davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

Out of the host which started for
Dawson last spring, from 10000 to
$4,000 have arrived and, like those who
gave up the battle en- route, they are
beginning to wonder why they came.
They have roughcd it over the tough
est Of trails; they have been sailors,
boat builders, dog drivers, cooks, only
to be called "cheechawkos." Though 1t
were used as a compliment, the very
sound of this word is enough to make
man sad, il not tired. It comes with
leering smile and sneer, saying:
"Oh, what lot you have to learnt"
The old timers borrowed tha word
from the Indians, and literally it
means "a newcomer" Not until you
have spent one winter in the country
and you have seen the ice in the river
break are You an old timer. To be Il
Yukoner You must have been in the
country before the great strike was
made in the Klondike district. The
Yukoners have formed an arlstocratic
society, something like the Sons OF the
Revolution at home, and on great oc-
casfOns they wear broad blue scarfs.
Going over the ice to Dawson, as did.
writes Frederick Palmer, PISSED the
thirty thousand on the trail, and saw
the old Dawson before it was trans
formed. II Dawson, in its superiority
of ancient culture, tried to phaze and
succeeded in phazing the pilgrims, the
pilgrims had the satisfaction of liter
ally swamping Dawson. For Dawson
Is only few log cabins sitting ON a
mud fiat along the river front. Last
winter the resident population was not
more than a thousand, the remainder
Of the people in the country, four
thousand in all, being at work upon
the creeks.
When thirty thousand people fei,
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

upon this little mining camp 1t was
lost like piece Of cheese under cloud
of flies. If the Observation-Disclosures
never called them by any other name
expected much from Dawson, Dawson
expected a good deal from the "cheec-
hawkes." The saloon keepers wanted
whisky; capitalists wanted to see the
price of labor go down, and everybody
wanted fresh eggs, fresh beef, cigars TO
smoke, and a new pair of boots. These
things the "cheechawkCs' gave US.
That Is, those of the "cheechaWkos
who were clever enough to take In
goods and edibles to sell, thus allowing
somebody to dig the gold for them in
stead of digging for themselves. These
were sure Of fair, and perhaps
fabulous, profit, which is a safer propo-
sition than taking one chance out of a
thousand on finding a 100000 claim.
The first man to arrive had built his
boat at the foot Of LIE Barge. He was
from Seattle, and he told US SO as soon
as he was in hailing distance. In
Dawson it ia hard to escape the impress
sion that Seattle is a district repre-
senting an area Of about one-half OF
the United States. This Seattle man
had eggs and lemons to sell, and ne got
S18 a dozen for both. The first boots
to come down sold for SIS pair; the
first potatoes, 81 pound; first oranges,
S18 a dozen; first bananas, 81 apiece;
first broad brimmed hats, $25 apiece;
first fresh meat, So a pound; first SUI
gar, $1.25 a pound; first butter. $3.50
a pound; first condensed milk. $3.50
a can; first syrup, SIS a gallon. and first
canned peaches, So a can. But the
market for such Ir:ces is more or less
limited. and with the increase Of sup
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

staked in the Klondike mining dis
trict. OF these only 500 are OF any
proven value more than a nominal
speculative sum. And the nominal
speculative sum is fast going down be-
cause the boom is out of Dawson. The
thicker the "cheechawkos" become the
smaller the boom. Claims which were
prospected still sell, but unprospected
ones on unprospected creeks do not.
Everybody is waiting to see whether
Or not the Canadian government is
going to rescind the royalty, whether
or not Ottawa is going to send an hon
est set of officials, whether OF not any
new ground will be discovered by the
pilgrims, what is to be the rate Of
wages-in fine, which way the cat Is
going to jump. And the pilgrim being
the cat, Or largely the cat, eating fat
bacon when the thermometer is at 100,
is waiting on his own part for the cat
to jump. In his heart the jump he
wants to make himself is over the
mountains and the glaciers to the land
where there are straWberries--and
cream 10 ~ Will LuEul. IL WdS a ta!Ily
well-distriputed fact a year ago
though the pilgrim could think only OF
the story of $500 pan on Eldorado-
that ell the Ave creeks now demon
strated to be rich-Eldorado, Bonanza,
Hunker, Dominion and Sulphur-were
staked by men who were in the Klon-
dixie or started for the Klondike before
the world received the news which was
responsible for the first great rush.
No fortunes, no considerable sum, ex-
cept by speculation, has yet been made
by other than the old timers who have
been in the country from two to ten
years. All the new cyeeks-which
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
Tho boy OF 1890 Years Ago.

