Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1898-02-11
ELKO, NEVADA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1898.



who returned from the Klondike
Monday night, gives the journal the
following account OF affairs there. 1t
will be interesting reading to those
who contemplate going to the Klon-
dixie in search of gold:
lie left Dawson City on December
10th and made the trip from that
point tn Reno in 81 travelling DAYS.
lie had been Oh the road, however,
forty-seven days including layovers
and delays, lie came out by the
Skaguay pass or trail and prOnOunccs
1t FAR worse than the Chlcoot pass.
On the day he crossed the summit AN
ice or slect storm WIS raging that ul-
most reached the violence Of bliZ.
zard. On :he summit there was nine
feet Of suuw on II level and he SAYS
that the PARTICLES Of ice driven by :hc
storm clnng +" their wraps until Il
coating two inches thick WAS formed
all over them. The trip from Daw.
son to Skaguay is about 700 miles and
he and his party footed it all tl,c way.
He expressed himself as glad that he
Is home and docs not care to repeat
the hnrdships Of the journey and
doubts seriously whether the pros
poets at Dawson, or any other part Of
A!aska for that matter, will warrant
tla rI,.lr nf III, a. "a. .
the rirOrs of the climate.
Dawson ii quite Il large town with
the usual life incident to II Liining
settlement. The buildings are prin-
cipally log houses, frames being com.
parativcly few. 1t is town of
saloons, gambling and dance houses.
with here and there store, "a lpdg-
ing house and eating house. Saloons.
however, predominutc. Tho pCpula-
ton is estimated ut six thousand
souls and il Is admitted already that
there are 5000 too many people i'll
camp and as result hundreds are
making every possible effort to leave
and return South.
The principal industry Is wood
saving and lawyers, physicians.
school teachers and ministers are en-
gagged nt that business in the hope Of
holding ont until Spring. The men
receive SD per cord and at that price
they just about make living. Wages
range from Sl2 to Sl5 per day when
men can get work, but when the cost
OF living is considered it IL mere
pittance, AS m illustration Charlie
tells Of youug fellow from Seattle
who rOomed with their crowd. He
secured n place tending bar at Sl5
per day or slO5 per week. lie had
left sd Il week job at Seattle. but
he frequently expressed himself that
he wished he was back at his Seattle
job at smaller salary.
Tho mines and the gold output arc
greatly exaggerated. Thore are
number Of districts or purts Of the
country adjacent to Dawson where
gold is found in varying quantities
ranging from II color or two to $3.50 u
pan. the latter being exceedingly rare
and he was told that this was about
tho highest run Ia the pan recorded
up to the time he left. The ground
is extremely hard to work, tho frost
penetrating to II depth Of thirty.ivo
feet.
EldOrado Creek ia tho mining CEN
ter and gives the richest yield, but i.
has been doomed above all reason. II
stnkcd from end To end and on both
sides, every foot being taken up.
There are other creeks where gold il
found, but only IN small quantities
md without nny encouraging pros.
poets. In fact disappointment
rcigns on every hand. \ Tow have
made money, but not directly from
the mines, while hundreds have spent
every dollar md are unable tO get
ont and arc selling such supplies us
They can spare Ia help them through
until spring. There urc plenty Of
supplies and no one will starvc. 80 Mr..
Lake suya, but when spring comes
tho supplies will 10 nearly exhausted
and many will bo broke and there
will 10 mn nrmy Oi idle mon. Tho
leading question is how to get away
or get bnck to civilization. Tlo
prices for everything ranges high,
sl.50 per pound being tho the aver.
unp