The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-16

]. L. Cock, one of The Herald's spe-
cial correspondents in Alaska. sends
the following communication from St.
Michaels under date of Sept. 1:
According to promise heretofore made
1 will now undertake to give you all
the news 1 have been able to gather re-
garding Dawson City and the Alaskan
gold fields up to this date. Probably
it viii be no news to you as am go
ing the long way round for the short
way to the Klondille, and no doubt you
have received all the news 1 will be
able to impart long ere this reaches
you.
left Seattle for Dawson City via
this place on Aug. Is, 1897, ON the
steamer Humboldt. We were more
than five days later in starting than
was originally intended, but have had
fairly quick voyage thus far, arriv-
ing here Aug. 20 and now have nearly
all our freight landed and are fairly
under way in putting the barge to-
gether. which we brought with US to
USE in ascending the Yukon, the waters
of that stream being too shallow for
the Humboldt to ascend.
Every steamer that comes down the
river brings reports Of new discoveries.
Among the best reports are the new
discoveries on Minook creek about 800
or 1000 miles up the Yukon river from
this point. Then there are good re
ports from the Tanana or Tanana river.
In fact one hears so many reports it is
hard to tell which are true and which
are false. So many conflicting reports
are given out that our party has about
concluded that among the first people
to locate in the Klondibe, in some man
ner q, large per cent of liars were
worked in.
The latest boats from Dawson City
report that while there is no suffering
there as yet, there is q great scarcity
Of provisions, all the restaurants in the
town having shut down for that rea-
son. One party just from Dawson told
me that a meal could not be bought
there for $50 that it was impossible to
get one. The reason for this seems to
be that there has been a great rush to
Dawson from all over the country by
way of Chilcoot pass. People who
started in With supplies and finding the
difficulties so muca greater than they
anticipated, flung all of their supplies
away to join in the mad rush for gold.
1t is said here that our party is the
best equipped of any that has ever
made the attempt to reach Dawson
City via this place. Every man has
from 900 to 1900 pounds of provisions
with him and it now locks as though
we will surely make it to Dawson City
this fan. Even if we get frozen in,
there will be no suffering in our party
and we will surely get up to MybroOk
creek by the time that happens and
there will be a. good field for prospect
ing from that point ON, besides the
privilege of working on our own soil
under our own flag. which. under con-
ditions existing in the northwest terri
tory is no small privilege.
The most sensational report outside
of gold discoveries is one given out by
the captain of one of the river steam
ers that just came down from Dawson
City. He reports that Mr.. Gage, the
manager of one of the transportation
companies and the son of the secretary
of the treasury, was taken by q, vigi-
lance committee in Dawson City, his
clothes removed and he was given 25
stripes on the bare back. The reason
for this seems to be that he made con-
tracts with the miners in Dawson City
in April to furnish them supplies for
the winter and instead of shipping the
food ON the boats of his company two
thirds of their cargo was whislzey. He
could make 81 900 on a barrel of whis-
key, which was more than he could
make on a barrel Of -four.
One of the boats was just leaving
this point for Dawson City when it
met the steamer bringing the naWs. 1t
at once returned to this place and sub
stftuted flour for the whisoey in it's
cargo.
Besides myself there are two other
parties from Utah in our party, both
Of them being from Salt Lake They
are H. j. Jennings and W. A. Wilson.
Besides we have with US Professor Ed
ward Earle Kelley, of San Francisco,
9, brother of Kelley, the candy man of
Salt Lake City.
as to strikes in the gold country from
time 70 time oIAran,.t ~