The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 23, 1898, Page 16

FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JANUARY 23, 1898 “I SCRATCHED $10,000 WENT to Klondike on my wedding v first housekeeping was at the point called Forty-one We were married—Clarence -the very day we started for the cold north. Did bride ever have such a honeymoon and wife ever begin housekeeping under such strange cir- ances? Berry had been two 1 before I accompanied were engaged when he first there, in 1894, and he left come down here, where we were :d. I was determined that he not return alone, and when a s up her mind to do a usually does it. Hence, in epite of all that was said, I went to the Klondike, and I and a lady in our party (Mrs. Lippy) were the first women to set foot upon the frozen ground of Dawson City. When we arrived at Forty-One Mile Mr. Berry saw that I was comfortably loc: d in a cabin and he went on to American Creek. He was gone for five weeks, and I was the most isolated and lonesome woman in this world, I do believe. I will never forget those five long, draggy, dreary weeks. Not a thing to do, nor a thing to see ex- cept snow, ice and wilderness. Well, I began housekeeping—my first experience. Just Imagine! Every time I wanted a little water to use in cooking I would have to take a chunk of ice and thaw it in a vessel on the stove; if the water was wanted for drinking purposes you would have to wait until it cooled; but that did not take long. In fact, you would have to be careful that the water did not solid- again. n, the Alaska housekeeper never ws when her work 1is done, for rvbody keeps open house or open rather. on the Klondike. Often- s after having *‘cleared off” the ta- five or six, and sometimes a dozen, hungry miners would come along, and that meant another supper and one on a much larger scale. It was not an un- common occurrence for the guests for supper to stay all night -and have breakfast the next morning. That was before the shortage in provisions, though, and I suppose things are, from the necessities of the situation, far dif- ferent now. From Forty-one Mil elf went to Daw City, of seventy m . Mr. Berry d alone in a small boat and told “pack up” and take the first n he got half left the pro- ons he had taken ar eturned to yupany me. Tlee steamer Arctic came in on a very cold and rainy night, yhave my fivetons of pro- 'ked and ready for ship- ck the following morn- »f hard work that night. = hurry 1 bustie years in him. We went up diggings Mr. Berry and s m AalmM® pom en nten ; o 11l ce TV he a7 Wines | when ste ke B o \i\"“:“:t 1o Cturn OUT OF THE EARTH to get everything ready. With the as- sistance of neighbors, however, I man- aged to have everything in readiness for the morning. Mr. Berry leff his small boat and took passage with me on the steamer. At Dawson we pitched a tent as tem- porary quarters until a cabin could be bullt at our claim, which was No. b. Our tent was the first one ever put up at Dawson, and, my! what a time we had to keep from freezing that night. We stayed as close to the fire all day as we could get, and at night we cov- ered ourselves, head and all, in warm blankets, and even then it was cold. ‘When we removed to our cabin it was far from completed. It was not until three weeks afterward that our cabin was cozy enough to call it a home. We then had carpets, curtains and chairs, and there were doors and windows in the cabin. Then the mining began in earnest. My work was not confined to the house by any means. Making bread for the miners and showing them how to do it; preparing meals and ‘“tending to the house generally,” were only a frac- tional part of my experience on the Klondike. I went to the diggings, too. One thing that I was most thankful for was the fact that in spite of the cold, the hardships and the privations I enjoyed most excellent health, which is very unusual for a woman in that trying country. Just think of a woman making $10,- 000 by scratching with a.stick in the dumps; but that is what I did. In or- der to do the panning I had to thaw the water. At first I Jost a lot of valu- able gold, but soon I learned to take it out as well as any of the old miner I put my “earnings” away in every re- ceptacle T could find—old bottles, jelly jars and cans. In that way I brought my preceious findings home. 1 had the distinction of washing the heaviest yielding pan of the Klondike, the sum of $596 being taken out in gold. After thus spending the afterncon— far different from the manner in which the housewife in civilized communities passes her time—I would return to our cabin home and prepare supper for the cold and hungry men from the dig gings. Think of panning dizginss, pick- ing up nuggets and raking around the dumps to an afternoon tea or a sewing circle! 1 was kept very busy all the time. ard when 1 was not engaged. in some © g o SRR WITH A LITTLE STICK.” Mrs. Clarence Berry. sort of occupation my housewifely cares for the morrow were sufficient to keep my mind occupied, so you see that, al- though it was very lonesome up there, far, far away from friends and rela- tives, I hardly had time to be home- sick. But the life of the wife of the miner on the Klondike cannot be called a very pleasant one. But I cannot say that I am sorry that I went; that I braved the hardships and faced the privations. I will not return, however, to the Klondike. My husband goes back this spring, but he will return here in the fall. He will not spend another winter there, either. I could not mention half the people who have asked me what I thought of their going to Klondike—ladies and gentlemen alike. I have told many la- dies what T thought and have written many letters in answer to queries which I receive almost every day from women who seek advice about Klon- dike, as I have had the actual exper- jence that they are contemplating un- dergoing. My answer has invariably The Klondike is no place for a e ont h"—-slor ¥ tha k, s t it is poy ubrecedeq ave Jive, € that hat, oo the mign. he fa)) (55 investeq T 18! . and tog) $00 back and sinkj, t h per, the o 12U With ang n, e of w, & my s’-‘\'ing:',-';k' holes 4 fin m in Dyea hag 5 Store € a GOLD HUNT MINING EXPERIENCES Or THEIR WIVES. Coung todon, ang jp (h over ¢, e sa "arly thar's € first _excitin 4 go .t Klong, Scarcely o to thetly s ““NO ONE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SURPRISED THAN MYSELF WHEN | STRUCK IT RICH.” HE story of my finding a fortune is briefly told. It was a matter of luck, and proves that good fortune sometimes follows a long season of disappointments and ineffectual attempts to make money. It also shows that a man may stumble right onto the chance of his life with- out any previous plans, or the least idea of what is waiting for him. No one could have been more sur- prised than myselft whep I “struck it rich” on the Klondike. 1 was born at Scarborough, in York- shire, on the east coast of England, Harry Dobson. where my family has been known for the past 200 years. But I had a roving disposition and did not care to stay at home, as my ancestors had done, and engage in business, so I began early to work out for myself. I have traveled all over the world. Then I thought of the Yukon and wondered if it would not be a good idea to go into the frontier to get employ- ment or start some kind of business there. I knew nothing whatever of mining and did not expect to prospect. At that time of course the Klondike was a comparatively unknown region. 8o.1 struck out over the divide for Cir- cle City, after reaching Juneau, and with several traveling companions, picked up on the way, completed the long, hard journey up the river. To reach Circle City one must go through Dawson. The gold fever had Jjust broken out there. I was broke. But on the first tide . of the boom I went to work and it was a matter of only a few weeks when I had enough nuggets in my pocket and in my claims to travel the globe over again as many times as I might wish, and under very different conditions. But I shali not seek pleasure in trav- eling. My intention is to buy a big farm within a few hours’ travel of San Francisco and enjoy a quiet life there. ‘WL WERLE POOR AND HOPELESS WHEN IN A DAY ALMOST WE TUMBLED ON UNTOLD WEALTH.” THREE KLONDIKE MILLIONAIRES.