The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25
earning SIS q month.

earning SIS month.
The year 1896 was the most eventful in
the life of Mary Hogan Layton. She went
to San Francisco early in the year, and a
dying woman, whom she nursed left her
$500.
Among the offices in which she washed
windows and mopped floors was one where
several miners from the Yukon River
placers in Alaska met. The stories she
heard them tell about the gold camps de-
cided her to try her luck as a cook at Circle
City on the Yukon.
A party of twenty-five pioneers, six
married men and their wives and ten single
men, were to leave San Francisco for Circle
City in July, 1895. Mrs, Layton agreed to
go with them as cook at SIS month.
They reached Circle City just after the
first discoveries Of gold along the Klondike
had started the rush to Dawson. Conse-
quently Mrs Layton's party went to Daw-
son, too.
Mrs. Layton started the first meal place
in Dawson. She bought two tents and put
them together, laid pine boards aogoss
barrels for table, and made bench at the
table by laying other boards across boxes.
For meal comprising such things as stewed
Goldfish one boiled potato. salt pork or bacon,
bread and stewed prunes, she got 81. so or
two pennyweights Of gold dust
For weeks her daily receipts averaged
$3.50. The daily average of expenses was
s85
There was demand at Dawson, from the
first, for hotel where men could find some
sort of home. Naturally Mrs. Layton was
looked to as the most likely proprietor Of
Klondike's first tavern. Two lots on Front
street were given her for hotel.
BY the expenditure Of some 50 900 in gold
dust, rough board structure was knocked
together The roof was covered foot
deep with earth to keep out the Arctic cold
and tundra and earth were heaped several
feet up the board walls for the same reason.
The beds were hunks, like wide shelves,
four on each wall in each sleeping room.
Each bunk was furnished with heavy
blankets and fire Of pine slabs was kept
burning all the time in the big stove which
stood in the middle OF each bunk room.
The regular rate was S. a day The demand
for accommodations was much greater
than the supply
From Dec. 10, 1895, to June /, 1897, about
twenty-four weeks, the hotel yielded a net
profit of si45OO. Then Mrs. Layton sold
the property for seventy-three pounds oi
gold dust, Troy, worth about SIS 900
with capital of SsO, 900 Mrs. Layton was
the wealthiest woman In the region.
was [ beside myself at the way snug
little fortune rolled In upon me up there in
the Kondike2" Mrs. Layton repeated wher
the question war asked her the other day
NO, because gold was so common Ia Daw'
son during that first wonderful year oil
gathering the golden nuggets and dust
( from the frozen gravel IN the streams
| | saw 30 many men, who were as poor "a
Lazarus when We reached Dawson In Sop
! tembeT, who had got out 100 and 100 pound,
! Of gold by the next summer, that the wondeI
! Of my own sudden acquisition OF wealtl
. did mol oyerwhelm ne as II would haN,
/ done IN an ordinary environment
There was no bank AZ Dawson tAen an,
no storage place Every ono had TO koel
/ hls own golden hoard M beet he could
kept the bulk Of nay gold N esrthsn fruit
( lars and herosono oil can under the bricI
Fireplace IN my hotel kilchen"
from Keeping hotel MS Layton rlTna'
her attention 10 real estate invest msnif
Eysrythlug shs bought doubled and trebls
ju value Within u yoar, one lot, Oh From
NJ rect whl0b sbD bought Tor $500, shs sol
ssyaDtsSD months jaio' for s6JsO
5hs bought u gold claim on bunker Cree
for 80, DJ, after snors ~ ys'sfhD minsI
bod gwen II Wy ~ G!ssgst' ~ Vie svnig's