Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-12-16
As It Is In KIOldyke.
UNDOUBTED AUTHORITY TELLS
OF EXISTING CONDITIONS IN
THAT COUNTRY.
No Fear of Famine in Dawson City
Climate, Conditions and Claims OF
the New Eldorado-Strange
Stories of Fortune.
L. Nj, Hold ees in the Kansas City Star

L. Nj. Hodges in the Kansas City Star.
"There will be no starvation in the
KIondyke country this winter"
A stalwart Missourian, who has
lived in Alaska for IL years, who was
one of the our United States COM
missioners or local judges of that ter
ritory during Cleveland's first admin
istration, United States marshal and
surveyor general of the country dur
ing Clev Glands second term and
meantime Alaskan commissioner for
the Worlds Far, is the authority, an
undoubted authority, too, for this
statement. Judge Louis L. Williams,
born and reared in Boonville, Mo-,
left his home in Juneau ten days ago
and arrived in Kansas City last night.
He Is on his way to visit relatives in
the central part of this State and will
remain in this country until February.
His long residence and official posi-
tions in the new country, now looked
upon as the worlds new Colorado, has
given him an opportunity of studying
the land, the people and the resources,
and his story, told in the frank man
ner of the typical Missourian that he
is, is most interesting.
FAMINE REPORTS EXAGGERATED.
"The reports sent out about the
scarcity of food supplies in Dawson
City and vicinity have been greatly
exaggerated" continued Judge Will
Iiams. "The latest news from the
K,ondyke, brought by two men who
left Dawson City on October 20 and
arrived in Juneau the latter part Of
November, after a trip the hardshlps
and dangers of which are almost be-
yond belief, was that while the supply
of food was not plentiful by any
means, there was enough to last until
fresh supplies could be taken in the
| spring. These men said the people
were happy and getting along we'll.
"There is little danger of death and
starvation in the settlements, but
those who started for the gold fields
late in the fall, despite the warnings
given them and are now camping on
the banks of some frozen stream, are
in great danger. 1t is useless to start
for Klondyke until late spring. 1t is
impossible to get to the mouth of the
Yukon before July, on account ofthe
floating ice from Behring sea-, and
those who intend going to the gold
fields might as well stay where they
are until May or June, unless they
want to spend severalmonths visiting
in juneau and Sitka."
Judge Williams came from Sitka to
Seattle on the steamer Corona, and
owing to the high winds the trip was
not a pleasant one.
IL WINDS IN ALASKA.
"It is a fact not generally known, 1
believe" said the Judge, "that high
winds prevail in Alaska during the
winter moths. The wind comes from
the north and always brings clear
weather, but it cuts like a knife and
intensifies the cold to a remarkable
degree. The climate in Juneau is
much like the climate in Washington,
D. G. The thermometer rarely gets
to zero in winter and does not go
higher than 20 or 80 degrees above in
summer. The rain is the worst thing
about the climate. 1t rains all the
time; at least, there is SO little of the
time when it does not rain that it
seems to never stop. 1t is no unusual
occurrence for a rain to last three
months. In the Klondyke the Their
mometer goes as low as 40 degrees
below in winter and as high rs 100
above in summer, the heat being in
tense.
THE RUSH TO THE GOLD FIELDS.
"There will, of course, be a great
rush to the gold fields in the spring.
Why, even now every steamer that
leaves Seattle is loaded down with
fortune hunters. 1 was talking
with the captain of the Corona COM
ing down and together we calculated
that with the increased steamship
facilities to be put on as soon as the
weather permits in the spring, not
over $4,000 people a be carried into
the country every month";"
"Are not the stories of rich finds
simply stories?"
"No, I do not think they are. In
fact, l think the half has not been
told. There is gold everywhere in
Alaska. From the time you enter the
country's boundary lines until you
leave them behind there is not a place
where gold cannot be found, either in
placer or quartz deposits. / have a
friend who went to Dawson City and
staked out a claim. He did not begin
working it at once, but n day he
needed some ready dust so he set two
men at work digging. One of them
dug four hours and the other eight
and the proceeds of the twelve hours
work was a little more than $21 600.
I know this sounds like a fairy tale,
but it's true"
During his term as marshal and
commissioner Judge Williams lived in
Sitka, but the rest of the time he made
his home in Juneau, and he has
selected this town, the metropolis of
Alaska, as his permanent home.
IN THE It OF JUNEAU.
"Juneau is a remarkable little city.
1t is built on the side of a mountain
5000 feet high and'the whole town
contains less than 200 acres. We
have electric lights and water works
and our system of water work is as
fine as any in the world. All we had
to do was to build a reservoir up on
the mountain side and pipe the water
down. The pressure is wonderful
and, although every house in the place
is frame, we never have any big
fires.
"Juneau has about 1000 Inhabitants
and between thirty and forty Saloons"
remarked the Judge with a smile.
"You know Alaska is a prohibition
country, but we have saloons galore.
There are not over 200 white people
in Sitka and yet I once counted four
tam ~ooIaous fhera E~uarvhody driuks