The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-06-22
LIFE In SKAGUAY.
HOTEL THAT HAS CLEARED $780,.
600 IN TEN MONTHS.
One Hundred Saloons and Four Groceries
Make Up the Business Houses
of the Town.

started for Alaska year ago this spring,
and reached Skaguay about the begin
ri0g of July last. He had had expert
ences as hotel and restaurant man, and
concluded, instead of gong to Dawson
City, as he had started out to do, to stop
at Skaguay and open hotel. He struck
a bonanza. His wife, who accompanied
him, writes to her sister, Mrs. Frederick
Puhler of this city under date of April
9, as follows:
81 never felt so lonesome in my life,
and l meyer worked so hard in my life,
but | never was so happy in my life.
The money comes in SO fast we actually
don't know what to do with it. 1t is a
little better now since bank has opened
we can trust to put in our money, but
Def IRE that was in constant terror. We
had gold money, paper money silver
money and gold dust hidden in every
nook and corner of the house. Loren
tore up plank from the kitchen floor,
money hidden there. 1t was an awful
anxiety to have the stuff laying around
like that, and it worried us more than
the hard work we were doing. The
place was full OF people, dead broke and
hungry, and they would cut ones throat
for dollar. We got chance in De-
cember to send over $4,000 to Seattle.
and we felt awfully relieved when we
got the notice of credit from the bank.
Y GU don't know who to trust here, /
hardly trust myself, and l keep an eye
on Loren, | can tell you. Everybody is
on the make, and you'd get done out Of
your eyeteeth if you didn't watch out
THE transportation companies think
they run things, but they are thieves
and swtndIers and liars, every one of
them. They are getting thousands of
people to come to this awful country
who will never get home. Their charges
are awful. Loren bought fifty tons of
flooring in Seattle. 1t was over month
getting here, and some of it was damaged
getting it ashore But we have no kick
coming. We paid Sc a barrel for the
Il ur in Seattle; it cost So a barrel to
ship it, aud Loren sold it for S42.5Oa
barrel before it left the dock. l man
aged to get halt barrel that had been
broken open, and am glad the stuff is
gone-it wouldn't even make doughnuts
or pancakes.
"Wo are just eyerlastingly fixed here
for making money I have heard of bo-
nanzas, but never dreamed we would
strike one. We have GIT the bon tom
restaurant and aotel in the place. 1t
would not be much for Milwaukee. but
it's the thing here. l send you an out
side and inside view by this mail We
keep things neat and clean, and nv
cooking is somewhat like the people get
IN God S country, We have six tables in
the restaurant that will hold six people
zach, and there is not a vacant seat from
6 o'clock in the morning until II O'Clock
at night Then we have lunch counter
in the rear that is kept running all night.
Lunches run from SO cents up, and meals
from 81 up. For G Cd square meal
with two kinds Of meats, potatoes. can.
ned corn and tomatoes, beans, bread
pie or pudding and coffee or tea. we
charge 81 now, but two months ago we
got $3.50 or 81. There has been money
in it, but there is a good deal of CONNIE
tltiou now, and prices are coming down.
You ought to see the people that
come in here to eat. Most of them are
nice. strong, healthy young fellows, as
polite and nice as if they were at home.
But there are buns and 'toughs' and
gamblers the looks of them make me
SILVER The gamblers thought thew
could run the town, but they got left.
They are as meek as lambs now. But
the women! oh, dear! oh. dear! l pitv
them from the bottom of my heart.
They don't get their breakfast till / or .
O'Clock in the afternoon. They come in
punches of four or five or more. and
they get the best we have. | wait on
them myself lots of times, and you
wouldn't know if you didn't know.
Poor thingsr'
Mrs Lowell in several previous letters
describes the camp and its surround
lngs and the people gathered there. ''We
nave more salo us, she says, ethan
anything else. In every saloon is a
gambling house, and they run day and
night. There is place Of this kind on