The Portland daily press., 1897-11-29
HURRYING FROM DAWSON.
Threatened Food Famine Caused
Big Exodus.
PARTY OF KLONDIKERS BRING
OUT TERRIBLE TALES.

-e@SSoS
Provisions-One Was Ladened With
Whiskey and Billiard BalIs-Flour Sold
for $500 Sack.
Seattle, Wash, November 28.- twenty
i've men arrived here on the City OF
Seattle, direct from Dawson City. They
were divided into two parties, the last
one of which left Dawson October 16
Ihe party included John w. Brauer,
JACK Dalton, VIM. Lea and Jim Stephen
son. They came out over the Dalton
trail. They are reported to have between
them 500, 600.
ALI tell stories Of food shortage in
Dawson that is almost a famine. The
last person to leave Dawson was Jack
Dalton. When he left, the steamers Alice
and Bella had reached there loaded light
1t is said that the Bella's cargo con-
sisted of whiskey and billiard balls. She
brought no provisions. The Canadian
government mounted police chartered the
Bella and gave all who wished free pas
sage to the Yukon. The Bella is reported
to have left about October 12 with 200
men.
According to the statements made by
the members of the Dalton party, there
is liable to be trouble of the most serious
kind this winter in Dawson. "Billy"
Leak told one OF the men in the party
ahead of him whom he met at Dyea, that
all the people talked about at Dawson is
the food famine. Men were gathering in
groups and cursing withslnight and main
the new comers that were constantly ar
riving in the Klondike with scarcely
any provisions. The mounted police were
offering free transportation to the grub
placers further down the Yukon to Fort
Yukon, but to the countless hundreds
who had labored hard all through the
summer accommodating grub stake,
the prospect was un inviting to say the
least.
their earnings in gold to pay their living
expenses at Fort Yukon during the win
ter and that in the spring they would
have not enough left to pay passage back,
to say nothing of purchasing enough
food until they could get started again.
To these poor fellows the offer of the
mounted police was no better than the
prospect at Dawson.
John W. Brauer, the United States
mail carrier, who left Dawson Septem-
ber "a, said:
"There is only one salvation for the
mi xJh rrn ut no
and that its for ethem to undertake the
awful winter trip from Dawson City to
Fort Yukon, a distance of 400 miles
There is food at Fort Yukon; there is
mono at Dawson, and just as sure as the
stars shine, terrible suffering will occur
before spring. l will make my statement
that when 1 left Dawson the men who
were there had on an average four
months food supply. Some did not have
months supply and some had four or
five.> The restaurant closed the night
1 left. 1t had been selling nothing but
beefsteak, for which the hungry paid
s2.50.
"When the people realized that the
boats would be unable to get up the riv-
er, they knew that starvation threatened
them and the great stampede began.
1.-THE first to leave went to Fort Yukon.
T guess there were about ten in the par
ty that left the first day. One boat that
came up from Fort Yukon had several
newspaper men on board, among them
W.
Gilvray. They brought the news that the
Hamilt on had un]oaded all her cargo and
tried to get over the bar light and failed
in her efforts. This news increased the
excitement and made the rush toward
the food.. centres all the more general On
September 4, Bert Nelson of Seattle and
myself left Circle City and started to
pole up the river to Dawson City, dis
tance of 300 miles. At the time we start
ed from Circle City the miners had about
all taken the,r departure 1t took us
II days to make the journey. arriving at
Dawson. September &c. Capt. Hanson
with two Indians, who had left for the
Yukon beat us both about two hours.
Hanson gathered the Dawson City miners
together and made a speech in which he
advised all who did not have provisions
to last the winter to go to civilization
or try to reach points in the Yukon
country, where it was known food could
be secured.
"That night was one of the greatest in
the history aofL Dawson City. The miners,
as soon as they heard the news, made
hasty preparations to get out and night
fall saw the gold seeks and men who can
today sell out for many thousands OF
dollars, leaving by thousands for down
the river or up the river points. Ihe
little steamer Kiukuk was brought into
play. She was beseiged by would-be
passengers, who offered as high as $3.50
that they might be aboard while she
made her journey of 175 miles to Pelli.
The Kiukuk left Dawson on the after
noon of September 27,swith Is passengers
"The next day we made up party in
cluding Herbert Raymond, Bert Nelson,
Harry Robertson and myself. We started
h.