The numerous papyri unearthed
some time ago by Messrs. Grcnfel and
Hunt from the ancient city Of Oxy.
rhyncus. Egypt. are being gradually
decpbercl. One OF them, letter from
Il boy. evidently petted darling. 70
his father, sounds strangely modern,
though it is at least 1000 years old
'Theon to His Father .Theon, Greeting:
II was fine thing Of you not to take
me with you to the city! If you won't
take me with you to Alexandria |
won't write you letter Or speak to
you. or say good-by to You; and il you
go to Alexandria l won't take your
hand, nor ever greet you again. That
is what will happen if you won't take
me. Mother said to Archelaus, II
quite upseta him to be left behind (?)'
It vas good OF you to send INC presents
" On the 18TH the day you
sailed. Send me Tyre. implore you.
If you don't, won't eat. won't drink;
there now!"
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

ply which followed the opening of the
whole chain Of lakes three weeks later
than the opening of the river below LIE
Barge. prices went down considerably,
except IN the case Of fresh beef, which
was held at 81 so a pound.
Ten thousand dollars was cleared UP
by one man. who brought stock OF
millinery and Of fine clothing to the
port Of lie Barge with four oxen. The
oxen he put ON a raft along with the
goods. and brought them to Dawson.
where he sold them on the hoof to q
butcher for $4,000. 1t was most inn
portan. of all that those with goods to
sell should put them on the market at
once They made store out of a tent,
rented a booth in front Of a saloon. Or
made counter of the bow OF boat.
or Of a piece Of canvass laid on the
ground by the water front. Booths
and cloth buildings sprang up in such
profusion that the only thing to disa-
buse your mind Of the fact that you
were not at a country fair was that
pink lemonade was so and not cents
glass. The miners, with their clean
ups" as the wages for their winters
work in their gold-dust bags, drank
pink lemonade, sampled everything IN
the edible and drinkable line displayed
in the booths, and then had to go to
the doctor to settle. These 10000 pill
grl1ns now in Dawson are like an army
of 10000 generals seeking to conquer
a country. They walk up and down
the streets, loiter in the saloons and
gambling places and ask one another if
they know where there Is any ground
worth stalking. They are slowly find
ing out that they haven't reached the
place where the gold awaits their min
ing, but q place where they may pros
pect for gold. There are $500 claims
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
HOMEMADE PH!LOSOPh

Don't teach yoor boy to aim so gor-
dorfully high. The big game is all
down on the earth.
People that 81, thare grub throo the
plan ov don dirt to honest labor. are
the most particular about how it shud
be ct at the tatuil.
Don't force tockative child inter 81
ence. Iockin may be its only match
ural talent, un yood better sharpen it
than to blunt it off too short.
Any po'itickal measure witch the
ritch men fight, is a good measure for
the poor. You don't wan:er .et the
ritch measure everything in thare own
measure.
Don't trust man bekaws he is yitch
Most people git ritch by bein trusted
too far. The fat COW needs to be
fenced outer the corn, jist the same az
the lean one.
Wen man works fur yoo. I'm 700
pay him less than he urns-that's liv~
in on profit. If YOU pay him in store
goods-that's gettn yoor work in on
ulW tNO t!uAt"'
You can't wip edducashun inter o
child. nor wip appetite outer it. The
slow process ov eternally feedin is the
only way to keep child mentally and
stommickly full.
II will be a long time before people
git so orful good on earth that Saint
Peter will let each cne go inter the
wardrobe un select thare own crown on
arrivin IN heaven.
1t is dangerous to remain cool in a
crowd ov hot heds in time ov war.
They Wud hang man fu' shown sim
tums ov common sense kW!cker than
fur lickin his wife.
Practice that witch will give yoo
profit IN after life. It's no use for a
girl to learn how to stand on her head,
so long as the law Nv graritashun is
bound to pull her skirts down towards
The earth's center.
a man generally catches the same
.ort Of religy1ln that is contagus in his
nabOrhood, votes rs pa did. IN expects
his wife to make the same sort ov
pies his ma made. A man is seldom
better'n the sile he grows up in.
Don't expect to take pie outer the
cupburd wen 700 have only put moldy
bread crusts in; nor milk cream outer
the cow that is fed on bean shells nm
shavins; nor git wisdum outer the
boy hooZe edducashun is made up
outer family tradishun un witch sto-
ries.
God is law, un thare Is jist as mutch
divinity in the law OF intoxicashun as
there is in gravitashun. The law that
holds appels together vile you skweeze
the cider outer 'em is the same law
that holds worlds un planets together
vile the ritch skweez the usufruct out
or the miserabu!l poor.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
VVvv1vvyVVvs
4 Dawson City Filled With j
s an Army of Gold Seekers. E
hAAl

