The Meeker herald., 1897-12-04
Evident That There Is Not Food Enough
for aii aud Many Miner. Are Trying ia
Get Away.

enSOn. lhcy came OUT over tnc l'altoh
trail. They are reported TO have be-
tween them $4,000 in drafts and 500
600 in gold dust. All tell stories OF
food shortage in Dawson that is almost
n famine. The last person to leave
Dawson was Jack Dalton. When Dal-
ton left the steamers Alice and Bella
had reached there loaded light. 1t is
| said that The Bella's cargo consisted of
whisky aud billiard balls. She brought
no provisions.
The Canadian government mounted
\ police chartered the Bella and gave all
who wished n free pass 10 Fort Yukon.
| The Bella Is reported to have left about
| October 18th with 300 men.
According to the statements made by
/ members of the Dalton party there is
liable 10 be trouble of the most seri-
Gus Kind this winter in Dawson. Billy
| Leak told one Of the men in party
| ahead of him whom he met at Dyea
| that all the people talk about at Daw-
son was the food famine. Men were
gathered In groups and cursing with
might and main the newcomers that
We're constantly coming into the Klon-
! dixie, loaded with scarcely any provis-
ions. The mounted police We're offer
/ ing free transportation TO the grub
piles further down the Yukon. hut to
| bard al through the summer accumu-
lating n grub stake. the prospect was
uninviting to say the least. These men
figured that It would take all their
savings In gold to pay their living ex-
pcnses at Fort Yukon during the win
ter. and that in the spring they would
not even have enough left to pay pas
sage money back 10 Dawson. to say
nothing Of purchasing enough food to
subsiSt until they could get started
again, To these poor fellows the offer
of tile mounted police was no better
than the prospect nj Dawson OF being
compelled to live on half rntions until
The supply boats could reach the dig
gincs in the spring
John w. Braucr. the United States
mail carrier. who left Dawson Scptem-
her 2Tth. said:
"Ther" Is only one salvation for the
miners who are now at Dawson City.
and that Is for them TO undertake the
awful winter trip from Dawson to
Fort Yukon. n distance Of 40 miles.
There is food at Fort Yukon: there Ia
none n Dawson. and Just as sure as
the stars shine terrible suffering will
be the fate 81 the Dawson miner I'M
lass he leaves there before spring.
will make my statement conservative.
and say Tint when I lcft Dawson the
men who were there had on an average
four months food supply. Some did
not have n months supply, some had
four or five. The last restaurant closed
the night ! left. 1t had been selling
nothing but beef steak. for which the
hungry paid $3.50.
when The people realized that the
boats would he unable to get ,lp the
river they knew that starvation threat
~. -.
gan.
THE firSt To leave went to Fort Yn-
kon. I guess there We're about ten in
the party that left the first day. One
boat came mp from Fort Yukon with
several newspaper men aboard. among
them Correspondent Sam Wall and n
Mr.. McGilvray. They brought the news
that the Hamilton had unloaded all of
her cargo and tried to get over the bar
light and failed in her efforts. though
she drew bnt two feet Of water. This
news Increased the excitement and
made the rush toward food centcrs all
the greater. On September 18th Bert
Nelson of Seattle and myself left Cir
Gle City and started to pole up the
river to Dawson City. a distance OF 800
miles. AT the time we started from
! Circle City the miners had about all
taken their deDarture. 1t took us elcv.
en- days and three hours to make the
Journey. arriving at Dawson Septem-
her Goth. Captain Hanson with two
Indians. who had left Fort Yukon. heat
! MS into Dawson by about an hour and
half Hanson gathered the Dawson
City miners together and made Il short
snecch. in which he advised all who
| did not have provisions to last them all
winter to either get out of the country
m tiXili1p ion or. ttI- nj ;,,t.,
in the Yukon country where it was
known that food could he secured.
That night was the greatest one in the
| history Of Dawson City. The miners az
soon as they heard the news made
| basty preparations to get out, and
! richtfall saw these gold seekers and
| men who can TODAY sell out for many
thousands leaving by the hundreds for
down the river or up the river points.
"'rhe little steamer Kiukuk. which
was To make the trims from Dawson to
| Fclly. where Jack Dalton's trail starts.
i was brought into play. She was he
seized by would-be passengers. who
| offered rs high as $3.50. that they might
| b" aboard while she made her Journey
| Of 115 miles to Pp1ly. The Kinkuk left
Dawson on the afternoon Of September
9th. with twelve Of fifteen passengers.
''The next day we made mn n party.
including Herbert RAYMOND Of Seattle,
Bert Nelson OF Seattle. Harry Robert
| son of San Francisco and myself. We
started mp the river In small river
boat. the same one we had used in
going from Circle CITY to Dawson We
left Dawson about . N. M and were
soon on our way mn the river
While lack Dalton left Dawson n
connie of DAYS later the situation there
then was the same na n was whom we
left. and can tell Won that in n very
few words. The only thing vou could
nossihlv huy was sugar. baking pow
'er. snices and some dried fruit. No
horr. bacon or ANYTHING OF that kind
conld bc purchased from any of the
stores. simply because they did not
have Them. SO long as the stores had