The San Francisco call., 1897-07-31
WOE ON THE YUKON.
Experienced Men Say the Special
River Expeditions win Come
TO Grief.


TO Grief.
A lot of people who are rushing to-
eether several special ex xpeditious to Daw-
son by the Yukon River are distilling woe
for winter consumption IN that mighty
stream, accc ding to every wise old head
in which is seasoned knowledge of the
Yukon.
Here are lot OF people getting ready to
sail in week or two in any old craft to
st. Michaels, at the mouth OF the river,
with the idea that they can carry up there
stern wheel steamers and barges, set the m
up on the river and steam the 1000 miles
up the river to Dawson this season. The
wise men VINO know the river call these
people fools. with the emphasis on the
dash.
This is a very alluring scheme, to be
sure. 1t would be the most sensible,
cheap and comforta BILE plan of getting to
the Klondyke If it would work. So would
q trip on a through passenger train. There
is an open sea for 1850 miles to the m outh
of the Yukon and the Yukon is daddy
among waters and navigable when 1t IS
open for navigation. Two great trading
and transportation companies run a num-
Der of stern-wheel steamers with fair sue
cess between st. MichaeIs and the gold
fields. So O lot of people don't see any
good reason why they can't get to Daw-
son on the Yukon, too. Several enterpris-
ing people have bought Or chartered small
vessels and are advertising that they will
take so many passengers through to Daw-
son and furnish years supplies for
amounts ranging from 5000 TO $500.
If any of these parties get to st.
Michaels, as they seem likely to do, the
chances are a hundred to one that they
will either get np further than st.
Michaels or will find themselves stuck in
the river a few hundred miles from any
where as a terrible winter closes in on
that great lmost uninha bited interior.
The Excelsior and Portland, belonging
to the Alaska aud the Northwestern COM
panies, left for 81. MIchaeis days ago to
connect with established river steamers
run by experienced pilots and crews and
having private depots of fuel and other
supplies along the river. Yet it is quietly
said by many experienced men that there
is con Siderable danger that some of these
river boats will not get to Dawson before
winter. 1t will be to considerable ex-
tent matter of good luck.
The freezing of the river is but the chief
of several dangers ahead OF any special
expedition from here this year. The river
freezes and naviga ton ends about the
second week OF September. This leaves
but five or SIX weeks to reach Dawson If
the start is made to-day. Some plan 10
start two weeks hence. 1t takes a good
steamer to get to st. Michaels in fifteen
days.
Then there are the stern-wheel steam
ers and the barges to build or put
together at the mouth of the river after a
landing place is found and the unloading
done. The Job OF building river steamer
and getting her to running up there wi H.
out other facilities than those taken along,
would probably take several hours at
least. The steamers now running took
months to get ready.
At this time OF the year the water in
the river is low and there are many
eacherous bars. The channel shifts rap
idly on these bars. Old pilots often get
their boats stuck on them, and their boats
are hat-bottomed ones drawing little
more than three feet of water. Expert
enceo pilots run where they Judge the
channel is, or ought to be, aud now and