means every creek in the noishbor-
hood OF Dawson-were staked on faith
and not ON prospects. These claims
must have the legal three months
work done on them this winter or be
lost to their owners. I have faith that
some of them will turn out well, but
even then it will be another year Or
two years before the owners can realize
from them. except by sale. Unless
there is more work done than promised
there will not be employment, even ut
reduced wages, for one-fifth OF the
10000. There are numerous oppor-
tunities to prospect unprOspectea
claims for half Of what is in them, but
II they turn ont blanks then the lay
man will have nothing when summer
comes, having eaten his stores during
the winter. The average pilgrim has
food for not more than six months
This means that he must buy more
before the year is ont. AS rule he is
"brol1e," and in many instances he has
sold some of his outfit to get little
spending money
If he does not go TO work for an
other he must go prospecting in new
territory. That means taking his food
many miles up a tributary, selecting a
little creek and burning" hole to
bedrock If the tlrst one fails he mus,
try another, and so on. He cannot
prospect until the surface ground
freezes, else the water will run in on
his fires" Meanwhile he must sit in
his tent and wait. Very few Of the
pilgrims have yet gone to work for
wages. The demands of new enter
prises have, perhaps, employed an ad-
ditional thousand men, who are get
ting from Is cents to 81 q day, fail Of
nncut 30 per cent over winter wages.
Most OF The pilgrims feel that it isn't
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
NEW ENGINE FOR ENGLAND.
BALDWIN Finishes First Mlchin . fs
Island ami Country.


Island an;t Country.
IN these days. when American man
ufacturers dream of making the entire
world a market for their goods, it is
interesting to note that the Baldwin
Locomotive Works has just finished Its
first engine for England. For yeass
1t has been building locomotives for
British provinces and colonies, but
this engine is the first foothold 1t has
secured in the island itself. The loco
motive. which is double ender,' is
intended to run between Barnstapln.
in Devonshi!c, to LINTON, coast re-
sort about fifteen miles to the north,
and has one feature which Is expected
to make Englishmen stare. This is a
cOvcatcEer. or. rather. two COW
catchers. one at each end-a device
quite unknown in English railroading.
AS concession to English methods
there is no headlight, but only large
signal lamp in its place. The Bald
wins have recently shipped six engines
to Spain, to be used on a mining rail
road in the province Of Biscay--a fact
which shows that the Spanish some
times DO know a good thing, even il
American, when they see it.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

Tor bicycles. In the new design, which
Is IN reality only revival OF long dls-
carded patterns the main top tube anu
the rear stays OF the frame are curved
slightly inward and the lower main
tube is given double curve similar to
the lower tube OF certain drop frame
models. the avowed purpose being to
give the machine more nexibility and
thereby contribute increased ease and
comfort to the rider. The frame Is not
a Spring frame" according to the ac-
ceptance OF that term, but Is merely
the conventional diamond frame IN
which the principal tubes are curved
from the straight in order that the
breaking strains may be more evenly
distributed over the whole length of
the tube sections instead of being con-
centrated at certain points. The tubes
are flexible only in very slight degree
and the company claims that there Is
no lost power through the tendency to
| side whip, but on the contrary the
| flexible frame is faster and more COM
! Portable on rough roads than the rigid
diamond type.
This Is Of course contrary TO all ac-
ceptcd ideas with regard to rigidity In
cycle frames and has ELECTED great
deal OF adverse criticism, but follow
| ing so close upon the address OF Prof
Boys before the Society OF Arts in Eng
land in which an attempt was made
| TO explode the theory that a straight
tube is necessarily stronger under all
circumstances than a cuved tube. 1t
has set cycle designers and authorities
to thinking, and it is ever considered
possible that there may be a general
revival Of spring frames Of various pat
terms next year, which, il it should
come, would be but one more reyersion
| to old principles.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

strike. and the valiant few will 60 out
UP the unproepected creeks. thawing
holes through thirty feet OF ground,
seeking for strikes OF their own. Bu.
two-thirds OF the 10000 will spend
Christmas at home in the states. Alas
Ia is richer in gold than the experts
who went into the country expected
to find it. But getting the gold is like
extracting an elephants tooth with a
pair Of tweezers--as the newcomer sees
1t. The terror wears Off with expo
rience. And the Klondike has never
bcen so hab;tablc as 1t viii be this win
ter,
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
Good Crops Sell BicycleS.

