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In The News
The Klondike Nugget.
Dawson, Y.T.
Vol. 1, No. 36
Saturday, October 22, 1898.
Page 1.
A JURY DECIDES WHO CAUSED THE FIRE.
A jury of six men, good and true, was impaneled in Justice Harper's
court on Thursday to inquire into the cause of the recent disaster by
fire which has visited Dawson. George Noble was made foreman. A number
of witnesses were carefully examined and the jury decided in a verdict
that the fire "was started by a guest of the hotel (Green Tree) leaving
the same about 3 o'clock a.m. of the 11th inst."
They were also of the opinion that "severe criticism is rude the
proprietor for the gross and careless manner in which the hotel was
allowed to be run."
They would also beg "to bring to the notice of the council of the Yukon
the necessity of a law being enacted compelling hotel keepers who use
candles in the bedrooms of their hotels to provide proper fire-proof
holders for the same, as from the evidence produced at this inquiry it
is evident that had such been in use at the Green Tree hotel, no fire
would have occurred." Geo. Noble, foreman; Geo. J. Armstrong,
Albert E. McKay, Arthur P. Hughes, Thos. A. Hinton, Dennis Pueford.
It appears that Tony Page had gone to bed and was awakened by her friend
Belle Mitchell along toward morning, accompanied by a male friend named
LaFont. The trio then repaired to Bell Mitchell's house in Klondike
city, where they were proved to be at the time of the fire. Tony Page's
room was illuminated by a candle fastened upon a block of wood and there
was much conflict of testimony as to whether the three really knew
whether or not the candle was extinguished before they left the room.
The verdict shows the jury to believe it was not extinguished for they
found that "the first was started by Tony Page neglecting to blow out a
candle in her bedroom before she left." The management of the Green Tree
was censured for their negligence in allowing the use of their rooms by
persons irresponsible from liquor.
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LOCAL BREVITIES.
A new postmaster arrived on the Ora. Mr. Hartford is a gentleman who has
seen long postal service at Ottawa and he comes to us fully equipped
with that practical knowledge of postal administration, without which an
office of the importance of Dawson cannot be operated.
It is claimed by the friends of Belle Mitchell that for several weeks
prior to the fire, she had not been an occupant of any room or rooms at
the Green Tree. They account for the mistake by the persistence of some
of the attaches of the house always speaking of a certain room as Belle
Mitchell's room that being supposed to be the room where the fire
originated.
The case of Mrs. Lichtenstadter is exciting the interest of some of our
good people. The young woman was left a short time ago by the husband
who had to go outside on important law matters. He left her with a
comfortable building, a winters outfit, a nice stock of goods and a good
business on Front street. The morning of the fire the shouts of
scurrying people and the noise of hurrying feet failed to awaken her and
everyone was too busy to think of knocking at the door and awakening the
woman. When she woke up the fire was so close she just had time to save
a couple of trunks when the building and entire contents was involved
and went up in the general conflagration. The lady is young and
energetic, and there is a movement to again re-establish her in a
building on the site of the last store. Mr. Lichtenstadter will
eventually become a wealthy man, as he holds a half interest in the
two-and-a-half mills of concession on Hunker, but is involved in a
lawsuit over his title and is thousands of miles away in London, Eng.,
where he is absolutely powerless to aid his wife in her misfortune.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PERSONALS.
Mr. James Barrett came in on the Ora.
Judge Dugas, who came in on the Ora, was accompanied by his son, Ahni
Dugas, and Mr. J. A. Longpri. Mr. Longpri will et in the capacity of
private secretary to the judge.
Capt. J. E. Hansen, manager of the A. C. Co., who has been confined to
his home ill for the past week is again at his accustomed post of duty,
and the machinery of this immense concern feels the impetus of his
ever-energetic personality.
All over Puget Sound, but especially in Seattle, there is no more
popular and well-known a gentleman than Capt. D. K. Howard. The captain
has permanently located at Grand Forks, where he is engaged in handling
mining properties.
Prof. D. H. McCumber, leader of the Monte Carlo band is perfecting one
of the best musical organization, of the kind in Dawson. Being a brother
"mouth-piece" ourselves, we congratulate his musicians and himself in
their creditable musical work.
