The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-30
LETTER FROM ST. M1cHAE1s.
True State of the Conditions Con
fronting Prospectors.

San Francisco, Aug CIV. A Ryan,
one of the special correspondents Of
the Associated Press, now en- route to
the Klondike gold fields, writes from
st. Michaels Island. Alaska. under date
of Aug. Is, as follows:
Nearly 800 impatient gold seekers
are fretting here in enforced idleness
awaiting the arrival of Yukon steamers
to transport them to the upper river,
Dawson and the diSgings at thu Klon
dixie. Of this number, fi0 came on the
steamship Portland and 113 on the 1x-
eelsior. There seems to be lit lie hope
for a speedy transfer, as t3le p. b.
Weare, of the North American Trading
& Transportation company, is how
more than a week overdue. and such
wind storms are prevailing that the
company's new steA,n=r, the Charles
h. Hamilton, cannot possibly ypntl;i e
out. For two days she lay urcn tie
rocks threatened with destruction, and
was only cotton out of danger yester-
day Two days after she was launched
she was blown ashore. The damage to
her hull will postpone her departure
for nearly a week. The hieh winds will
also prevent the Portland from unloat :
ing or transferring her passengers. The
passengers of the steamship Excelsior
are compelled to remain aboard the YES
sci until the arrival of the steamers
Alice and Bella, due about the 29th inst
The waiting passengers have this
thought to beguile them-that there is
grave danger of a famine on the Klon-
dixie. According to all reports from
the uppre country, it is impossible to
land sufficient food at Dawson to sup
port the population already dependent
on that base of supplies. During the
voyage of the steamship Excelsior to
this port, an association for mutual
benefit and advantage was formed of
the passengers. Upon the arrival at ST
MlchaelS reports were so discourse ing
concerning the food supply that a spe-
clal meeting of the association was
held and committee appointed TO wait
upon the Alaska Commercial company
and demand that each passenger be al
lowed to purchase a years supply of
food at this place, and that transporta-
ton be furnished for the same The
managers are at present at Dawson,
and are not expected back before the
latter part of this month. r. T. Lying,
local agent for the company, declares
that there will be q scarcity of proYi-
sions at Dawson. According to his Off
cial adViceS, there are from 1000 TO 8, GOO
idle men in Dawson and new parties
arriving every day by way of Chilkoot
pass. He says that the total amount
of freight landed in Dawson this year
will not exceed 1900 tons. of which
amount only $500 will be provisions.
Miners returning from the upper coun-
try, who left Klondike in the middle of
July, say that provendor was already
running very low and that it went out
of the warehouse Just about as fast as
it was put off the steamers. They say
that the old-timers realize the situation
and that the dewn-river boats will be
crowded with men eager to get to some
safe place to winter. Distress and death
are predicted by them as the result of
the Klondike craze. William OgiIvie.
dominion land surveyor, who has been
making a typographical survey of the
British possessions along the Klondike.
is here on his way to Otta-
Dominion government. He Will
return home by way Of San Francisco.
He has been called home for consulta-
ton over important matters affecting
the new gold fields and viii make a
report embodying suggestions for new
mining laws, governing the sale Of
liquor and the taking of wood for fuel,
and many other points Of observation
where custom alone establishes the
right, which is more honored in the
breach than in the observance. He
has made a census of the production
of the new fields and finds that 90
claims produced $S26, eco and says that
S.o900,O00 is no exaggerated estimate
OF the amount that will be produced
by the $50 claims on Bonanza. Hunker
and Eldorado in three years. There
were 20 persons here when the Excel
sior arrived, who had come down the
river from the diggings, Is of whom
were miners. They are said to have all
the way from 500, coo to $500. 600 among
them. Few care to say exactly how
much they have, preferring to remain
silent on that point. giving as their
reasons the fact that they have too
little money compared to what those
who went out earlier took away with
them.
c. B. and 2. 3. Patrick, father and
son, brought out $4,000 They took
passage on sailing vessel out of port
two days after they arrived. Frederick
". Cobb OF Boston is credited with
si3.oO0: c. K Zilley of Seattle with a
IKE amount; Thomas Rowan of Sitlla
IS $4,000 better off; W w. Caldwell of
Denver, $4,000; Timothy C. Bell of
vancouver has $31, 600 in Canadian
money, the result of the sale of his
holdings; G. S. Lansing of BozemaD
Mont, has $4,000. The others refuse
to say how much they have The re-
naming members of the party are: ~.
Oler of Baltimore, William Zahn of
Minneapolis, 3. T. II. Farman of Good
ell, Ia. A. Buckley of st. Joseph, Mo-:
H. N. Goweler of Winnipeg. Thomas r
Dunkerly Of Tacoma and ". N. Powers
of Tucson, AriZ. Each has won what
is called in this region a ''homestake,'
namely, the amount which he believes
sufficient to take him home to remain.
Very few intend to come back. The
hardships which they have endured
make them dread the country in which
they Won their stake.
Orrin Gray of Grand Rapids. Mich,
went into the country this spring to
try and save some remnant of the
fortune his son. Albert. had won. The
boy had made $4,000, and according to
reports that come to the father, was
spending thousands in drink and
gambling. SO the old man came in
over the pass, but the boy was gone,
and he is coming out now in hopes
that the boy has not spent it all, but
has taken some of it home to his
mother.
M. H. McIndoo and f. X. Gervajs
went into the country to prospect. but
were discoura ged and did not stop. c.
c. Perrine and T. A Novak though
not miners. are the two most interest
ing members of the party. Perrine is
= detective, a member of Thiel's de-
tective service. In February last he
was given photograph and told to
find the original. Accompanying the
photograph was an accurate descrip-
ton. Omaha was the starting point
of the trail. and he chased his man
to Baltimore, thence across the con-
tinent to Seattle, and thence to Juneau
Here he learned that his quarry was
bound for the I<londike with q Marty
of nine. by way of Dyea and Chilkoot
PASS