All about the Klondyke gold mines Part 6

Joe Ladue, who owns the town site of Dawson City, emphasized Mr. Sloss's warning. He said no one had any idea of the amount of food required by hearty men doing hard manual work in extreme cold weather. He said the suffering was keen last winter because the men could not secure a variety of food, which their systems craved. The transportation companies sent large amounts of whiskey, which found no great sale. Then they rushed in stoves, picks, shovels and other hardware, but the last thing they seemed to think of delivering was food, which was needed more than anything else. Especially the men needed such things as evaporated potatoes, which relieve the solid diet of bacon and beans; but it will be hopeless to try to land any of these luxuries, or even dried fruits, which are indispensable.

A returned New Yorker said:

"'The only thing I fear is a famine the coming winter. The united efforts of the Alaska Commercial Company and the North American Transportation and Trading Company cannot transport over 4,500 tons of freight up the river this season, and not until next February can stuff be freighted over from Dyea, Juneau and other points down along the southern coast. There was great suffering last winter, and, though no one starved, food rates and rates for everything in the supply line were beyond belief. Flour was $120 a hundred weight at one time and beef from $1 to $2 a pound. Moose hams sold for about $30, or $2 per pound.

Ordinary shovels for digging brought $17 and $18 apiece, and other stuff of that kind could not be obtained.

"'Wages, however, were proportional; $2 per hour was common wages, and even now in these long days a man can command $1.50 per hour up here, or from $15 to $20 per day. The river steamers cannot keep crews this summer, for all run away to the mines as soon as they get in that region. Indians are all the help that can be kept, and even they are doing something in the line of locating claims.

"'The man who goes in this winter over the Chilkat and Chilkoot Pa.s.ses, or the man who goes in this summer by this steamboat route, should take in two years' grub. I understand that steamboat companies will not carry grub or merchandise for any man, and that they are making a flat pa.s.senger rate of $150 for any port from Seattle to Dawson. This means that they will get several thousand people in there this season, and if they do not get enough grub in, grub will be high. Not less than 1,000 newcomers came over this spring and how many will come by boat we can only conjecture.'"

COST OF LIVING IN DAWSON.

THE ONLY CHEAP THING IS ICE AND FRESH AIR.

Laborers, it is a.s.serted, are paid as high as $15 a day, but the advice is given that no man can afford to go to the new camp without from $500 to $1,000 with which to support himself and insure the possibility of returning in case of adversity.

Living, of course, comes high. The region produces little or no fruit or vegetables. The meat of the caribou and the moose is sometimes scarce, and there are seasons when no salmon can be obtained.

Here is a list of prices that prevailed in Dawson City when the miners started away:

Flour, per 100 lbs $12.00 Moose ham, per lb 1.00 Caribou meat, per lb 65 Beans, per lb 10 Rice, per lb 25 Sugar, per lb 25 Bacon, per lb 40 b.u.t.ter, per roll 1.50 Eggs, per doz 1.50 Better eggs, per doz 2.00 Salmon, each $1.00 to 1.50 Potatoes, per lb 25 Turnips, per lb 15 Tea, per lb 1.00 Coffee, per lb 50 Dried fruits, per lb 35 Canned fruits 50 Lemons, each 20 Oranges, each 50 Tobacco, per lb 1.50 Liquors, per drink 50 Shovels 2.50 Picks 5.00 Coal oil, per gal 1.00 Overalls 1.50 Underwear, per suit $5.00 to 7.50 Shoes 5.00 Rubber boots $10 to 15.00

Based on supply and demand the above quoted prices may vary several hundred per cent. on some articles at any time.

THE CLIMATE AND THE MOSQUITOES.

SHORT SUMMER--HEAT AND COLD CONTRASTS.

There is a short, hot Summer of less than four months, with practically no Spring or Autumn. The ice begins to break up in the rivers about May 25, and navigation commences on the Yukon about the first week in June.

It begins to get very cool by the latter part of September, and is almost Winter weather by the 1st of October. The winter is very cold and dry, with not more than three feet of snow. There is only about three inches of rainfall during the winter and not more than a foot or ten inches the whole year around.

It is a country in which it is very hard to find food, as there is practically no game. Before the whites went into the region there were not more than 300 natives. They had hard work to support themselves on account of the scarcity of game.

The thermometer sometimes goes down to 68 degrees below zero in January and February. The cold, however, is not so intense as may be imagined, and 68 degrees there could not be compared with the same here. The dress is mostly of furs in the Winter, that used by the natives, and unless there is a sharp wind blowing one may keep fairly comfortable.

After this there is scarcely a let up before the middle of the following March. Just before reaching Lake Linderman the famous Chilcoot Pa.s.s is encountered, and woe to the traveller who is caught in one of the snow storms, which spring up with the suddenness of an April shower and rage for days. They are frozen simoons. Nature has provided at the pa.s.s a protection against these terrific outbreaks in the shape of an immense overhanging rock. At the top of the pa.s.s it was the custom in former years for the Indians to corral the wild sheep and goats, which were to be found in large numbers in all the surrounding mountains. The species now is practically extinct.

