Connecticut western news., 1897-12-30
THE YUKON DANGERS.
SCORES, PERHAPS HUNDREDS, PER- lSH ON LAKES AND RIVERS.

A Late Letter From Dawson City Gives
 Account of Many Fatalities In the Frozen North--Lives Constantly Being
 Lost Along the Upper Yukon. Seattle, Wash, Dec. 29.-The follow
 Ing letter from Dawson City. bearing
 date of Nov. 23, was brought to this
 port by the steamer Alki:
 No pen or tosgue can describe the
 hardships and dangers to life in this
 country even to the hardest and best
 provided for. How many men have lost
 their lives by drowning. by accident or
 privation will never be known. There Is no newspaper published on
 the Yukon, and there are few other
 means of distributing news. As a re-
 suit, few people here even appreciate
 the dangers of the lakes and river.
 Never a day passes that reports are not
 brought in of death by drowning or of
 lives lost in the ice foes in the river. or
 robberies of caches and of holdups by
 highwaymen between Dawson and the passes. The latest arrivals from up the river
 all tell of different cases of drowning
 on the lakes: one or two of these men
 report having heard of a dozen deaths
 within the past month. Rumors which
 cannot be traced to certainty are heard
 here of people lost at Lousetown or
 Dawson while trying to make a landing
 after their journey from the states.
 One case Is reported of six men in one
 boat being drawn under the ice few
 days ago just as night had set in,
 Those who saw the accident could rem
 der no assistance,
 Ten days ago, in the early morning. "a
 man was seen floating down the Yukon
 in front of Dawson on a large piece of
 Ice, while his boat, from which he had been separated, was a few yards ahead of him. His cries for help attracted the attention of two men on shore but they made no attempt to rescue him, as
 1t would be impossible to reach him in boat from shore when the ice is fiow- ing so heavily.
 He f1oated on down, and 1t Is hardly possible that he can have escaped death from cold or drowning before reaching Forty Mile. which Is 55 miles down the river
 Two days later the river closed again, and two men went from here to Forty Mile in canoe. Just as they started back the ice began to flow thickly and they were compelled to desert their boat and attempt the hazardous jour- ney overland. This Is difficult under taking, for the cliffs along the Yukon are almost impossible.
 Boats Imprisoned In the Ice. It would have been out of the ques- tion for them to return to Forty Mile, for 1t was on the opposite side of the river. which could not then be crossed again.
 They were five days making the jour- ney of 55 miles, and on the way they saw imprisoned in the Ice two boats in which were three men. 1t was impos- sible for them to make landing and
 the chances are they were lost. The trails from here out of the passes promise to be the scenes of much hard ship from now on among those who, i'll prepared for long journey, will at | tempt to make their way out. Nearly | 200 men have started up the river to attempt to reach Juneau without the aid of dogs, and poorly supplied with | food and robes.
 Many have nothing but blankets to sleep in, and others have no suitable | footgear. Old timers say that unless 1 they receive assistance on the road some will freeze to death and few will reach Juneau or be able to return un- | less they can purchase food along the | line of travel.
 | Now the first dog teams are begin | ming to start and many large parties are preparing to take the trail during the next few weeks. Many of these go we'll equipped. All the best dogs are being picked out and command fancy 1 prices. Robes which sold last year at | St. Michaels for $3 each are now worth | $500 or more.
 At least 300 men will have left Daw- l son before Jan. l. A large portion of ! these are men who lately came in and have left In disgust after selling their
 outfits. A number are going out with the intention of returning in the spring
 with supplies, which they believe will | command high prices, and many are l going out to offer good things to a | confiding public.