The herald., 1897-08-24
REINDEER
BREEDING
More Important Than Was
Expected
THE ESKIMOS WILL BE FED
AND MINERS PROVIDED WITH
TRANSPORTATION
If the Rush Continues There Will Be
No Lack of Business to Be Done
in the Mining Regions
AND MINERS PROVIDED WITH
TRANSPORTATION
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
| WASHINGTON Aug. 23-Some in
teresting statements relating to the
gold region in Alaska and the reindeer
experiment there are brought out in the
annual statement of United States Com
missioner of Education Harris sub
mitted today.
Touching on the Importance of extend
ing the introduction of reindeer into that
territory, the report says the reindeer
stations ought to be able to furnish 500
reindeer trained to harness at once for
the use of the miners on the upper Yu
kon river.
1T was my purpose" the commits
sioner goes on, "to detail three of the
skilled herdsmen and thirty>trained d rein
| deer to the Yukon region the present
summer"
| If this arrangement Is carried out an
| important experiment will be in progress
| during the coming year at the gold
| mines. The plan of the bureau has
| been to arrange a reindeer express con-
Meeting towns in a line from Bering
straits to Kodiak island. sSuperintend-
ent of Reindeer Stations Kjollmanni last
September proved the practicability of
| this by making trial trip on this route.
| Two of his party were able to take the
| steamer at Katmai, sailing to Sitka in
March.
| This arrangement once completed, 1t
will be possible for business companies
| in San Francisco and other cities to hold
| communication with their whaling fleets
during the winter north Of the ArctE
circle.
| There have been maintained in Alaska
twenty day schools under the supervis-
ion of the interior department, with
| twenty-three teachers and an enroll
ment of 1867 pupils. A public school was
opened at Circle City in the Yukon min
ing district but the departments agent,
| writing from St. Michaels, says he is
afraid he will be forced to discontinue it
| because of the exodus of the city's popu-
lation into the region nearer the center
| Of the mines.
The influx of miners into the Yukon
has caused demand for reindeer for
freighting purposes. In the original plan
| of the purchase and distribution of rein
| deer reference was had to securing a new
food supply for the famishing Eskimos
| in the Bering sea and the Arctic ocean
region but it is now found that reindeer
are as essential to the white men as to
the Indians. The wonderful Yukon
placer mines are situated 25 TO 100 miles
| from the greater stream. Provisions
brought from the south and landed on
the banks of the river are with great
difficulty transported to the mines on
| the tributary streams. Last winter
mongrel dogs for transportation pur-
poses cost from $100 to 5000 each, and
| freight charges from the river to the
mountains ranged from Is to 20 cents per
pound. The trained reindeer make in
day two or three times the distance
covered by dog teams, and have the
advantage that they can use the abund-
ant moss as food.
| STUFF TO TRANSPORT
SEATTLE, Wash, August 23-The
steamer Rosalie arrived here this morn
ing from Dyea and Skaguay She re-
ports that there are about 1000 people at
Skaguay, and that the trail is still i'm
passable. About 1000 miners are work
ing upon it, and it is expected that it will
| be ready in few weeks. Not over twen-
| ty men have crossed over in the last
three weeks. At Dyea the miners are
getting across as rapidly as could be
expected. Juneau is rapidly filling up
with miners from Dyea and Skaguay
who propose to winter there.
The town organization at Skaguay
under the leadership of A. J. Mckinney,
has taken definite action to open the
trail. On the arrival OF the collier Will
annette none of the passengers were al
| lowed to take their baggage until the en-
tire cargo had been placed on the beach
then the individual holdings were s'egre-
| gated 1t was seen at once that to get
over the trail was impossible. miners
meeting was convened, and it was de-
cided to declare the trail closed. The
miners put their action into imme diate
effect by tearing out several cross pieces
Of the bridge across the Skaguay river
Then about 700 citizens went to work
on the trail, and the following day their
number was increased to 1000. They had
about fifty pounds of giant powder and
small quantity of dynamite, and ex-
pected in four days after the sailing of
| the Rosalie to reopen the trail in a great
ly improved condition. The dangerous
| places where many horses have been lost
will be fixed up and corduroyed. Con-
| ceTltC dCtlOH UH me part VI the NIL PIS
it is thought will result in many pros
pectors getting Trough to the mines who
otherwise would have been blockaded
all winter The condition of affairs at
| the lakes is about the same as reported.
last week. Lumber is in great demand
and impatient gold hunters are rushing
work on improvised boats and rafts.
| The present rush, it is confidently antic-
ipated will land at least 1000 people at
Skaguay
NO DETERRENT EFFECT
| SEATTLE, Wash, August 23-The
shadow of an approaching winter, a
blockaded trail at Skaguay and the re-
peated warnings of the experienced
have no deterrent effect upon the rush
toward the north, and this week will
probably see the heaviest departures
in the history of the excitement. Five
steamers and one schooner are sched-