Andrew Young, who is selling large numbers of each issue of the Nugget
was successful in mailing a large number of papers to addresses given
him by his patrons. Prior to the sailing of the Ora a mail sack was
opened for the introduction of a lot of late mail, and Young's letters
got safely away.
Homer Bean left for Forty-mile Monday. Homer has a number of promising
properties on the American side and has taken down an outfit, with the
intention of doing much development work this winter. His many Centralia
friends wish him good luck and bespeak for him the smiles of the goddess
of fortune.
Mr. O. S. Osborne, of London, who is the owner of 26 and 27 on lower
Bonanza is a guest of the Fairview, having arrived on the Ora. Mr.
Osborne left Dawson last August and spent several weeks outside devoting
his time in private business. While in Victoria and Vancouver he availed
himself of the opportunity of criticizing some of the mining regulations
of the Yukon district, and with an earnestness commendable, placed
before a number of influential business men and others in official
circles, some of his objections, bringing to bear logical arguments in
support of his position. Mr. Osborne will spend the winter on Bonanza,
preparing his claim for ground-sluicing next spring.
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Page 3.
ECHOES FROM DAWSON'S BIG FIRE
How Good Work Was Done in Saving Endangered Property
The Worden Went Very Quickly After the Fire Started.
To George Noble, the popular mixologist of the burned out Worden hotel,
belongs the distinction of being the first to observe the fire breaking
from the nearby Green Tree hotel. After arousing the people of the
burning building, he quickly saw that the handsome and well-furnished
house which he had charge of was in imminent danger. So quickly did the
flames spread that he barely had time to make the tour of the upper
rooms and arouse the guests when she was in flames. Some of the guests
endeavored to return for a second load of their valuables, but were
debarred by friends who saw it would be at the risk of their lives.
The two store buildings occupied by the Arctic Meat Company was a number
of buildings from the fire and Manager Perkins and his men were out
rendering good service in fighting fire and saving the goods of
merchants in more imminent danger. While all were away some excited
individuals came to the conclusion that the Arctic Meat Co.'s building
must be destroyed in order to save the town. The contents were hurriedly
carried out and no one knows where a lot of the stuff is today. The
others attacked the inside with axes. The walls were chopped, the racks
were chopped out, someone ran an axe through the windows and the ceiling
would have been chopped in could anyone have reached it. Meanwhile
someone had slung ropes over the top of the building and were pulling it
over into second street with a "heave, ho! heave, ho!" The building
quickly inclined at an angle when expostulations were heard and the
ropes were cut. It was
urgent that the turning over of the building would but block Second
street and prevent access to the river and would also form quite a good
bridge to conduct the fire to the next block if it continued to come
that way. And so the building was left and it took jack screws galore to
straighten her up next day. Manager Perkins had a handsome fur coat of
Australian possum which has failed to put in its appearance since the
fire. He desires to tell the fellows who got it that they can keep what
meat they took for their stomach's sake, but to please return
the coat for his hide's sake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ALL ABOARD FOR SEATTLE.
The daring little Ora departed for White Horse on Thursday morning with
plenty of passengers aboard willing to take their chances with her of
getting through. She not only intends making the trip, but also to
return to Dawson for the winter. "Fortune favors the brave," and,
strangely enough, the floating ice disappeared from the river as if by
magic, as the sailing hour
approached, and the gallant little Ora left Dawson on a river as placid
and tranquil as midsummer.
The passengers included the popular Bill McPhee, Tom Sunny, Mr. and Mrs.
Demandel, F.W. Herring, F. A. Elliott, A. Zeens, H. C. McGoon, B. W.
Marlin, A. E. Smith, A. B. Russell, O. P. Attwood, Mrs. F. H. Sloan, R.
C. Miller, Edward Irving, Louis Johnson, J. J. Ditter and J. M.
Richards, the last three gentlemen being for way points.
The Ora also took out eight sacks of first-class mail bound for the
outside, probably the last mail to go out by steamer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
St. Mary's Hospital.
Father Judge is making a strenuous effort to place the St. Mary's
hospital on a firm, financial basis. The hospital has been conducted
during the past year largely as a charitable institution and a great
many of those who have received attention and care from the benevolent
Father and his able staff of assistants have left the institution
without giving one cent of remuneration. In fact the hospital probably
has accounts on its books aggregating a larger sum than the amounts
collected.
