Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-02-01
is DILATING.
THE YUKON CITY EXPANDING
AFTER THE MANNER OF
CHICAGO.
LETTER FROM GEORGE ". WYLDE.
FOrty-Eight Degrees Below Zero on
Christmas Day -wylde and 0.
P.Jones Helped Build the
First Brick House in
Dawson City.
LETTER FROM GEORGE ". WYLDE.

cosgespondsase Of thu Lodgsr.
DAWSON, YUKON TERRITORY, Dec. !.
IS, 1soe.--We write you a line to give
your readers an idea how things are
going on ia this part OF the world and
to inform you that we are hale and
hearty and enjoying ID on this Xmas
day, temperature Of 4s degrees be.
low zero. Navigation closed about
November entirely. The rivers be-
gan blocking with ice about the mid
die OF October and on the night of
October "a the steamer s'strattonvwas
sunk by an iceberg; the passengers
we're all saved, but 20 sacks OF mail
were lost. Several other boats and
acows are reported in the ice at differ
ent points by this early freeze up at
great loss to the owners. / will
send you by the outgoing mail copy
OF two of Dawson's papers In which
full particulars are given, as well as
other news of our city.
Steamers arrived and departed dur
ing the summer season daily. Daw-
son, the past year, has become almost
young Chicago, being now lighted
with electricity and having a very
complete system Of water works; the
telegraph line through from Skagway
is also completed, thus bringing us in
touch with the outside world. We do
not feel one-half so far away from
home as before Messages may be
sent from this point to Skagway for
a. We had quite a building boom
here during the past aummer--four
saw mills, and four planning mills, kept
busy running night and day and were
then unable to supply the demand for
building material. There 10 also a
lime and brick company located some
40 miles up the Yukon and now brick
houses are appearing. o. P. Jones
and myself assistsd 10 building the
frst brick house In Dawson
The town is now one aud one-hali
miles long and three-quarters Of q
mile wide, not including Klondyke
City, or West Dawson. Then the
landscapes, go thickly dotted with
tents and cabins for two miles up the
Yukon river, is not unlike town in
itself Census lately taken shows
DRwson's population to be 4,45O, of
which nearly 1900 are miners,30 hott !
keepers, 100 laundrymen, 100 cooks,
% doctors, 30 lawyers, Q clergymen, 8
theatrical managers, 90 actors and
actresses, 4 undertakers. There are 8
hospitals, 4 churches and about 150
stores, great and small, and sad to say
2s or 80 saloons, with gambling allow
ed in all. However, the town is kept
quiet and orderly by the Canadian
mounted police. Everything stops
promptly at IL o'clock Saturday night
and the man found selling "liquors'
on Sunday is heavily fined and made
TO saw wood for the soldiers at the
barracks for 80 days, being guarded
meanwhile by relocated soldier
armed with musket and bayonet. The
dread Of this woodpile makes a quiet
town, for if man once gets there he
mas lost bis standing with his fellows
forever afterward.
We now have q milk ranch few
miles up the Klondyke and the milk,
Notwithstanding its exceeding "thin-
ness" sells readily here for from s.
70 So per gallon. The prices In CLOTH
ing are becoming more reasonable
but everything in the food line re-
mans high-priced and Is often dam.
aged by age. 'Tis only the wealthiest
that can afford to live here as civilized
people should.
Flour is e12 80 per cwt, bacon 81
cents lb., ham 40 cts. lb., fresh meat Il
cts. to 81 lb., butter 81 To-, sugar Il
and 20 cts. Ib., bread IS cts loaf, mo
lasses 90 per gallon, chickens s6
piece.
Wages remain fully as high as las
year, partly on account Of the excite
ment at Cape Nome drawing 81
large a number of workmen from
Dawson and vicinity. Common car
penters get IS to SO per day, mechan
les, or skilled workmen, SO to s12.5'
per day, miners % to $40 per day, &C
cording to skill and experience. Thi
sounds like good prices for labor, bu
when we consider the price OF getting
10 here and the cost OF even the yer,
plainest living and medical attend
ance, etc., one will find that out o
bis hard earnings they can really saw
, but very little.
So, do not advise anyone withou
capital, who is doing reasonably wei
at home, to come here for assur'
YOU the hardships and deprivations o
: an Alaskan life are still very great
The best paying mines are pessini
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