Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-04-25
FROM DA WSON CITY.

ceived a letter recently from his son
following information in regard to
Dawson City, taken from a letter re-
ceived from a friend in that city:
A letter was received in Ferndale
this week from Andrew Donnelly now
in Alaska, written under date of Oct.
3, 1897. From the letter it is learned
that the Alaskan interior is about the
hardest country in the world in every
respect. Besides the phenomenal
prices paid for food, the travel in the
interior IS horrible. Seventy five to
100 pounds Of an outfit, moss, mud and
slush up to the knees; mosquitoes,
gnats, and grizzly bears are some of
| the incidentals to a prospecting trip.
| Arriving at the ground you have to
stake your claim out and then-not
work with pick and shovel, but build
fire and wait for the ground to thaw.
| One or two feet at time is about the
extent of thawed ground with one
! fire, making work very slow, and the
short summer leaves but little time
| for active work. Andrew says that
the work is simply enormous, with
chances of success SO minute that
prospecting is a very undesirable I'M
dertaking. The country being low
and swampy, fever overtakes the sus-
ceptible, and not few die. On Oct
1, man named Meng from Elk river
died with the fever. As to his own
! condition, Andrew doesn't say much
| beyond the fact that he and Oluf Fl ell
gestad together own five claims on
Dominion creek, but beyond the fact
! that they are in rich country, claims
near them going 2 ozs to the pan, they
know nothing of their value, and may
or may not be worth anything. An
| drew says that the outlook at the
| time he wrote in Dawson was very
dark, and confirmed the darke st sto
ries of the dangers of starvation. He
says further that the condition next
summer will not be very good, as
about 10000 people are expected into
the Klondike country, and wages are
bound to fall below a proportionatc
cost of living Some of the country,
Bonanza and ElDorado creeks, is the
richest in the world but the chances
are too great for disappointment.
Besides the hardships imposed by Ma
ture, the Canadian government is
considerable of thorn in the flesh of
prospectors. What money is left the
miner after he comes out of the stores
the government seems to want, and
person is charged for everything. 1t
costs 25c per cord to cut wood, 1Oc
per running foou for house logs, SOC
per M for saw-logs, and 25c per cubic
yard for moss to chink between logs,
are few of the taxes imposed. Ev
eryone from the U. S. is charged full
duty on his entire outfit. The fee for
recording claim is $15. This pro-
tects the mine for nine months, when
the claim has to be represented for
three months, which at present rate
of wages means an outlay of $1,000, be-
sides which a tax of 500 is charged
A new law passed but not inforced in
that locality at that date, charges go
per cent of the income of mine pro-
ducing over $500 per month, and 10
per cent for under $500. In all dis
tricts where gold is discovered after
claim goes to the government. If that
law is enforced it will ruin the coun-
try. At the present time with travel
ing and wor king facilities so limited,
Andrew says that the only moderately
safe proposition for money is to take
goods into those districts before the
steamers get up the river, and from
400 to 500 per cent may be realized.
This, however, is extremely danger
Gus and difficult. In fact the whole
of Mr.. Donnelly's letter gave one the
impression that the Yukon country
is good locality to stay away from.
He will prospect his claims this spring
or perhaps go to the new strike in
the q. s. territory. and, either place
not satisfying him, will try business
venture or else leave. He most de-
cidedly advises no one to look Klon-
dikeward with view of mining under
the existing conditions.
In addition thereto we take the fol-
lowing notes from Andrews letter:
Wood sells for S25 per cord.
Meat sells for 81 80 per pound,
Eggs have been selling for So per
dozen.
Fixes violin does not do well in
this cold country.
I. M. Ring made fromz$15 to $40
day this fall selling spring water to
the Dawsonites.
The Canadian OOVarnmant IoviAS |