The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-27
DAWSON CENSUS
City Has a Population of 5000
Souls.
Crowds of ''Tenderfeet" Con-
stantly on the Increase.
HARD WINTER is NEAR
Suffering and Deprivation Ex-
pected to Be Awful.
Exodus of Miners Will Follow
First Snow.

Dawson City, N. W. T., Aug. 27.-By or
der of Mayor Walsh a census of the city
of Dawson was taken last Wednesday and
5000 souls were counted within the town
boundaries on that day. The work was
done by the Northwest mounted police,
the city being divided up into small dis
tricts, and the count was completed with
in a few hours, so that, despite the un-
settled condition of things, the fact that
four-ffths of the Inhabitants live in tents
and nearly that proportion are camped in
such confusion might be expected to
attend stampede or the retreat of
close to the actual number of people here.
Five thousand more are camped at the
by the river current from Dawson. Other
thousands are camped at Little and Big
Thousands have gone out, but other
thousands have taken their places. Build
ing is going on at a tremendous rate, but
in proportion to the number of people who,
II they remain here are yet to be housed,
ing very rapidly. The long, cold and
dark winter is rapidly approaching. and
waiting for the Lord knows what. Every
gp-rlyer 6oat carries away as many as its
slowed away in any old way for the five
days trip there being no room for beds
but since the demons tration of the prac-
SO much shorter, most of those hurry
ing homeWard go that way. There are
three small boats plying from here up
the river They run to White Horse rap
ids where they connect with a portage to
the above canyon with the boats to Ben
nett. They make the round trip in about
ten days. Their best efforts from now
until the river closes will scarcely make
an impression on the camp, although they
will be more and more crowded as the
margin of the summer narrows. Nine
tenths of the big crowd that is camped
and idling here does not know what it is
going to DO Being asked, they will plain
~ tell you so. They came into this far
away. isolated country with vague notions
of what they were to do when they got
here arrived face with
hard conditions and the tremendous strug-
gle for fortune that is going on here, their
Uncertain plans are dissipated and they
sit in their tents and cook their meals
and sleep, drawing their blankets little
closer about them as the nights grow
colder, and wait and wait
six weeks hence there will probably be
another such sailing of the great flOtilla
as took place at Lake Bennett and La
Barge less than six weeks ago. The des-
tinatiOn this time will be St. Michael. But
it takes money to get back to the estates,
even from St. Michael and a great pro-
portion of this crowd lacks the required
amount. Outfits are being sold in every
direction, auction sales are in progress in
almost every block, afternoon and even
s4 that ' is s6id IS little If any above that
a. which it was purchased away back in
of it over that terrible summit" over
mountains and lakes and rivers and
for nothing. This sacrifice will go on and
increase until the time limit for getting
The price of certain provisions remains
high. these being scarce and especially
desirable here, such as onions, potatoes
and vegetables, that may be, obtained
fresh. Onions readily sell at 81 a pound
and potatoes at so cents. Beef was of Of
from 81. The run of salmon has begun,
and although the fish are not in the finest
condition after their swim Of 1000 miles
from the sea, they sold readily for $50
a pound at first, but have since been
bought at % cents. The price Of meals
S2.50 A meal may be had for dollar.
but it is scant and of a quality below
that served for cents in San Francisco.