Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-10-17
No. As
THE YUKON MINERS,
The Are Afflicted with Scuryy and
Threatened with Starvation.


Messrs. John Mooney, William Horning,
David Adams and Joseph O'Hara arrived
in Port townsend a few days ago from the
Alaska mines. Mr.. Mooney was seen by
Morning Leader representative, and gave a
thrilling account of that country and the
trip home.
Mr.. Mooney has been in the Alaskan
mines Tor the past three years. during
which time ne has seen no society or civil
ization of any kind except that of rough
mining camp life. These mines are situ-
ated along the Yukon river, some of them
as far as 1,600 miles above st. Michaels,
which is the nearest town to the mines
and the point from which all supplies, etc,
for the miners are shipped.
Yukon mining is exclusively placer and
is confined to the beds of the Yukon river
and its tributaries. Notwithstanding the
favorable reports which reach this country
concerning the mines, we were assured by
Mr.. Mooney, who is almost lifelong
miner, that they were not what reports in
dicate. While there is occasionally man
who strikes good thing, the great major
lty come out even worse off than they en-
tered the mines. Gold is not found in very
large quantities, is hard to get. and there is
practically no way of getting it out. The
snow season lasts considerably over half
the year, there being less than three
months of summer. There are about 200
miners il the Yukon district at the present
time, all working hard and accomplishing
very little. They get their supplies from
time to time from the trading posts of the
Northwestern Commercial company. At
the present time these miners are in q
wretched condition, and those farthest
up the river may die of starvation be-
fore spring, unless help reaches them
before long. During the summer the
Commercial Company fitted up new
steamer, the AIctlc, which was started up
the river with 300 tons of provisions with
which to supply the mining camps. When
about fifteen miles above st. Michaels, the
Arctic was stove in by the rocks and shoals
of the river bed, and had to put back for
repairs, large part of the food was dam
aged, which will cause another delay, and
the poor miners may not know Of the fate
OF the Arctic until long after their present
supplies are exhausted. ScuIvy frequently
breaks out among the men, and adds much
to their wretchedness. OF the 200 miners
along the Yukon river, about sixty ar
rived last spring, while the others have
been there two and three years. The In
dians are not very plentiful in this part of
Alaska, but are all very friendly 10 the
white men.
Mr.. Mooney and few others came from
the mines to st. Michaels, distance of 1900
miles, in an open boat built by themselves.
This beats the record of some of the profess
s;onal canoests.
AT st. Michaels Mr.. Mooney and his three
companions took the Bear for Ounalaska,
where they boarded the coaling sloop j. D.
Peters, Captain Townsend commanding,
and came to Port Townsend. The trip
from st Michaels consumed about one
month. Mr.. Mooney and his party did not
know until this fall who was president of
the United States.
Joseph OHara is one of the few Alaska
miners who made find" When he ar
rived at st. Michaels he had $4,000, but
like SO many of his class who are willing
to undergo all sorts of pTivation and spend
months or even years to accumulate little
fortune he has an uncomfortable appetite
for liquor, and in few short weeks his
money was all gone.
Scurvy is now rife among the Yukon
miners, and the pitiless fate of death by
starvation that awaits them under Arctic
skies should call forth the keenest sympa-
thy OF our civilized world.