having sturdy
lungs shouts: "Centlemen, it's mine;
step up" the barkeeper ruthlessly eX.
tracts three ounces. Every ounce O
yellow fakes, by the way, is an equiva
lent to ST.
The green baize is an expensive ell
bow rest in Dawson. There is scarcely
a game in camp which does not ruT
! wide open. A thousand dollars on tht
turn of a card is not unknown. Swift
Water Bill arose from the table one
evening last week-the evenings arr
| long up there and paid packer ar
ounce to carry his winnings for the
sitting There was $4,000 in the sack
Bill cleaned up 500, 900 that week
Another miner from farther I'D the
al with the faro bank.
Silver is scarce, minted gold is not
| common, but gold dust is plentiful
Every man has some Of it. When one
wishes to pay bill, whether it be SO
cents or as many dollars, he losses his
sack on the counter and the requisite
dust is laid out. Then the man be-
hind the counter reties it and losses il
to the man on the other side.
Saw logs not less than y inches in
! diameter bring not less than $50 a
I LOCO board feet; at the Ladue saw
mill, sawed lumber. unplaned. retails
for $3.50 a 1000, and ordinary pine
door panels sell for SIT. Carpenters
command 500 a day. and unskilled
labor is not obtainable for less than
$40 day; so that house building. I'M
der the average condition, is somewhat
costly.
Besides the Few merchandise shops
and the Il bar rooms. there are on
| Front street four little restaurants,
two lodging houses, two baker shops.
two brOkerages, one matchmaker
shop. one cobbler stand, three baker
les, two laundries, one cooperage. one
cabinet maker shop, one fish stall, two
dental Offices and the Offices of two
physicians. On other streets are two
smithies, one tin shop, one iewelry
shop, two restaurants and one bakery.
A cup of coffee costs % cents q
sandwich the same. a bowl of canned
oysters IS cents, a piece Of pie q
cents. an egg is worth 81 in it's youth
and more than that as steamer dav
fades further in the past. 4 place 70
lay the head o night costs $3.50 ner
sleep. and you must be your own
chambermaid and porter; a steel pen
point costs p cents: a hair spring for
your watch SO; fresh salmon. % cents