The Dickinson press., 1898-09-03
Kiondike Newspapers.
NO =="23..

Kondike Newspapers.
Copies of Klondike newspapers,
printed at Dawson City, have begun, to
circulate through the United States, and
showthat nothing escapes the energyofthe
newspaper man. One of the papers, the
Nugget, is managed in the business de.
partment by an old time Bismarck boy,
Tom Church, son of former Governor
Louis K. Church. The other paper is
the Midnight Sun. The first issue of the
Sun is dated June II, 1893, and the Mug
get made its appearance on the 10th of
the same month. There was race for
Dawson with printing material, and the
few days difference in the dates of the
papers show that the race was close
one. The Sun people were inthe printing
business at Juneau, Alaska, and two
lines at the head of the editorial page
says: Branch and foreign Office: Alaska
Alaska Mining Record, Juneau, Alaska"
The proprietors of the Nugget went from
Seattle, and they announced that their
paper is published every Thursday by
the Metropolitan Printing and Binding
company of Seattle" The materials for
both papers we're carried over the pass
from Skaguay last spring to the head of
navigation, and went down by the lakes
and river as soon as navigation opened
up. The cost of transporting the ma
terial from the coast to Dawson was IS
cents pound. So, small though the out
fits were, transportation added greatly to
their value.
The subscription price of the Weekly
Sun (both papers are weekly)is SIS
year, or 50 cents single copy. The
Sun sold over 1900 copies of its first
number, and kept its half-medium Cor
don jobber going night and day to sup
ply the demand. The result was that
the second number did not make its
appearance until nine days after the first.
Both papers have liberal advertising
patronage; and both Offices do job
work. They charge s35 thousand
for printing letter-heads and bill-heads,
and other work is in proportion. They
have all the work they can do at those
rates. Printers working on those papers
are paid s. per thousand ems when they
work by the piece, and the job printers
get sI.5o per hour. When the Mid
night Snu opened its office thirty prin-
ters applied for work. Notwithstanding
this surplus of labor, the above prices
were fixed, owing largely to the fact that
with few exceptions the printers are
members of typographical unions in the
states and Canada.
Although published in British terri
tory, it is the American spirit that is re.
flected in both papers. The, unutterable
Spaniard is 1ayed alive in the editorial
page of each sheet. The editor of the
Nugget says: ut cannot be said that
many of us came to Klondike to escape
enlistment in the army. Most of US
newcomers we're on the trail before hos.
tilities began" The Nugget boasts that
'there are not many newspaper Offices
where type can be set twenty-four hours
each day without the aid of artificial
light. That condition now, however,
exists in the Office of the Klondike Mug
get tits not the result of any special
brilliancy on the part of the staff, but
must rather be attributed to the kindli-
ness of Old Sol. The sun follows the es.
tablished order Of things in this region
and does nothing by halves"
The Nugget chronicles four weeks
thirst in Dawson, and tells how it was
relieved by the arrival of the first
steamer, the May West, on June 9th.
"Five thousand men, women, and
malamute dogs" says the editor" lined
the banks of the Yukon as she landed,
and asked each other that all-absorbing
question, Has she any whiskeyo on board?'
To the relief of all it was learned that
sixteen barrels of the unctuous juice of
corn were actually in the hold and that
at last temporary relief from the four
weeks thirst which had existed was &C
tually at hand. Having been shipped in
bond the precious cargo was landed and
retailed at 81 per drink"
In another paragraph the editor says:
"The sixteen barrels brought in by the
May West we're emptied at 81 per drink,
but the recent arrival of boats from above
and the cargo of the Weare have placed
Dawson in her normal condition and we
have plenty of liquid refreshments5Snd
are willing to let the future take care Of
ITSELF"
There was not line in either paper
about the scarcity of food being relieved
by the first boatssth came to Dawson.
Scarcity of whiskey apparently was all
that troubled Dawson.
The Sun bemoans the fact that while
there have been many deaths in that city,
wedding bells have never rung in Daw.
son. This is called aphenomena," of
which there has been no proper solu.
tion," and it leaves the question for Daw-
sons savants, to wrangle over, suggest.
ing, however, that prize of fabulous
value be offered to the first Dawson
pair who will bow the knee at the altar
of Hymen.