Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1898-04-22

y 0OOOs.
blue and white cotton drilling at 1914
cents per yard. Prices on ev erything
are simply out Of sight, but especially
on clothing and hardware, as there is
nom to be had. We cannot buy a
pound of nails or anything in the
hardware line. An axe that might be
worth 81 or 81 at most at home will cost
SO here now, and before winter is over
l will be surprised if we are not offered
S25 for our axes and as much for
shovels and pick axes, as we are we'll
supplied. We we're offered $50 for one
of our little 25 pound stoves that cost
us $3.50 in Seattle. Even with our
good supply of tools, provisions, ETC.,
we feel the need of some one thing
almost1every day. One day it will be
two inch augur, we having smalle r
ones, and the next day a draw knife
etc. Ono cannot run around the
corner and buy what they want at the
grocery or hardware store, but must
learn to do without. One cannot even
buy such a thing as a pine board, but
If he wants some lumber he must cut
down a log if he can find one large
enough-few trees are over five inches
in diameter-and saw out the lumber
himself after hauling it probably
several miles to a saw pit, there being
no saw mill on the Yukon river. All
of the mining is done here in the
winter when the ground is frozen solid.
Fires are built every night in the holes
and in the morning the dirt that is
thawed out is removed. 1t is necessary
to sink the holes about IS feet on an
average to reach bedrock where the
gold is found, if one has struck the pay
streak. but he may have to sink eight
or ten holes and drift in several feet
from each-the holes being across the
creek gulch OF valley-before he
strikes the pay streak-if there is any
at all. If the ground is not frozen
very hard all the way down one will be
troubled with water flowing in, and
even now we hear of people every day
being troubled by water. This %necessi-
tates a cessation of all work for about
four or five days to give the ground q
good freezing again. In June when the
snow and ice is melted and the creeks
begin to run the pay dirt that has been
taken out during the winter is washed
out in sluice boxes and not until then
does a man know how much gold he
has taken out during the winter, but
If he had found nothing he would not
build sluice boxes. We have not begun
to work any of our claims yet, but ex-
pect to go out in a few days and begin
work. It is necessary to do twenty
days work each on some of our claims
between January l and May l, and some
others must be worked during the
summer-this work of twenty days
every year is necessary to hold the
claims until the following year. This
town is very free from ~lawlessness so
far, quite a contrast to most of our
western mining towns in their early
days. This I believe is due to the fact
that it costs so much to get here and
SO much to live after one does get here
that this must keep the toughest
element away. About a dozen of our
neighbors brought their wives with
them, all of them being western ladies';
the only other women that l have seen
in Alaska are Indian squaws.
We take turns at cooking, each. TAX
ing q week of it at u time. l never
cooked before in my life, but my
biscuits, bread, ETC., are as fine as can
be made. We have no yeast and of
course there is none to be had, so we
have a substitute in sour dough.
was surprised to find my first seven
pans of sour dough bread turn out as
good as any l ever ate. I have made
several kinds Of %pies-dried apple,
apricot, prune and peach. Our princi-
pal food is oatmeal, beans and rice,
Without any butter, eggs or milk, it is
pretty hard to make many fancy dishes
as Helen will tell you, but I have made
doughnuts. cookies and plain cake and
We haven't died yet. We have moi
tasted fresh meat since We left Seattle
We expected to find lots of game ur
here and brought a shot gun and Q
rifle, but all we have seen so far was
two grouse when we were out on the
trail one day. I had my revolver along
and fred the FIVE chambers, all the
cartridges l had, and. they stood and
looked at me until I SHE'D q stick al
them to see if they were alive still and
then they winked the other eye anc
flew off. We have seen moose tracks
and l would have followed some fresf
moose tracks in the snow last week but
my rifle was at home and l was twenty
miles away. There is practically NJ
game aud I,doubt il / get q taste o
fresh meat in this country.
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Nov.25
We did not go to church today to CIV,
thanks to God for his many blessing