The herald., 1897-07-26
ALASKAN
ANGELENOS
Interesting Letters From
East Siders
STRANGER THAN FICTION
ACTUAL EXPERIENCES FROM
AUTHENTIC SOURCES
STRANGER THAN FICTION
A. w. Paddock's Letters to His Wife.
Ed r. Tinker Writes From
Eagle Creek

The East Side News of last Saturday
publishes a sample of some interesting
information from friends in Alaska. The
first source Is from A. w. Paddock Of
Dawson City, whose wife is at present
visiting Mrs. Evans in this city.
Mr.. Paddock left San Francisco Feb
ruary 25th with a party of three, taking
a quantity of supplies to sell. They were
in the Willapa shipwreck and lost part
of the goods. They went to Dyea, 100
miles above Juneau, and from there by
sled over the trail, going over the sum-
nit or by Chilcoot pass, then following
down the chain of lakes to the junction
Of the Hootalinqua river with the Yukon
and down the latter to Dawson. The dis
lance by this route is about 700 miles
from Juneau.
Mr. Paddock says no one should come
without bringing years supplies
Meals at the restaurants cost $1.5O and
scant meals at that Wages are SIS
day for laborers and $25 for foremen, and
it SEEMS that there is demand now for
6000 to 5000 men to work the claims
which have been staked out for thirty
miles along the river 1t will not be long
till Bonanza and other creeks and rivers
| will also be staked out and 1t looks as
if there would be a demand during the
| next few years for all the laborers who
can get there.
| Following are extracts from Mr.. Pad
docks letters to his wife:
| II reached here last night. We had
good trip after we got over the summit.
This is the richest mining camp the
world has ever known. Men who never
! had $100 in their lives took out over $780,
900 this last winter. Some dirt pays as
high as $500 a pan. They handle it as
farmers handle wheat back east. Otto
Rapp made $50, 900 in about three months
and has half interest in three very rich
| claims. Thompson is worth 100000, Lee
voy the same, and Fired" $4,000 All
the boys kn0w here are very rich. One
man came down from the mines yester-
day with 500 pounds of dust taken out
last winter. They pay SIS day for la
borers with board and $25 for foremen.
| A lady is baking bread here in a little
camp stove at three loaves for 81. She
bakes eighty loaves day. Fl9Yr II Is, 81
short time. We are selling our bacon al
to SELL Charley wants to buy-a lot and
build bakery. Joe Ladue offered the
best lot for $2500 cash. There are not
twenty houses in the town, and people
must have them before winter. There
are 1000 people here now June 20th) and
more coming every day. I think next
spring will bring $4,000 more.
Il am about to take contract to build
q number of houses at $500 each. They
are built of small logs and the timber
costs nothing.
1--WE brought bacon, tobacco, rubber
boots and many other articles, and if
we had not been shipwrecked we would
have cleared $1,000 each over our ex-
penses.
| Il would like to have Odell here, but
doubt his standing the work, as the
water is so cold and would bring on his
rheuma tism.
1t Is very warm here now, 80 degrees
in the shade the last three days, and
broad daylight all the time. The sun
goes down at IL and rises at o'clock. SO
that it is not dark a any time. In winter
it is rarely dark, as the aurora borealis
lights the sky and the displays are Won
derful and indescribable.
Mrs. Dawley sends word that you will
have to put on more style here than in
Frisco, SO lay in a good supply of
clothing and an abundance of warm I'M
derwear."
Owen McAleer received letter last
week from Ed. F. Tinker, of the East
Side, dated at Eagle Creek, fifteen miles
from Circle City, Alaska, March 81, from
which, through the kindness of Mr. Nc
Aleer, the East Side News makes the
following extracts:
Eagle Creek, Mr.. Tinker says, is one of
the best locations in the "lower country"
but the water bothered so that little |
drifting could be DONE and he gave It
up and went to work for others at $12 |
per day, with good prospects for steady |
work and higher wages later in the sea-
son. Flour was selling at $125O per
sack; bacon, S5c per pound; sugar, Coo
per pound; whisky 81 per drink or $50
gallon. The winter had been Every
warm" most of the time, with a few
"cool' days, however, Il degrees below
zero being the coolest, and good many
days so degrees or more below. when
It is as cold as that everything is as still
as death, and the frost is so thick in the
air you cannot see far. 1t is still, dry
cold and your eyelids will freeze to-
gether. One must go clean shaver, for
the breath will freeze one solid cake of
Ice on your face if you have whiskers."
Quicksilver would freeze solid for sew
raj days at time, yet Mr.. Tinker says
he kept warm in his tent with one pair
IF blankets and a lynx-skin robe. With
,ut the robe he says one cannot get I'M
Ter enough blankets to keep them warm
and comfortable. eff the wind blows
when it is cold it is not safe to take your
lands out of your mittens for anything
Leather can't be worn, as your feet
would freeze, but with long wooden
stockings, fur socks 'moccasins' one is all
light"
Mr. Tinker speaks of the strike on the
Ilondyke, 300 miles from Circle City, and
also of Clements and Kellar, who he
Tears have two of the best claims there
He was with them on American Greek
n the summer, and they went from there
Up the Yukon, while he went back to
Circle City When the strike was first
made the lucky two staked claims and !
hen went back to wood, chopping, but II
ch dirt was found all around their s
laims. and they started to drift them s
elves and struck II rich stYnu CON \