The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-02
Dawson City Citizens Burn Their
Money to Keep Warm.
FORTUNES ON TURN OF A CARD.
Hew the DsIi Winter Days Are Pass
isg In the ksondfke-AIi-Geld and
ssiphur Creeks Beoming-Strfke
Of $40 20 the Pan ON Eidorado--
$500, O0o-s,oo0 Claim. Recorded.

A letter written from Dawson ty Core
tsliigencer Alaska News Syndicate. gives
. vigorous idea Of life Ia the famous min
Eng tawn az +; is today. Dawson. during
the duh, dark days Of Arctic winter. is
one OF the wsrmest places for excitement
20 he found anywhere "a the world Pos
sably the effort 10 keep from freezing 10
death II responsible for the desire %
Dawsonifes 10 burn money. bur certainly
they are fast cre1atiug II. The loss OF
fortunes On the turn Of q card IL common.
Men who lose hundreds are considered
''fin horns they must get rid OF thous-
ends 70 win consideration a. sports"
the office OF the gold commissioner in
Dawson IL besieged a, all times by
crowds Of men anxious 70 record claims.
Eometimes they stand in lire for weeks
With 900 placer claims already recorded
the demand on the office does not af,ate.
New discoveries are being regularly
made. AH-Goid and Sulphur creek prop
critics ara booming. On No. 81 Eldorado.
In which Tom Rockwell. OF this city.
holds one-;hird interest. a streak of pay
gravel. 10 feet deep and 100 feet wide, av-
erasing $40 to the pan. has Just been
struck. Several pans have gone as high
% si2s. From the Berry Bros claims on
Isldorado this spring VIII be cleaned up,
il = estimated at least SD90oa.
DAWSON. " w. r., Dec. 2o-Tae gold
r q nEF Att at fa.r
tsbiished June II OF this year. and since
That time 800 placer mining claims nave
been recorded. From present. indications
20 more Will be recorded before the New
Year. and. as the fee for recording Is tl5.
tho revenue for the Dominion government
SERVED from this source alone. FOR period
OF less thar six months time will reach the
sum OF $500. Added to this ara the re-
newal fees. which Is 500 for each claim. the
fsa OF s. making transfer on the records
and tho fee for recording quartz claims
30. taken as whole. the commissioners
office. where the entire work is done by
the commissioner and two assistants. is 4
very lucrative one for the Dominion gov
eminent
II a newcomer to Dawson should want
any evidence az 10 tha faith the p0ps-
aation Of this community has In the gold
producing qualities OF the klondika c0un-
try. all that would bee necessary for him
90 obtain this evidence would be 10 walk
down In the gold commissioners office and
see the Vast throng of men standing In the
street yainiy trying 70 obtain admIttanca
10 the Office Ia order To record their claims
From early morning until after closing time
this crowd Increases IN NUMBERS and al
though the gold commissioner and his able
assistants are turning ost the work as fast
az possible. there seems 10 be no end to the
rush. The Office Of the commissioner r.
. small frame building. about sixteen fee,
square. and dozen men standing in front
OF the desk completely fills st. They can
therefore. accomoiafe only very KNITTED
number. When the Office is opened at
In tho morning, there Is a grand rush for
admittance, and the fighting and scrauah-
ding very forcbiy reminds one OF the or,sn n
ing OF ticket wagon at a circus. When
she office Ia filled the door IS closed and
those who were so unfortunate as not to
eave been near the door. have nothing
isf: them but to wait for the next grand
scramble.
To these who see these PUSHES 4 Is quite
amusing. bat 70 one Wan has been tramp
ang over the snow bound hills for days aud
weeks In search Of the clatr which they
Sondly hone viii produce the golden mug.
gets for them and then to be forced 70
etand In the street. with the mercury nj
~ below zero. for days and. In some In
stances. for week AZ "a time IL - anything
Ahi - JUNE anu many anu NifitT are ffA
complaints against the manner in which
the Office Is conducted.
We have all heard OF the man who
broke the bank at Monte Carlo" hut We
have yet IN hear Of the lucky individual
who can break a bank AZ Dawson
Dawson. Ike any ether mining camp. has
her sporting men, frcsn the festive 'fln-
horn" Ia the fun hejged sport" Faro Ia
The popular game and they always play
with a limit. unless some member of the
fraternity feels unusually lucky ana plays
IL wide open. A game of the Wide open
class took place last night and ;he betting
was typical of the place. money was no
ohiect. chffss worth Slto apiece an1 the
table covered with stacks Of them: in A
game OF that Kind. Dawson sport vii
win or lose fortune ia one tara 81 the