The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-13
storms Have Destroyed Food Sup-
plies, Swept Away Trails and
Blocked the Way to the kIondike.
OVER 5000 LIVES In PERIL
WINTER REPORTED TO HAVE AL
READY BEGUN IN ALASKA.
New Route to the DigEings-Indfana
EndeavOrers Among the Passengers
of the Lost Steamer Mexico.

SEATTLE, Wash, Aug 12.-The fear ex-
pressed by Secretary of the Interior Bliss
that many gold seekers may suffer or per-
ish before they reach the Klondike is well
founded. Grim winter, with it's terrific
storms has already seized Alaska and the
Northwest Territory in its grip and the
gold seekers trying to reach the Eldorado
of the Yukon by the overland route have
seen their hopes of fortune swept away in
the maelstrom that has obliterated the
trails over the mountains and turned the
lakes into tempestuous and impossible
seas. The three thousand miners en- route
for the Klondike treasure fields are hope
lessly stuck in the Skagaway pass between
Skagaway and Lake Tagish Unprotected
from the extreme hardships of an arctic
storm, the amateur miners have been ex-
posed to fearful blasts and chilling rains
in a pass that will now mean death for
many of them Food supplies have been de-
stroyed, trails have been swept away by
the heavy rains and the way to the field
of gold is closed to the fortune hunters
until the spring.
The warning uttered by Secretary Bliss
pointing out the dangers of an overland
winter trip to the Klondke regions would
have been well timed usually, but the fierce
storm that has swept over the northwest
ern peninsula has destroyed all plans even
of men who have a months start Of those
who wish to go to the Klondike now. Those
who have been trapped in the Skagaway
pass by the storm will be condemned to
live many months on the rough face of the
mountain, unless they give up the race for
wealth and fight their way over terrible
obstacles back to Dyea- Their horses have
died like sheep. The way is cut off be-
fore and behind. The trail back to Dyea
and Juneau will have to be cut in the face
of severe storms and terrible winds. Those
who determine not to return will have to
face the fierce rigorS of an arctic winter
hundreds of miles from the point they
wished to reach.
The storm that has swept over the North
west is sad to be but the presage OF an
exceptionally severe winter, and it is pre-
dicted that the frozen bodies of many of
the miners will lie miles from the promised
land before new trails can be opened. De-
tails of the sufferings of the gold seekers
who have taken the overland route are har-
rowing. At the foot of the Dyea and Skag-
away passes tons of food supplies have
been blocked for lack of horses and In
dams to carry them to the lakes which lead
to the Klondike. Some of the miners have
sold their outfits and are returning TO civil
iZatiOn and warmth before the arctic VIM
ter sets in. Others, and these are SAID To
be the least experienced. are pressing for
ward with but half their supplies, so In
tense is the fever which is sending them to
the Klondike 1t is these men, and they
are numbered by the thousands who have
been caught in the terrific storm which
wrecked the Mexico How many have al
ready lost their lives is not known. The
overland route to the Klondike will be
strewn with Corpses, according to the old
miners who have already tried the rigors
of the Alaskan climate. Even those who
have been able to get through the passes
to the lakes cannot proceed farther. Ihe
lakes have been swollen to such an extent
and the rapids have been rendered so dats
gerous that it has been found impossible to
push forward.
A. G. McNab, an old prospector, returned
here on the City of Topeka He had little
to say but that little was decidedly impress
sive There is no use trying to get over
those passes this winter" he said. y nave
been there and looked the ground over, and
came back" He is only one of many now
". Fl. Ewing. of the Post-Intelligencer.
the special correspondent who went to
Skagaway on the Rosalie, writes as fol-
lows from Camp Skagaway under date OF
Aug. s: I'VE have just arrived at Skag-
away, the city of tents. The wharf, which
is at the base of mountain of rock
columns, is 500 square feet. There is no
warehouse. The trail which leads TO the
city of tents from the wharf has been hewn
out of this mountain of rocks. AS the tide
is out now it is possible to pick your way
along, but certainly impossible to take
horse from the wharf, providing he could
be got on the wharf across the tral
to the city. In order to reach the trail the
horse would have to jump ten feet down.
The steamer Edith, with seventy horses. Is
now anchored out mile from shore. sne
arrived twelve hours ahead of u.s. and Is
waiting for half tide to get the horses on
the scow in order to take them TO shore
as far as possible without a dock. They
wade them the rest of the way. 1t costs 81
to land a horse this way A trip was made
to tents a mile away from the wharf over
rocks and powders; supposed to be trail,
that no horse would be able to go over.
Some one evidently tried to take horse
ashore over the rocks, for we passed its
dead body
"The first person we met from Seattle
was c. N Hutchinson, who Is here with
the arctic sawmill. He said that Dyea was
the best place to land II you did not have
horses. He went to Dyea and hired his
freight packed over at Is cents a. pound
under guarantee to have it there Sept. ].
The prices for packing are going up now.
None is done under 20 cents, and the aver
age is about % cents. Mr.. Hutchinson esti-
mated that there are 2;0O0 people on the
Dvea pass and 500 on the Skagaway.
THE Islander reached here Aug; with
400 passengers. and they are just begin
ming to move. None of them has made more
than a mile. 1t takes a long time to get
things ashore assorted and ready for trans
portation Mr. Hutchinson estimated that
there were only $50 horses on the Skaga-
way trail.