The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-10-18
GOLD SEEKERS RETURN
Men Who Failed to Reach the Rich
Alaska Territory.
A NEWSPAPER MAN SACRIFICED.

Started Out to Locate Claims and
Dropped Dead From Exhaustion.
Many of the Gold Seekers working
for Wages at st. MichaeIs.
Victoria. B. c., Oct. 1S.-Steamer Dan
ube has arrived, ten days from St
Michaels. She brought 81 passengers,
most Of them men who failed to reach
the mines by the all water route. Some
got as far as Fort Yukon and had to
turn back. There are II miners from
Circle City, who bring about $4,000 in
gold dust. Most of them have been
working around Circle City, but few
are interested in the Klondike claims.
A lot Of provisions are at Fort Yukon,
but it Is feared that If there Is q rush
from Dawson it will cause a shortage
further down the river. 1t is predicted
that many men will perish in the at
tempt to escape from starvation by
coming down the river.
The steamers Mare Island and Mer-
win tried to get up the Yukon river.
but failed. The Merwin and Alice at
last accounts were on bar and freez-
ing up The Mare Island had returned
to Stebbins, ~ miles from st. Mchaels
Few men with very little gold were at
St. Michaels when the Danube left, and
they will all come down on the Bertha.
The North American Transportation
and Trading company will build their
river steamer at Unalaska, on account
of the schooner Hueneme having been
lost in Uniak Pass. Five other river
steamers are to be built at ST. Mich
aels. The Ice was in the upper river
when the Weare started down, and
icicles were a foot long on her when
she reached St. Mchaels.
Passengers who started up the river
on the steamers Merwin, Alice and
Mare Island were endeavoring to get
to st. Mchaels overland. The steamer
Healy, which, with barge, was load
ed at ST. Michaels, unloaded when the
news came from Stebbins. The Excel
sior and steam schooner Navarro, with
tow, arrived at st. Michaels on Oct. 3.
H. s. Tucker, a newspaper corre-
spondent, of Troy, N. Y, died of ex-
hauston on the trail few miles from
Rampant City. He and friend started
out at night with little food to locate
tiailiio oh ilbpsitI Sleth, hey spent
two days and nights in the woods, and
then turned back, when Tucker fell
from exhaustion. His friend went for
assistance, but when it arrived Tucker
was dead.
OF the men who reached st. Michaels
recently most of them have been work.
ing for wages in the vicinity of Circle
City. They made the trip to Fort Yukon
in rowboats, and from there came down
in steamers There was not 100000 in
the whole crowd, so that the rest of
the boats this fall will bring very lit
tie treasure. There is considerable talk
among the men who failed to get in of
taking action against the steamship
companies which took them up, par
ticularly against the owner of the
Eliza Anderson.
OF a thousand odd men who started
snce July, not one-thrd are miners.
Some are still at Fort Yukon hoping to
get in early in the spring, but large
majority are coming south. Mayor
Wood, of Seattle. and his party got
their steamer built and started up the
river but they cannot go far, as they
are sure to meet floating ice IL they
escape the sand bars. There are now 18
steamers on the river, as against five
last year, so that there will be plenty
of food at Dawson soon after the river
opens in the spring.