The San Francisco call., 1897-09-11

where, but the real want of the people is
grub.
There is none TO spare on the Munook
and nowhere to turn to set any. On the
last trip OF the Healy when she called at
Munook she was besieged by miners beg
ging TO buy foo1. The captain refused TO
sell single pound of supplies. l myself
had orders for provisions, but could get
nothing at all. This Is what brought me
10 The determination to come out at once.
Three of my fellow-passengers down the
river from this district took passage on
the Excelaor.
IL believe the Excelsior is the banner
boat of the season. She can discount the
Cleveland both as 10 passengers and gold
dust. Tanana River, which heads up near
Forty-mie and empties 500 miles south
OF Circle City, is showing up very well at
the headwaters. There is much talk also
10 be beard concerning Copper River. The
Copper heads in the other side OF the
ridge from the Munook, and the two
rivers are in a manner associa ted by an
incident with the Government expedition,
which under Lieutenant Mills explored to
its head, crossing 10 the Munook on the
same trip. They had a cook with them
named Johnson. This same cook has now
the richest claim on Munook River, Lieu
tenant Mills is the man who named the
much-dreaded Mills Canyon on the Yukon.
News about Stewart River is being kept
very quiet. Some OF the new corners are
going that way, and the general opinion
is that good dirt has already been struck.
Freight rates at The mines are unreason-
ably high. The pack from Dawson to Ell
Dorado cost 35 cents pound by trail, and
the trail is so bad that a prospector can
not carry in mis- own provisions without
hiring help Wages are high, averaging
between $40 and SIS n day for ordinary
work. Before l quit you. let me caution
you to say that if people don't care to die
OF slow hunger they had better stay out of
the Klondike this winter.''
H. J. Burrows of Portland, Or, who
comes south on the Cleveland, has a fund
of general information concerning Daw-
son City and the Klondke. He went in to
the mines early in the spring, going from
Portland in the interest of several pros
pectors and to incidentally select paying
"hole" for himself should it prove posi-
BILE. Like all others who came down on
the steamer his first words were concern
ing the food outlook during the coming
winter, and his statements on the score
are anything but encouraging.
IL fear for every man and woman in
there regardless of whether they have
money or are penniless." said the Port
lander 10 CALL reporter. 'The truth is
the people in the mines are in precari-
Gus condition. Any way l look at it see
nothing but shortage of food, not lust a
little, but starvation for the more unfortu
nate. The situation may be relieved slight
ly if the steamer }. ]. Hesly makes another
successful trip and carries n1lhing but
food up the river but this has not bee the
policy up there.
Everything-food, supplies OF every
transportation OF whisky. Why2 Simply
because there are more dollars in hauling
liquor. Cargoes have gone up that river
in the face OF closed stores and lack OF
food in summer with practically little in
their makeup other than liquor. In a
nutshell the situation is just this: There
are more people in the Klondike than
there will be food for. Every available
means of transportation is used to carry
in supplies until the river closes. The
opportunity to carry legitimate freight to
the mines has been neglected until 1T is
now too late to mend the condition. Yes.
it IS an outrage, but it is the cold truth.
which must be stared straight In the face.
and no one knows it any better than do