The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-29
FLIGHT THEIR ONLY HOPE.
80 OTHER ALTERNATIVE LEFT TO
MINERS AZ DAWSON.
MaI CARRIER nras~r says Thst tie
List nestasrsnf Had Closes, asa
Nea HAD IN Average Of Not More
FHnn Fwur Months Provisions.

fSss Fsur Msnths' Provisions.
There IL sn,y ore salvation for the
miners wno are now 81 Dawson City, and
that Ii for them % undertake the awfai
Ylnter trip from Dawson 20 Fort Yukon
distance Of 60 miles. There is food at
Fort Yukon, there Il meme at Dawson, ana
fast as sure as the stars shine terrible
suffering viii be the fate Of the Dawson
miner unless he leaves there before spring.
/ VIII make my statement conservative.
and say that when left Dawson the men
~ho we're there had On an average four
months food supply. Some did not have
a months supplies: some had four or five.
The last restaurant closed the night !
left. /, had been selling nothing bu, beef
steak, for which the hungry paid $50.
The foregoing i. but q part Of the i'm
portani statements Incorporated In an In
tery.sw which John w. Brauey. who re-
turned yesterday On the City OF Seattle.
gave to the pessdntelligencer. Brauer
is q resident OF Seattle and IL regular
United states natl carrier. He left Daw-
son September Is. and reached Chlkat last
Tuesday. There be and his party were
joined by Jack Dai.on's party. which had
left Dawson q few days after the Brausr
party. but brought no news Of change
in the situation OF affairs At the city OF
hunger.
Brauer II enc OF the most intelligent Of
those that ever made trip into the Yukon
country. The mali route Of which he had
charge extendA from Juneau 10 Circle
city Braueg left Seattle with United
States mail on July !, went to Juneau and
left there for the interior on the l3ih
Erauer said: my partner. Fred Hoyt, ac-
eompanied me and when We reached Daw-
son he took the mall and proceeded 10
Circle and later returned TO Juneau. l re-
manned at Dawson Until the end OF August.
ahen l went TO Circle to get the mail.
There met the first delay OF the trip by
reason OF low wafer. the steamers being
unable to come up over the Yukon flats,
ninety miles below Circle. / stayed at
Circle until September IA looking for
steamboat, bat Il never came. 1t was On
tho l2th that Circle City was visited by
severe snow storm, and about four inches
OF snow fell The Thermometer went down
below zero. When the storm came the
realized that there would be no more
steamers up the river until spring. AS one
man said. No steamboat. no grub. Just
10 show you the food condition, / win say
that Ii was announced that In the general
mess. where all the employees OF the
Alaska Commercial Company store. ETC.,
there was less than two months proyis-
Ions. There were other miners at Circle.
and they were without food. They had
been able to buy from the store people
few crackers. can or two OF Holsters
ana can or two of condensed milk and
a small quantity Of dried fruit. OF course
the company realized that there would be
no food and refused TO supply the big de-
mands made by the miners for food.
The Great stampede.
when the miners and employees realized
that no more boats would be up the river.
they knew that starvation threatened
them. and the great stampede began. The
first to leave went TO FORT Yukon. guess
there were about 100 In the party that left
tina first day. One beat came up from Fort
Yukon with several newspaper men
aboard, among them being correspondents
Sam Wall and a Mr.. McGilvra. They
brought the news that the Hamilton had
unioaded all Of her cargo and tried to get
over the bar light and failed in her ef
forts, though she drew but two feet OF
ment and made the rush toward food GEN.
sers oil the greater. On September IA Bert
Nelson. Of Seattle. and myself left Circle
City and started 10 pole up the river 10
Dawson City, distance OF 800 miles. AT
tho time We started from Circle City the
miners had about all taken their depart
ure. II took us eleven days and three
hours 20 make the journey. arriving at
Dawson September IS. Capt. Hanson. with
two Indians. who had left Fort Yukon.
beat us into Dawson by about an hour and
a half. Hanson gathered the Dawson City
miners together and made a short speech
in which he advised all who did not have
provisions 10 last them all winter to either
get out of the country to civilization or
try and reach points In the Yukon country
where u was known that food could be
touad.
Leaving by Hundreds.
THAT night was the greatest one In the
history OF Dawson City. 1t was we'll
known .hat Hansen spoke the truth when
he said that the companies had no pro-
visions. and would be unable TO get any
before spring. The miners. as soon as
| they had heard the news from his lips.
AIDE hasty preparations TO get out, and
nightfal saw these gold seekers and men.
| who can today sell out for many thous-
| ands. leaving by the hundreds fer down
| the river and up the river. The little
steamer ktukuk. which was 10 make the
/ trips from Dawson TO peiiy. where Jack
/ nnIion's trail starts, was brought into
/ piay. She was beseiged hy weuld-be pas
] senxers who offered as high as SO that
sAey might lac aboard while she made her
1 iacruey OF I7s miles to Pefsy. The kiukns
/ left Dawson on the afternoon of Sertern-
| her &c. with twelve or fifteen passengers,
The next day we made up party in
Guiding Herbert Raymond. Of Seattle, y
/ Bert Nelson ~ Seattle Hairy Robertson.
4 Il San Francisco, and myself We start
"a up the river In a small river boat. ;h'
anne c6s we had USED III going from
circle city to Dawson. We lsft Dawson
ltsons ? n. m ard we're soon On our way
ga the river.
Waite Jack Dalton left Dawson :
Nv iays later th. sltration taeFe then
pas the same as il Was when We LETT
aad car .eii you aboet THAI ia very few
7 wnrdS. The eaIy thing you could possibly
buy VAS sugar. baking powder. SPICES and
some dried fruit. No four, haeoa or any.
thing Of that Kind could he purchased
/ from any Of the stores, simply because
! they dia not have them. SO tong as IN.
stores had any provisions prices rcTnainel
| tie same. want 10 say that the ssorea
! treated the men mN right ard never al
: Va8cad the prices. BaswtthSt an3lDg thS
Ghsy were sSars OF the shortage ans
( knew that thev had bar 20 ask sor higl
! prices aad receive I know II All instance
where a private party sod 70 D miner :
( sack ~ eanr gar SIS aad bscor 81 81 rc'
s roRad- ! should say that the miners whs
! v~yo ~ haMsass wtsen left had sNsfscien
/ foed 10 rur chem four menshs. Il ;h'
/ worst came 70 the worst stf course thts
! Yo11 ~&s al saat tfaae uHse8Sl}y divided
: Same uien had sNgplsrs which "a oalt las
! them eve or SIX maentss. others ia Bcf