This route, by the way of Juneau, is a fine trip of 1,000 miles or so.

For an individual it is more costly, but for a party it is cheaper.

At the head of Lake Linderman is a saw mill, where prospectors are permitted to prepare the lumber for the boats necessary to complete the journey to the camp.

This work generally consumes five or six days, but if the prospector is in a hurry he can purchase a boat, the average price being $80. Then he floats on and on for hundreds of miles and finally reaches the gold and the miners and the Arctic circle.

CAPITAL REQUIRED BY MINERS.

SOME THINGS INDISPENSABLE IN AN OUTFIT.

Mr. William Van Stooten, the mining engineer and metallurgist, gives his views in the New York Herald as to the necessary outfit required by miners contemplating a trip to the Klond.y.k.e diggings. He says:

"I should place the minimum amount at $600. It would not be safe to start out with less. But you had better make it a thousand if possible, for with the present rush it is likely that prices will be trebled or even quadrupled. Even the Indians will charge more for their a.s.sistance.

Still, if a man is stranded on the way he will probably find it easy to make a living almost anywhere in the gold bearing portion of the Yukon basin. He can earn $10 or $15 a day digging the ground for men with good claims. And with the rise in prices these wages may also go up. Bear in mind, however, that the price of living must increase in proportion."

"What would you consider the proper outfit for a miner in starting out?"

"Well, the matter of clothing must be left to individual taste, needs and means. But the miners usually adopt the native costume. The boots, usually made by the Coast Indians, are of several varieties. The water boot is of seal and walrus skin, while the dry weather or winter boot is of all varieties of styles and material. The more expensive have fur trimmed legs, elaborately designed. They cost from $2 to $5 a pair.

Trousers are often made of Siberian fawn skin and the skin of the marmot, or ground squirrel. The parka, or upper garment, is usually of marmot skins, trimmed with wolverine around the hood and lower edge, the long hair from the sides of the wolverine being used for the hood. This hair is sometimes five or six inches in length, and is useful in protecting the face of the wearer. Good, warm flannels can be worn under the parka, and the whole outfit will weigh less than the ordinary clothes worn in a country where the weather gets down to zero. The parka is almost cold proof. But it is expensive, ranging in price from $25 to $100. Blankets and fur robes are used for bedding. Lynx skins make the best robes. Good ones cost $100. But cheaper robes can be made of the skins of bear, mink, red fox and the Arctic hare. The skins of the latter animal make warm socks to be worn with the skin boots.

Dress is only one item. Every miner must take his own food with him.

Here is a list of provisions made out by an expert as sufficient to last a man for one month:--

Twenty pounds of flour, with baking powder; twelve pounds of bacon, six pounds of beans, five pounds of desiccated vegetables, four pounds of b.u.t.ter, five pounds of sugar, four cans of milk, one pound of tea, three pounds of coffee, two pounds of salt, five pounds of corn meal, pepper, mustard.

The following utensils would not be too many:--

One frying pan, one water kettle, one Yukon stove, one bean pot, two plates, one drinking cup, one teapot, one knife and fork, one large and one small cooking pan.

The following tools are necessary for boat building:

One jack plane, one whipsaw, one hand saw, one rip saw, one draw knife, one axe, one hatchet, one pocket knife, six pounds a.s.sorted nails, three pounds oak.u.m, three pounds of pitch, fifty feet of five-eighths rope.

Other necessaries would be a tent, a rubber blanket, mosquito netting and matches. It is also desirable to take along a small, well filled medicine chest, a rifle, a trout line and a pair of snow gla.s.ses to provide against snow blindness.

The entire outfit can be obtained in Juneau, where one can be sure of getting just what is needed, without any extra weight, which is a matter of great importance, as many hard portages are to be encountered on the trip. Hitherto prices in Juneau have been reasonable. Of course one cannot say what may be the result of the present rush in the way of raising prices."

A WOMAN'S OUTFIT.

A woman who has "been there," says that in the matter of dress a woman going to the mines should take two pairs of extra heavy all-wool blankets, one small pillow, one fur robe, one warm shawl, one fur coat, easy fitting; three warm woollen dresses, with comfortable bodices and skirts knee length flannel-lined preferable; three pairs of knickers or bloomers to match the dresses, three suits of heavy all-wool underwear, three warm flannel night dresses, four pairs of knitted woollen stockings, one pair of rubber boots, three gingham ap.r.o.ns that reach from neck to knees, small roll of flannel for insoles, wrapping the feet and bandages; a sewing kit, such toilet articles as are absolutely necessary, including some skin unguent to protect the face from the icy cold, two light blouses or s.h.i.+rt waists for Summer wear, one oilskin blanket to wrap her effects in, to be secured at Juneau or St. Michaels; one fur cape, two pairs of fur gloves, two pairs of surseal moccasins, two pairs of muclucs--wet weather moccasins.

She wears what she pleases en route to Juneau or St. Michaels, and when she makes her start for the diggings she lays aside every civilized travelling garb, including shoes and stays, until she comes out. Instead of carrying the fur robe, fur coat and rubber boots along, she can get them on entering Alaska, but the experienced ones say take them along.