Dawson City - A History of Growing Pains 1896 - 1906
As prepared by Dawson Historian, John Gould.
FIRE EQUIPMENT
The Territorial government had decided to give $5,000 to St Mary's Hospital
and another $2,500 for one of two purposes, to be used for the improvement
of the main street, or to go towards the purchase of fire equipment that had
been ordered. A large first class steamer, a large double cylinder chemical
engine, half a dozen hand engines and buckets, grenades
and hook and ladders galore. The total cost of this fire fighting equipment
was $12,000. It was decided that the street would be left to the people to
work on, seeing how they are only unfit for 3 or 4 months. Fire prevention
was needed year round. (Klondike Nugget July 12, 1898)
All this fire fighting equipment came in on the steamer Portus B. Weare, on
August 10, 1898.
THOUSANDS OF OUTFITS FOR SALE
Petticoat Lane in London, does not show any more activity trading and greater
slashing in prices on clothing than can be found in Dawson's Sand Bar avenues
to day. Never before in the history of the country has there been such a buying
and selling and at such prices-and there never will be again.
The unfortunate stamped of people from every point on the globe, every man
and woman bringing in an outfit and some of them large stocks of goods to sell,
has created a condition of congestion in the trade which will never be repeated.
Two thirds have either gone out or are making hasty preparation to
go before winter lack in provisions have not yet made their appearance up the
river in anything like the quantity that has been promised, so that the selling
out of outfits of provisions has not put the prices down below cost. It is
in clothing that the most remarkable slashing goes on. The sand beach has been
laid off in two tent streets. Wall street and Bowery avenue. Both a lined with
clothing outfits for sale. Sellers have become so eager and buyers so scarce
auctioning has been resorted to by a number of the sellers. The prices secured
on tools and cloths are often 50 percent of the prices in Seattle
or Victoria if a mans time is worth anything at all in coming over the passes
and packing and sledding his goods, every thing he brings cost him a dollar.
FIRE EQUIPMENT
The cost of the equipment for the fire department landed in Dawsonwas $18,000. Only $9,000 was available to pay for it the rest was yet to be raised. In the meantime the equipment sat in a warehouse still in crates, the steam pumper had to be assembled and the chemical engine tanks had to be filled. (Klondike Nugget July 12,1898)
FIRE SITUATION
The city of Dawson was growing faster than any city in the North West Territory,
ever grew. Most of the buildings going up were of a transitory character, being
nothing but frames with canvas covering, with this type of construction there
was always a very grave danger of fire. There was an almost unbroken line of
building on each side of Front Street, a third of them are not meant to be
permanent structures, and that there will be at least one stove in each building
with stove pipes many of which will be of considerable length, this was a very
dangerous situation.(Klondike Nugget July 20,1898)
LETTER TO EDITOR RE- SCHOOLS
A citizen wrote to the Klondike Nugget on July 27,1898, expressing their opinion on the proposed incorporation in the following manner.
"Sir, At present the government of the Yukon is not responsible to the people of the Yukon but only to the government at Ottawa or Regina, as the case maybe. We have no voice in our government than has Britain's latest acquired colony of Central African savages in theirs. For such administration and such laws are wise and just we have to thank the people of Eastern Canada and the government at Ottawa and Regina; and for such administration and such laws as are unwise and unjust we have to thank the same source." (Klondike Nugget July 27, 1898)
©John Gould
(This is copyrighted material and under no circumstances is allowed to be copied or used without the express permission of the author)