, 1898-07-27
A KL0ND|KE LETTER
E. CHASE WRITES INTERESTING
LY OF CONDITIONS AT DAW-
SON CITY.
Some Fancy Prices Paid for Provisions
Labor Brings Ten Dollars a Day
son-Output of Gold This Year
viii Reach Twenty Millions.

Mr.. William Dunning CT Laramie has
received the following letter from his
nephew, E. Chase, who recently arriv-
ed at Dawson City:
Dawson City, klondike District,
Northwest Territory, June %, 1885,
arrived here on the 7th OF this month
and found quite a lively place. There
are probably 80, 900 people in this vi
cinity, but not o~ne-quarter Of them are
working. l have not seen Mr.. Roads
yet but have met people here who l
have known, from all over the country.
| have not done any prospecting yet,
outfit that l came in with. They pay
$40 a day and board when | work and
don't charge me any board when | am
not working. They are one OF the
biggest companies here and have three
steam boats coming up the river loaded
with goods. consider myself quite
lucky to get a start with such a good
company. There is no question but
there is plenty Of gold here. and that
the country is only in its infancy. Ex-
penses are 50 enormous that one has
to have a good piece Of ground to be
able to work 1t, the way mining is be-
ing done at present, but OF course in the
near future it will be possible to work
lots OF ground that will not pay at
present on account of everything being
SO high. The country has ground that
will pay to wash for over 700 miles along
the Yukon river and its tributaries. So
o see that this will be a good coun-
try for years to come and there will be
new districts found every year.
The weather is fine here now and we
have no winter half as bad as one
hears. while We have no winds at all:
b'rt one is out OF the world and is not
able to get much news except when
some n comes in from the outside.
1t is exepcted that there will be sent
out about $20.O 900, 900 this year and
probably twice that amount hex year.
Everything is high here except a few
things that are plentiful. and some
things canont be had at all. A common
25-cent pipe is worth IS and it is hardt o
get one at all at the present: but up
wards OF $50 boats are expected up the
river this season, SO that there will be
plenty for everybody from then on. The
first boat is expected here about the
10th OF July. on possibly a little before
that. When I got here eggs were worth
$40 a dozen. but m can get all he
wants now for 80 a dozen. Good dogs
are worth 5000 and are scarce at that,
but the native dogs which are raised
here are the only n e that are any good
and theI Indians raise them here: they
are half wolf and are called (huskys.
We expect that everything will be
quite reasonable here this winter, ex-
cept possibly a few things that may be
scarce and OF course anything that
there is a scarcity OF brings a high
price. saw a fellow sell ten head of
beef cattle the other day, which he
brought down the river In a boat, for
$1,000. and the who bought them
sold them inside OF two hours for $10,-
400. They were good cattle and would
probably dress 1000 pound EACH.
Horses are worth on an average about
$500. Wood is $50 a cord; bread is so
cents a loaf. and it costs Sc to get a
shave, hair cut and bath, while you a
set a good pair Of shoes for IS. So you
e there is no regulation in regard to
prices. I would not advise anyone to
come here except a person who is used
to western life.