The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-09
SAC2I RATl0NS
=, Ai,,lan GalI 'G-lss Scarcity os Food
prry,,t, Tnl. 0pirat oas-PrOspre'ors

In AlaiEan Gam N''H- F'NH' 80 -
prevents Ful, Opirat o"'-FrosPer'or'
on a., Way aa,'
pTrREEA. cal, Sept. THE news by
the steamer National City. from ST.
,,cbaels. corroborates all that mas been
saId Of the prospects of short rations
IN the gold dlgglngs OF the upper river
during the winter The steamer, which
connected with the river steamer j, j,
Isoley. at the mouth o. the river
brought three passengers.
0n9 of these Is ]. a. Ralston, of ia
McAlllster street, San Francisco. He
saws there Is gold and lots OF II In the
KIondlEe, but It Is generally still in the
ground. It liz believed 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 1000 before peterlng out
SIX thousand men In the mines about
Dawson City Is the estimate OF Ralston,
who came down on the National City
with +. Il. Leonard, OF Nanimo, and Il,
b, Lamb, Of Portland, Oregon. The
supply OF the necessaries OF life to feed
these men is totally insufficient. In
fact, an estimate that the stores will be
exhausted before the winter is half over
Is made, when the famine will be on In
earnest and especially as the number
OF men in the country Will be greatly
augmented by the later arrivals over
the passes. There is whisky, beer and
al! kinds of liquor in profusion, he says,
but their places could have been better
filed on the steamers with flour, II Is
In hn
not money to buy supplies, but that the
stores are inadequate. Ralston says
one OF the best claims on Eldorado
creek Is the property Of James Hallack,
of Missouri. 1t will turn out at least
81 100000 Claim No. u on Dldorado is
also very rich. 1t is no uncommon
thing to take out two ounces to the pan
from any part of the claim.
The passengers Of the Healey who
came to st. Michaels were very reti-
cent as to their store Of dust With the
exception OF Ralston and his compan-
ions, all the passengers OF the Healey
took passage on the Excelsior. That
vessel left st. Michaels the night OF Au-
gust 20 with so passengers She was
put into Ounalaska for coal, and Capt.
Anderson, OF the National City, Is of the
opinion that the Excelsior should arrive
at San Francisco some time to-day.
When the National City left st. Mich
aels, the steamer cleveland was taking
in ballast and expected to sail for Sound
ports on August 30. Many Of the pass
engers who had tickets for the Cleve-
land took passage on the Excelsior. On
the way down the river from Dawson
City the steamer Healey on August II,
left the steamer Weare was found hard
fast on the bar. She was about 1900
miles from the mouth OF the river. She
had been on the bar for twenty days and
the Healy laid alongside, took off her
passengers and some of the freight and
the proceeded on the way, leaving the
unfortunate boat fast aground, with
small chances OF getting of before the
river closes.
Mr.. Leonard says the Weare had on
board 100 passengers and about 81, $780,
900 in treasure. This was transferred
TO the Healey and taken to st. Michaels.
A considerable amount OF this will ar
rive in San Francisco on the Excelsior.
When asked why he returned, Leonard
said: II found / had to get out or
starve. There are about 1900 men in
Dawson and not more than third of
them have work. II you have not a
stock of grub 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 fig
ure and will walt until spring. Jim
Dunsmuir, the Eldorado king. has had
$4,000 worth OF provisions ordered for
some months, but has not been able to
obtain more than n fifth of 1t, even with
the cash up In advance,
Those coming out, however, did not
bring all their clean-ups with them.
Leonard recltes numerous instances of
men who had cleaned up from $4,000 to
100000 but had taken away barely q
third of that. The men say they make
nothing except as wages at SIS day
for month or so. L. Lamb, of Port
land, is authority for the statement that
over " men have already died of scurvy
this summer. In referring to dlscov-
cries on Stewart river, Ralston says
there were many rumors Of rich strikes
but up to the time he left Dawson moth
ing definite had been received. The Ma
tional City was eleven days from st.
aichaels, where she left G5 eager gold
seekers 1t Is very doubtful whether
any, Of the passengers who went up on
the National City will get through this
year. The small boat which some OF the
passengers had taken upon the deck OF
the steamer has proved dlsappoint-
ment. Her machinery has gone wrong
ana she draws too much water. There
is enough provisions in the party, how
ever, to winter 1t out and proceed up the
river when spring opens. The Cleye-
land was expected to sail on the day
after the National City left. The Elk
celsIor left st. Mlchaels II hours before
the National City. Captain Anderson
reports that on August 2S he passed the
steamer Humboldt, but did not speak
to her. and that she in all probability
arrived at st. Mlchaels the following
day.