The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1898-06-22
LIFE IN DAWSON CITY.
THE REAL Ell DORADO IN FAR
NORTH.
A sfraEEiiax COLLECTIONS Of LOG Huss
and rents - Old.Timers Have Got
Used 20 sereniy Degrees Below
zero Ia Tents.

EFfN
The River Trip 10 the Kiondlke" Is
the title Of an article in the Century.
written by John Sidney Webb. The
author says I#
On the morning Of Aug. H. al about
4 o'clock. broad daylight. We came up
90 Eat collection Of forty large log
cabins and i've hundred tents. sprawled
o. the foot OF Moose skin Mountain.
named DawsOn City. Helter-skelter.
In a marsh. lies this eollest.on ~ ODDS
and ends Of houses and habltations.
the warehouses Of the two companies
cheek BY jnwl with cabins and tents:
a row Of bar-rooms called Front street:
lhe side streets deep In mud. the river
bark a mass Of miners boats. Indian
canoes. and logs; the Fcresehing Of the
sawmlll, the dismal. iune'css fcraplng
Of the violin Of the dance-halls. still
wide open. the dogs everywhere. fight
Ing and Startling: the men either
"whooping II MP or working with the
greatest rapidlty TO unlo1d the precious
freight we had brought-all Of this
rus'ling and hustling made the scene
more HE the outside Of clrcus-tont.
including the smell ~ the sawdus,.
Than anything elye IN the world This.
then. Is the real II norpdo, One won
ders where they all live. One wonders
In amazement where they are All eo'ng
TO live through the awful wintcr that Is
approaching. Here Is the true pinch Of
the situation. II Is rot a question ~
food; u Is a question Of shelter There
are no logs NJ to mae q cabin 10 be
found on N" river within thirty miles
~ Dawson city To wait for winter
means that n VIII be too late 10 build
cabin. because the moss which Is
used 10 OH the chints between the logs
by that time will be frozen solid. and
be useless unless ihawed ont over n
fire. very wearisomc job The old
timers have got used 20 ~ degrees be.
low zero In tents; aud even II the robe
over them freezes solid. a match Is
struggled from under the bedclothes.
fire somehow lighted In the shec iron
stove, and there they lie until the stove
Is red-hot before they dare emerge
from under the skin rugs But how
are the newcomers 10 survive the cruel
expOsure-the lawyers. clerks doctors
and mechanics Dawson City seems
like joke Eighteen hundred and Gi
~ miles from 81 Michael Island this
n where they have gold. millions OF
gold. and nothing better thin a mud
dy swamp 10 live IN. rold-dust and
nuggets IN profusIon. and yet The no
groes ia the cabins Of Southern plan
tatlon live better than the richest man
IN the country. Our arrival az Dawson
was at very critical time. We had
brought with rs nearly -four hundred
-,ans ~ rrpslsioss. and this f7-t served
10 allay the anxious fears Of many Who
were becoming panic-stricken az the
idea that there would be scarcity OF
FOOD during the winter. No new. hal
come 10 us by way o! the cceln ~ later
date thar June no. but ncwsyar ers had
been received over the summit az Daw-
son Of date as late a. July %. aud 70
the report that crowds were swarmlng
into the gold-helds had reached them
hut was news 10 MS. The town was
thoroughly scared. and was uverrun
with men who had come down from the
digElngq. often twenty ard TWENTY-FIVE
miles. 10 make sure OF their outfits for
the winter. and so determined were
they to procure them that they sat
Themselves down calmly In line. Ike
men waiting 10 buy seats NJ nrst-
night performance determined n wait
until The goods were put NJ And So,
aside In their names An OUTFIT Tor
a miner means everything that he uses
during the winter. and this. being re-
duced 10 lts lowest terms. means. Ia.
con and beans There ere o'hrr things.
Of course. IN tins and In gu1ny-sicks-
-FOUR. sugar salt pickles. dried fruits
deslccatcd potatces-to suit the tas'e.
but the work iG done. and the gold ia
found and cleaned up. and miles and
miles Of the wilderness conquered. end
cold weather and wintry winds with
stood. on bacon and beans II Is tho
easiest food to pack. the quickest to
prepare. and the most lasting and sns-
tanning The miner usually r-ckons on
getting his outfit in November. because
he can carry on sledge, after the
snow has set ln four times as much a.
he can pack on his back and II he lB
fortunate enough to have dogs he can