The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-18
BACK FROM The YUKON.
Twenty Miners Arrive fn Seattle,
Having Fled From Starvation
i'm Alaska.

AtaSka.
Twenty miners from the vicinity of Cir
Gle City. Alaska, unable TO secure sup
plies 20 continue operations this winter and
sustain life, abandoned their work and
. fed from the country. arriving in Seattle
yesterday on the steamer Kingston. The
Circle City mines are really from sixty 10
l5o miles from that city. and when these
miners came out 10 get food they found
none TO be had, and only with difficulty
obtained enough TO supply them for two
or three days-long enough 10 float down
the Yukon 10 Fort Yukon. where there Is
plenty. There. are stili nearly 200 miners
in the Brush creek country, many of
whom are depending upon getting food at
Circle City.
There is no hope OF getting a steamer up
10 Dawson before winter. and the very
best news received is that a courier, tray
cling overland. may reach Dawson in time
10 warn the people that no supplies will
reach them, and that their only hope is TO
nee down the river without delay
AT Circle City there is something like
l.Oe sacks OF flour and a small amount of
beans. but no bacon. canned goods nor
tea or coffee. At Fort Yukon there are
two warehouses full Of supplies. Men are
coming down the river every day from
Dawson TO Circle City. and regular stam-
pede was expected when the last word
came from the latter place. Predictions
were made by those who came down from
Dawson 10 Circle City that the next two
weeks will witness the arrival Of at least
LOCO men. There will be nothing TO keep
them at Circle City except shelter and
the greater part OF them will undoubtedly
come on down TO Munook TO winter.
The twenty miners who came from Cir
Gle City were. as a rule, extremely reti-
cent about the prospects on Brush creek
They all came with gold dust however
and there were no complaints heard about
lack OF the precious metal II is believed
that none OF these men had less than $500
and none over s5,oo0.
w. A. Lunn. s. +. Overstreet and p. K
Holmes were three OF these Circle City
miners who came out TO avoid the famine
Mr.. Holmes was seen last night at the
New England hotel by a Post-Intelligen-
Ger reporter. He has been in Alaska two
seasons and is now on his way to his
home In San Francisco. He said:
II came out OF the Brush creek diggings
TO get supplies at Circle City but could not
get any and had TO come out. II was all
we could do to get enough provisions 10
last us until we could get our boat ready
and float down TO Fort Yukon. There
were at least 1,oo0 tons of provisions there
but IL is a poor place to winter. so we
came on down, by good luck striking the
Alaska Commercial Company's steamer
Alice at the Yukon Bar. nearly opposite
Fort Yukon. There was only eighteen
inches OF water on this bar. and as there
is no boat on the river which draws less
than two 10 four times that much wa
ter, / do not see how any OF them are go
ing % get UP this fall, even IL the ice and
Geld weather did not stop them. The
steamer Victoria Is small, but II draws
SiI feet OF water. They were going TO
make a desperate attempt 10 get II up
stream, but there is no probability that
they will succeed. The Weare we met
five miles below Fort Yukon. and the
Northern Light had just gotten or the
bar after having been stuck for three days.
The St. Michael was a short distance be-
low Munoek, as were also the Gov. Stone
man and the Hattie b. both propellers
towing barges. AS they draw six or seven
feet they will doubtless winter at Mum
ook The Seattle No. / and the May
West was met between Anvik and Nulato
and they may also winter az Munook. The
Hamilton was near Anvik and VIII win
ter probably st the Russian mission. The
Bella had just unloaded a cargo al Fort
Hamlin when we saw her.
At ST. Michael we stayed nine days
waiting for & good chance 20 como out.
The boats there were the Portland, Cleye-
land. Bear, Excelsior. Lakme. Navarro,
Bertha and schooner Queen. The schoon-
err Novelty left for Grays harhor FOUR days
before the Danube and we met the Hum
boldt one day out making for the port We
had just LETT.
There were not more than fifteen or
twenty passengers left at st. Michael
after We came away II was cold and
raw ard the waves had thrown the ice
up along the beach a foot or more deep
The Healy came down the river while we
were there and loaded at 81. Michael. but
could not go out. for the river had frozen
I'D at the mouth. Packed in the ice, IN
a vain attempt 10 get up the stream, were
the Alice and Merwin. think that with
out doubt they VIII be ground to pieces
when the ice breaks up in the spring. The
Mare Island was stuck IN the same place
for eight days. but got of before we left.
The Cleveland was TO leave the next
aav after us-on the 5th-and was bring
ing the materials for the y. a. T. and T..
cos river steamers back 10 Dutch Har-
Dor. where they were 20 be built"
Mr.. Holmes says that the most success
| ful miners in the Brush creek diggings
| this year are Pat Connolly and Jack
| C,rexor. who took out between $4,000 and
| geo GO this summer. Gregor came down
on the Danube and stopped at Victoria.
At Rampant City Mr.. Holmes met Har-
~ Bigelow and 5. J. Knapp, who are in
| the real estate business. and sx-Gov. Nc
| Graw, George Hyde Preston and Z. NJ.
| Carr
Away NJ the river he met Capt Han
sen assistant superintendent Of the Alas
| ka Commercial Compsny's store AZ Daw-
son City. The captain was going 10 az
teruut 70 get through 70 Dawson by trau
in time 20 warn the anxious people there
that no supplies would reach them and
that they had best set out y they could.