The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-20
They're SHORT OF GRUB
Hunger Il Beginning to Stalk in
Dawson City.
MR.. SHEA TIRED OF 1T
He's Going to Get Out of It as Soon
as He Can n Come Home to
Gods Country He's Not
the Only One.

Among a number of klondike letters
received in Butte during the last few
days vas one by Mrs. +. w. Giseke
from her son. Andy c. Shea. who wrote
from Dawson City. under date of March
4. He is one of many who have had
enough of the Klondike country and
waiting for the first opportunity to get
back to civilization.
In the course of his letter. Mr.. Shea
says: II have just received your let
ter OF Aug. IL. 1t came by the first
mail We have received in seven months.
Pat Boland has not yet ar
rived in Klondike. He is at Circle City,
600 miles down the river from here.
add Wall only arrived last week. As
soon as summer comes | will get out
of this country, ami / will not go alone.
as there are about 5000 men waiting
for the ice I'm the river TO break and
then they will desert this doomed up
camp. where a man has To work for SIS
a day and pay SIS a day for board.
There is no grub I'm the stores. and the
little that is being hauled in with dog
teams from Circle City don't amount
to much. and then you have to pay such
a tremendous price for everything
Flour has been sold this winter at s1.50
a pound and $3.50 a sack; bacon. three
years old. 81 a pound: beans, 81 a
pound; salt, five pound sacks, IS: con-
densed milk. 81 a an: firewood. $50 a
cord: candles. $3.50 a pound; no coal
oil in camp to sell; moose meat. 81 a
pound, n scarce at that; rice. 81 a
pound; coffee. Arbuckle's. $3.50 a
pound: chewing tobacco. SO a pound,
and can't get enough at that price.
These have been the regulation prices.
The only things that have dropped are
flour and bacon. Flour Is now 81 a
pound and bacon So cents.
There is no one starving here. yet
there is a scarcity of grub and everys
body has to live like a prisoner on so
much "A day, or else he must have an
out OF his own. bought as early as
last spring. Some people live well.
while others live poorly. The hospital
Is full of sick with the scurvy, caused
by poor grub and too much bacon and
beans. i am not sick. but / never felt
my bones so close to my clothes before.
i am a shadow, and / pray that l may
get out of this country i'm the spring.
All that glitters in klondike is not gold,
and although there is a creek of gold
here there are hundreds on all sides
without a grain of ii, and in a year
from this time this camp will be a thing
OF the past. I have a claim in the
Klondike district. just above Eldorado,
and l own half a claim on Bonanza
creek, also a claim on a creek known
as Swedish gulch. but | may not get n
dollar for them all. as this country Is
only spotted with gold. Even on The
richest creek men cannot make wages
at times such as this. Bonanza ard
Eldorado are on the same creek and they
number claims both Ways from the di3-
covery. The creek empties intc tie
Klondike river. There are no .la'ms on
the river and not a grain Of GJ,i on -.
The klondike flows MO the "rkrn three
miles below. Bonanza, where they are
getting $500 tn the pan, is all riglt. hut
maybe the next claim, 500 feet above
or below. will not yield 75 ,eu:s to the
pan, because the ground Is 50 spottcc.
The Canadian government has GU he
claims down from 500 to 200 feet, ond is
to charge 90 per cent. royalty, CO ,sa-
quently a man must have a rirh claim
to make expenses. BY this move on
the part of the government Klondike
will be deserted this summer # , I've
till then I will GO back to civilization,
where l can at least get enough ~ cot.
This Is the coolest country IN earth.
The thermometer registered GO degrees
below zero this winter. All the Grlok-
silver i'm the camp was frozen for ei.'ht
days. There have been more men
frozen than ever before in history. Men
stampede to a new creek when il is so
and so degrees below zero like a lot of
wild Indians"
Mr.. Shea sent three small gold mug
gets in his letter to his mother as a
sample Of what the Kloriike turns out.
/
A concert and drill will be given by