The San Francisco call., 1897-09-11

tuOSS " 40 are tleQ up lneIe Win Illlle VI
no chance at all of getting out. am not
an alarmist, but | do not intend 10 gloss
over the actual facts. particularly as you
say you are TO quote ME. 1t might be
worse. of course, but il is bad enough. l
assure you. There are no end OF people
who cannot possibly get 10 the coast be-
fore winter, aud these will be the SUI
ferers.
''What do l know about the amount of
gold on board and who has it? Very
little. | did not operate any mines and
have very little knowledge of the people
on board who come out with stakes.
There may be about $500. 900 all told on the
vessel. Such is the general opinion; but
the miners themselves are 10th to talk OF
their treasure. They hold that SO many
big yarns have gone abroad from the
Klondlke that people are tlocking in there
to their own destruction, not knowing
what they will have to contend with.
have been told the miners on the vessel
have agreed among themselves to say as
little as possible about their gold for this
reason. You will find them all close
moutheo. AS near as | know ali have
some gold. A few have as much as $35 900
and $40, 900 each, others $4,000 10 SIS, 900
and many from $1,000 to $4,000, possibly
less. But small portion of the gold has
been placed in charge OF the ships Of
ficers, the miners in many cases keep ping
their treasure in their own possession.
"Wages in the mines are still at their
old scale. Miners working in the holes
get SIS and skilled laborers get $l5 a day
in town. What we call common labor Is
paid at the rate o! $40 day. There are now
from AGO to go more la boring men OF all
classes than there is work for. l mean
there is this number of idle men about
Dawson living from hanc TO mouth in
many instances. ALI seem willing to work,
but the labor market is decidedly over
stocked. Just think what the condition
will be when The m now going in and
waiting TO get in arrive at Dawson. Here,
too, is where the food question pinches.
really dread to think of what | am sure
must happen in there this winter because
of the shortage of food.
Not long before | left a representative
Of a sort of protsctive association formed
at Skaguay came up to look over the
ground and report back to his people.
After learning the truth he had us all sign
a statement outlining the facts and giving
as our advice that it would be worse than
foolish TO come into Dawson, or, in fact
any place IN the region. l have not heard
what effect this may have. but / hope these
people will heed the warning. | forgot to
mention when speaking OF wages that
early this summer the mine-owners tried
to reduce wages TO $40 a day. The men de-
clined to accept the reduction. and after a
short talk the old scale was continued in
force.
Il was passenger on the steamer
Weare which went on the sand and it was
August 10 before the J. J. Healy finally got
us away. The delay meant great loss 10
some on board. Fortunately it did not af
iect me, but for all that it was very irving
because we think it was unnecessary. No
one knows how the accident happened. 1t
was daylight and it seemed almost out of
the question for the Weare 70 have got on
the sand. If she had a man at the wheel
1t seems he ought to have avoided going
up high and dry. OF course al of us were
put out by delay, and so far as | know
none OF the passengers left her salts fed
we ala not get what we thought we were
entitled to; we were not treate. as we had
been promised we would be, and the delay
made matters worse. The company held
US again at St. Michael after agreeing to
snip US on the first boat. Everything on
the Weare was transferred to the Heaiy.
Nothing in the way of baggage was lost.