Yearly tickets are now being sold and from these it it hoped that a
considerable sum will be raised to meet present pressing financial
difficulties.
The following is a report of the hospital for the week ending October
20th:
Patients entered, 20; patients discharged, 15; patents in the hospital,
123.
Four deaths: G. Ralston, Oregon, on the 16th; D.A. McNamara, California,
on the 17th; T. Donahoe, California, on the 18th; E. Lawrence, from
Illinois, on the 19th.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAREWELL MCPHEE.
A banquet was given to Bill McPhee and friends Wednesday evening by Miss
Mulroney, the genial little hostess of the Fairview hotel. The spread
was sumptuous, the wine-list long and the
company congenial, and McPhee's departure to the outside will be
distinctly remembered by the farewell banquet given in his honor by Miss
Mulroney.
After the banquet the room was cleared of its furniture and taken
possession of by an invited party of dancers. Refreshments were not
wanting and merriment reigned supreme until and early
hour in the morning. Among those present were the following:
Louis F. Cook; F. W. P. Smith, Chas. S. W. Barwell, G. H. Herd, Mrs.
Annie Primrose, W. A. Badger, Thos. Chilholm, T. W. Smith, Geo. A.
Brown, Mrs. Janet Stephenson, Murray S. Eads, Murray R. King, W. Squier,
Ben R. Everett, A.D. Field, Mrs. A.D. Field, Mrs. W. A. Barlen, Mertie
Houck, G. P. Rockliss, Mrs. L. Kirk, W. H. Narrel, J. F. McMartin, Mrs.
Emma Kimball, Jacob Kline, Dr. D. MacLeod, H. A. Turner, Fritz Ranke,
Douglas Wateman, Kitty Pilkington, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas, Leroy Tozier,
Thomas Sunny, Capt. J. Rattenbury, N. Talbot, S. T. Dinwan, Dr. R. R.
MacFarlane, Nellie Conkley, W. H. McPhee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EPWORTH LEAGUE ORGANIZE.
On Sabbath evening, of October 9th, there was organized at the Methodist
church an Epworth League for the systematic prosecution of Christian
work, with the following staff of officers:
President, R. H. Roper; 1st Vice-president, H. E. Rogers; 2nd
Vice-president, Miss Swan; 3rd Vice-president, A. B. Cook; Secretary, W.
M. Cribbs; Treasurer, Miss Edna Pitch; Organist, Miss Alberta Swan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE MEETING TONIGHT.
There will be a meeting of the Volunteer Fire Brigade in the club rooms
of the Regina hotel at 7 o'clock tonight. Everyone interested in the
welfare of the city is requested to be present.
Following is the roll of member ship to date:
E. C. Allen, Ed Brown, I. W. Biddle, F. H. Beaton, E. C. Biggs, Lloyd
Botts, A. F. Benard, F. F. Boyce, J. E. Cockrane, Ray Coombs, W. F.
Cooper, Geo. Crummy, E. J. Cruice, A. P. Calhoun, Geo. Curtis, P. E.
Dunden, E.J. Ellis, John Evans, T. I. Evans, M.E. Eselwege, F. J.
Fletcher, W. A. Fox, W. Galpin, A. F. George, H. D. Hatch, Ben Hammond,
F. J . Hemen, T. C. Healy, Fred Jacobsen, John Kissel, A. Kerr, W. A.
Laubach, W. M. . Lyon, Jacob Mades, H. B. Mitchell, B. H. Moran, E. L.
Morey, J.C. Morgan, L. R. Martin, Alex McGuire, F. G. McCarthy, Jack
McNeely, S. Nettleton, J. R. Nichols, Chas. Phillipps, G. E. Parsons, A.
D. Ross, Geo. Russell, J. H. Sears, D. W. Semple, I. Schwartz, A. U.
Starrett, Walter Sutton, Albert Trabold, Ben Trenamen, J. J. Voumk, Jas.
R. Walsh, J. W. Wilson, A. G. wheeler, F. S. Wombwell, E. A. Wert, and
Thos. Young.
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