All about the Klondyke gold minesKnox, J. Armoy (John Armoy)
History
All about the Klondyke gold mines
Knox, J. Armoy (John Armoy)
Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries
"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
butter, 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 assorted nails, three
pounds oakum, 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 glasses 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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