Arizona republican., 1898-04-09

easily supplied than Dawson, in 2 country where laws are liberal and
 without harassing restrictions. The United States geological survey party will leave tomorrow on the gunboat Wheeling for Cooks inlet and will strike for the Yukon via the Panama river. Their trail should be a good one to follow into this new country. So many sad cases of death or des- titution are continually coming to light here, as a result Of the Klondyke rush, that a newspaper correspondent cannot but feel a great reluctance in sending out reports that may encour- age men to go. The women and chil- dren are the ones who suffer most | Married men have gone by thousands, leaving only few months provisions for their families and in the full faith that they could send down ample re- ! mittances long before a pinch could come at home. Thinking that if, by chance, they should not find a rich ! claim they could at least work at
 wages of $10 to $15 day, and on that maintain their families This seems reasonable enough. But right here beg the earnest attention of such of your readers as may be contemplating such venture under such conditions. There are more men in Dawson need ing work than there is work for. If
 wages are S10 or $15 or $50 a day fl is because a working mans food for a | day costs s10 or s15 or $50, as the case l may be. When the price of grub
 comes down, wages come down. And l wages never rise unless in sympathy | with the psice of grub. It is a ques- | tion of food there, not labor. Thou
 sands of men have been led by the
 news of this apparently high pay to
 go in under the conditions I have de
 scribed. Try as they will they cannot
 make enough to support their familieA
 And the little funds that were left be- I hind to tide over the interval of wait
 ing, are coming to an end, if they have not already done so. And the men
 are there, unable to get back, working
 their lives out for bare food, in in
 conceivable agony of mind, knowing
 that their wives and children here are
 starving by inches or living on char | lty. l am sore today over a peculiarly
 sad case that has come to my notice
 The husband and father went to the Klondyke last fall The money he Jeff
 for family maintenance was exhausted month or more ago. The wife, .
 delicate little woman, began to take in
 washing. She developed quick con-
 sumption-she is dying now, and the
 three little girls were starving.
 | For practical miner and prospector
 who Is foot-loose and who can take
 a years supplies, the country certain i ly offers fair chance perhaps a bet
 ter chance than any other mining coup
 try at present; provided always that
 he is physically sound. But for tho
 man who has people dependent on his
 exertions it is no place. He would
 better put all his worldly possessions
 on the turn of a card. If he loses he can go to work as a laborer and
 keep his family in food on a dollar CT
 two day, if need be. A laborer in
 Dawson can keep no one but himseH
 in food, and he is lucky if he does
 that, since steady employment cannot
 be found, except in rare instances
 On the passes the movement of
 freight is beginning in earnest Skag-
 uay seems to be in the lead at pres ent. Whether she keeps in the lead
 will depend upon the action of her
 citizens. If they build a good wagon
 road, following the snow az it recedes.
 they will have the best route to Daw-
 son. If they do not do SO they will
 lose every cent they have invested
 there. At Port Valdez the conditions by last advices were better and men
 and outfits were getting over success fully, though by very hard work All ] these people will probably strike for l the Munook creek country now. It is
 very lucky for them that they can do
 so easily. The epidemic of cerebro- spinal meuengitis seems to have worn
 itself out.
 ) Reports have been published here or the formation of a regiment of Arizona cowboys. As I am known to be from
 Arizona many people have spoken. te
 me about it. They have rather a
 hay idea of the personality of cow
 boy, but the impression prevails that
 it would not be at all healthy to tread
 on the corns of one. And when they think of the combined aggressive pow } CT of thousand of them, mounted on bucking broncos, they begin to think that Spain will soon lose her place on the map. Seattle is used to six-shoot- CTS. All the Klondykers wear them about the streets. They are brand new ones and their belts are filled with cartridges. But every one here knows
 that cowboy wears two in his belt and one in each boot, besides fringed buckskin cCat and trousers, red silk : sash, broad sombrero, long hair and b0uio I-nifo oi. two Ono Of thiS