The San Francisco call., 1899-07-29
DAWSON CITY IS
FREED FROM IT'S
FETTERS OF ICE
Steamers Arrive From Up and
Down the River-Precau=
tfOnS to Avoid Fires.

there will be a reasonably fair contingent
of new coners, d large proportion of them
being investors.
promises to realize all that has been eX-
pected of it. The old creeks, Bonanza
and El Dorado, are performing as they
have for two seasons past, while the
branches on both are turning out marvel
ously. Hunker and Dominion creeks and
Upper Sulphur are turning out better than
last season. and the benches or htllSides
are here, too. producing more than was
expected of them Gold Run and Eureka
Creek will add considerable to the general
footing There has been and is still much
anxiety over the water question. The
washup began this year fully week ear
lier than last year, but cold weather set
in and checked it. The weather has since
continued cool, and only within the last
few days has there been a sufficient flow
of water to warrant TIE work being un-
frozen and this makes the shOveling in
heavy and slow. Whether the water Will
last for the complete cleanup Is the i'm
portant question. l shall tomorrow start
on a general tour of the creeks and gain
what data may be possible as TO the sit
uation and the value of the year, output;
The fire Of the 26th of April swept out of
existence two blockst of buildings includ-
ing nearly all the dancehalls on Front
street the big Alexander Mcdonald build
ing and the Bank Of British North Amer
lea on Second street The banks vault
was destroyed and all the papers in it
were burned.
About half ton of gold dust was scat
tered in the ruins, and the charred earth
about the vault had to be run through a
rocker to save the yellow stuff. The bank
will be rebuilt in brick-the first brick
building Of Dawson Clay has been found
on the hillside back of town, a kiln has
been built and the bricks are being
burned. The fire stared in the rooms of
a woman of the town, Helen Holden, over
the BOdega saloon, on Front street. The
fire engine which drew its water supply
through a hole in the ice on the river,
over thirty minutes in raising steam,
and to this was directly blamed the spread
of the fire. The Governor and his Council
have thus since been supplied with plenty
of work They have been making an ex-
tended inquiry into the cause of the fire
departments failure. with a promise at
the end of reorganiZing it.
A self-appointed Fire Commission had
summarily dismissed the chief the day
after the fire, but he refused to recognize
its authority. After an extended inquiry
into the cause Of the fire the Council
passed an ordinance requiring the demi-
monde to move back two blocks further
from the water front or the business part
Of the town. This was intended to put u
and the houses of the scarlet women in
which latter most Of the fires have had
their origin. The order at first confined
them t&Swo blocks in the center OF the
swamp and Immediately the land specu-
lator saw his opportunity. He proposed
to build great bagnio covering these two
blocks and setting a rental upon each Of
its divisions that In the aggregate would
have beeen better to him than any gold
mine in the Klondike.
The Council. however saw its mistake.