The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-09
II EARE STRIKES A BAR
Treasure Steamer Has Bad Luck
on the Yukon.
GOLD AND MINERS TRANSFERRED.

There Were One Hundred and Fifty Pas
sengers and a Million and Half In Gold
ON Board-Perils of the Thousands of
Men Who Are Seeking Gold About Daw-
son-Plenty OF whisky and Beer but
Food Is scarce-Deaths from Scurvy.
Eureka. Cal. Sept. 9.-The news by
steamer National City from st. Michael
corroborates all that has been said OF
the prospects Of short rations in the
gold diggings of the upper river dur
ing the winter The steamer which con-
nected with the river steamer j. ].
Healy at the mouth Of the river brought
three passengers.
One of these is J. A. Ralston of 2ii
McCallister street. San Francisco. He
says there is gold and lots Of ii in the
Klondike, but 1t Is generally still in the
ground. 1t Is believed that the claims
now located could turn out fifty tons
this winter II the scarcity of food did
not prevent full operations. He gives
a rough guess that the Klondike is good
for $3.50 000,0 900 before petering out. Six
thousand men are in the mines about
Dawson City according to Ralston's es-
innate. The supply Of the necessaries
OF life to feed these men. he saws, is
totally insufficient. In fact, ii is esti-
mated that the stores will be exhausted
before the winter is half over, when the
famine will be on in earnest. and es-
pecially as the number of men in the
country will be greatly augmented by
the later arrivals over the passes.
Plenty of whisky and Beer.
There are whisky, beer and all kinds
of liquor in profusion, he says. but their
places could have been better filled On
the steamers with flour. IT is not that
men in the country have not money II
buy supplies but that the stocks Of the
stores are inadequate. Ralston says
that one of the best claims on Icl Do
rado is the property of James Hallack
of Missouri. 1t will turn out at least
$l,000O00. Claim No. II on El Dorado
is also rich. 1t is no uncommon thing
to take out two ounces to the pan from
any part of the claim. What wealth
is coming on by the steamer Excelsior
cannot be estimated. Those of the pas
sengers of the Healy who cams 20 81.
Michael were reticent as to Their store
of dust.
With the exception of Ralston and his
companions all the passengers OF tne
Healy took passage on the Excelsior.
That vessel left st. Michael the night
of Aug. 26 with eighty passengers. She
was put into Onalaska for coal and Can
tain Anderson of the National city was
Of the opinion that the Excelsior should
arrive in San Francisco Wednesday.
Found Fast on a Bar.
When the National City Left st
Michael the steamer Cleveland was TAX
ing in ballast and expected 70 satl AuS
30. Many of the passengers who had
tickets for the Cleveland took passage
on the Excelsior. On the way down the
river from Dawson City, which place
the steamer Healy left Aug. H. the
steamer Weare was found fast on a
bar. She was passed on the 18th. being
about 1.200 miles from the mouth OF the
river. The boat had been on the bar
for twenty days and the Healy laid
alongside, took off her passengers ana
some Of the freight and then proceeded
on her way, leaving the unfortunate
boat hard and fast aground, with small
chance of getting off before the river
closes. +. Leonard says that the Weare
had on board $50 passengers and about !
81. 500 900 in treasure. This was trans !
ferred to the Healy and taken TO st. !
Michael A considerable amount of .his
will arrive in San Francisco on the Ex- |
celsior. When asked why he retarnei |
Leonard said:
Get Out Starve.
II found / had to get out or starve |
There are about 1000 men in Dawson |
and not more than third of them have !
work. If you have not stock of gruo !
you cannot get work at any price. / !
had provisions for three months and no |
one wanted me. / had not enough to |
work my own claim until spring. so | |
sold my stock at good figure and will |
wait until spring. Jim Dunsmuir. the /
Ell Dorodo king, has had $50 900 worth of |
r r~ovisions ordered for some months,
but has not been able to obtain more (
than one-fifth of it, even with the cash
put up in advance"
Those coming out, however, did not
bring all their clean-ups with them.
Leonard recites numerous instances Of |
men who had cleaned UP from $5C. 900
to 500. 1000. but had taken away barely
a third of that The men say that they
made nothing except as wages at SIS
a day for a month OF So f. Lamb OF
Portland Is authority for the statement |