Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-09-24
LIFE IN DAWSON
! DETROIT BOYS LETTER 10 HIS
MOTHER.
Saws He Can Live on Two Dol
lars a Day-Exper ences
of a Tenderfoot.
Detroit Journal.

Charles u. rainier, VINO lelt tnls Cltg
for the Alaskan GOLD fields, June 10,
has arrived safely at Dawson City, and
has written the two following letters TO
his mother in his city. They are full
of interesting facts about the men, al
fairs and the country. Here they are:
Dawson, y. W. T.,
Monday, June 26, '97,
Dear Mother:-My last letter was
finished the day we met the Healey and
this is written on the boat at the end OF
the trip. The boat is due to leave here
in three hours on its return to ST.
Michaels. so | of course take this
chance. Alice and Serene lief; the boat
a little below Circle City and had pleas
ant quarters on Bars boat. Barr paid
me the money Alice borrowed (SllO)
and gave a letter to Capt. Healy saying
that any fayors would be appreciated
by him. and saying To give me what
wanted and TO charge 1t to him. Barr
told me that Sll0 wouldn't 90 very far
and 50 | have found it, but ! am not
gong to borrow if | can help it. We
cot here at 6 Il. m. yesterday aud not
knowing Just what | wanted to do
didn't do anything. | slept on the
boat last night chad a good sleep too)
and worked the walters for meals, so
that up to now, 3 p. m, | haven't spent
"A cent except - for one galvanized pail
and % cents for one tin cup. | didn't
expect to have any one with m. in the
tent but | have shared it with one of
the bows. Will Cannon of Montana.
should have had a tent yesterday, but
was disappointed in the man. We will
also have another man with US, Mr..
Smith (you may have heard OF him) of
Toronto. They are not partners. you
know, but we share the expense OF the
tent, and unless they leave town, they
pay their share of other expenses. They
expect to leave soon, but | expect to
stay here until work starts up at the
mines or at least until Bryan and Stan
ley come up the river. When they
come up if | have saved enough 10 get
a years outfit | think | will get them
to 90 prospecting, otherwise will
work in the mines at about Sl2 a day.
At present there are a good many
men idle. but | think it is largely be-
! cause they don't want to work on sal
arv Ohev all want to work on a lay or
else prospect. a lay is working a
claim or part of a claim on shares but
want to wait for a grub stake. | think
with the letters | have and the friends
/ have made | will get work before
long and the pay is about so a day. a
man. if he has no expensive habits,
ought to live on - a day, so | viii be
able to save money. All the money |
get | expect to put into provisions, 50 |
will be secure for the winter. Dawson
is a town of about 1000 and is a holy
terror. We got a 7X9 tent and went
out in the suburbs at the lower end of
town. 1t is by far the best part of the
town for our purpose and our neighbors
are nearly all boys from the boat.
None of us know what we are gong TO
do but we are all hopeful. A man who
came up with us has just come from
the mines and he says there is lots of
work there at So a day. He says one
man wants 90 men and only has six.
will, however, stay here four or five
DAYS. Get the tent fixed, build "A cache
pronounced cash) store our things in
it and then 60 over and see what | can
do. TO 90 back to our situation, we
are on the side of a mountain well
above the river but there Is a fine
spring just a little way from us. There
has been a little fever in town due to
bad water aud the low swampy ground
which surrounds the principal part of
the town. | expect to be as well as
am now as our water and surroundings
are good.
The reports Of the richness of the
diggings here are not exaggerated.
One of the poorer claims takes out
about $4,000 a day with the labor of 10
men. One man who hadn't a cent a
year ago last spring spends 5000 a day
here in town. They say the town was
awful when the miners first came from
the diggings. They brought in gold
dust on pack horses and every way
they could and threw it around like
water. One s~aloonkeeper went out on
tho HpaIav Ho c1oorpd GGO OOO In t,.n