Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-13

the prices attached. A bowl OF SOU
cost a dollar. and Il bowl of muSh an,
milk SLIPS. A dish of canned tomatoe
cost 81, slice OF ple 10 cents and
sandwich with coffee or tea sl.25
Beans, coffee and bread wcrc 50.
plain steak $3.50. and IL porterhousc So
one or the leading restaurants. which
had seating capacity of thirty-two
employed three cooks. one OF whom
received 500 per week. and the other.
81 per hour. The walters were boil
men and women. tho latter receiving
sloo per month. That restaurant was
held in tent 20 by 40 In size. and
the rcnt for the tent was $500 pei
month.
From an old bulletin of the United
States Department Of Labor, / have
other prices and wages at Dawson In
1888. carpenters were receiving Sic
and common laborers $40 per day
Skilled woodworkcrs got SIT day and
lourneyman tailors sl.60 an hour. The
ordinary charge for a sacque suit was
N25. Barbcrs made from SIS to $40
day. each receiving 65 per cent of
the receipts OF his chair. Four such
shops were in operation, and their
prices were 81 a shave, $3.50 for a
hair cut and $3.50 for bath
During that winter. newspapers
brought in over the trail sold for So
apiece. A weekly newspaper was start
ed known as the Yukon Midnight Sun,
which cost S15 year. and Il little later
the Klondikc Nugget was issued week
~, and single copies of II cost so
cents job printers got $3.50 an hour,
and the charge for printing bill-heads
and business cards was S35 Il thousand.
hanks DID BIG BUSINESS
IN BUYING GOLD DUST
Banks were soon established, and
they did big business in buying gold
dust and putting their notes into cir
cuiation. The first eight days after it
opened It's doors. the Canadian Bank OF
Commerce bought s1,5O0,0O0 worth Of
gold dust. 1t paid Sl4 an ounce upon
the receipt of the dust and the balance,
less certain charges. after assay The
Bank of British North America also
had branch. Both these institutions
arc stlll in Dawson and they are buy
ing gold dust to-day.
Not long ago the old building in
which tho Canadian Bank of Commerce
had it's Offices was burned to the ground
and one of the clerks asked permits
sion to work over the ground as a
gold claim. He wanted the waste from
the assay office and also the dust
which had fallen on tho floor from timo
to time In the purchase of gold. His
request was granted. and his panning
While cashing draft at the Bank
OF British North America the othcr
day l saw them sending away a ship
ment OF gold. 1t had come in to them
in the shape OF dust and nuggets and
been melted In bricks There were
$4,000 worth OF these bricks lying on
Il counter covering space about
three feet square. The bricks were OF
a light yellow color. and some were
MI,
centaEe of silver mixed with them.
Ineir average value was S15 an ounce.
They were of various sizes. from that
'f a big cake of laundry SOAP down to
cake of milk chocolate. I lifted one
II the larger ones. II weighed little
more than twelve pounds and It's value
vas $1,000 Later | saw the bank clerk
'ut the bricks into canvas bags and
abel them for export ny registered
nail.
Leaving the bank l dropped in at
he offices of the Northern Commercial
company and watched them make ND
Shipment of gold dust and nuggets
q he sent TO the States The gold
liied two satchcls, and It was worth
IltoEether In the neighborhood of
100000. 1t was put up in 4 half dozen
little sacks of about the size of r,ve.
'ound salt sack such as is sold In our
rocery stores. Each sack of that size
obtained from $4,000 TO $4,000. There
we're also two larger sacks that held
lore.
All gold that is shipped out of Canada
avs royalty or tax to the govern
leht In 1885 the amount charged was
u per cent on all the gold mined. and
think there was in addition a tax
II all gold sent out OF the country.
o-daF there is an export tax Of ID
er cent and travellers are examined at
ne frontier 10 see that they do NOT
wade the duty. Every one who goes
Ut or tho klondike into Alaska is met
y the customs officers as he crosses
ne border and examined TO see that he
as no gold upon him
There are woman examiners who
q Re charge Of the females. and # they
Inspect them make them go INFO a
rivate cabin for careful inspection
'ot long ago woman took out a
afGc quantity Of nuggets and dust
~" was examined in passing, but the
INSPECTORS took no account Of a big
lower pot containing a rose bush thar
ne was carrying out with her. The /;
'p OF the pot was covered with soil /
M II was not until she got safely
way that II was learned that tho soil I
iaa only half an inch deep and thar
that was below was almost pure gold 1
Copyright. 1916. by Frank q Car
penter.)