The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-21
NEWS FROM KL0ND|KE
Consul McCook Writes From
Dawson City.
DREAD COMING SUMMER
Disease Outbreak Feared When the
Snow Melts-Expense of Living
Still Very Steep-Great Inn
provements Made.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Consulate of the United States of
America. Dawson City, April 10.-There
is a great difference between the Daw-
son City of to-day and the Dawson City
of my arrival here on July rs last. At
that time it was impossible to rent an
office halfway suitable for less than
5000 to $3.50 per month. Even now, over
a saloon or store, small room COM
mands from $50, SIS and 500 per month,
according to size and location. In the
building where the consulate is located
no office room is rented under $125 per
month. A room, large enough for a
bedroom, brings from $50 to SIS per
month. The water front was leased
for one year for $4,000 by the local au-
thorities. Tenants then leased the
ground, according to location, at IS, $40
and $12 per foot per month. The lessee
of a 20-foot front paid on an average
5000 per month for the ground alone.
These lessees erected buildings, and
then rented them out. You can in1ag-
inc what the rents had to be. Moth
ing but rich camp could stand such
an enormous taxation as this Many
who came in arrived in the middle of
summer, July or August, and departed
at once. The condition of the streets
was abominable, mud, water and
most objectionable smell the most
prominent features. For the privilege
of sleeping in a saloon the charge was
from 81 to So, according to location.
You slept in your clothes, and no mat
ter how careful you were, found your
self vermn-covered the following day.
At so-called hotel rooms alone cost
sprinss), husk mattress, tomato or but
ter can for wash basin and tallow
candle for light. This latter was
more of a luxury than a necessity, as
no artificial light is needed in sum-
mer provided you get to bed by mid
night.
Postal facilities were Inadequate; ev-
erythlng was in a chaotic state. How
ever, since the advent of the new local
authorities. headed by Commissioner
Ogllvie, vast improvements have taken
place. Streets were made passa BILE, a
more commodious postoffice rented to
take the place of the one burned down,
new court house built and two good
hotels built. Saloons now have fix
lures that rival many a Broadway,
lew York, place. One can get a meal
at restaurant that boasts of table
cioths chairs with backs and even nap
klns. A fairly good table d. hote din
ner can be had for S1.50 to 81, but if
you order on the so-ca1led European or
American plan, discarding the table
note French system and ordering
oee1steak, etc, be sure to have at least
30 handy. A bottle of u. S. lager on
the side will cost SO extra. When I
arrived the price was SIS per bottle.
pelleVe there is none now for sale, A
drlnk at respectable bar is still so
cents per eye-opener. Should you go to
show You probably find the pit crowd
ed and travel upstairs to a so-called
poA. Along comes the waiter. You
nave no business there if you don't
drink or smoke; you order a drink
your friend cigar; you get a thmble-
full Of vile stuff, your friend a wrptched
cigar for which you pay 50.
Dawson City, however. is not a very
bau place to live in from October to
May the climate then being healthy.
- 10 ilpt so cold IN winter as one ex-
nects' With better living accommoda-
tions one can put in a couple of win
ters mere with moderate comfort b11t
the summer we all dread. More chance
or disease then: the filth that has ,hean
pnroWn or deposited in the streets and
| dlleSS an winter thaWs out under the
rays OF a not sun and we know what
oe i - ne me result. l shudder to think
ol IT, we may have to fly to the hill
tops TO sleep, enveloping ourselves in
me daytime with some kind of disin-
lectaht. There has however bean :.
sanitary inspector appointed TO worlr
Nltil the medical health officer. DIR
noou' ana efforts will be made to pre-
spit, II possible, disease arising. Drains
ures adopted which we trust VIII n1a
vent as serious an epidemic of tvnhoia
as we had last summer. 'e'''to
as 10 the gold fields, from what r
iaNe seen personally, no doubt EXISTS
III my mind regarding the richness and
eA.eht OF the gold deposits in the var
80 Sieehs, ana the creeks that were
take lay on claim, as tbe ,nin.rs
Term II, laymen agreeing to work sc
ihuch or the ground, usually 20 fe.t
across the claim, and receive in lien ri
wages compensation of so per cent n
tte output of gold taken out by them
many oi tnem, after sinking one O,
Two holes. abandon their claims becaue'
they do not strike good nav At 'onna
rms was notably the case last Decem.
Der on Sulpnur creek. which is now
turning out remarkably rich The,
seems to be little development poina or
at present, considering the number ~
and recorded.
Work in real earnest is confine,
chiefly to the few favored localities q,
the principal creeks. This indifference
Is no doubt due mainly to the presen
expensive methods of working. Th,
cost of labor, the high prices of provis
IONS and other articles, are against tn
poor man, or the individual withou
means, and in consequence MANY VIII,
nave had claims which turned ont +,
be very rich have sold them for few
hundred dollars in order to get tn
means to live. Others have borrowe,
on their claims a few thousand dollar
to pay for labor and have given up
per cent per month interest, and 10 pc
cent commission to the broker VIII
finds the money lender. It takes a YER
rich claim to stand this, in addition t
the 10 per cent royalty to the crown OF
the gross output. One can readily Sc
the advantage capital has by buyin
up good claims and putting thawin
machines to work, which have provel
to be more economical in labor savin
and in fuel.
Mines are now operated with thes
tnaWlng machines, COnSiS ting of say