The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-04-19
FROM DAWSON TO DYRA.

&40A& IA IaA4W
dred miles on Foot with the Thermom
eter way Below Zero--Some New
Light on Conditions at Dawson.-Many
Claims of no Value.
Samuel Archer, Jr., oldest son of the
author of the "People's Platform"
now running in THE PROGRESSIVE FAR
MER, gives the St. Louis Giobe-Demo
crat the following truthful account of
his Klondike travels. He writes from
Seattle, Wash:
'tAfter living half a year on bacon,
bread aud beans, I am glad to be back
In Seattle, even if it is only for a short
time. And the weather here, although
it may be rain for twenty four hours in
the day, beats the frigid climate of the
far North all to pieces, n~otwithstand
ing the pretended claims Of some to the
contrary. 1t is true that a nan a
stand exceedingly cold weather up
there, for it is etiIl and dry, but ne
freezes bis face or nose before he knows
it, and this is quite irritating. I dare
say there is hardly a Klondiker who
has not had some portion of his anato
my frost bitten, and it has become al
most a josh to tell the man you meet
coming IN the opposite direction that
his nose is frozen. He always finds
the information to be Correct-his nose
ia white as marble, and then he half
freezes his fingers rubbing his nose
with snow to take the frost out. Robe
yourself up as you may, and yet the
frost is liable-to nip you in some ggra
waiting or serious manner. In Dawson
City we had a cold spell during the lat
ter part of November and the first o
pie of days in December, the tempera.
ture generally ranging from 40 TO 55
degrees below zero, although the Their
mometer registered as low as Gu de
grees below one day, some saying their
instruments indicated 81, IS and 68 de
grees below on December /.
"There is no city government at
Dawson, but things are conducted Tn
der a sort of martial law, the Cana
dian mounted police being in charge.
All matters pertaining to mines and
mining, however, are subject to the
authority of the G I'D Commissioner.
On our way out we met Maj 1r Walsh,
the newly appointed administrator of
governmental affairs for the Yukon
district. of the Northwest Territory,
who was on his way in.
SIT is deceitful and ~unavailing to
pretend that a spirit of mutual good
feeling exists between the American
population and the Canadian authori
ties Lat US be honest and truthful
about this matter, for no amount of
lying will smooth things over The
mines up there are essentially Ameri
can camps under the British flag, the
great majority of the miners being
Americans. The Canadian authorities
hate the Americans with a JEALOUS,
envious hatred; the Americans hate
the Canadians and their laws, and on
Bonded knees would hail the day when
the stars and stripes fl )ated overhead, |
or when they could get on as rich
ground in American territory. Donot
misunderstood what I say about this;
it is not q personal dislike, entertained
by the miners for theD ominion officials, |
for the latter are usually and
impartial as the average American off
cial, and there are many personal
friendships between the two classes.
At the government posts Americans
are granted the same relief in case of
distress as the Canadians. But there
still EXITS the national prejudice; iE is
natural, and nothing will wipe it out
The American will always be hamper
ed and restless under the British flag;
the Dominion government would rath
erhave Canadians working their mines
"AIl the creeks, gulches and pups
for miles about Dawson are staked and
recorded, and one must go a long dis
tanceaWay wi mountain and through
brush to fnd INDICATED placer claims.
Speaking of the general stalking of
anything and everything for wildcat
speculation, reminds me of the great
amount of perjury committed in the
recorders Office at Dawson Not one
In q hundred of the claims staked are
prospected before being recorded, yet
the off e is thronged daily by crowds
who stand before the commissioners,
the lDie in one hand, the other raised
Q nUly toward heaven, and solemn
ly swe,r that they found gold' on III !
claim sGaked; that they believe them
selves to be the original discoveries OF
the 'Geposit,' etc., when truth is it is