The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-25
FOOD SUPPLY SHORT.
REPORT or SHORTAGE At DAWSON
CITY N CONFIRMED.
~. a. stewart. Who Has spent Five
Years on the Sukon, Says starss-
item wss in sight when He Left

aeEdaSs ne company stores azFe reused
FOR more than rnonth 20 take orders FOR
provbl5ns. ara wouls not distribute the
food already sold and paid FOR.
All bat two 81 tas res agrsnts OF Dawson
Rave shut aown. and :; Is ouly question
% short tire when The others vii have
70 suspend az did TIC barks during the
paaicz. for want o. a visible supply.
II. a. Stewart. CT Daws9n. q man who
has xnent I've years In the Yukon gold
ael6E. Is TIE authority for the shove state
aaeuta. He arrived yesterday on the Far
ali9n. lie left Dawson September u with
s Q. Henry. Of Llneoin, Nse.. and F. c.
Wooisey. q Tacoma. They came out over
ne Dalton tran. and we're thirty-two days
10 making ths trip.
Tho stories o. impending famine In the
nugge;-hasa Klondike are fully confirmed
by Mr. Stewart. Although a comparatively
young nan. be has seen much OF the
world. and there Is about him THAT air Of
reticenee and reserve which one acquires
from association with the mountains.
woods and streams OF the klondike.
= do not wish 70 say anything that viii
impel men 70 cote the KlondIke gold FIELDS
ar drive them away" said Mr.. Stewart
yesterday but this II the simple fact
there was starvation IN sight when left
Dawson Cay. came down from the
mines and waited three weeks in Dawson
City for a chance % buy grub. Then 1
saw That IL was useless 20 wait further
had placed orders with both the trad NJ
stores. bat they refused 70 sell me a
pound. II Was only with difficulty that we
obtained enough TO keep Us on cur trip
over the trail
Il estlmate that there are at least 90
persons now In the Klondike. II not more
Rho viii have 20 be provided with food.
These men viii either have 70 get out OF
tue country as best they can or suffer the
awful consequences. No one knows just
how much actual food there Is in the Eve
company warehouses In Dawson. These
warehouses are not fun by any means, but
they have considerable supplies in them.
Fully Is per cent, however OF the stores
n the warehouses have been sold and paid
for In advance. The company officials DO
not say how much and q Is impossib 20
learn just how much grub ere Is tn
camp yet unsod. In this respect the peo-
pie IN Dawson are very much IN the dark,
and 50 Il t. difficult 10 estimate just how
great the shortage will be-
4 think that there has not been over
i.so9 tons % food brought into Dawson
this season, aside from the amounts
brought by the new Corners The steam
ers did not bring more than the amount
/ have named before the water got SO low
that they could not set over the bars
above Fort Yukon. The population Of the
camp Is estimated roughly at about 7.coe.
htt this number Is being augmented daily
rrfys "a
per day 10 each person and you can see
that It would require 100 tons 70 feed the
people in the Kiondike for the eight
months beginning November /. on this
estimate the food In Dawson is about two
thirds u tho required total
"On the way up the river from Dawson
to Five Fingers We passed on an average
Of thirty boats per day for the twelve
days required 70 reach Five Fingers.
There was on an average OK four men 10
a boat. and they were hurrying into Daw-
son as fast as they could go. Most Of
them were well provisioned-that Is they
had enough 20 last them through the win
ter. or course there were many who
heedlessly rushed into the country light.
bat the majority appeared TO be provis-
Toned amply for the winter"
Speaking further about the situation AZ
Dawson. Mr.. Stewart said that during
ghc last week he was In Dawson, men be-
gan leaving in small boats for the supply
stations further down the river. In this
way he estimated that perhaps 10 had
some. The people at Dawson had received
no word whatever from the steamers
down the river. and Mere anxiously walt
ing. as they had done for several days
past for the first supply boat 70 put in
am appearance. There was no excitement
On the streets Of Dawson. and a great
part OF the population Of the camp scat
teycd over the hills Ia their search FOR
new dlgEings have no comprehension OF
the real situation Il f. generally con-
coded az Dawson. said Mr.. Stewart
that there viii De a severe deficit In The
food supply, and for this reason men are
preparing 90 leave their camps and take
ihe river for Circle CITY and Forg Iu-
ken.
A, peliy river. the Stewart party met
Jack nslton the pioneer IN that section of
the country He had about 100 head ~
cattle grazing a. Pelly. and had shipped
two raft loads down 20 Dawson.
Al Five Fingers we're two ether parties
wish $50 head ~ cattle going down the
river. Mr.. Stewart Gid bot learn the
names q those Ia charge Of these cattle.
but believes mes were from the Frye
Hrahn Co. Of Seattle
ora the Dalton trail. not FAR from
palton's poet. Ar. Stewart met Erwin
Tboyp and par.y. They had about aftecn
horses and were pushing on through the
suow 90 tha kleHalke- Willis Tharp. With
thvir cattle had turned back hut Faw n
and George Stewars were pushing ca. 4
$50 not believe ,aat shey wlG sst any
farther {fau Five Fingers Tails winter Pc
said NJ Stewart They were well ana
strong AID bad plenty % supplies bat t1e
soaw was fast covering the Er8ss along
sra side ~ The tran ard their horses were
suffering fvom want az food. They had
}eFg a number q horses already
Air Stewart said that his own trip over
the IRAN was = very bard ore. Thro
aass oat from Five Fingers e beg1n snow
f~R steadily. ard aeoa there was wHf-e
Blanket 90 the ground enc and 1ne-hs {
fetl thtek Fog three days they aourH-
erred aious the trail and iusl az th.s
aorers we're EfrIug cU1 Tor want - fac1
q ChinaoE blew up ard the snow 1lsap-
qesfta
-teis fArs fsom dawson 20 Pcuy p,
~ t~s steamer keHkoak was s. hut they
worked eur pare ~ shis by cat-tnr a-s
Ra'a Prom PtlY siveT 90 Five kfnErrs
ateai stSty wles. Dies Poied 1852 ths Nn-
Aaa ere tearneF requiring tarce 3A3 a.
Twev sc GAYS oat frrm pawscs tNev strfs 3
gas trau aat we-s g1st twenty DAVIS
reaching ChHkat
Mr StaWast sss lay on 1T teet "a
ground On El5rr.tc ans rur-ha se1 trts q
r.Rlra oa Bonsara tgss before He 1sft hs
sra sro-hcrs 81. WrFk ac shfse elalr-s
H~ne shis ~Lnee-. Tney are arp,y su0
Fe4 wgh teo8 N.Y. stewart rsH-e ol'
~ tte Tuken 81 tAs ssuuer ~ lsS ans
-ees lrst Marcs sis prespectaA lu~
tee ere s2uaue~ eut atG oet say azvta.
Nasteysr aaaus rae s4scr~s cr cRllsrs M
sa-r.r5s-v3 sa8 Wi4 0es ta~sfe tNt
sarHurt - Fci3 tNat wtii f-a vroAnsas sr
tHa kicra ke tess wtnss-. Wa q askea rs
t.