The unusually heavy grain crops OF
last year. coincident with foreign crop
failures and consequent high prices
prevailing, cOnduccd to the increased
sales of bicycles, as we'll as of other
goods among the farm folk, and tho
farmer boye and girls demanded bet
ter grade of machine than they had
formerly been willing or able to pay
for. The universal trait of human ma
ture-accentuated perhaps in the
American character-which impels
every resident of a civilized community
to strive to the utmost to surpass his
neighbor in tho number and quality of
his possessions, prevails stronges. in
the country districts, and every pur-
chaser Of a bicycle even on the broad
prairies Of the northwest wants a ma
chine that is just as good as Or little
better than his neighbours. To satisfy
this ambition requires resources, and
resources in the rural districts depends
upon crops. Crops being good, more
and better bicycles will be bought. It
is gratifying, then, to read the crop
reports of the country and partieu-
larly those of the west and northwest,
where the harvests have been large and
the grain of good quality. "rhe great
west never looked upon a more splen-
did prospect of abundance aud COM
mercial activity" writes one corre-
spondent to trade paper. To-day the
prospects in the West may be said to
be the brightest they have been for
years. Our wheat has no superior in
the world and our corn crop is annually
increasing in Importance.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
Calcium Carbide from Saw dust.

4 process for the manufacture OF
calcium carbide from sawdust has been
Invented by an inventor OF Boston, who
is now supervising the installation Of
a retort for the purpose in the lumber
yard OF the w. G. Edwards comaony
in New Edinburgh near Ottawa. Can
ada. Regarding his process the in
>entor said to correspondent Of the
Iron Age that it occupies practically
the Same relation to the conversion Of
the cellulose tissue Of wood into carbon
as the Besselner process does in the
elimination OF carbon in the process Of
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
Taxing Cycles III Canada.

Montreal is the only city in Canada
that taxes bicycles, ard it has been
found very difficult to enforce the reg
ulation there. An attempt to repeal
onc-half but it is reported doubtful
whether the city will try to enforce it.
The question Of a similar law was
raised in London, Ont, and the city
solicitor gave his opinion that it would
be illegal.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

The telescope and thus keep the de-
tector constantly against the wheel
tire. The dehector will stop all Of
the water and mud thrown up by the
wheel and the rubber will scrape off
nil that might stick close to the tire.
When it is not desired to use the
guard the dehector may be turned up
out of the way. A slot in the axla OF
each of the supporting rods permits
the device to be adjusted.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
Ge0rgen's Mud Guard.

The guard itself consists Uf DE-
nector plate having U-shaped open
ing in the tire side. which opening is
fitted with rubber scraper also of u
shape. The dehector is carried on the
ends of a pair Of rods running from
the wheel axle and braced by other
rods extending from a point on the
fork above. The supporting rods are
telescopic and are controlled by light
spiral springs which tend to shorten
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
why.

II a certain village school they were
having a scripture examination, the
lesson being Elijah Offering uD sac
rifice on Mount Carmel. AS the chill
dren looked good scholars the inspec-
tor gave them a question, saying:
"Now, you have told me that Elijah
put the bullock on the altar. Why did
he put water round the altar?" The
children looked amaxed-eycept one
little boy, who stood up and said:
"Please, sir, to make the gravy"
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
A Valuable AdlaAct.

Squilldig-"Hobson intends to raise
the Cristobal Colon by means Of air
bags McSwill!gen-"If his supply Of
d-bags becomes exhausted he might
go to Havana and capture Blanco."-
Pittsburs Telegraph
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
NOTES OF THE WHEEL.
MATTERS INTEREs-T Dew
OTEES OF THE BICYCLE.
The Revival OK Spring Frames viii He
Feature Next Season--The English
Curved Tube In Fa7or--Some Cuserul
Inventions.
Rcvje1nS Spring Frames.

ne pTOOuc(1CD Oi a
curved tube frame
model for 's9 by
the Triumph Cycle
company OF Eng
land has occasion
ed Il great deal OF
discussion in the
re! Ign cycling
press relative to
the merits OF spring
and rigid frames
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

tube, and a curved rod running from
the outer end Of the rod TO the steer
ing head OF the bicycle affords ample
bracing for the attachment. The lighs
upholstered seat being attached to the
carrier axle, the whole can be detached
from the bicycle intact. The carrier is
very similar to one which a repairmaa
in Rockford. H.. made for his own tss
some time ago and which was Illus
trated and described in cycle papers al
the time.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11
.Baby Carrier Attach m ent.

