The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-29

pounds was made. No plans have yet
been formulated to avert the starvation of
those who are short OF provisions. Those
well supplied have not much sympathy
with those who are short because Of the
fact that the majority of these latter
went in with little food, although album
dainty warned at Lake Bennett In ad-
vance.
1T had not been discovered up to Oct. l6
who shot the two men in Dawson, who were
caught stealing food. one was found
dead the other fatally wounded. 1t is
believed that a secret organization exists
for the purpose of shooting down thieves
The organiza ton of hunting parties Tor
the winter to hunt moose was talked or
and will be carried out.
"Dysentery and accompanying fever
were general at Dawson last summer
caused by miasma from the swamp on
which the business portion Of the town
is built and absencessf drainage and sew
erage.
These conditions will be greatly inten-
sifed next summer and an epidemic Is pre-
dicted.
Nothing was talked about but the grub
question The solution will probably be
a public committee to gather up voluntary
or enforced contributions, the food thus
gathered to be publicly dispensed and paid
for by work or cash by those to whom it is
given.
THE Yukon river practically closed
THE Yukon river practically closed
twice, about Sept so and again about Oct.
20 but the ice ran out again ana left the
river fIse, so that all the belated parties,
who had taken the risk of being lefts out
in the wilderness, most of them short of
provisions, too, probably got to Dawson
or near it. This opening OF the river twice
was phenomenon never known TO occur
before
t,nr ,f-fV, stny,a ant
With a persistence heretofore unexplain-
ed, many parties from Dawson, as well as
newcomers, went up the Stewart river.
Nothing whatever, except poor Claims,
have as yet been discovered there. The
belief, however, is thet rich discoveries
will be made there yet. Jack Dalton and
another party have purchased two skoo-
KUN claims for $50, 500. 1t is reported that
a large advance has been offered to the
buyers. Skookum claims are looking up,
because some of them have yielded as
large returns as any found elsewhere.
Because of the failure of September
steamers to take passengers down the Yu-
kon early enough to give reasonable as
surance that ocean connections would be
made at st. Michaels hundreds who we're
intensely anxious to get out of the country
for the winter will try later to get over
the ice and lakes with dogs and sleighs
this winter. Many of them will suffer
greatly because competent guides and
dogs are both scare. The inability of the
steamers to get up the river with provls-
ions ans down with passengers wall have
to be recthed. Lighter draft boats with
more power and steam capacity for use in
getting over the bars Hill have to be ready
next June. Hundreds of intensely disap-
pointed persons are now in Dawson, who.
like myself, would have given any pecuni-
airy price in their power to get out by
steamer. but could not
The people there are being largely
prevented from developing the enormous
ly rich country by the nearly utter iso-
lation of the place and scarcity of food.
The work to be done is sufficiently hard
and trying at best and its great diff
cultles should not be increased. A railroad
is the real want. If steamboats, were run
from Lake Bennett to Dawson they could
not travel continuously. The obstacles of
the canon, the White Horse and the Five
Fingers rapids are not to be removed nor
sand and gravel bars and snags erased,
and if they could all be lake and river
navigation would only be for the summer.
A rairod would be for all of the year.
The Dalton trail goes over a country of
remarkably light grades. Its two sum
mits are exceedingly light, and the salt
water terminates at Haines' Mills mission,
Chilkat, is an exceedingly fine one.
"Of course, my opinion in this matter
it is that a railroad be built through that
country. Quartz and placer mines of
great extent and richness are to be found
in the country through which we passed,
and it is my deliberate opinion that Cali
fornia and Australia are likely to have
their past and present vastly outdistanced
by the development Of that wild region.
In saying this, am not dreaming of adj
ding stimulus TO the wild and blind he'll
ter-skelter rush of aimless people, who
have been and will be tumbling in all
sorts of unprepared shapes into that wild
country. 1t was a study in this con-
nection to see men apparently almost
crazed with haste breaking their necks
almost rushing over the Skaguay
trails to get into the Klondike
and later on to see them in Dawson loaf
ing around the muck hole streets there do
ing nothing, waiting for rich strikes which
they expected and did not find. Nearly all
of them were short of provisions, and the
great majority were suffering from the
blues and intense disappointment. Eight
out of ten of them wished they had not
come II was generally prophesied at Daw-
son that there would next summer and
fall, be nearly as great a hegira of out
goers as of incomers. Some very rich
strikes. like those made last summer and
fall, may change this. Transportation both
ways on the river can hardly be over
done"
In the opinion of Mr.. Magee no such
amount as 100000 was brought down on
the steamer. very small amount of gold
dust can be brought overland, and he did
not think that the drafts carried would
exceed $4,000.
Tacoma, Wash, Nov 2S.-Oficers OF the
steamer City Of Seattle, as well as passen-
gers, say that not more than $4,000 was
brought down from Dawson city. A re-
port that S1,OOO,000 came down is a fake.
New York, Nov. 2.-The steamship
South Portland, formerly the Caroline
Miller, which was once seized as a fill
buster has been purchased by a syndI-
cate, and is to be put in commission for
service between Seattle and st. Miehaels
Alaska. The South Portland, being Of
light draught will at times be able to
navigate the Yukon. The steamship, aft
er being fitted out in Brooklyn, will carry
a suitable cargo and passengers from this
port to Alaska.
WESTERN UNION TREASURER DEAD
Heart Failure Carries on Roswell