The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1897-09-09
DIRECT FROM DAWSON
Returned YukOners Tell of
Conditions at the Camp.
THERE is A SCARCITY OF FOOD
Fifty Deaths From Scurvy--Some VaIu-
able CIaims--YukOn River Steamer
Weare Aground.

EUREKA, CAL, Sept. S.-The news by
the steamer National City, from st.
Michaels. corroborates all that has been
said of the prospects of short rations
in the gold diggings of the. upper river
during the winter. This steamer,
which connected with the river steamer
Healy at the mouth of the river, brought
three passengers. One of these Is j. A.
Ralston, of San Francisco.
Six Thousand men in the mines about
Dawson City is the estimate of Ralston,
who came down on the National City
with F. E. Leonard, of Nanaimo, and R.
B. Lamb, of Portland. The supply of
the necessaries of life to feed these men,
he says, is totally insufficient. In fact,
he estimates that the stores will be ex-
hausted before the winter is half over,
when the famine will be on in earnest,
especially as the number of men in the
country will be greatly augmented by
late arrivals over the passes. There is
whisky, beer and all kinds of liquor in
profusion. ne says, but their places could
have been better filled on the steamers
with flour. 1t is not that the men in
the country have not the money to buy
supplies, but the stocks of the stores are
inadequate.
He says there is gold and lots of it in
the Klondike, but it is generally still in
the ground. 1t is believed that the
claims now located will turn out fifty
tons of gold this winter, if the scarcity
of food does not prevent full operation.
He gives a rough guess that the Klon-
dixie is good for $3.50, 100000 before
"petering OUT
Mr.. Lamb, of Portland, is authority
for the statement that over fifty men
have already died of scurvy this sum-
mer.
On the way down the river from Daw-
son City, which place the HealY left
August 18th, the steamer Weare was
found hard and fast on a bar. She was
passed on the 10th, being then about
1900 miles from the mouth of the river.
The boat had been on the bar for twenty
days and the Healy laid alongside, took
off her passengers and some of the
freight and then proceeded on the way,
leaving the unfortunate boat hard and
fast aground, with small chances of get
ting off before the river closed.
Ralston says that one of the best
claims on Eldorado creek is the property
of James Hall, of Missouri. 1t will turn
out at least 81 100000. Claim No. IL on
the Eldorado is also very rich. 1t is nc
uncommon thing to take out two ounces
to the pan from any part of the claim.
What wealth is coming on by the
steamer Excelsior cannot be estimated
Those of the passengers of the Healy
who came to st, MTchaels were very ret.
icent as to their store of dust.
With the exception of Ralston and his
companions, all the passengers of the
Healy took passage on the Excelsior.
That vessel left st. Michaels the night Of
August 26th with SO passengers. They
put in Ounalaska for coal, and Captain
Anderson, OF the National City, is of the
opinion that the Excelsior should arrive
in San Francisco today.
When the National City left st. Mich
aels the Cleveland was taking ballast
and expected to sail for the Sound OF
August 30Lh. Many of the passenger
who had tickets for the Cleveland tool
passage on the Excelsior.
E. Leonard says that the Weare hac