The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03

JUNEAU, ALASKA, Sept. 26 (by steam
snip Farallon to Seattle, Wash, Oct
2).-The latest news from Dawson City
to reach Juneau was brought out to- day
by party OF three composed. of L. f
Geerish of West Superior Wis; w. II.
Davis of Tucson. Ariz., and Louis Lang
OF North \ Yskima, Wash; They fled from
the famine which threatens in the Klon-
dixie territory, but will return in the
spring. Mrs. Geerish went into the
Yukon a year ago lat March and is re.
turning TO West Superior to settle up the
=. estate of his. father, who died in the mean.
time.
The party came over the Dalton trail.
When they reached Chilcoot over The
mountain pass OF the same name they
:. were tarefooied and without a pound oil
provisions. Their story-is, in few word s
tina; a this datethere is more gold in the
Ktondike than grub. Mr.. Geerish say:
that Dawson is the only place on the face
of the earth where gold is drug on the
market and food is at premium. They
left Dawson on August 26
he boats had not got up the river at
that time" said Geerish, ''ahd If they
should not get through there win be great
prvation and suffering in the Kiondike
region. The stores of the two commercial
companies had stopped selling provisions
On the last day that provisions were sold
/ saw lines of men a quarter of mile long
waiting for heir turn 10 get into the
stores. A few would be let in at a time.
The stores then filled only orders thathad
been issued on them prior to that date.
think the policy of the companies is 10
wait until The next boats get up on their
last run and then divide up the provisions
pro rata. l doubt that there will b. any
actual starvation, but there will surely be
suffering from lack of food The boats
may n OF get I'D the river from ST. Michael.
Last year heavy ice was running in the
river on September %. 1t may form before
OF after that date this year. Nobody can
tell
"Our party worked several days in order
to get provisions TO come out on. All we
had was about 100 pounds We caught
some salmon in one o. the creeks lunning
out OF Lake Hootchie-eye, and that helped
US along considerably. There is plenty of
fish along that trail, and if the exodus
follows the Dalton trail it need not suffer
greatly for food.
The Thorp party and another which
started IN from Juneau a few weeks ago
with cattle will not get through Soup
homes sell at 80 cents and fresh meat AT
81 30 pound IN DAwson Three other
cattle trains met on the trail. will get
through all right. This meat viii proba-
bly, sell at not less than S. pound. Dal-
ton leaves Dawson City today with pack
train. He had a thousand applicst
Tor passage, but could not fill them. I
Think he charges $500 per man. He will
bring out about 100 men If he can get pro-
visions to feed them. We ran out of grub
on the latter part OF the trip. but pur-
chased enough at Dalton's most. about a
day travel back of the Chilcoot Pass
"Hundreds are coming over the inland
iran. do not see how all can ever get
through. They will be overtaken by win
Ter and with insufficient grub they must
starVe. There is no way out of it. Peopie
coming over the trail now are not losing
minutes tim Thew are pushing through
with all possible haste. Ev,n vet. we
passed many on the river going in light >
with only enough grub to last them 70
ID Diwson. That is suicidal. 1t is self
destruction. | am glad to be able to iaIk
to YOU for the reason that want TO warn
people 10 KEEP out of the country. until.
spring.
Something ought to be done to sion
this mad rush into Dawson. Disapnoint-
ment will kill many men. They< haveno.
idea what thev m ust face in order to find
gold and hundreds will fail. However tho
klondike is all that it has been main led
and more. There is. gofd galore in there
| have seen it lying around in sacks Two
teet long. But it must be found.
There was new strike on sulpbnr
Creek in August a short time before We
left Men rushed up there with rot half
enough TO eat. My partner and resisted
the temptation and am glad now we d:d
am now sure of enought to eat and have
chance to make a winning in there ner,
year. Sulphur Greek is about fifty miles
over the divide from Dawson. 1t was but
little prospected and 1 expect to hear big
things from it< The trouble with all pre-.
vious prospecting in the Kondike is that
they did not go deep enough. They have
experience 10 pront on sulphur Creek
and they Will go TO the bottom to see what
they have got. Dominion Creek was an
otner stream that showed up WELL Some
very good claims were located there in
juno.
The Klondike has not been exagger-
ates- but the hardships to get there are