by Ron Foster
For each man:
FOOD:
200 pounds of bacon
400 pounds of flour
85 pounds assorted dried fruit
50 pounds cornmeal
35 pounds rice
24 pounds coffee
5 pounds tea
100 pounds sugar
25 pounds fish
15 pounds soup vegetables
50 pounds oatmeal
50 pounds dried potatoes
50 pounds dried onions
25 cans butter
100 pounds beans
4 dozen tins condensed milk
15 pounds salt
1 pound pepper
8 pounds baking powder
2 pounds baking soda
1/2 pound mustard
3/4 pound ginger
36 pounds yeast cakes
60 boxes of matches
5 bars of soap
CLOTHING:
1 suit oil clothing
3 pairs snag-proof rubber boots
3 pairs heavy shoes
1 dozen heavy socks
6 pairs wool mittens
3 suits heavy underwear
2 pairs Mackinaw trousers
2 pairs overalls
2 hats
4 heavy woolen overshirts
1 Mackinaw coat
1 heavy rubber-lined coat
suspenders, handkerchiefs, snow glasses
2 pairs of heavy woolen blankets
2 oil blankets
4 towels
buttons, thread, needles
5 yards mosquito netting
EQUIPMENT:
1 large bucket
1 set granite buckets
2 axes, plus extra handle
2 picks
handsaw
whipsaw
1 shovel
pack strap
6 files
drawing knife
brace and bits
jack plane
hammer
3 chisels
butcher knife
200 feet, 3/8- inch rope
10 pounds pitch
5 pounds oakum
2 caulking irons
15 pounds nails
tent
canvas
whet stone
compass
goggles
quartz glass
quicksilver
2 frying pans
coffee and tea pot
40 pounds of candles
eating utensils: plate, cup, knife fork, spoon
pots and pans
steel stove for 4 men
gold pan
gold scales
Also additional items were noted, such as: medicines, reading matter, guns, ammunition and personal items.
Source: Jones, Charlotte Foltz. Yukon Gold, The Story of the Klondike Gold Rush , New York: Holiday House, 1999, 33-34.
“Tic! Toc! Times running out Carl! We need to be getting a move on hit the road!” Slim said saying he was out of patience and worrying every minute what they were talking about bartering might not be there if they didn’t hurry up and leave now!
“Well, don’t promise Molly the sun and moon but we could be willing to grub stake her with what we got if she don’t mind improving on it and making it more tradable so it’s mutually profitable. You reckon that Bo would be willing to help us get into the boat part business? I don’t mean to infringe on his business but we need to repurpose stuff for home use like he did for that wonderful indoor plumbing setup he made for himself and Molly using a bilge pump. Carl, think about how you can trade him for doing that to the beach house so we can get some running water.” Travis said.
“Now you’re talking. You all get on your way and leave it to me and Wilma to cut us some kind of deal and be safe!” Carl said as he and Wilma shooed everyone on their way.
“I ain’t sure if this just keeps getting better and better or just gives us more stuff to do later!” Steve said grousing.
“Give him some money, Steve.” His wife Beth whispered confidently.
“For what Beth? Hell, he already has enough valuable things to play with I would say.” Steve whispered back not seeing the point in adding to the apparent wealth the group was leaving behind to be traded at will.
“So he doesn’t consider taking any cash money for them goods instead of trading for something better. I don’t think them green backs we got hold that much value compared to those items anymore----- “Beth whispered.
“You got a point there Beth.” Steve whispered back.
“Hey, Carl, here is two hundred bucks to buy stuff with if you see any good bargains on the trading table. I doubt that you can get anything as good as a can of nacho cheese with it but you never know.” Steve said flabbergasted at the sudden change of values and financial positions that seem to have just occurred with his fortunes and standing in this post apocalyptic world.
“Well thank you, Steve, I can’t imagine needing it but it’s nice to have backup cash at the bargaining table.” Carl said sticking it in his shirt pocket and then shaking the man’s hand.
“Can we go now?” Steve implored as Travis and Tina stood up to show that they also thought they had overstayed the time they had allotted for this excursion and wanted to get on the road.
“Off with you then and be assured I won’t take no wooden nickels!” Carl said with a smile as Wilma waved at them good bye as they got in the van and her husband’s car to leave.
Chapter
“Finally! I thought we would never get out of there!” Slim said huffily at the delays.
“Ah lighten up Slim, ain’t like you don’t have molasses for blood when it comes to being slow about doing something as you make up your mind to get her done. Carl actually has a lot going on over there even if it was unexpected for us to leave him there.” Travis said whining.
“I don’t mind us leaving him and his wife there a bit. It was all the yakking that it took to get us out of there I am grumbling about. Are we going by the house first? I told Carl I would open the door for them, makes perfect sense, we wouldn’t want him to be locked out and stranded if we run into any trouble. I doubt we will but makes you think about how we are going to secure that house and each other when we get separated like this. We got to get used to city living now.” Slim explained.
