Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-07-18
WINTER IN KLONDIKE.
Capt. o. E. Mckinley Tells of
Conditions and Prospects
in That Country.
LIVING IN ELEGANT QUARTERS.

Lighted by Electricity and Provided With
Christmas Dinner-Many Prospectors In
the Field and Reports of Some Rich
Strikes of Gold.
Mrs. o. Z. Mckinley, 531 Twentieth
street, is in receipt of a letter from
her husband, Capt. Mckinley, who is
commanding one of the large steam
ers plying the Yukon, in Alaska. 1t
is dated at Andreafski, Jan. IS, 1899,
and is an interesting recital of the
conditions and prospects in that far-off
land. In part the letter states:
II suppose you think we are all
frozen up, but | can't see much diff
ference between the winters here and
those we have at home. The coolest
it has been was Sc below zero, and it
don't seem much colder at that degree
than it does at zero in Rock Island.
Il made a 40-mile dog-team trip
the other day with doctor, who is
attending a woodchopPer 20 miles
from here who has the scurvy. l only
wish you could see our winter quar-
tiers. We moved into them the day
before Christmas. tell you we had
a sweet dinner that day. Our house
is lighted by electricity. The cap
tains, mates. stearsmen, engineers
and ROSTERS have separate quar-
tiers. There are three sittingrooms,
three dining rooms and large kitch-
en-, store and work rooms and % bed
rooms. The building is two stories
and cost S45, 900. We have breakfast
at 8. dinner at 1890 and supper at 6.
We have fine library, supplied with
all kinds of reading matter. When
we tire of reading we play cinch or
seven-up. We have lots of music in
camp-a violin, mandolin and guitar.
So you see we are in it.
THE shortest day we have had the
sun rose at 9:45 and set at 2:45. We
don't have SO much darkness after all,
for it is daylight long while before
the sun comes up and considerable
time after it sets.
The man up the river who is suf-
fering with scurvy did not have any
thing to eat but bacon and beans. We |
sent him n supply of potatoes and |
onions and other edibles. We have a |
pl nty of everything. Our company |
takes excellent care of its men. We |
heard the company made a strike on |
the Keoyukuk, but it is not a sure |
thing yet We are waiting for par
ticulars. We will hear all about it in
June.
Rich Finds In the Field.
81 expect there will be mum Der of
the Mississippi boys out here in the
spring. | think there will be some
rich strikes made this winter, for
there are many prospectors in the
country. We will not learn of what
luck they have had until spring. You
may hear the news before we do. /
wish we were quartered further up
the river. Some of the boys from the
camp are prospecting there. Harry
Young and five others started out
with a dog team few days ago to
hunt for gold. They will be gone a
If they are lucky they have
agreed to stake claims for Moore and
[. 1t don't cost them anything to
lake the trip, as the company feeds [:
hem, and they haven't anything else =
% do at this season of the year.
The Knights of Pythias are to have
/ hall at Dawson City, so we can all
meet and talk of old times. 1t is nice
20 meet mem ers of the order away
rom home. A brotherly feeling at |
,nce springs up between one another.
Alaska is not half as bad as it has
,een pictured. s
IF nothing happens l think 1 will i
20 well repaid for my venture into I
his country. We have just received ,
report of a rich find ut Cape /
Moore. 1t is 100 miles from St. Mich !
Iels. We will know in few days
what it amounts to. If it's n good one z
we will send man over there at once,
or we're not going to miss anything.n