Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1897-12-31
FOOD RUNNING SHORT
Dawson City and Fort Yukon
on Reduced Rations.
SAYS JOHN LINDSAY OF OLYMPIA
Yukon Piled High With Ice, Making
Teaming by the River Route
an Imposibility.

Port Townsend, Dec. 29.-John
Lindsay, of Olympia, WASH, who has
just arrived here from Dawson, says
that there will surely be starvation
there this winter.
He examined into the food situation
in thorough manner, he says, and
after satisfying himself that there
would be starvation, he sold his outfit
and, in company with Frank Ballaine,
OF Olympia; Tom Stoney, of Victoria,
and Bob Glynn, of Seattle, started out
on foot, each man drawing sled carry
ing about 40 pounds of provisions.
Lindsay says the Dawson people de-
clare that there is no great amount of
food at Fort Yukon, as has been al
legged. The river rose sufficiently and
remained open long enough to enable
food supplies to have been brought
from Fort Yukon, had there been any
there, SO the majority of the people at
Dawson refused to go down to the
camp, preferring to remain in Dawson.
Not more than 800 or 400 people took
advantage of the transportation COM
pany's offer to take the people to Fort
Yukon free of charge.
When the miners at Dawson found
that no more provisions would reach
the town by the river route, they an
nounced that meeting would be held
to take steps for an apportioning of the
provisions in the town. Those that
had plenty, they said, must share with
those who had not.
Captain Constantine, of the North
west mounted police, interfered, and
told the miners that no such thing
would be permitted. The meeting was
not held.
Lindsay says the output of the mines
will be greatly curtailed this winter
because of the scarcity of food and
light. Coal oil sold for $40 gallon,
and candles as high as $3.50 per box of
100. Even if men are able to work
their claims, they cannot get light to
do so.
These statements are borne out by
all returning Klondikers, quite a num-
ber of whom have reached here in the
past week. Few of them, however,
take as gloomy view of the situation
as does Lindsay.
DR.. B. L. Bradley, of Roseburg,
Or, says that food is scarce, but he
does not think that there will be actual
starvation. Neither do w. B. King,
of Merced, CAL; P. J. Holland, of
Butte, Mont; Thomas Stoney, of Vic
toria, or Robert Glynn, of Seattle, all
of whom arrived this week from Daw-
son. Most of them left there Novem-
ber 2.
AS an evidence of the scarcity of food
in Dawson, Lindsay relates the case of
DR.. Van SAINTS, formerly of Spokane.
Van SAINTS is an elderly man, and be-
ing without provisions or money, he
offered gold watch for a sack of
-four. He could not get it, and he re-
marked to Lindsay:
"God only knows how am to keep
body and soul together"
Lindsay says 200 or more miners are
at the mouth of Stewart
river, but as yet. it is not known what
success they have achieved.
Henderson creek, five miles below
Stewart river, and 40 miles from Daw-
son, is promising stream that is being
developed this winter. The weather
about the Stewart and Big Salmon
rivers has been bitterly cold, 70 degrees
below zero being recorded at Major
Walsh's camp, II miles below the Big
on November II.
The Yukon river between Dawson and
Fort Pelly, froze completely over No.
vember Is. The river is piled full of
ice in great ridges, as high as an ordi-
nary house, and roadway will have
20 be cut through it before the dog or
horse teams can operate upon it. The
therefore, for taking supplies
lown to Dawson in the immediate fu-
.ure is not good.
Inspector of Mines McGregor left
nere week ago with a number of dog
.eams and horses to make the attempt
q reach Dawson with about 20 tons of
but nothing has since been
heard of him.