“Yea, we are going to go by the house first. I also want to see if Joyce and Sam are about. I am going to get them to take me to Wilson’s front door and knock with me if they don’t have any objections.” Slim said hoping that people he recognized could help speed up and smooth over this initial greeting.
“Good idea! But if you plan on doing it now don’t be taking 99 forever’s getting to know him, we got places to go and things to do.” Slim said dreading another wait.
“From what they say he isn’t going to be too talkative, I don’t imagine.” Tina said thinking about the man’s apparent hermit ways.
“Just saying, let’s just try not to hang around here any longer than we have to.” Slim said and they got ready to roll up on the beach house and square it away a bit more before moving in more goods.
Tina and Travis went down to the pier once they got parked and hollered over to Sam and Joyce to come over. They then went back to the front of the house and waited on the couple as Travis helped Slim, Steve and Beth clear the hallway of boxes.
.
10
Unexpected Neighbor
“Hey Tina! I wrote down a handy way for you to preserve vegetables most folks don’t know about called fermenting. Not that anyone I know has any veggies to spare these days but Sam said my old timey simple recipes might help somebody to live these days.” Joyce said holding out an index card.
How to Ferment (Almost) Everything
A step-by-step guide to preserving whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.
The art of fermenting vegetables is as simple as soaking them in salt and water, or—another technique Sam loves which involves rubbi
ng them in salt so they form natural brine. Spices, herbs, and other aromatics can take fermented vegetables to the next level.
Wet-Brining
Works with whole or cut hearty, raw peeled vegetables of all shapes and sizes (but smaller shapes and cuts will ferment more quickly). Dissolve 1 Tbsp. kosher salt per 1 cup water to form a brine. Jar vegetables with aromatics and add brine to cover. Seal and store in a dark, 60–68° area for 2–3 weeks, uncovering the jar every few days to release carbon dioxide. Eat, or refrigerate up to 1 year.
Dry-Salting
Works with shredded cabbage or some julienned roots. Massage 2½ lb. vegetables with 1 oz. kosher salt. Jar with aromatics. Let rest several hours. When liquid nears the top, weigh down vegetables to submerge. (If needed, add brine made of 1 Tbsp. kosher salt dissolved in 1 cup water.) Seal. Store in a dark, 60–68° area, uncovering every few days to release carbon dioxide. Eat after 1–2 months, or refrigerate up to 1 year.
“Wow, live and learn! Check this out, Travis. Thank you, Joyce!” Tina said reading the card and passing it to Travis for his inspection before giving the woman a big hug.
“Ha! I loved the title on the instructions and was getting all excited until I saw it was another word for food preservation. I was all for making some moonshine! By the way we wanted to invite you all for a drink at the Marina late this afternoon. A big green island cruiser of a sailboat came in with rum on board and Captain Vic is supposed to be trading some of our tea with them to get us a bottle.” Travis said warmly and then told them about how some of the ship captains had arranged for the captain of the two masted sailboat to take them out this evening shrimp cast netting and that curfew would be suspended over there tonight for this special occasion.
“Now doesn’t that beat all? Here we have been living on the lagoon for going on now twenty years and you have only been living here two days and you get invited for free shrimp dinners!” Sam said with mock indigence that they had not received an invitation.
“Could be that you have been sitting around playing checkers while I have been playing chess with that toilet paper.” Tina said smugly giving everyone a good laugh.
“Oh, we would love to come! Captain Vic is a good guy and he will make you a fair deal I am sure. Rum, you say? Hey! We got a liter of coke we have been saving for a special occasion, I guess this is one don’t you think Joyce?” Sam said looking at his smiling wife.
“I would certainly say so! We have the Rum, Coke and I bet Captain Vic has some ice he won’t mind sharing with us. Sounds like good old times doesn’t it Sam? Everyone sitting outside at the marina pier bar sipping a cocktail while waiting on the fishing boats to come in and watch them unload?” Joyce said reminiscing about memories of sunsets and fishing docks.
“Been a long time since we done it, hey I kind of hate to do it but let’s go ask Wilson if he wants to come along! He is a strange old bird but he needs to meet his new neighbors and we did use to speak to him on occasion.” Sam said looking at his wife.
“Funny you should mention that Sam, we were thinking the same thing!” Tina mentioned as Travis went on to explain that he and Tina would go with them to knock on the door, if that was alright,
“Sure that will be alright, he can come meet the rest of your friends later. I have never actually been inside his house before though. I came over here once and helped him moor a boat out to get ready for a hurricane but he never invited us in to his home.” Sam said and Joyce related they had seen him struggling with the lines and they had come over in their boat many years back when they had one to help him tie off his but he never had let them come on the property any further than his patio.
Everyone on this peninsula saw each other eventually and Wilson wasn’t an exception to that rule but outside of ‘hey how are you doing’ and small talk, they didn’t associate with him much at all. They used to know a few of his other neighbors some was the only reason they knew much at all about him. They said he was friendlier when his wife was living but she had passed on about 3 years back. Those folks that owned the house next to him were most likely stuck in New York.” Sam advised saying they had money and just came down a few months in summer and winter to their vacation property.
