Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-08

climbed up on top and had a photo-l
| graph made to show the length Of the
wood and its character. That wood
all cost over IS a cord. and the pile
is worth more than $4,000.
This wood is spruce. and 1t Is cut
from government land within five miles
or Fairbanks. The government charges
the wood-cutters n stumpagc of %
| cents cord The men who fell the
trees and cut them into sticks charge
| SO per cord. and those who haul them
| into the city get about 81 or more.
know one man who can haul as much
| as seven cords at load. He gets S2s
Tor dragging one two-horsej load five
miles over the snow. 1t seems rather
high.
II Is little, however, COMPARED with
the cost OF the same wood at the mines.
| IN such cases 1T has to be hauled much
farther and over bad roads The re-
psuit IS the price rises to SIS and SIS
! cord. 1t takes at least two cords OF
wood to furnish the heat equal to that
| IN one ton'of coal. When the railroad
IS completed. coal from the Nenana
| heids. not far away. should be deliver
ed i'll Fairbanks at S. or IS a ton maxi
ing the fuel cost about one-hfth what
| il does now.
| The Northern Commercial Comp,pv
is denounced as monopoly by some
OF the smaller merchants OF AlaskA
fhere is probably considerable trut.
| In the statement, hut any one can i'm
| port goods. and there are several firms
J mere that are doing very large bust
| ness Tor this part of the world One
rs r.. II. Peoples. Incorporated. and
another Is the Dominion Commercial
,oInpahN. both OF which have their
headquarters at Fairbanks and do bus-
| mess with the mining camps for loo
| iniies or so in the ncighborhood They
| NiSo sehd goods by small steamers far
| UP inc tributaries of the Yukon One
| or their trading stations is at RettIcv
tne cnlet town OF the Koyukuk River
ana the head Of Steamship navigation
| on that stream. The goods go To Rot
! TIES ana from there are carried some.
tnihS IKE nifty miles across country to
! p,"cer mines that are now doing we'll
| me pay dirt is My about four or nv,
| rect from the :: s; roots and ia vicId.
| ing from -sI.JG $40 tn the snu,ra
| FOOT Of bed rock
! ahother trading station is Wisenan
ahout ninety miles from BEETLES. II 10
also on the Koyukuk, but tho strcam 4.
| so shallow TINT the goods arc bai,Iod
| there on bnrgeS drawn bv horses THE
| freight rate Is $40 ton, and tho
goods are much higher in consequence.
Fionr sells at Wiseman for sac a bar
rel, and bacon brings 15 cents n mound
he most OF the merchandise is maid for
| III soId aust. miner will come II,
| ana pay Tor his purchases out OF his
POKE of gold dust. the storckcencr
| Weighing out tho amount needed There
are now something like go miners In
the hoEukuk region, and their trade in
worth $1,000 per man. The miners viii,
otten come in ut the close Of n season
! and drink up all they have made within
| Few days. y miner will put his poke
| or soiu on the bar OF II saloon and ask
all to drink with him. IT. Is an insult
not to join In, whether you know him
| or not. The man keeps up his sprec
untii his money Is gone and then like
as not. gets credit for IL new supply of
goods for the camp.
Most OF the business OF Alaska is
done upon credit. and any one win,
would sell much has to give time. TIL.
people here tell me that the merchants
are liberal in their ndvancements To
| miners. ! talked with q commercial!
traveller last night who started to Fair
! hanks with six horses freighttng goods
! in over the trail. He got into n cold
snap on the way and his horses died OF
| starvation. He arrived in Fairbanks
with only enough for mining outfit.
! but the merchants gave him credit, and
IN company with a partner he leased
II claim OF one Of the creeks for ~
per cent OF the profits. At the end OF
that year he was $4,000 i'm debt. The
next winter he and his partner had no
money to pay wages. hut by their own
work they got out enough pay dirt to
yield them about $4,000 when they
washed II out in the spring. They then
paid np their debts aud within the next
year or so cleaned up $4,000 out of
| the claim.
| tCopyrieht 1916, by Frank c. Car
penter.D