Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-12-02
FAMINE AT DAWSON.
STAMPEDE BEGUN BY FRIGHTENED
GOLD SEEKERS.

Latest Vessel Brings a Cargo of Whisky
Only Salvation For Many Is Trip of
Four Hundred Miles to Fort Yukon
SEATTLE, Wash, Nov. 3O.-Twenty.
five men arrived here on Sunday on the
City of Seattle direct from Dawson
City. They were divided into two par
ties, the last one of which left Dawson
Oct. 16 The party came out over the
Dalton trail. They are reported to
have between 100000 in drafts and
$500, 1000 in gold nuggets.
All tell stories Of food shortage in
Dawson. The last person to leave Daw
son was Jack Dalton. When Dalton
left the steamers Alice and Bella had
reached there loaded light. 1t is said
that the Bella's cargo consisted of
whisky and billiard balls. She brought
no provisions. The Canadian govern.
ment mounted police chartered the
Bella and gave all who wished free
pass to the Yukon. The Bella is re-
ported to have left about Oct 12 with
| 200 men.
According to the statements made by
members of the Dalton party there is
liable to be trouble of the most serious
kind this winter in Dawson. Billy
Leak, one Of the men in the party, says
that all the people talk about in Daw-
son was the food famine. Men were
gathered in groups and cursing with
might and main the new comers that
were constantly coming into the Klon-
dixie loaded with scarcely any provi-
sions.
Only One Salvation.
John W Brauer, the United States
mail carrier who left Dawson Sep. ~
said: "There 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, a distance of 400 miles.
There is no food at Fort Yukon, there
is none at Dawson and just as sure as
the stars shine terrible suffering will be
the fate of the Dawson miner unless he
leaves there before spring. Twill make
my statement that when left Dawson
the men who were there had on an
average four months food supply. Some
did not have months supply, some
had four or five. The restaurant closed
1 the night left. 1t had been selling
! rnthins;- ,h.,. 5s,af:ss:.sssk q for which the
hungry paid $3.50 a poand. When the
people realized that the boats would be
unable to get up the river, they knew
that starvation threatened them, and
the great stamp EIDE began.
'The first to leave went to Fort Yukon.
guess there We're about 10 in the party
that left the first day. One boat came
up from Fort Yukon with several news
paper men aboard, among them Cor
respondent Sam Wall and a Mr.. Nc
Gilvray. 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 but two feet of water. This news
increased the excitement and made the
rush toward food centers all the greater.
Stampede From Dawson.
"On Sept. IA Bert Nelson of Seattle
and myself left Circle City and started
to pole up the river to Dawson City,
distance of 800 miles. At the time we
started from Circle City the miners had
about taken their departure. It took us
II days and three hours to make the
journey, arriving at Dawson Sept 20.
Captain Hanson, with two Indians, who
had left Fort Yukon. beat us into Daw.
son by about an hour and half Han
son gathered the Dawson City miners
together and made short speech. in
which he advised all who did not have
provisions to last them all winter to
either get out of the country to civiliza.
ton or try and reach points in the
Yukon river country where it was
known food could be secured. That
night was the greatest in the history of
Dawson City. The miners, as soon as
they heard the news made hasty prepa.
rations to get out and nightfall saw
the gold seekers and men who can today
sell out for many thousands, leaving by
thousands for down the river, or up the
river points. The little steamer Kiu.
kuk, which was to make the trips from
Dawson to Pelly, where Jack Dawson
trail starts, was brought into play She
was besieged by would be passengers,
who offered as high as $3.50 that they
might be aboard while she made her
journey of 175 miles to Pelly. The
kiukuk left Dawson on the afternoon
of Sept. 81 with 10 or 10 passengers.
Thomas Magee, Sr., the well known
capitalist of San Francisco, in an inter-
view said: "The excitement over the
failure of the steamers to bring food up
to Dawson continued when the Dalton
party left. The police took charge for
two days of the stores and warehouses
of the Northwestern and Alaska Com
mercial company as a precaution only.
Flour was selling at SO pound and no
sale OF less than so pounds was made.
Squirrel skins are cut up into the
bellies and tails, and, while the first
OF these are used for coats trim. |