The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1897-08-10
Ca1flualI Paoord

evenings east bound passenger
were two men direct from the
Clondyke gold fields of Alaska
that are now creating such furi-
Gus excitement. One of them
was Mr.. Schultz and the other
Russian Jack. Mr.. Schultz was
interviewed by representative
of the Record and said his party
left the Clondyke June 18th and
went down the Yukon to st.
Michaels and came out on the
steamer Portland. He went in
their one year ago with six other
men and six women. Russian
Jack had been there three years
and had such a severe attack of
scurvey that he was returning
home. Jack. however. had with
him SIS, 900 in the yellow stuff.
Asked about the probable rich
ness of the Clondyke fields, he
replied that there were undoubt-
eddy very rich deposits along
that stream and it's tributaries,
but it was a tremdous undertake
ing to get at them. The ground
remains frozen the year round
and there are only about sixty
days of what could be called
summer weather. In the winter
the thermometer hovers around
the 60 and 20 marks, and the
cold is intense. In order to work
in winter the miners have to
build great fires to thaw out the
ground, and when the weather is
moderated to 40 and so below
zero they can stand it to work
Twelve hundred people wintered
at Dawson City, the nearest
point to the mines, twenty six
miles distant. Provisions are
high and board costs from S125
to $3.50 per month. Meals are
$50 each, bacon and ham are
80 cents per pound, -four $50 per
hundred. Ordinary blankets
cost S25 per pair. Leather or
rubber boots cannot be worn.
they have to wear seal skins
with fur inside. Newspapers sell
Tor 81 each, and it costs 81 to- get
a letter in there. Mail goes from
Juneau over the mountains, be-
ing carried by dogs a distance of
at least 700 miles. This past
year they had mail four times.
Mr.. Schultz says those who 90
or come by the Yukon are liable
to be delayed by the ice foes
from the Artic sea at the mouth
of that river. His party, in
coming out, had to make a de-
tour of several hundred miles to
avoid them. The river is very
swift and the small steamers
make twenty-five miles an hour
in going down. but slow progress
in going up. Mr.. Schultz says
there was no excitement when he
left, and while most of the min
ers We're doing well they had to
work hard for what they got and
few could stand the hardships
there any great length of time.
The cold was particularly severe
on the lungs. Wages We're from
SO to SIS per day.
The reputed great fortunes
were many of them made by
sales. For instance. owners of
| placer ground would buy and
sell, getting or paying a portion
down and the balance in defer
red payments. When spoken to
about the prospective rush in
there he said he did not believe
one in ten would ever get farther
than Juneau. Many went that
far and turned back. The dis
lance by the Yukon was about
2, 400 miles. The country was
fearfully rugged and without
trails. The Clondy Ike he says is
a big stream aud has several
tributaries that are supposed to
be rich in gold. but the fact is
they have not been extensivel Y
explored and he scouts the idea
of the river beds there being
lined with the yellow metal. He
will return in August and will go
over the mountains from Juneau.
but says that is rather late in the
season for the trip.