The herald., 1897-08-04
KLONDYKE
HAZARDS
Not Desired by Insurance
Companies
THAT DOESN'T STOP THE RUSH
THAT DOESN'T STOP THE RUSH
TWO VESSELS GONE, MANY MORE
ARE GOING
Reports of Danger and of Blockade
of Freight Alike Are Laughed
at by Gold Seekers
Associated Press Special Wire.

CHICAGO, August 3.-The Chicago
pany of Hartford, Conn.,, has received in
structions from the home office not to in
sure any person going to the Klondyke
region. 1t is a risk that the company
does not desire to take on account of
the extreme extra hazard and because
when death takes place the difficulty Of
obtaining the facts makes the settle
ment of claims too difficult to be prac-
ticable. The telegram is as follows:
Hartford, Conn, August 3.-J. P.
Dolan, agent, Chicago: Do not solicit or
accept either life or accident insurance
on persons going to the Klondyke or
Alaskan gold fields. Circular letter has
been issued
Inquiry develops that many of the
principal life and accident insurance
companies have issued positive instruc
tions to their general agents in the Unit
ed States and Canada against assuming
any risk upon the lives of persons con-
templating visit to the Klondyke.
York Life Insurance company, has re-
ceived no instructions that prohibit him
from issuing a permit to policy holders
in that companw to visit the Klondyke,
but he says he has instructions to ac
cept no applicati tions for either an in
crease of insurance or new policies.
The companies carrying accident risks
are even more particular than many of
those assuming life risks. They go on
the theory that the trip overland to
Alaska is fraught with more dangers to
life and limb from accident than from
disease.
MAIL MATTER
WASHINGTON, August S.-The post
master general has authorized the Alas
ka Commercial company of San Fran
cisco to carry the mail one trip without
compensation from San Francisco to
Ounalaska and st. Michaeps, where
new postoffice has been established and
such other points as they may reach
upon the Yukon river, leaving San
Francisco about July 81 or August 2. The
mails will be in charge of a sworn car
rier.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3.--The post
office department has ordered all mail
matter at Seattle awaiting transmits
sion to the Yukon mining regions to be
sent by the steamer Cleveland, which
leaves that port August instead of
waiting for the regular mail steamer
Portland, which is scheduled to leave
August TO- This is done for fear the
winter may set in early, the river be-
come icebound and the mail fail to get to
it's destinatio this season. There are
thousands of letters awaiting transmits
sion to Dawson City.
GONE OR GOING
SEATTLE, Wash, August 3.-The
steamer Al-Ki sailed this afternoon for
Dyea with full complement of Klon-
dyke bound prospectors, fifty horses and
fifty cattle. There were almost 200 pas
sengers and they could hardly move
about the decks for the quantity of lum-
Der and freight piled about the live
stock cages. She is scheduled to return
and sail again August II.
The steamer Cleveland left tonight for
ST. Michaels with eighty passengers,
1000 pounds to each man.
Captain Ray, U. S. A., went north on
the Cleveland to examine the situation
in Alaska.
The four-masted schooner Novelty is
loading for st. Michaers with freight
for Yukon river points. She will sail
on the last of the week.
Adverse reports from Dyea are laughed
at and big expeditions thereto are being
planned The steamer Bristol, the
largest yet sent north to carry 800 horses
and thousands of tons of freight, has
just been chartered to leave Victoria
on August TO- The charter party is
selling horses, including transportation
and feed to Dyea at from $65 to $10O
each.
A SMELLING EXPERT
The Penn Smelling and Refining COM
pany of Philadelphia will send a repre-
sentative north on the Cleveland, sail
ing from here August 5, to carry on in
vestigations and experiments in the in
terror of Alaska that will be watched
by the scientific and business world with
interest. The company's representative
is w. A. Rogers, metallurgist and miner
alogist
A NEW ROUTE
NEW YORK, August S.-A special to
the Herald from Washington says:
There is a short and easy route to the
rich gold fields of the Klondyke, accord
ing to communication to the Interior
Department, from j. M. o. Lewis, a civil
engineer of Salem, Oregon, who says he
can open up at small expense route
from the south of the Copper river, by
which the Klondyke may be reached by
a journey of not more than 300 miles
from the coast
The route which he proposes will start
inland from the mouth of the Copper
river near Twenty mile Glacier, about
twenty miles east of the entrance TO
Prince William Sound. He says the
Copper river is navIgable for small
steamers for many miles beyond the
mouth of its principal eastern tribu-
tary, called on the latest maps the Chill
lima river, which is itself navigable for a
distance. From the head
Of navigation on the Chillina Mr.. Lewis