The San Francisco call., 1897-10-24
EXPEDITION ABANDONED.
Those Who Went Up on the North
Fork Cannot Go Up the Yukon
on the Mare Island.

WEST SIDE OF ST. MICHAEL ISL
AND twelve miles from town., Oct. AT
last il has been proven TO the satisfaction
of her owners that the steamer Mare Isl
and draws too much water to get over the
bars al the mouth of the Yukon River,
and the expedition that started on the
North Fork has been abandoned
On September "a, after the Mare Island
had been lightened of what was believed
TO be enough OF her cargo to reduce her
drau. ht to that of other steamers that ply
up the Yukon River, We steamed away
toward Dawson City. We arrived AT the
mouth of the Yukon on the following day.
The water on the bar was the lowest it has
been during the season, and we settled
down in the mud TO await a favorable
wind and high tide to float the boat
over. Neither the one nor the other came
to a sufficient extent TO suit Captain Ty-
son, the commander of the vessel, and
though constantly urged by the owners as
well as by many OF the passengers, he re-
fused to try to take ths boat over until he
was satisfied that at least seven feet OF
water was flowing
Two days of waiting brought dissension
and discomfort among the passengers,
who, fearing that ice would form in the
river, were willing TO take desperate
chances. a meeting OF the passengers
was held, but no definite plan of action
could be agreed upon. lew advocated
taking the command of the vessel from
Captain Tyson and placing it in the hands
of some one who would start up the river
water or no water, but after an angry dis
cussion OF the scheme better counsel pre-
vailed and it was decided 10 wait another
day or two.
During the deliberations Captain Ty-
son addressed the meeting and con-
cisely stated the exact situation.
He had, by diligent inquiry among the
shipping men at st. Michael, found that
boat that drew over four feet of water
could not get over the ba- at the mouth
Of the river unless there should be an ex-
traordinarily high tide, and even did it
pass the first there was q second bar
twenty miles up on which 1t would get
stuck; also that there were rapids in two
or three places in the river with a current
of eight miles an hour and that the great
est speed that the Mare Island could be
expected to make did not exceed eight
miles, so that the boat would have to be
assisted over these places by the steam
launcn which had been brought along for
towing purposes; that any moment ice
might be expected TO form and if we
should be so unfortunate as to be stuck on
the second bar we should be crushed.
the day following our departure the
steamer merwin, carrying the passengers
of The i'll -fated Eliza Anderson, passed us,
but grounded on the bar about three
miles ahead of the Mare Island. The
next day the steamer Alice, belonging to
the North American Company, arrived
and also stuck. The captain pointed out
these facts to the clamoring passengers
and asked them to state what would be
gained by moving up into shallow water
on high tide when it was so clear that
there was not enough water 10 get
over the bar. Some expressed he opinion
that at every high tide the boat should go
as far as it could and eventually the bar
would be passed, but Captain Tyson was
hrm and said he would not endanger the
lives OF 100 people to please a few who
were utterly ignorant OF navigation.
With mutterlrgs OF discomfort the meet
ing broke up, but the next morning the
quarrellng and pickering was resumed
The promoters united with the malcon-
tents in denouncing the captain for being
obstinate, and after breakfast two of them
took the steam launch anu started out to
make soundings, with the determination
that If in their opinion the wafer was high
enough 4 start shoul be made.
~ my lSluIucu COfeTeU Wltn
icicles and stated they had never passed
such a day in their lives. The river was
filed with floating ice and 1t was with the
greatest difficulty they were able to get
back to the ship. They had called on the
steamer Merwin, where they had found
the five women IN the expedition in tears
and almost an Insurrection among the
other passengers That night the tide
was higher than the night before, but an
unfavorable wind was blowing and our
snip did not move.
Prestol change. Next morning spec
tacle was presented to our eyes that was
enough to make a stout heart tremble.
The whole sea around Us was a mass of
ice and our boat was frozen solid. The
side OF the steam launch which lay back
OF us had been crushed in by mass of ice
that seemed to he trying to cover it. The
sight of icebergs forming was new TO most
OF us and, in spite of tie threatened dan
ger, We watched with sense of fascina-
tion the ice piling up till, in places, it
looked to be forty feet high. Early in the