The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-05
Dawson city. sopIombeT 10 1871

Dawson AllNs H'Iit'.iiAi't 40 A"r'+
Dear Mother and children:
We arrived here this afternoon about q
O'Clock found =. and tho boys wen and
nicely established in log house. which
for these parts SIS very comfortable. any
way It is decidedly so 4cr one just of
the ca-Youkon-D Dawson TRAIL Alec gave
us a great treat for dinner-moorc meat
which tasted oh. so good. being fresh
meat. had not had any fresh meat for
two months. We got or safely and in
COOL time from the lakes, and when sec
reached tho Couyon we were towed
through a wretchcd strip of water boil
inr with dangers and surging 20 grasp
us IN its icy arms. We got through
"Yhue Horse" rapids with other help.
but when we got 90 % fingers Charlie
and 7 stuck 90 the boat Cour other part
ncr. a worthless timid one, took the
traiD the dash was AN over in few
minutes. and after the long run down
here VIC are safe. Oh. mother. It SIS a slor-
ious trip Cor the trained and venturesomo
and toughenod ones. but the "Che-
charco" had best nurse poverty ana
leave tho risks and tho cold and starva-
tion 20 men who can live on hope and
beans. We arc right fin for it. and i.
and c. will start out tomorrow to locate
a claim for us FIRST thing, This country IS
very rich, but 1t takes lots Of nerve and
a big wad Of good luck TO keep the nerve
from scattering when one fires himself
into the frozen moss and icy muck We
will have 10 dig through TO set 10 bed
rock
The town IS much larger than 1 expect
ed 90 ind it. and gambling and drink
ing are the channels tho gold usually fails
into after 10 IS dug from the creek and
river beds at so much palms. labor and
risk. j have been I'm town but a. few
hours but i see this IS a genuine boom
town. fun OF miuc-bOomcrs ana old gray
headed men, telling OF days gone by, when
money was nothing TO them, and stll
Is nothing. when 10 comes TO passing &c
over the dram counter. IL SIS sad 10 see
them and TO know that no amount of luck
will carry them back TO home and CONE
forts where life is worth living. When (
got here and looked into O. glass I did
not know myself L came I'm with
heavy beard and 20 have washed on the
trail was simply 20 have put coat OF
ice over my face. When it was warm
NunAhn 10 WASH j was 700 UAnN rAi.Altiih
and crying "Mush, mush, mush' TO the
dogs. which means i'm Esquimo ego on
for that SIS an the dog knows hcre-0r
managing the boat. j have seen more
native gold here than / ever saw In all
my life. / am going for 10. j came over
tho longest hardest, meanest old trail
on earth 90 get 10 and / mean TO get and
keep IL. Love TO all. Your devoted son.
n,-.aov Oofobor o. 1907
Dear Mother:
have taken n day off 70 write 10 you
Mr. J who takes this out, viii tel you
an about ms and an about the claims,
and the chances for making a strike. III
we sell our five claims I'm addition TO what
we will hold we win boom along. g. and
7 are packing provisions mp 90 our claim
ON Bonanza, about thirty miles above
this The thermometer is about - de-
grees below zero when we get I'm. we
viii be hauling freight up an week for
our winter outlay I hope 60 send you
some nuggets along with SIS IN cash.
The old Yukon Us frozen over on the
edges for some distance out. but the mid
stream is q pack of slowly floating Ice,
always working, working and crushing
and grinding in the travel down stream
tU the pack gets solid for its winter
rest. I wish i could describe the river and
the country TO YOU what q change has
come since the river country teams with
restless scarchcrs after gold. AS soon
as the river freezes solid Mt j. viii
start up stream for DiCa, ] am prepar-
ing and smoking Moore hide and dog
muck lucks for The dogs 20 eat ON the
trip out / will miss the dogs 10 IS get
ting too dark TO write now We only
have two gallons of o. for the winter
use. We are not the only ones. as oil
and -four are things that hundreds VIII do
without before the spring supplies reach
us ] fear. ] must go now and fetch wa
ter from the hole in the river ice. where
VIC all get 30. Dawson river water is
bad.
November I'd have chance to write
more / tell you can't eXaggerate what
we have 20 go through with here. OF
course we are well of 90 what thous-
ands arc who are here or on tho traiL
for we have "a house and are seasoned
and know what 90 DO and when 20 90
IL and how to- do a.. AS we were going
up 90 Bonnza creek We met a man who
had fallen into the creek and got bus
feet wet. Tie let them freeze before he
got 20 shelter We saw him the next
day at a dram shop where he had stop
ped for help and his feet were perfect
IN black and useless. lie had on close
fitting. stin shoes 90 travel in which are
not suitable FOR the snow and cold OF
a l0a hNs Give AllN q ANNaN ltiHNNttt+tA 4t+FN
the indians always use here. in prefer
ence 20 any other footwear. I got my
feet wet On the same trip. ] had On
moccasins and / kept warm by chasing
the dogs 90 the sled and SO suffered no
harm from freezing, When we left Daw-
son that morning 81 was so degrees below
zero. A cup OF COTE with a sandwich
and a piece of pie sell readily for $50,
and the pie IS never good. Peddlars sell
ing sandwiches at night get i5c. FOR
them. ana they are only two slices of
bakers bread and a slice or ham or ba-
con between. There is new rcsiou-
rant Just opened and they charge $40
for a meal OF beans bacon, tea or cohce.
dried fruit and sometimes frozen fresh
meat. that is the standing I'm OF fare.
Later stili November Sth.-CfCstor and
I got three gallons OF oil on cur own
account. There arb no lamp wicks ia
town. go I used the felt hrim OF an OLD
hat. but 70 would not suck up the OIL ana
! had 10 postpone q light ] had resolve
"a 10 write az night. just think OF me
when YOU have any meat j always think
or home when 1 come 20 eat We have
sour dough bread and beans. along with
the bacon. but the bread proved too sour
and so was the beans and 30 the apple
sauce. for I thought OF good things az
home them. ] am stili alive. / can stand
the s0urs. but the baking powder fixes
mo and have had neart burn from II all
day but we were fortunate 20 secure
several packages OF soda so after nice
meal Of iacou b4aug and bakDg-DOW-