HUNTING GOLD IN THE KLONDIKE. 



GEO. A. PEABODY. 



Dawson, N. W. T. 



Editor Recreation: Winter began here 

 about November ist. Ice was running dur- 

 ing the last days of October from the White 

 and Stewart rivers, and the Yukon stopped 

 flowing by January. About November ist 

 ice piles up on edge in a mass, sometimes as 

 high as 25 feet. There is little wind in this 

 country. The only one we dread at Daw- 

 son is a North one, which means deadly 

 cold. The lowest the thermometer regis- 

 tered here was officially 58 degrees below 

 zero, and there were only 2 cold spells all 

 winter. Fifteen to 30 degrees below is the 

 usual temperature. The air is dry and, dur- 

 ing intensely cold spells, the frost hangs in 

 the air like a white fog. I have suffered 

 more in New York, with the thermometer 

 at 1 degree below zero, than I have here at 

 30 below. I wear warm woolen under- 

 clothes, moccasins, German socks, Mack- 

 inaw trousers, heavy wool shirt, sweater, 

 and a short coat of sheepskin. I had a long 

 wolf coat, which I seldom wore. For trav- 

 eling a drill parkie with hood, with the 

 edge lined with fox-tail, keeps out all air 

 and retains the bodily heat. Men work out 

 of doors all winter at the mines. 



The days in winter are only about 4 or 5 

 hours long for nearly two months, and in 

 spring it is all daylight. One can see to read 

 all night and people cook supper and break- 

 fast at the same time. 



This country has been staked on every 

 creek and gulch in Northwest Territory and 

 Alaska within 150 miles of Dawson. If the 

 " chee-chaw-kee " (tenderfoot) wants any- 

 thing he must buy it. 



The only way for a new comer to get any- 

 thing except by purchase is to go back 100 

 miles from the river and main thoroughfare, 

 pack grub and stuff on his back, up to his 

 hips in mud, eaten by a swarm of mosquitoes 

 and gnats, with the sun beating down on his 

 head for 20 hours at a time. Even after he 

 has found ground that would pay to work, 

 it costs a small fortune to open it up. Com- 

 petition is as strong here as anywhere and 

 unless one has capital he has ro work like a 

 Siwash dog. This year $10,000,000 of gold 

 will probably leave here; but the business is 

 confined to two companies and the saloons. 

 This is not a poor man's country. 



The Crown claims every alternate 10 

 claims; in other words, it holds these claims 

 and if prospecters find the creek good, the 



Crown benefits by it. The government 

 never prospects a foot of the ground it re- 

 serves. If a good claim is found the gov- 

 ernment collects a 10 per cent, royalty on 

 the gross output. No business in the world 

 can stand such a tax. 



We recently gave a reading of a newspaper 

 and charged $2 admission. 



A party spent half the winter on a moose 

 hunt with a tribe of Indians who live at the 

 outskirts of Dawson. I understand they 

 killed about 150 caribou and moose. There 

 has been a great deal of moose and caribou 

 meat here all winter. It has readily brought 

 $1 a pound. At 40 Mile Post it sold at 10 

 cents a pound, in trade at the stores. The 

 Indians are becoming quite spoiled, with 

 selling meat at $1 a pound and mocassins 

 from $10 a pair up. A cow moose was 

 brought in the other day dead and her calf is 

 on exhibition here now. Nearly every one 

 had moose and caribou meat this winter, 

 even at the high price, and there was a great 

 deal of meat that never saw Dawson; so it 

 is impossible to tell how much game was 

 killed in this vicinity. It is getting farther 

 away all the time, but the man this winter 

 who went on a hunting trip, with ordinary 

 luck, made more money than the man who 

 mined. Moose meat is worth $1.75 a pound 

 now and there is only a limited supply in the 

 market. A few fish are now being taken in 

 gill nets. A man had one yesterday that 

 weighed about 3 pounds and he wanted $8.50 

 for it. There will soon be plenty of salmon 

 caught and we will give up bacon and beans. 



We had a celebration on May 24th, canoe 

 races, single and double, 100 yards dash, ob- 

 stacle race, climbing greasy pole, tug of war, 

 etc. The boys in the Northwestern Mounted 

 Police won about everything they entered, 

 for they are a fine body of men and very ath- 

 letic. 



Lake La Barge is now open, and the 

 " chee-chaw-kees " are coming in by hun- 

 dreds. More idle men will be congregated 

 in Dawson this summer than in any other 

 place in the world. Most of these people 

 have no idea what they are coming to. 

 When they learn they will grow disgusted 

 and after a while they will leave. This is a 

 country of hard work and terrible discour- 

 agement. 



People who make any money here will be 

 few and far between. My advice to all who 

 are tempted to come is to stay away. 



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