The San Francisco call., 1896-03-31
The Beach at Juneau Covered
With the Rude Huts of the
UnfOrtunateS.
NO LET-UP TO THE RUSH.
Penniless Men Pouring Into the
Country and Without Means
to Return.

bAND, OR., MARCH l6ll UQ0
people who have no money to stay away
from Alaska. The newspapers must stop
this ruinous stampede, said T. G. Ashby,
a pioneer Alaskan packer, who passed
through Portland to-day en- route to the
northern Ell Dorado.
The giving of wide publicity to the
certain hardship, suffering-yes, even star
vation-that surely confronts the money
less Alaskan adventurer is all that can
turn back the present rush to that
country" he continued. 'The people of
San Francisco, Portland. Seattle, Tacoma,
Victoria, B. c., and other points from
which the makeup OF this stampede is
coming, have no idea of it's tremendous
proportions, but We of Alaska, who every
few days have seen land on our beaches
$50 to 200 men, three-fourths of whom are
penniless and have to be fed, are the ones
who are cognizant of the situation in all
its desperation.
Here you see a party of twenty or
thirty men leave on the steamer or train
bound for Alaska. Of the number pos
sibly five are supplied with funds sufficient
to take them to the Yukon with a proper
outfit The balance are trusting to luck
and the chance of obtaining work. This
party makes no impression on leaving
here, nor are its members missed, but at
every other city on the route north, up to
the very last point where the steamer
makes stoppage before steaming off into
the great inland passage, these twenty or
thirty men are joined by twenty or thirty
more, until at last a steamer overloaded
with lively humanity, willing to eat and
sleep anywhere or everywhere aboard the
craft so long as they are permitted to jour-
ney toward the Mecca of their deluded
hopes on a cut-rate fare, leaves Nanaimo.
There is no stopping now except at few
isola ted canneries and semi-abandoned
camps, where, even were one of the pas
sengers offered a job at fair wages, he
would refuse, so intent are they all to get
north, until Juneau is reached, and there
the whole crowd pours from the steamer
and spreads out onto the little seml-circu-
lar beach of the bay on which Juneau lies.
'Inside of two hours after the passen-
gers land the wheat has separated itself
from the chaff. Those who have money
have engaged rooms and board for the few
days they expect to stay and are busying
themselves about the stores, either getting
together an entire outfit for the Yukon or
making purchases of articles that have
been overlooked. On the other hand, the
broken men have divided themselves
into squads Of ten or twelve, and each squad
has committee out, searching for cabin
or some kind of shelter under which they
may spread their blankets and cook the
sack of flour, piece of bacon and few
,Ie Af hon, -
party will afford to buy. There are no
cabins, even far back up the canyon, to
rent, and when I left Juneau there was
not bit of cloth for tent-making to be
bought until the arrival of the next
steamer.
''rhe result is, the men without money
are forced to take to the beach. They are
strong and willing to work, and by bor-
rowing an ak soon succeed in throwing up
a brush house. which, with the constant
rains of the country, is almost worse than
nothing. In front of this hut, as best they
can, the men cook the little food they
have been able to buy. This lasts possibly
a week, during which time each of the
party has done his best to find work.
There is none. For a few days longer
they live on the beach, as it is termed in
the north when a man looks for food TO
the CLANS, mussels and fish, with which
the country abounds. Without -four,
grease of some kind and the condiments
of civilization, this beach grub is hard
going, and in four days, we'll say, the men
are desperate in their hunger. Their
pride gives away and they try to beg a
meal from the hotels or restaurants, but
there have been hundred ahead of them,
no matter how early in the morning they
may make their plea for food, and they
are refused.
''If a man has the.money to come to the
country, and after purchasing an outfit,
spend season in the interior and have
sufficient funds left providing he is un-
successful, to pay his way back to civiliza-
ton, say let him come. There is virgin
country, miles upon miles. never trod by
the foot OF prospector; but for the man
thinking to take advantage of the cheap
steamer fare to reach Juneau and then by
some hook or crook make his way into the
interior or find work on the coast, l say,
in the name of humanity, stay away"