The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-11

Unless an Unexpectedly large mum Der OF
horses and packers arrive soon many men
will camp on the route to the Yukon and
eat their supplies in idleness through III
long winter. GoId-seekers are doing their
best to pack their supplies, but it is tedi-
GUS and laborious work. Even if the
blockade is raised there must be great de-
lay.
Many men are starting for the Yukon
with Inadequate supplies and little or no
money. 1t takes gold 10 hunt gold. One
can hardly make necessary step on the
journey here without it costing $40 for
each step.
There is a great scramb BILE for tim ber at
Lake Bennett with which to build boats.
a little sawmill there is capable of an
output of 800 feet of lumber per day.
Ten dollars per 100 was first asked, then
$40 for lum Der. The VIII psaw of the gold
seeker is heard throughout the woods.
Owing TO the great rush there must be
more delay at the lakes.
Prospec;ors in the valley of the Yukon
have returned here from Dyea and will
wait till spring before attempting to make
the Klondike. But not so the tenG erfoot.
| He is swarming for the summit in many
instances with an outfit unsuitable in
kind and quantity. He is leaving here
every day with pretty red, frail, two
wheeled carts and wheelbarrows piled
high with much superfuous outfit expect
ing to push them over the mountains.
His vehicle will smash and his supplies
lie scattered and broken before he is out
three hours from Dyea. But you can't
make him believe it. He is so excited he
can't or won't listen to reason. His one
idea is gold and he is going after it with
sacks and carts to bring 1t in. As these
outfits pass through the streets from
wharf to wharf old prosI ectors laugh.
Several photograp pliers here are making
little Klondlke for themselves photo
graphing this kind of prospector in his
new Yukon uniform.
Morr. Orton was Montana miner ten
years ago and a Yukon prospector twenty
years ago. He is now in advancing years
and one of the proprietors of hotel here.
He returned from Dyea to-day and was
asked what he thought of the situation.
He has been to the Yukon many times by
that route. He said:
II ordered lot of supplies some weeks
ago and intend to send them to Dawson
as soon as they come. l eli not try TO
move them till next spring. Some OF
these people are crazy. That is what l
think of the situation"
"Of the hundreds OF men going into the
Klondike how many will return with as
much as $5000?' he was asked.
about one in forty. The rest will
come back broke" he said.
The new Skaguay trail is open at this
time only to White Pass. Many, ignorant
of this fact, are going in that way, the
trail being more gentle in its slope both
ways from the summit than the Dyea
Pass, but twice as long to Lake Bennett.
The result will be that h gold kers
will be compelled to cut he trail through
to the lake, greatly TO the profit of its
Skaguay protector, "Old BlP' Moore,
veteran of the Cassiar, or remain on the
trail indefinitely.
The reports brought down by the last
steamship, the Queen, to the effect that
the trail is open and being used, are en-
trely untrue.
The Queen landed her $50 Klondike pas.
senger, at Skaguay, and $50 of them have
since hired small boats and gone to Dyea
to take that trail. The general prospect
as viewed from the border of the land of
gold at this time is that the route to the
Yukon will be strewn with human bones
as we'll as blasted hopes.
The Klondike craze is having a disas-
trous effect on the industries of Alaska.
The great salmon cannery at Chilkat has
been compelled to close down, from lack
of fishermen. in The middle OF very fine
season. Nearly every white man in the
cannery has deserted and started for
Dawson City.
Manager Murray tried to get men to
take the vacant places, but soon gave up
the attempt. Men are insulted now when
asked to work for cannery. The Klond1ke
fever is at very high pitch in Alaska as
we'll as elsewhere. The Chllkat cannery
is controlled by the Alaska Packers Asso-
ciatlon, which operates nearly all the can
neries on the coast.
Employees are leaving the other can
neries for the Klondike. The probability
is that work at nearly all of them will be
abandoned soon owing principally to
lack of fishermen.
At Douglas CITY, across the channel,
about fifty men have given notice to quit
work nex pay day. They are employed
in the big Treadwell gold mine ana mills.
Others are leaving without notice and
heading for the Klondike. Every shift
one or more men are missed. 1t is feared
so many will desert that the mines and
mills cannot be worked.
The fever has also seized the men in the
mines and stampmiils at B ,rner Bay. A
large number have thrown up their jobs
there and started for the Klondike.
Juneau is about half fdepopulated, and the
other half would go to Dawson City if it