The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-09-01


will be actual starvation. Grub was COM
pletely cleaned out this spring, and last
winter there was such scarcity that
moose hams sold for $50 each, flour $l2O
per 100 and bacon one dollar per pound.
las to shelter, 90 per cent OF Dawson
is living I'm tents. laborers scarce. and
houses cannot be built. How are 7OUO
people to withstand the rigors Of n nine
months winter OF semi-darkness when the
mercury goes 20 degrees below zero. As
10 labor. IL is true that last winter. the
winter succeeding the great strike. when
men were scarce, wages were SO day,
but II no new strike is made, what Is TO
keep wages up this winter? There are
but $40 claims on Bonanza, Eldorado and
bunker creeks that Will probably be
worked this winter-an average OF eight
men TO each is liberal. II but 200 men are
employed and there are 5000 or more seek
ing work, what must be the result? Wages
must go down.
1.-The Klondike is a land of ice and snow.
as well as a land of gold Let IL not be
made one OF gaunt hunger, wretchedness
and death. Let no one be allowed TO WreSt
from the foolish people few hundred thou
sand saved. borrowed or begged dollars.
There will he as good chances for mining
in the future as now. Let the people wait.
This is not a Cripple Creek or Deadwood
proposition. II caught. they cannot walk
out"
Food supply Very short.
w. A. Ryan, one of the special cor
respondents now EN- route 10 the Klon-
dixie gold fields, writes from st. Michaels
island, Alaska, under date of August Is
as follows:
According 10 all reports from the upper
country, it will be impossible to land suf-
ficient food at Dawson TO support the pop
ulation already dependent on that base of
supplies. Miners returning from the upper
country, who left the Klondike in the mid
die OF July. say that proVender was al
ready running very low and that it went
out OF the warehouses just about as fast
as 1t was put i'm off the steamers. They
say that old-timers realize the situation
and that the down-riVer boats Will be
crowded with men eager TO get TO some
safe place for the winter. Distress and
death are predicted by them as the result
of the Klondike craze.
some of the Lucky Ones.
There were 20 persons here when the
Excelsior arrived who had come down the
river from the diggings 10 Of whom were
miners. They are said TO have all the way
from 100000 TO 100000 among them. Few
care TO say exactly how much they have
but preferring to remain silent on that
point, giving as their reason the fact that
they have too little money compared to
what those who went out earlier took
away with them. G. b. and Il. b. Patrick,
father and son, brought out $4,000. They
took passage on a sailing vessel which left
port two days after they arrived. f. w.
Cobb, of Boston, is credited with $4,000,
and c. X. lilly with like amount. Thorn
as Rowan, of Sitka, is $4,000 better Off:
w. w. Caldwell of Denver, has 500 600;
Timothy G. Bell, of Vancouver has $751;
600 in Canadian money, the result Of the
sale of his holdings. NJ. S. Lansing, of
Bozeman, Mont, has 10000 The others
refuse TO say how much they have. The
remaining members of the party are Wiler.
of Baltimore; William Zahn, of Mime
apolis b. III. Farman. of Goodell, Ia; A.
Buckley, OF st. Joseph, Mo-; II. n. Cooler.
OF Winnipeg; Thomas ii. Dunkesley, OF
Tacoma, and y. w Power, of Tucson, A.
T. Each has won what is called in this re-
gion a home stake" namely, the amount
which he believes sufficient TO take home
to remain. Very few intend to come back.
The hardships they have endured make
them dread the country in which they won
their stakes.
What the Passengers Say.
There are two facts about the Klon-
dixie brought out clearly by interviews
with passengers on the Portland. They
are, first, that Alaskas fields are rich
with gold; second, that awful perils
threaten those who seek it, The Yukon
miners who came back on the Portland
without exception estimate that not
less than $10,000,000 will be taken out
of the Klondike district next winter.
Many of them think the amount will
reach fully S15,00O,0OO. Following are
extracts of interviews with some of the
passengers:
you can believe almost any statement
about the richness Of the Klondike dggings
a. III.
scription."
It's hardly fair TO Judge the Klondike
by the returns Of this year, sensational as
they may seem. The work that has been
done is little more than 'gophering' IT
was impossible to do systematic and thor
ough prospecting OF claims. Next win
ter they will get down to solid work. Then
look out for results"
These two creeks (Bonanza and FL
dorado) are richer than anything that has
ever been found in the world so far Larger
nuggets and richer pockets have been
found in many places, but history has no
record where the pay streak has been so
wide and the gold so evenly divided as
on these two creeks. They will be enor-
nous producers for the next ten years
at least"
There are big chances for capital on the
Yukon. There are many miles of good
ground which will yield handsomely when
worked on a large scale which the average
miner cannot afford to work. years
outfit costs from $3.50 TO $1,000. and pros
pector must find II pretty good in order to
make his board bill Consequently he
looks for the rich spots only, whereas cap
ital could work ground that the miner has
rejected and make 1t pay big"
1T Is just as good and even better than
the Canadian side" says a firm believer
in the American part of the Yukon. There
is lots OF rich gravel on our side. Out
side OF the Klondike strike nearly all the
gold diggings have been found on Ameri-
can territory. There are good chances
there for prospectors and for capital"
Warn people 10 stay out Of the Yukon
this winter. Tell them ii means starvs-
ton there. Telegraph to every paper in
the country that miners will starve there
If more people go in"
"In warning people TO wait until spring
/ simply act for the miners, who speak I'm
the name of humanity. There is gold I'm the
Yukon country, plenty Of IL, but to seek IL
this season under these circumstances is
sheer madness. 1t is even worse, II is
criminal to those who already are in the
country
1T is almost impossible to take in enough
supplies, and TO go without supplies means
starvation, as there is not near enough
food In there now for the people already
In the district"
buildings cannot possibly be put up
A. daf "a ayarubndy nd Int