Dawson City - A History of Growing Pains 1896 - 1906
As prepared by Dawson Historian, John Gould.
POLICE COURT ITEMS
Nets Olson hails from where they drink alcohol raw but "hootch" proved his master, $25 and costs.
T. Fisk contributed $50. And costs for apparently having no occupation where by he could earn that much.
Isaac Isaac imbibed unduly and behaved unruly. As a consequence he paid $25 into the treasury.
H.E.Martin, is a bad man. But only got three months for stabbing his partner in the neck. A half inch lower and Martin would have severed the jugular, and the gallows
would have probably seen him. For pointing a loaded fire arm he was fined $30. And costs and or 30 additional days on the cheerless wood pile.
G. Wolfe, carefully stretched his stomach over a great measure of liquid happiness and collapsed; Not having $20 left he will cut wood for 10 days, being a rate of $2.00 per day. They don't pay very good wages on the wood pile.
A. Sam and Bert Curtis, gentleman of leisure, were afforded three months time in which to acquire, at government expense the manly art of wood sawing.
A Macintosh, afraid of typhoid germs drank that which is warranted to kill them at 40 rods, $20. And costs.
Robert Russel got 18 months on the wood pile and really deserved more. When he was broke and sick he was nursed back to health in the police hospital and afterwards given employment in the officers mess room. He retaliated by stealing every thing in sight after about four days of service. The wood pile at a temperature of 40 below may work
reformation.
Nellie LaMore sued to recover her beloved poodle. The defendant established the ''innocent purchaser" defence, and the case was dismissed. And Nellie has her Bow-wow.
LUMBER
Lumber during the winter of 1897-98 ranged from $350 to $250 a thousand feet. Today it is $150 a thousand and likely to remain at that for reason that timber is gradually becoming scarcer. Since 1897 there has been cut in round figures 8,000,000 feet of timber exclusive of that cut for mining purposes on the creeks, which is figured out at about
20,000 cords divided among 8,000 men. The steam thawers now introduced will create a saving in this great consumption but even for these the supply is expected to fall short
in a few years unless some other fuel is brought into the market to meet the wants of the people both in the city and on the creeks. There is a great opportunity for the development of coal.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS - Ordinance is Enacted
Commissioner Ogilvie is confident that one or more public schools will be opened in Dawson this fall or winter. Some month ago he had sent a requisition to Ottawa for books and other equipment and Crown Prosecuting Attorney Wade says he purchased a quantity of books and material at the instance of the minister of the interior and Started them on their way to Dawson. An ordinance had already been passed and sent to Ottawa for approval.
The ordinance becomes a matter of immediate interest. It has some features that will seem peculiar to Americans. A paragraph provides that no religious instruction shall be given save during the half hour of the afternoon proceeding dismissal. No child is required to remain during this half hour but may leave the school. Remaining, they are not compelled to take part in the exercises.
The minority in any school district may apply for the establishment ofa Roman Catholic or Protestant school. As the case may be, and the council wilt there upon establish the same, with proper books and teachers.
It is obligatory upon the parents or guardians that they shall send the children under their care to school during 12 weeks of the year at least for six of these weeks - this to apply's to children between the ages of 7 and 20 years.
Exceptions are provided for in the case of sickness or there is no school within two and a half miles of the parents home or in the case of such poverty that the parents are unable to properly clothe the child. The census completed gave the number of children in Dawson of school age as 167. (Dawson Daily news Oct. 3,1899)
©John Gould
(This is copyrighted material and under no circumstances is allowed to be copied or used without the express permission of the author)