The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-02
REED IS IN DAWSON CITY
The Veteran Dentist Is Safe and
Is Doing Well.
ARE HUNDREDS TOO MANY
The Thing Is Overdone put the Camp
Will Come Out All Right-He Ad-
vises His Friends to Stay Away
From Alaska.

Everybody in Butte will be glad 20
near from DIR. j. w. Reed. the veteran
dentist of Butte. and to know that he
is safe and doing well among the hard
ships and terrors of the Klondike re-
gions. The family and many friends
Of DIR. Reed had reason to feel appre-
hension for the doctors safety, mas
much as no word had been received
from him since January until yester-
day. He is now installed in W
and is starting off well.
The letter is dated July 6 and por-
ions of it are as follows:
Il arrived i'm this city a little more
than two weeks ago. / locke around
one day for a suitable room for an Of
fee. | could find none, so | at once
leased a piece of ground on River front,
paying 81 per front DOT per month-in
other words $96 per month for II feet.
| put carpenters to work at once, and
in IA days had a two-story building
erected and all of the room rented. |
did not wait for an office. | kept men
at work day and night. | have now a
neat and convenient office on the first
floor. My upstairs rooms. three, bring
me 800, and the part of the lower l do
not use $500 per month.
LAS to the camp, / think ii will turn
| out all right. but at present is greatly
overdone. Too many here for what has
been found up to date. Many hundreds
are here discouraged and disappointed;
many are leaving without going out TO
the mines or to prospect, and, of course,
will give the camp "a black eye. Not
being a miner | know personally notn-
ing about the mines, but | have my
opinion on information | have gained
from miners who nave been in the
country for some time. | would not,
however. advise anyone to come here
now. Many hundreds too many are al
ready here with nothing to do, ana IL
is a very expensive place To live in.
Meals are $3.50. However, some have
cut the price and meals can be had at
some places for $1.5O. none of them as
good as a 25-cent meal i'm Butte.
MY advice to all friends would ne
TO stay away from Dawson and Alaska
for a time at least. Wages are high
when work is to be had. but living $
also very lear and the season for work
short and the climate one that soo1
knocks out all but very strong men.
Old men have no business here. the
climate is hard on the young n
rugged and the old men as a rule fan
l ASH. 4 ntA llttu iOA 'iAA u -
ing to take things easy and live IN
luxury, for such a thing is not possible.
Later on things ma change. but at
present il is a tough country TO 1--we IN.
Il have met many here whom | knew
in Butte and other parts of the u
try. \ great many Of them are as
couraged and will return as soon as
they can get out of the country. IL
but a small immigration had come l
think all would have been well, but the
multitudes that have come N are still
coming are so great that unless new
and rich finds are mad thousands
must get out Of the country or great
suffering will follow.
The men who get in here in time to
stake on good ground are all right, but
there are not enough claims for one
tenth of the people already here. |
lost almost one year i'm trying to get
here. and now that | am here l viii
stay at least a year if | ] keep my health,
was almost afraid to come 10 DaW-
son after listening to the lies told
down the river about how unhealthy
the place was. The fact is, Dawson al
present is comparatively healthy. i
have made il a point to inquire OF phy-
sicians and even wen to the hospitals
for information. The doctors say the
place is very healthy. At the hospi-
tai | found so patients under treat
ment. with the loss of about two 3
week. The prevailing disease IS scurVy
some fever. The only wonder to me ID
that the fatality is not greater, con-
sidering the way the people nave g
live. l have not been out to the mines
b,+ axpapt TO go later on.