The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-12-09
FAMINE IN DAWSON
Fear Of Starvation Causes
a Stampede.

Fear Of Starvation Causes
a Stampede.
MAGEE PARTY ARRIVES SAFELY
With tho Latest News From the Inter-
ior-Their Hard Journey Over
the Dalton Trail.
Port Townsend, Nov. 3O.-Twenty-
FIVE men arrived here today on the City
of Seattle, direct from Dawson City.
They were divided into two parties,
the last of which left Dawson October
l6. The party consisted of Thomas
Magee, ST., Thomas Magee, jr., of San
Francisco; saltwater Bill" Gates,
Joe Boyle, William Huskins, E. Eckert,
H. Robertson, H. Raymond, Bert Nell
son, John w. Brauer, w. II. Cham
bers, E. w. Pond, E. Ash, ]. ellis,
Thomas Wilson, P. McGraw, Jack Dali
ton, William Leak, Arthur Celine,
Joseph Fairburn, J. Smith, T. Warren,
Jim Ferguson, and two others, whose
names could not be learned tonight.
They came out over the Dalton trail.
They are reported to have between them
$50, 900 in drs fits and gold dust.
All tell stories of food shortage in
Dawson that is almost famine. The
oo% 10 no
Dalton. When Dalton left the steam
.ers Alice and Bella had reached there,
loaded light. It is said that the Bella's
cargo consisted of whisky and billiard
balls. She brought no provisions.
The Canadian mounted police char
tered the Bella and gave all who wished
free passage to Fort Yukon. The Bella
is reported to have left about October
IL, with 200 men.
According to the statements made
by members of the Dalton party, there
is liable to be trouble of the most seri-
GUS kind this winter in Dawson. Billy
Leak told one Of the men in the party
ahead of him at Dyea that all the peo-
pie talked about at Dawson was the
food famine. Men were gathered in
groups, and cursing might and main
the newcomers that were constantly en-
tering the Klondike with scarcely any
provisions.
The mounted police were offering
free transportation to the grub piles
futher down the Yukon, but to count
less hundreds who had labored hard all
through the summer accommodating a
grubstake, the prospect was uninviting
to say the least. These men figured
that it would take all their savings in
gold to pay their living expenses at
Fort Yukon during the winter, and
that in the spring they would not have
even enough gold left to pay passage
money back to Dawson, to say nothing
of purchasing enough food to subsist
until they could get started again. To
these poor fellows the offer of the
mounted police was no better than the
prospect at Dawson of being compelled
to winter on half rations until the sup
ply boats could reach the diggings in
the spring.
John w. Brauer, the United States
mail-carrier, who left Dawson Septem-
Der ~, 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, distance of 400 miles. There
is food at Fort Yukon; there is none at
Dawson, and just as sure as the stars
shine, bterrible suffering will be the
fate of the Dawson miner unless he
leaves there before spring. I will
make my statement conservative, and
say 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 last restaurant closed the night
l left. 1t had been selling nothing but
b EFF teak, for which the hungry paid
50 so.
"When the people 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. l
think there were 200 in the party that
left the first day.
lone boat came up from Fort Yukon
with several newspapermen aboard,
among them being Sam Wall and Mr..
McGillvra. 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
September IA, with Bert Nelson, of
Seattle, l 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 all left. 1t took Us II days
and three hours to make the journey,
arriving at Dawson September 26.
Captain Hanson, with two Indians,
who had left Fort Yukon, beat as into
Dawson by about an hour and half.
ssHanson 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 civilization or try and reach
points in the Yukon country where 1t
was known that food could be found.
"That night was the greatest one IN
the history of Dawson City The
miners, as soon as they bad heard the
news, made hasty preparations to get
out. and nightfall cav goldseekers and