Although the specifications do not
state SO particularly, the evident de-
sign of the attachment is to afford
means for carrying safely babies Or
small children. The construction az
shown. while Of course it could not be
made heavier, is not sufficiently strong
to support the weight Of grown per
son. The principal feature Of the in
vention is the attachment Of third
wheel to an ordinary safety bicycle,
this third wheel being at the side O!
the rear wheel and far enough from it
to accommodate seat and foot rest
supported between the two. An axle
projecting from the detachable wheel
hub is arranged with a clamp end so
that it may be secured to the rear stay
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

The expense of repairing tire pune
lures SHOULD be added to our income
tacks.
The Philipsburg mail., 1898-11-11

II see my finish" said the wheel, as
it spied the enamel.
The Monte Vista journal., 1898-05-07
NAsHv.LLs CAUGHT \ pa,zs.
spaaish 0aahsaas Tried "a Iatsrfsrs b
s Were Beared OF.

opaaish 0anbeaas Tried 70 Iatsrfere bas
~ Wses seared Oh.
Key West, May 2.-On Inst Friday
afternoon, after an exchange Of shots
with the Spanish gunbo0ts. the Amer
lean gunboat Nashville captured the
Spanish mail steamship Argonnta Oh
the Cienfuegos coast. The prize ar
rived here this afternoon in charge of
cruiser Marblehead. The Spaniard was
first sighted far In the eastward, and
evidently was making for the harbor,
under all steam. There was raging
sea running, and before the Nashville
Duckled to her work. the Spaniard
swept silently and easily away. For n
while the Spaniard held her own. The
Nashville finally got her second boiler
to work and begnn slowly creeping up.
At three miles distant there came the
pink Of shot from the Nashville's
bow gun. and Jet OF water sprayed
the air hundred yards In front of the
frightened Spaniard. 1t only seemed
to give desperate speed to her heels.
Another hnlf mile and out OF tho
haze, close In shore swept two Spanish
gunboats. The Nashville wheeled like
an angry dog, and with water spring.
Ing from her fore foot, made directly
at them. The crew Of the Spanish
mail ship gave Spanish cheers and
swung their hats. They were greatly
encouraged nt the sight OF two to one
In favor Of yellow and red. At mile
and half the gun OF the leading Span
ish gunbOat shot. The ball few high
and kicked up the water far over the
Nashville's tall tunnels. The other
spanlard let 20 one OF her guns. and to
this day no one knows where that ball
landed. 1t was never heard Of
The Nashville swerved, sheet of
name and smoke broke from her star
board side. 1t was enough. The two
Spaniards turned like coyotes and ran
ashore and were swallowed up In the
haze.
The chase after the mail ship was
resumed, and shot brought her to
terms. She was taken charge OF by n
crew OF the Nashville and brought to
Admiral Sampson.
on board were Colonel Pincena de
costiS OF the Third Spanish cavalry
and tweniy-eight star officers. on
Maricl the marines took charge OF the
prize and took her into Key West.
The Monte Vista journal., 1898-05-07
MUST RULE THE PHILIPPINES.
Enxiish rapcrs Say The Unitrd States VIII
Have To In,ur~ Order Now.

London. May The Morning Post
says: The United States must decide
quickly about the Philippines. II they
leave half-done the task they have be.
gun the consequences may bc most
serious. II they are not prepared to
govern the island themselves they
must decide their fate So as to prevent
them falling into anarchy.
The Daily Chronicle says: ''The Phil.
ippincs. no less than Cuba, should be
thrown open TO the light OF tolera,lon
and civilization. II will be time to dis.
cuss the proposals of the many claim.
ants 10 do the work when the United
States has been heard from oil the
subject"
The Standard says: "Whatevcr pre-
pondcrancc Of strength Commodore
Dewey enjoyed be could not have ac-
complishcd the work without tha:
mixture OF dash and tactical resource
which constitutes military genius. For
the vanIuished we can have only n
feeling OF commlscratlon. They
cvlnced qualities that deserved sue.
cess. Spnin's best course IL 10 submit
10 the Inevitable and TO purchase back
the Philippines by formally rcnounc.
Ing her title 20 exercise rule In the
Antilles"