The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-12-01
THE ALASKA REGION.
MR.. JACKSON'S REPORT on TIE
KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS.

Of the Domestic Eoindeer - There Is
Practically no Law or Government.
In his statement of the bureau of educa-
ton S summers work in Alaska Mr. Shell
don Jackson, general agent Of education
for Alaska says:
The summer has been a memorable one
because of the excitement created by the
rich gold discoveries of last winter on the
KIondike I was at st. Michael's the 1st
of July, when the returning miners with
their valuable packages of gold dust
reached that port en- route to the States,
and, later, in the fall, when thousands of
miners reached St. Michael from the States
en- route to the Klondike mines. AS in all
large movements of population without
time for perfecting plans, there was great
waste and hardship. Vessels that had been
long condemned as unfit for the carrying
of passengers were chartered and sent with
passengers from the Pacific coast ports to
St Michael's. Several of these vessels were
originally built as river steamers, and aft
er being condemned as unfit for further
service, even on inland waters, We're al
lowed to proceed into the ocean loaded
with passengers.
In one instance a ferryboat that had
been condemned as unsound, even for car
rving soap across q small inland bay from
manufac5ory to warehouse, was sent to St
Michael s a number of transportation
companies suddenly sprang into existence
and ocean vessels We're chartered to bring
their passengers to st. Michaol's, at which
place they expected to build small steam
ers or blrgcs for the ascending of the Yu-
kOn river. l believe in no single instance
did any such expedition during the entire
season reach its destination at Dawson
Some of them were stranded at St Mi
chaels, others at the mouth Of the river
and others still are now frozen up along
the lower Yukon. The only parties reach
ing the KlOndike by the mouth of the riv-
err were those that took the steamers Of the
North American Transportation and
Trading company or of the Alaska Com
mercial company, two powerful corpora
tions that had been providing steamers
and experimenting for several years before
this sudden rush was thrown upon them.
My observation at the various mining
camps along the river and my converse
ton with miners that had been from one
TO several years in the country and per
sOnal inspection Of gold dust brought out
by various persons have led me to feel that
the public statements of the richness of
the mines clustered around the Klondike
have not been exaggerated and that there
are much larger areas Of mineral lands in
Alaska than in the Northwest Territories
OF Canada. The extent of the gold bear
ing belt in Alaska is so great that rich
placer mines will probably continue to be
round for many years to come.
/ also had an O71DOrrllT1ityr of y~iei+i,,c, oil
the stores and other depots of supplies in
that entire valley and am impressed with
che fact that the TODD supply now in the
country is entirely insufficient for the
numbers OF men that have gone TO the
mines, and consequently there cannot fail
TO be great distress and much suffering
during the present winter. The action Of
The secretary Of the interior in giving Der-
mission TO the war department to use the (
domestic reindeer which have been brought |
over from Siberia for the purpose of tax |
ing into the Yukon valley supplies of pro- !
TlsiOns will somewhat relieve the distress !
There are at the present time 200 deer
trained TO harness that can be utilized by |
the war department. For the management |
of these deer there are three Laps accus- |
toned to freighting and some 20 or moro
Eskimo young men that have learned to
drive and handle the animals.
The original purpose for which domestic
reindeer were brought into Alaska from
siberia was to provide new food supply |
az ara new means of support for the Eski- |
mo. But the discovery 6f valuable deposits
of gold and the rapid influx Of white set
tiers have made the reindeer as much of a |
necessity to the white man as to the In |
dian. With increased facilities of transpor- |
tation by steamer up the rivers and per
haps increased facilities from one or two |
trunk lines of railroads into the country |
there will still be an urgent necessity for |
the importation of reindeer in large num- |
bers There will be thousands Of mines |
distant from the navigable rivers and from |
railroad communication that can only Sc
cure adequate supplies Of provision by
means Of reindeer transportation from de-
pots of 3upplies either on the great rivers |
or at railway stations.
To demonstrate to the American popu-
lation of Alaska the utility Of the reindeer
as a beast of burden a trial trip was made
during the five winter months Of the win
ter of 1867, during which sled journey
with deer was taken covering a distance
of 5000 miles. The deer experienced ev-
cry eEigencv that would be encountered in
5Gtual service as freighters. This 1000
miles was made through a country With
out roads and largely without trails,
travelling along rivers, over high noun
tain ranges, down steep declivities, in the
midst of bitter cold Zone day being 70 de
grees below zero); at other times through
deep, loose snow or through slush on the
ice of the rivers during a January thaw.
The few horses that were imported into
Dawson last winter were fed on bread and
biscuit made from 0our. and in the alb