Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-12-14
KIOndike Facts.

The bulletin of the department
of labor for the current month is
made unusually interesting be,
cause of a report from the Alaskan
gold fields by Samuel c. Durham,
an agent of the department, giving
the results of. a personal investiga'
ton of the mining districts. Mr..
Durham writes for the information
which is not usually found in
public documents. A record of the
temperature last winter and spring
he says, shows the average for De
cember was 8 below zero, January
"a below, February 20 below, March
f degrees above, April SO degrees
above and May 40 degrees above
The coolest day of the year was
January 16. when the thermometer
registered 81 degrees below zero
From FEBRUARY "a to % the themom
etor did not 60 above 80 degrees
below zero, and stood about So.
while jewellers in more salubri
Gus climates will no doubt read
these figures with shiver." Mr..
Durham remarks, "the old timers
are unanimous in saying that the
winter of IS97'9S was the mildest
ever known IN northern Alaska"
The report gives in detail the
prices for various necessaries and
Tobacco was sold from
s. to $40 pound, coal oil $40
gallon, cigars so cents apiece,
cigarettes SIS a package of 100
Flour sold as higha as $3.50 per sack
of so pounds, and as low as $50 a
sack. Flrewood brought $40
cord as rule, but as high as SIS
was paid Tin special cases. Nails
cost S. a pound. Eggs sold at SIS
doz=;4 in January, and came d pwn
to $50 in June, "but their quality
was not guaranteed" Mr.. Dun
ham remarks. Canned roast beef
sold for $I.4o pound, ham SI.75
sausage. S1.25, fresh fish SI.25
moose meat S1.75, sugar, ST.
onions S. so, potatoes 81, lobster
s. a can, two and one-half pounds
OF canned butter $40 and tomatoes
s. q can. Whisky sold from Sac
to SIS gallon, and Mr.. Durham
relates the story of whiskey ia
mine during he latter part of the
winter, when saloonkeepers charged
5 drink. ..... .......
The first liquor to reach Daw
son from up the river" be says
was 100 gallons of brandy, which
sold at SIS per gallon. A favored
individual, who had permit tor
the entry of 2 ,ooo gallons of wills
ky,arrived in Dawson early in May
and within an hour sold his cargo
in bulk tor SIS per gallon. He sub
sequently assured his friends thai
alter paying all fees and Legitimate
expenses he had cleared by his ven
ture $4,000. This supply was con
sumed within few days. On June
8 the steamer May West arrived
from below with I6 barrels of whis,
ky, which was retailed .by several
saloons at 81 per drink. The steam
er Weare, which arrived on June
II, brought up from Fort Yukon
AZ barrels OF whisky and high wines
and several tons of case liquors
The whisky was Immediately dis
tributed among the numerous sa
loonkeepels in accordance with or
ders placed by them, and within a
few hours a score OF saloons were
running in full blast and selling
whisky at the old price of so. cents
a drink. The price charged Cor the
liquor by the commercial company
was $25 per gallon. One saloon
keeper, whose allotment. was five
barrels, turned his purchase over
to another dealer for $3.50 per
gallon, stating as he received pay
ment, that while he was grateful TO
the company for its kindness in
selling him such liberal supply his
duty to his customers required him