The group walked over and Sam called out for Wilson as they walked up to knock on his door. After a couple of attempts and no answer, they went around back to see if he was in the backyard or down at his fishing pier on the lagoon bend.
No one was about. When they went to knock on his backdoor for one more try in case he was sleeping or somehow didn’t hear them, they could see him sitting slouched in a chair behind the double pane patio doors. He was dead, keeled over sideways with his head lolling towards the floor, dead.
This was not what anyone was expecting, not by a long shot. You could tell the way the body was laying that the man was dead. How long he had been so was sheer speculation. What was also an unknown factor was what they should do next. They stood around and hemmed and hawed a moment saying things like “Holy shit! Wow! Uncool! The guy is dead!” and all that before Travis thought to try the patio doors to see if they were locked.
Yup, it opened but no one was ready for what came out as a very funky smell assailed their nostrils and Travis quickly closed the door back to everyone backing up and making wretched faces and coughing as the smell of death permeated the air.
“” Holy Crap!.. cough, gag cough, cough. I should have thought about that.” Travis said apologetically as they all backed up to an area with cleaner air on the opposite side of the patio.
“I can’t see a whole lot through that tinted window but I suspect he is rotting pretty good.” Sam said spitting some bile that had risen up in his throat to the ground.
“Well, I ain’t going to be opening that door again anytime soon.” Travis declared.
“Maybe you should slide that door back just a little to let it air out some.” Joyce said pondering the situation.
“I ain’t fooling with any dead people that I don’t know personally. That house can be his mausoleum from now on for all I care but it’s going to be kind of creepy living next to a dead person.” Travis said as his way to express that he wasn’t even considering burying Wilson or anyone else for that matter until there was a lot of talking done.
“This is kind of a creepy situation to be in. I mean what are you supposed to do? When the grid was up, you get on the phone and called somebody to send someone out to tote him away; the grids down now and I am kind of like you in this matter Travis. I would much rather learn to live with him sleeping in his chair over there for awhile than fool with a rotting dead body and having to dig a hole and all that.” Tina said with a shudder at the prospect.
“Doesn’t seem right that we should just leave him sitting there like that but on the other hand, if we open the door to let it air out some there is no telling what might get in through the screen door around here.” Sam said thinking possums, rats, snakes, etc. might try getting in.
“Seems like we ought to have some kind of a service or something for him.” Joyce said also thinking that she was scared of ghosts and thought the ritual might ease Wilson’s spirit on its way if it decided to hang around for some reason.
“I am up for giving him a service.” Tina agreed and Steve and his wife did also.
“I am also thinking a service is in order but I don’t think it needs doing this second. He will keep until tomorrow and we got other things to do.” Slim said indelicately.
“So you all are just going to go off and leave him sitting here until tomorrow?” Joyce asked.
“I don’t know much else to do.” Travis began before Slim advised he knew what to do.
“I think you should make a sign that says “Dead Man’s House” write Wilsons name on it and put it on his front door at a funeral of sorts tomorrow and say a few religious words over him.” Slim said a bit gruffly and that got him a strained look from everyone before they agreed to wait and Joyce being the good Catholic she was did the sign of
the cross with one hand on herself.
The party spirit that they had shared when they walked over to Wilsons was now replaced with a melancholy “what’s next?” wet blanket mood until Slim said “I am not trying to be a smartass again but how about let’s have Wilson a Wake tonight at the Marina? That is about as good of a sendoff as any man could hope for these days!” Slim said with a wry kind of smile.
“Oh, holding a wake sounds like a good idea! It will make me sleep better this close to him tonight knowing we asked the angels to smile down upon him.” Joyce said not liking the idea that every time she looked at his house she would think mausoleum.
“A Wake for Wilson it is! Hey, I hate to run off so quickly, especially after that gruesome surprise we all had but we really need to be moving along. We will see you tonight Sam, say around 5 or so? Carl and Wilma are over there, I would appreciate it if you could look out for them some if you get there before us.” Travis said and began hurrying everyone to say goodbye and let them go take care of some pressing business matters.
Travis waited for Sam and Joyce to get out of the driveway and almost out of sight before pulling out of their driveway and then making an immediate left into Wilson’s.
“There is a car in the driveway which might mean gas and he has a garage we haven’t looked in yet. Let’s go see if it’s open.” Travis said seeing opportunity and jumping on it.
“Well, I was going to get to that little mission but I was for doing it later.” Slim said meaningfully.
“Ok, I got your point, the trailer comes first but since I am here let me go try that garage door first. I noticed that this house has an emergency generator hooked to it and that should mean gas cans in the garage!” Travis said jumping out and running over to the door.
“Crap, it’s locked!” Travis said as Slim started to exit the vehicle.
“That’s an old-style garage door, let me get the crow bar and we will be in a minute. We could probably open it from the inside but I ain’t ready for that yet.” Slim said getting ready to pry at the lock mechanism.
Slim actually managed to get the door unlocked with a minimal amount of unnecessary noise and sure enough there were two 5-gallon cans of gas that were full and two empty containers.
