The evening times., 1897-12-13

| 'AN~ ASSsuSht tnt ETCSiuelJ Ii.t
Senate, the following report bearing u; on
the reported destitutFn amona the miner.
along the Yukon kiver and in I, e K.on,..kt
district.
War Department, Dec. l3, 1897.
| Sir: 1 have the honor to acknowi,,,ps
the receipt Of the following resolution uI
| the Senate OF the United States, ualeu De
| cember 8, 1897:
| hesoiNeu, That the Secretary of War
| De directed u report the Senate such IN
'ornlation al ne has respecting the lack OF
| sufficient food supplies among the meri.
can citizens who have gun. in 90 the mining
districts OF the Yukon River, nd its tribu.
| taries, and whether, in his Judgment, there
| Is cahger factuai Suffering from a want Of
| such supplies unless reiler is affoided by
pubic or private contribution
In reply beg to submit tie following:
oohil..ihs ie..V, 70 .nv .arly s-.....er
having been received by the War Depart
| ment as to the cun,.Ition of AFFAIRS in
| Alaska, especially relative 10 actual and
threatening Law icssness, the department
uecidtd To senu an OikaOer OF the Army to
csTtdin Tie reli couultlo lous' and report at
the earliest pOssiuie uaLe, the Iacts.
oapt- r. H. haJ, I-ientu ..iLeu States Iu-
1antry' with an assistant, Lieut.. W. P
RICHARDSON, was therefore directed to
proceed To Alaska for tnis purpose. I'm nc-
corGance with instruct ,Jus oI August 4,
as follows:
Washington, Aug. 4, 1897
10 Capt. L. ii. Ray, Eisuuh inI antry, Sc
attic, WASH:
The PresIuent sends you, with Lieut..
hlclafusun, To the Aiasla gold fieiu, To
winch 50 many are fiocking, to Investigate
ana relOrt, At fully anu frequently as you
can, the cunuition or al fairs, anu make such
Recommendations as you Il. ay ueem best.
Make your first heauuu uaruers at Circle
CRY, and ch1no : loca0.u.I i, you may Iinu
advantageous. The following Lomus are
especially to be covereLin yourrerort:
Are troops necessary Il. ere, and, If SO,
Tor what purpose; where should they be To-
Gated; how outritted, and what facilities
iur communication WITH tue coast settle
ments are practicable III WAITER?
Are t..e civil aLtLurities a,Iording rea-
sonable protection to Ii. e anu property?
Are the people disposed to be law
abiding, or otherwise?
where are the people locating and in
what numbers: ana what is the pronable
degree OF permaaence OF the difrernet set
tlemeuts?
10 there food in the country for the popu-
lation to winter there,
''Thesc and all other subjects-military,
civil and commerical-that Will he use and
interest, will he covered by your investi-
pOrtance OF aving your reports accurate
and reliable. Observe carefully and ac-
curately. Do not form hasty judgments OF
make hasty reports. The President has sent
you in confidence OF your ability and as a
means OF Information to him. You are ex-
pected to justify this confidence. BY order
of the President. r. A. ALGER
Secretary Of War;"
Capt Ray arrived at st. MichaeI's ON the
1sth vi a august, ana submitted two reports
daIed ugust 20 and 81, from that place,
cope, OF which are herewith transmitted.
lie also submitted a dispa tch ell route
to Circle City, September D. together with
two subsequent reports. dated September
= and 16, at Fort Yukon talso here with,
the last being the latest informa tion the
department has received from him, al
though 1t is informed that lie arrived at
Circle City, where he was to make his
headquarters, Oh September 20. From
these reports IL Will b. seen tnat as ea rly as
the lst OF september, and while en- route
up the Yukon, Capt. Ray was in receipt
OF information to the effect that unless
soue relief expedition was sent to the
mining district starvation, or at least great
prIvation, would be inevitable.
From ot'.er sources, including dispatches
from tn. Chambers of Commerce OF Port
land and Tacoma topples of which are
herewithD which, while unofficial, the
DtiitNPs 10 De tnOEOugnlN
liable. it IL ascertaineu that since the 18th
of August but 165 tons of provisions have
reached Daw son City by river, and that
the boats of the two transportation com-
panies, with 1000 tons OF supplies for that
place, were obliged TO discharge their
freight at Fort Yukon, 4GO miles north
OF Dawson City, owing to the lowness Of
the river between there two points. 1t is
also learned, from three independent
sources, that the population OF Daw son and
vicinity, In October OF this year, was es-
tlinated at not less than 5000, and prob
ably was much in excess of that number,
end that of the population of Dawson CITY
and In the country tributary thereto a
large number of American citizens are re-
ported TO have insufficient food to last
them through the winter, and that many
are absolutely destitute.
When 1t was ascertained at Dawson by |
special messenger Sent from Fort Yukon,
about September 13, that no more supplies |
could reach the mining districts before next |
summer VIA the Yukon; seven or eight hun |
dred people are reported to have gone 400
miles downthe river in boats to Fort Yukon, |
a journey requiring twenty-three to twenty |
eight days travel, where it is estima ted |
there are about 700 tons of provisions |
cached: and that Munook Creek, a bout 500 |
miles from Dawson City; and Fort Hamlip. |
so miles from that place, down the river, |
the Two trading companies upon whom the |
miners depend wholly for their winter sup-
ply were compelled, wing to the lowness of |
the river, to unload, respectively, 10 and |
zoo tons OF provisions from their six boats |
bound from st. Michaels for Dawson.
The latest Information from the mining
district bears dateof October z when il Is |
reported, there was not on sale In the stores
OF Dawson or those accessible to the mining |
region, single pound of bacon, beans or |
flour, and that those miners who had been !
In the territory contiguous to Dawson de-
pending on the stores there for their usual |
winters supply, found it impossib to pur-
chase any supplies whatever, except in
rare instances from friends or individuals
who thought they had a surplus, and the !
cost OF food for the bare necessities o life
even under these circumstances was ex-
orbtant and almost prohibitory; so Pound
sacks Of flour selling at 500 to SIPS.
Although there are many tons of supplies
at Fort st. Michael s,a but /. a 4 0 miles from
Dawson City, down the Yukon, it will be
Impossible to get any food from that point
before next summer. The only possible
routes by which supplies can be trans
port ed into othenining district at tue present
season would be either by the Chikoot
or White Pass, through Lakes Linderman |
and Bennett, and down the Lewis and Yu-
Hon Rivers over the ice, or through the Chill
Kat Pass and over Dalton's trail, ap-
roNlinateiy sUV miles ana ooO miles, |
from Juneau, requiring from
thirty to tiiirt y-five days travel from Ju-
neau-a most hazardous, and perhaps i'm
possible trip, although it is believed it can
be accomplished.
From the best information that can be
it is believed that the use o rein
deer will be means by which these supplies
can be gotten through, il at all. 1t fs there
lore, recommended that reindeer be pur-
chased in Lapland to the number of Foo |