The state herald., 1897-11-12

1t will be profitable undertaking TO
put in more expensive and Ingenious
devices for saving the finer particles
of the metal, which are now lost.
One great disadvantage which the
owners are now suffering is the ina
bility of the two local sl wmills to fur
nish enough lumber to make sluice
boxes. The demand exceeds the sup
ply by fully 40 or so per cent. and
1t may be the means of preventing
several of the dumps OH the largest
mines being sluiced early next spring,
The only Inconvenience will be the de-
lay, as the dumps can be worked later
in the season.
For iniquity and vice no city can hope
to make favorable showing along
side of Dawson City. this little conf
munity which. year ago. did not con-
tain single house and was but Wild
erness alongside of the bosom of the
Yukon river. and in Its brief existence
has shipped out to the world tons of
virgin gold. Some fifteen or eighteen
saloons are filed every night with
crowds of men and women. The dance
halls are brilliantly lighted. and all
night long poor music serves to attract
men who have seen better days and to
divest them of their gold. Tonight at
the opera house saw several men
roughly clad In miners costumes. big.
wide-brimmed hats and high-topped
skin boots. with lighted cigars. dancing
with gir.s Whose faces are paling fast
under the blaze of excitement.
Around the halls are benches and su.
gar barrels. all occupied by spectators.
In the sea of faces | noticed many re-
fined countenances, persons who looked
as II 1t WIS Il revelation of an evil
world TO them.
Every saloon Is provided with from
six to II score Of gambling devices. The
remarkable feature is that nearly all of
the games are what professional gam
blers would term "brace games"-that
is to say that the devices and skill used
forbid an outsider winning a dollar.
For instance, the faro dealers are pro-
vlded with boxes ana eases that work
double and when 1t il necessary to
make any certain card win or lose the
dealer possesses the ski1l and tools nee
cssary for such purpG'e. The percent
age nj stud poker is enormous and
amounts to from 20 cents to 81 each
deal. and around the table are "boost-
ers' to whom the dealers are careful TO
give the flashes" and the highest
cards. And II is against this class Of
games and modern skilled ingenuity
that miners whose senses are partly
benumhed with bad whisky are pittcd.
In brief. the gamblers are reaping
harvest of which they never before
dreamed. and the Woodworking miners
are paying the fildlers.
One of the liveliest and most inter
csting horse hunts that ever took place
in this nineteenth century occurred re-
Gently. One of the pack trains was en-
gagged In bringing down 1900 or 800
pounds of gold from the mines. Sacks
OF nuggets weighing from 150 to 300
pounds We're loaded ON the backs of
eight horses and started down the
gulches. which are eight miles distant
from Dawson City. Darkness came on
rather early and one OF the animals,
carrying $50 pounds of the yellow
metal. which Is equivalent TO $4,000.
became separated and wandered or
into the woods to browse. The loss was
not noticed until the pack train arrived
in town and the gold was being
weighed. For few moments. which
rapidly grew into hours and this length
cncd Into n couple of days. consterna-
ton prevailed. No time was lost In get
ting over the back trail and making
liasly inquiries Of the miners along the
route as to whether they had seen any
thing of a horse with pack on his
back. The hunt lasted all night. the
next day and the night following. and
not the slightest trace of the horse
could he found. What puzzled tho
searchefs all the more was the fact
that the lest animal wore n clear bell
At the end Of the SECOND day wlirn the
incident was fast assuming Hnc OF
those ,infathomable mystericsI that
sometin$s sweep down on SHINING
camp. the lost horse came over The top
of n mouninin and down into town
ilngilng the hell In n lively tone. with
the sack OF gold safely on his back. The
animal had been hrowT,ng In II meadow
situated way M In the mountains.