Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-01-14
NORTHERN NUGGETS.
GATHERED FROM THE GOLDEN
FIELDS OF ALASKA.

1
the Land of Gold, the Land of
| Cold, the Land of Destitution
and Suffering.
Gambling is the leading pursuit at
Skagway.
Many Klondikers are suffering from
! frozen limbs.
Men who jingle gold in their pockets
at Klondike are begging for food.
Skagway has nineteen saloons all
"open' every day all the year round.
Claims worth working at Klon-
dixie sell for 5000 for 20 feet square
of area.
There are now 5000 people at Daw-
son who are doing nothing but eat up
their grub.
In one day three men shoveled into
sluice boxes on Bonanza Creek, $2O,-
600 in gold.
Arthur McRae, of Vancouver, B. c.,
lately sold 200 pounds of supplies, at
Dawson, for 81 800.
Flour sells at Dawson for $75 per
sack of fifty pounds. Meat is plenti-
full at 81 per pound.
Two thousand people have left Daw-
son and gone down the river to get
where they were surer of grub.
There are about 100 women at Skag-
way, and a union church has been
erected and day school opened.
Dominion Gold Commissioner Faw-
cett estimates the output from Klon-
dixie next spring at forty tons of gold.
The citizens of skagway have SUBJ
scribed 81 500 to build "snow" road
on the bed of the river through the
pass.
Oxen, well-shod, seem to be success
full beasts of burden to the northern
miners. They are strong and sure
footed.
Pete McDonald's saloon at Dawson
with dance-hall attachment, takes in
ST 900 per day. He employs six bar
tenders.
The stampede from Klondike and
the sale by newcomers of parts of their
outputs at $1.5O per pound has greatly
relieved the situation.
Most of the saloons at Dawson will
have to close for want of coal-oil or
candles, as we'll as booze, unless sup
plies reach them soon.
FOrty-six miners came down from
Alaska by the steamer City of Seattle
last week. They brought about $780,
600 in nuggets and dust.
The mail service into Dawson seems
to be very imperfect. The carriers
throw away the mail when it becomes
too heavy for convenience.
One hundred thousand dollars in
dust and certificates came down by
the City of Topeka, Monday, the
property Of fifteen miners.
The old government snag-boat Skag-
it is moored at Skagway and has been
turned into a variety dive, under the
pretentious name of "The Orpheum."
The steamer chartered for transpor-
tation OF reindeer from Norway to the
United States, cablegram states, will
sail for New York about the Goth inst.
About TOO buildings have been
erected at Skaguay, some two and
three stories in height. The sound of
saw and hammer is continually heard
daring daylight.
A report that half of Dawson was
destroyed by fire Nov. 25th is much
exaggerated. Three buildings were
burned, but these, at Klon dixie valua-
tions, were worth 100000.
Only think of it; there is prospect
of scarcity of booze at Dawson
Good whisky sells at 81 drink and
"poor whisky at so cents. One drink
of the latter will knock a man silly"
Reports of destitution at Dawson
are conflicting. Some reports affirm
that while there will be scarcity be-
fore provisions can be taken in,
others state that starvation is newt
able.
Miners at Dawson have struck for
$1.50 per hour. They had been re-
ceiving 81, but as they could work but
eight hours in the twenty-four, and
meals cost them $3.50, it is easy to see
where they "got off at"
The "Poet of the Sierras" has met
with misfortune in the Eldorado. On
a trip from Circle City to Dawson he
lost part of the great toe of his left
foot and his left ear from being frozen
Both cheeks were likewise nipped by
the borean blasts.
The food orders given by the trad
ers on deposits of gold last summer
are now about worthless from inability
to procure supplies. An order calling
for ten sacks OF flour, or a like pro-
portion of any other article of food
may probably receive one or two sacks
or like quantity of other supplies.
Napoleon Dupras came down from
Dawson by the City of Seattle last