The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-29
The KLONDIKE QUICKLY WON.
CONTRAST BETWEEN DAWSON or
FOUR YEARS AGO AND NOW.


the first hlondlke Bolu III VIC suihiihot VI
1906 he little realized the avalanche OF civil
ization that his discovery would prccipi-
tate In the frozen North.
In 1895 the country was a wilderness
known only to a handful OF Indians and
known to them only In outline The wild
game inland lived and died without knowl-
edge Of men. and not even the Indians
wore aware that one OF the great naviga-
ton routes Of the barren ground caribou
led across the upper reaches OF the Yukon.
In the fall the thrush OF gold seekers
began with the arrival Of 800 men. mostly
from the known gold country below. 1t
was not till late In 1897 that Its fun pro-
portions were indicated by h advent
of a great feet Of boats which came floating
down the Yukon.
The 5000 men who wintered In the new
tow Of Dawson we're the advance guard
of SO. 900 more, held back for the moment
by the icy barrier OF the passes and upper
river. In 1893 most Of them reached
their goal and through disappointment
and suffering were the common lot, still
the successful ones triumphed over
their frozen environment, and now the
wilderness blossoms with potted geraniums
and the present day Klondiker knows as
much about Mrs. Bonine az her ~neighbors
In Washington living a block away.
Rudolph Kersting, who went to Dawson
last summer by steamer and palace car.
laughed when asked IL he noticed any dead
men on the trail.
There isI't even . horse skeleton to
be seen in White Pass" he said, and this
| where In 81 5000 horses persisted in three
monthsl
sIn 81 was seven months without
| hearing from my family. Now the Dawson
| newspapers complain that their mail SER
vice Is not on a par with that OF the larger
| towns in the States and Canada, and the
| rural free delivery system has its counter
part on the Yukon.
Even Nome has never been 30 COM
| pletely isolated as lawson was In 's7
| nor is IL likely that a city of 5000 souls will
| ever again be cut of for al entire winter
| from news OF the outside world, or pay
hundreds Of dollars TO hear the account OF
| Dewey's victory read from a paper printed
a month before.
Civilization in 1000 years hardly made
| greater progress than Dawson accomplished
in the four years from 1893 to the present
time. The Cheecako has conquered and
the sour dough miners have either sue
4 Nv ~ AsAR'NN
or moved on toward the Pole.
Even the dance houses and gambling
establishments have felt the effects OF
the new order and their old-time supremacy
Is only a memory. The cold and winter
darkness are still in evidence but coal
and it's products, steam and electricity,
| have been called In TO combat them, and
modern methods rave robbed those two
spect res Of their terrors.
"The gold dust currency Ia fast giving
place 10 legal tender and just now itseXlt
l. accelerated by the discovery of whole
sale adulteration with imitation nuggets
manufactured in San Francisco. Cents
are NO rare, however, that Indians still
accept the bright ones for five-dollar gold
pieces. Change Of less than Is cents or
two bits valuation Is not common.
But though the Dawson children cannot
ba advised 10 take care OF the pennies
and the pounds will take care OF them
selves. the children are there and 70 are
the schools. Not counting the quota from
outlying mining camps there are more
than 100 school children In Dawson from
kindergarten To the highest grades.
The Canadian Government has just COM
pleted a handsome new schoolhouse for
their accommodation. Beside the school
a new Court House has recently been com
pleted ~ well as an administration bulld,
ING and a residence for the Governor. all
of which are crcditable architectural ad-
ditions to the metropolis Of the Yukon.
Dawson has had the distinction Of being
the largest log city in the world, but the
log cabin l. giving way To the ordinary
frame dwelling which Is cheaper and more
in keeping with the modern town.
MANY fine large two and threc-story
frame business houses have been erected
aud corrugated iron warehouses have
h--en pat up this season win capacity
for perhaps 1901 or 2U.Ooo tons storage
i'm addition 20 what Their" was In the city
la-t winter. Several thousand tons 81
warm storage quarters have been added.
One fine tWo-story hrick building has
lssu erected al a cost 81 t3O.On This.
il NAV lie mentioned j. tho SECOND brick
building IN Dawson. Nor are these the
only improvements
sThe Prr-byteriHns are erecting a fine
modern church after the styl" 81 the Eng
Itch country church, With sealing cuptliy
fuf several hundred Thrr" - The churches
9th. ci'y will hAy" pip" organs this ian
4 Dawson paper ave
"PItatua-. Which IT. a Will" we're scarce.
are again becoming pl"utiul Fresh
gfaurs. p4arlrs. Hpplr-. v~aisnuslnns and
other such frIit- arr uWWuu iu the market
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Ne iu rIK iU ten tlNs wliA r4r" Toe nfsi
shipment e putttd flowers ever brought
frllu tla uutsiir arrived from N'atil" d
frN dave ago Including hlps-umitg g"fs
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