The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-11
HUNTING FOOD NOT GOLD
DISASTER, DISTRESS AND DEATH Iy
 DAWSON CITY.

I
 iessness Prevails Evsrywhere-Many Will Perish This winter-Awful Fate of the Crew of the Steam whaler Novach. San Francisco. Sept. 10.-The Exam
 iner prints an extra edition containing
 the following news from Dawson City: otter Point, B. C., Sept. 1O.-The
 steamer Cleveland has arrived from St.
 Michaels, bringing with her from the
 Yukon gold fields story of distress
 and disaster. The miners she has on
 board and officers in charge of the ship
 tell the story of disaster and distress at Dawson.
 The winter has set in at the mining city of the frozen north and two great
 stores of the place have closed their
 doors, for they have nothing to sell.
 Those who have been seeking gold now
 must seek for food or starve. While there may be a tendency to ex-
 aggerate the actual condition of affairs
 there can be no question that famine
 threatens the adventurous men and
 women who made their way to the
 klondike. Hundreds of unruly spirits
 are Hooking to Dawson. Threats Of violence are being made on every side.
 Indignation meetings, heavy with ut-
 tered threats of vengeance, are held at
 St. Michaels by those who have little
 hopes of advancing up the river and less of getting back to civilization. The hrst signs Of winter are apparent on the river Yukon, which is beginning to freeze and in few weeks will be cIos- ed. Enormous prices are now being paid for food at Dawson, and it Is inn possible that more than four vessels with provisions can reach Dawson be- fore the river is a mass of ice
 On the Cleveland there are thirty eight passengers, men, women and children, who have come from Dawson City.
 There are few miners in this party that are able to tell of prosperity, al4 though most of them wish to exagger- ate their possessions. Captain Hall. master of the Cleveland, says that he has $100,000 in his safe. The purser be- lieves that he can account for $15O0o0 on board.
 The Cleveland has some of the pas- sengers of the P. B. Wear on board. The Wear left Dawson City in time to connect with the Portland had she not met with mishap and struck on the flats above Circle City. The report that on July 25 the stores of the Alaska Commercial company and of the North American Trading and Transportation company announced that they had no more food to sell is correct.
 Three weeks before that the same companies were unable to furnish out fits, and when the announcement was made that no more goods were availa- ble, consternation resulted on the part of the people of Dawson, with gold seekers piling in at the rate of twenty to forty a day.
 Drunkenness, gambling and disorder were rampant, and conservative ebserv- CTS predict the most serious conse- quences
 There is gold everywhere, but the people of Dawson want food more than they want gold now. At St. Michaels there are not enough structures to ac- the crowd and scores of pCOPAc dAS IIN1LB III IcIlCS. sAt
 Shortly before the Cleveland left St. Michaels, two of the expeditions. those of the National City and of the South coast, held indignation meetings, threat ening dire vengeance upon those who mad brought them there and were un- able to carry them further.
 They had been left stranded at St. Michaels and cannot possibly reach Dawson before next spring.
 If fortune favors, four vessels will be able to reach Dawson from St, Michaels before the Yukon river freezes. They will carry provisions but 1t is by no means certain that they will reach the Klondike.
 They offer the only hope, however, for ] renewal of supplies.
 August 28 the Excelsior left St. Mich- aels. Reports were current that her treasure amounted to s1,000,000 but here are none who can verify this
 It is probable, however, that she left 0unalaska last Monday.
 Shortly before the Cleveland left for Seattle the United States revenue cut CT Bear put into St. MichaePs with Captain Whiteside, his wife, the first md fourth officers and four seamen of he steam whaler Novach.
 They are all that remain to tell the erribe story of death in the Arctic re- ,ion.
 Of her crew twenty-eight were lost. rhirty-one were crushed in the ice and rozen to death.
 The Bear saw the vessels signal of istress near Point Barrow and lost no ime in going to her assistance. The aptain, his wife, two officers and four ailors were glad to leave the dismant- ed, crippled ship, but nine positively efused to go.
 They were lost in the desolate field of ,e and it is feared they have perished ,ith their comrades.
 The Cleveland also brings news that -hen the Humboldt stopped at Ouna- lska on her journey to St. Michaels, 1e passengers were in open rebellion. They began to realize that it would g impossible for them to reach Dawson efore the next spring and they knew lat misery awaited them at St Mich els. Their open threats against w. D. food, the organizer and manager of le expedition, and it is feared that he