The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-15
WOMEN GETTING THE GOLD FEVER
Some Rich Strikes Made BY Female
PROJECTORS.

| From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
San Francisco.-One phase of the Klon-
/ dixie gold fever which people have not
considered is that the women have be
come violently interested. They have fol-
lowed the example of the stronger sex in
fashion they seldom adopt, and nearly
every expedition which leaves here for
the Klondike has many requests made Of
| its members from women who are very
| anxious to accompany them.
1t Is from the thoroughly respectable
| class Of people that these women come.
| They are mostly composed of hardwork-
| ing employees of shops and stores, who
| feel that nature has gifted them with suf-
fcient physique to Withstand the rigor of
| the Alaska climate Doubtless many of
| them have an idea-as one confessed-that
! if there is not gold there for them there
| are at least many men who have gold but
| no wives and that a home and compe-
| tence thus awaits them.
| The KlOndike has not been destitute of
| women by any means. The first woman to
| reach there was Mrs. Thomas Lippy, who
is now in San Francisco. she and her hus.
band having said good-by TO Klondike for
| a year.
When Mrs. Lippy was In the Klondike,
near Dawson City. at first there were no
| members of her sex in that section of the
world at all, with the exception of a few
Indian squaws. The Lippy camp was on
| what is called Eldorado creek a tribu-
tary of the Klondike. Until the log cabin
| which, by the way, was the first one in
| the place-was built, the hardy couple liv-
| ed in a tent
All the furniture they had was made by
| Mr.. Lippy and their only food was that
which was canned. Mrs. Lippy did no min
| ing herself, but attended to the camp and
enabled him to rest so thoroughly that
| he accomplished far more than falls to
| the average lot of the miner.
After a while another woman came into
the country Mrs. Charles Berry, who has
| enormously been credited with being the
first white woman in the Klondike re-
gions. There was a tinge of romance
about Mrs. Berry's advent to the gold
fields, for when she and her husband
started they were just married The Klon-
dixie trip was their honeymoon journey
but how they did wOrk-at least Mrs
| Berry says they did. They had DO money
to speak of, but when they came to Ell
| dorado they camped about a mile from
the Libby camp, and then they both
pitched in with the determination that
they would get rich.
Mr.. Berry mined and Mrs. Berry car
| ried part to the cabin and washed it there
| She Is credited with having washed out
| $1,000 worth of gold. AS a result of the
labors of this couple a snug fortune of
| $4,000 has been accumulated, and all in
| less than six months time. These two
| incidents are the ones that have stirred
the feminine heart.
1t must not be thought that 1t is only
San Francisco or California women who
| have the fever. for women have actually
come here from the east in the hope of
being able in some manner to attach
hon 20,
capacity whatever, IS long as it was re-
spectacle.
1t is almost pitiful to hear them plead
| They seem to think that if only they can
once reach the Mecca Of fortune seekers
all will be well with them afterwards.
1t is by no means an impossibilty for a
woman to visit the Klondike. She must
| however. go prepared both for the jour
ney and the residence there.
When a woman reaches the Klondike
always provided she has all the things
| that are necessary, she Will find a region
that is, as a rule, as inhospitable as TERRA
del Fuego. To reach there she has en-
countered, IL she has come over the land
| route from Juneau any amount of priva-
ton and very little pleasure. If her jour
ney has been by water, then she knows
what 1t Is to be week after week subject
ed to the crowded accommodations of an
ill-htted passenger boat Anything will
Journey,
and, therefore, 1t Is probable that wheth-
er her trip has been by land or sea, she
will be glad enough when she reaches a
| stopping place that is permanent.
Another astonishing case. something Of
which has already been published, is that
of Mrs. J. T. Willis of Tacoma.
Ten weeks ago Mrs. Willis was poor
To-day she is worth $4,000. and all on
account Of the Kondike. Two years ago
Mrs. Willis, whose husband IS a black
smith and a great sufferer from rheuma-
tism, decided to try her luck among the
gold fields of the frozen north She set
out alone and vowed that she would not
return until she could bring fortune with
her. She has kept her word.
After two years OF prospecting, and just
when her spirit and her fortune were at
the lowest ebb. there came a report to
Dawson City of big placer strike on the
Klondike. Joining a party Of cattlemen,
Mrs. Willis hurried 10 the new Eldorado,
staked a claim. and so she realized more
than 10000 from it.
Not satisfied with this, however, she
established a laundry at Dawson City
and was the first 20 introduce the boiled
shirt" among the miners. IL made n great
hit, and Notwithstanding the fact that
Mrs Willis Is compelled to pay $3.50 for "A
box Of starch. her enterprise Is prospecting
greatly. An Indian squaw who works IN
the laundry receives 81 a day and ex-
penses. and the log cabin IN which the
work is done Is rented for $50 n month.
Wood for fuel costs nearly $500 a year.
Before the turn OF fortunes wheel made
Mrs. Willis wealthy she worked as cook
for the mess Of the Alaska Commercial
Company az Dawson.
1t Is estimated here by those who have
kept track Of the matter that az least rs
women OF thorough respectability are now
on their way TO the klondllse, and. unfor-
tunate as II may be. will have 20 stand
the privations that seem positively as
surcd 20 the population the l<londike this
coming winter. Mrs Lippy. who h. prob
ably the bcst-postod woman OF all who
have come out OF tho Kiondike says she
has three bits OF advice FOR women who
are going there. They are:
!. BE sure you are perfectly strong and
able 90 endure hardship.
O. Don't think for a moment that You
are going 10 have an easy time OF Il az
ALL
%. BE sure you don't go unless you are
well equipped with an nocossarios and pre-
pared for emergencies.
Mrs Llunv says that m an the women
that go north follow this advice they VIII
have very .ltilc trouble in making exist.
oncc there aa near a pleasure as % O. posHl-