Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1898 — HIGH PRICES RULE IN DAWSON. [ARTICLE]

HIGH PRICES RULE IN DAWSON.

Scores Would Leave if Certain of Reaching Civilization. William Newton has arrived in Tacoma from Dawson, having started out April 2. He has little to say himself, but brought out letters which detail conditions at Dawson up to the time he left. When he left, Dawson was suffering from an epidemic of scurvy, caused by improper food, or rather lack of variety in diet. The hospital was crowded with patients and others were sick in cabins. The health conditions were worse than ever before, and no doubt exists that many deaths will occur before the miners ure able to take the river steamers to civili-. zation. This feeling is so general that dozens would come out overland if certain they could reach tide waters safely at this season. March was unusually warm in the Klondike country, and the snow melted rapidly. G. C. Pagett, writing on March 29, says many new buildings were being started. Lumber was hard to get at $l5O per 1,000, and dressed lumber at $250. It was impossible to obtain nails, $4 and $5 a pound being the lowest prices quoted for eight and ten penny. Wooden pegs wtte Vicing used instead. Twelve or fifteen horses have survived the winter, and the owners are earning big money hauling logs. Many dog teams are engaged in the same work. Food prices were high, flour SSO per sack, lard $5 per pound, butter $3 per pound, and other provisions on the same scale. Very few had anything to sell. Real estate prices were also skyward. Two front street lots, near the old opera house site, brought $40,000 in March. Prices of all unsold Ibis have been raised from SIOO to SI,OOO each. Considerable speculating is going on in the buying and selling of “dumps.”