Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-07-05
NOT A PROFITABLE TRIP FINANCIALLY.
lewis kicr Writes From Alaska Concerning Con
ditions There-Not Entirely a Rosy Picture.


From Dawson City, Northwest Terri
Tory md date Of April Fl, Lewis Kie
writes u. L. Gerdner q long letter con
corning a adventures of himself an,
ms brother Ernest in Alaska. Nothin,
q before been heard from the BOYS 70
sJyeral months, and the presumption i
tnat they endured hardships like al
others in that country, during the Ions
winter Lou writes that he had Just re
turned from some outside point anf
found fourteen letters awaiting him
dated from October 18th to Februar,
18th, one from a friend located at Wan
paca. who with another party made thu
trip to Alaska with the Kier bows. The,
returned to Wisconsin last fall. TIVE
others who went with them are still II
Dawson and have not made a dollar
Lou says work is sarce and Thousand,
OF men In the country with nothing <
do. no money and very little provisions,
Hundreds went out over the ice durinp
a winter and as many more are await
ing Tor b first boat to take them ont
Iney expect the government to assis,
tnem IN getting away; they are of q
class who are unable to do hard labor.
The climate, Mr.. Kier says, is not as
a as Is Imagined; persons have to be
careful about keeping their blood in
good condition. The three hospitals OF
Dawson City are full, most of them meu
WAo froze their hands and feet. Thu
writer said he wet his feet one day when
mercury CONCEALED, but kept from freez
ing by building a fire in q snow-bank Til
ne dried his socks. The boys lived in a
tent all through the cold weather. the
most severe time being in November,
when mercury stood at SO. Lon saws
though, that he has suffered more from
cold at times in Wise yAsip than in Alas.
ka. hasn't had D cold since h. went there
gained 10 poulids, works harder than he
even dld here. The boys have four min.
ing claims and half interests in two
others in the 40-mile country. They
don't know what thev are worth, if any
thing at all; not been prospected much.
Most OF their work done has been fol
others, for which they were to receive
stu for 30 days, and go per cent of the
gold taken out. They prospected four
claims on those terms but found nothing.
n Will receive only their regular a
they write that they do that in prefer
ence to lying about their cabin all winter
as thousands OF others have done. Lon
says n will sweat his clothes wet in the
coolest weather pulling a sled. He pulled
his over 700 miles during the winter.
The shortest days are about six hours
OF daylight, although there are two
months they do not see the sun unless
Gney climb to the tops of the mountains.
During the longest days it never gets
dark and the sun is hid from view only
q shnrt time. Few men who have been
there three or four years have made any
thing, and S0 Per cent of last years gold
seekers will return without making ex-
penses. The Kiers report about 81, 200
expended and $500 earned. They have
taken and sold many pictures. To them
the camera has been a source Of comfort
and they have many views they would
not part with. Lou says the country is
all right for about one-tenth of the
people there. There are some good
claims and not a little gold will be
cleared up this spring. Many of the
men have the scurvy, and it is no won
der the way they live. The country has
a surplus of professional men of all
kinds.
Mr.. Kier says the Canadian govern
ment catches 1t on all sides. The officers
stand together and it is hard for a COM
mon man to get hold of property; if it is
any good they will swindle him out of it
in some manner. The u. S. Consul, he
gives a hard name by saying he is no
better than the others, and is a disgrace
to the nation because of his lewd and
drunken ways. Thirty thousand Ameri-
cans there cali upon him to resign, say
ing if our government can't find a re-
spectacle representative to send there we
better have none.
Louis reports meeting young Meacham
formerly of Viroqua, on the streets of
Dawson City.