ADVICE TO BEGINNERS.
Men who are thinking of going to the Klondyke regions and taking a trip
of this character for the first time, will do well to carefully read the
chapter on "Outfit for Miners." It is a great mistake to take anything
except what is necessary; the trip is a long arduous one, and a man
should not add one pound of baggage to his outfit that can be dispensed
with. I have known men who have loaded themselves up with rifles,
revolvers and shot-guns. This is entirely unnecessary. Revolvers will
get you into trouble, and there is no use of taking them with you, as
large game of any character is rarely found on the trip. I have
prospected through this region for some years and have only seen one
moose. You will not see any large game whatever on your trip from Juneau
to Dawson City, therefore do not take any firearms along.
You will find a list of the implements for the miner in the chapter on
"Outfit for Miners."
The miners here are a very mixed class of people. They represent many
nationalities and come from all climates. Their lives are certainly not
enviable.
The regulation miner's cabin is 12 by 14 with walls six feet high and
gables eight feet in height. The roof is heavily earthed and the cabin
is generally kept very warm. Two, or sometimes three or four men will
live in a house of this size. The ventilation is usually bad, the
windows being very small. Those miners who do not work their claims
during the winter confine themselves to these small huts most of the
time. Very often they become indolent and careless, only eating those
things which are most easily cooked or prepared. During the busy time in
summer when they are shovelling in, they work hard and for long hours,
sparing little time for eating and much less for cooking.
This manner of living is quite common amongst beginners, and soon leads
to debility and sometimes to scurvy. Old miners have learned from
experience to value health more than gold, and they therefore spare no
expense in procuring the best and most varied outfit of food that can be
obtained.
In a cold climate such as this, where it is impossible to get fresh
vegetables and fruits, it is most important that the best substitutes
for these should be provided. Nature helps to supply these wants by
growing cranberries and other wild fruits in abundance, but men in
summer are usually too busy to avail themselves of these.
The diseases met with in this country are dyspepsia, anaemia, scurvy
caused by improperly cooked food, sameness of diet, overwork, want of
fresh vegetables, overheated and badly ventilated houses; rheumatism,
pneumonia, bronchitis, enteritis, cystitis and other acute diseases,
from exposure to wet and cold; debility and chronic diseases, due to
excesses.
Men coming to Klondyke should be sober, strong and healthy. They should
be practical men, able to adapt themselves quickly to their
surroundings. Special care should be taken to see that their lungs are
sound, that they are free from rheumatism and rheumatic tendency, and
that their joints, especially knee joints, are strong and have never
been weakened by injury, synovitis or other disease. It is also very
important to consider their temperaments. Men should be of cheerful,
hopeful dispositions and willing workers. Those of sullen, morose
natures, although they may be good workers, are very apt, as soon as the
novelty of the country wears off, to become dissatisfied, pessimistic
and melancholy.