The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-08


She wears what she pleases en- route
to Juneau or ST. Michaels, and when
she makes her start for the diggings
she lays aside every civilized travel
ing garb, including shoes and corsets,
until she comes out. Instead of car
rying the fur robe, fur coat and rub
Der boots along, they may be DUR
chased on entering Alaska, but the ex-
perienced ones advise that they be
taken along. The natives make a fur
coat with hood attached called
park" but it is clumsy for white
woman to wear who has been accus-
toned to fitted garments. Leggins and
shoes are not so safe nor desirable as
the moccasins. A trunk is not the
thing to transport baggage in. 1t is
much better in a pack, with the oil
skin cover well tied on. The things to
add that are useful but not absolutely
necessary are chocolate, coffee and the
smaller light luXuries.
When a woman re aches the KlOndyke,
always provided she has all the things
that are necessary, she will find a
region that Is, as rule, as inhOspit-
able as Terra del Fuego To reach
there she has encountered, if she has
come over the land route from Juneau,
any amount of privation and very lit
tie pleasure. If her Journey has been
by water, then she knows what it is
to be week after week subjected to
the crowded accommodations Of an ill
fitted passenger boat. Anything will
seem pleasant after that water journey,
and therefore it 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 perma-
nent
She can go to market in the Klondyke
if she likes but how she will have to
pay for it. unless she adopts the metro
politan method of shopping where one
merely looks and buys nothing at all.
She will find such dress goods and
articles of WOmen's wear as she is able
| to purchase, many times the price in
| the United States, and always old
| fashioned
If she wants to buy flour, she is
| likely to have to pay anywhere from
| 81 to $l00 for a sack of 100 pounds.
| Good porterhouse steak costs 81 a
| pound. Bacon is never less than 50
cents a pound. For canned goods, she
will have to pay from $50 to 250 per
| cent higher than in this city, and even
at that they are considered cheap. Rice,
| that cheapest of all commodities, is
| IS cents a pound In the KlOndyke, while
| tea, even the poorest, is not less than
| SO a pound, and that absolute essential,
| coffee, is sometimes, on bargain days,
| sold at $225 a pound. Butter is a
! distinct luxury. If the feminine emf
| grant gets it, she will be lucky, and in
| any event she will pay 81 pound.
| If she is a married woman and wants
| to give her husband eggs with his coffee
/ she will have to be willing to pay for
| the eggs at the rate of So per dozen.
| No one turns up his nose at potatoes
1 in the Klondyke, for they cost $3.50 a
| Dound. A lemon at 25 cents is cOnsid-
cred very cheap, and it is a fortunate
| day when anybody can buy oranges at
| 50 cents apiece. This menu is not so
| very extensive for this part of the
country, but it is for the Klondyke.
A real course dinner at the diggings
would be considered something to be
marveled at.
Another astonishing case, something
Of which has already been published,
is that of Mrs. ]. T. Willis, Of Tacoma.
Ten weeks ago Mrs. Willis was poor
Today she is worth a quarter of a
million, and all On account of the Klon-
dyke. Two years ago Mrs. Willis,
whose husband is a blacksmith, and a
great sufferer from rheumatism, de-
cded to try her luck among the gold
fields of the frozen North. She set
cut alone and vowed that she would
not return until she could bring a for
tune 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
report to Dawson City OF a big placer
strike on the Klondyke. Joining
party of cattlemer, Mrs. Willis hur-
ried to the new EldCrado, staked
claim, and SO she realized more. than
$500, 900 for it.
Not satisfied with this, however,
she established laundry at Dawson
City, and was the firsts to introduce
the boiled shirt" among. the miners.
1t made a great hit, and Eotvithz tand-
ing the fact that Mrs, Willis is COM
PEELED to pay $3.50 for box of starch,
her enterprise is prCspering greatly.
An Indian squaW VINO works in the
laundry receives 81 q day and eX-
penses, and the log cabin in which the
work is done is rented fer S35 a 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 { the Alaska
Commercial company, {, Dawson.
Efforts have been made to steal the
Woman's claim, but to a friend, Mrs
Frank P, Hicks, she writes:
81 have gone through death and a
fight is now made to take possession
of my claim, but 1 will stand by my
right If it takes five years."
1t is estimated here by those who
have kept track of the matter, that at
least seventy-five women of thorough
lSSpSCldDIl4Iy are now on their way
to the klOndyke, and unfortunate as if
may be, will have to stand the priva-
tions that seem positively assured to
the population of the Klondyke this
coming winter. Mrs. Lippy, who is
probably the best posted woman of
ali who have come cut Of the Klon-
dyke, says sine has three bits of advice
for women who are going there Thew
are:
First-Be you are perfectly strong and
able to endure hardship
Second-Don't think for moment that you
are going to have an easy time of it at all.
Third-Be sure you don't go unless you
are well equipped with all necessaries and
prepared for emergencies.
Mrs. Lippy says that if all the wom-
en- that go north follow this advice
they will have very little trouble IT.
making existence there as near q
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