The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-02

closed the night left. 1t had been sell.
ing nothing but beef steak, for which
the hungry paid $3.50. When the peo.
pie realized that the boats would be nm
able to get up the river they knew that
starvation threatened them and the great
stampede began. The first to leave went
to Fort Yukon. | guess there were ten
IN the party that left the first day. One
boat that came up from Fort Yukon with
several newspaper men aboard brought
the news that the Hamilton had unload.
ca al her cargo and tried to get over the
bar light and failed in her efforts, though
she drew but two feet of water. This
news Increased the excitement and made
the rush toward the food centers all the
greater.
"On October II Bert Nelson Of Seattle
and mself left Circle City and started
to pole up the river to Dawson City, a
distance of 800 miles. At the time we
started from Circle City the miners had
about taken their departure. 1t took us
eleven days and three hours to make
the journey, arriving at Dawson City
September 26. Capt. Hanson, with two
Indians, who had left Fort Yukon, beat
us into Dawson by about an hour and
a half. Hanson gathered the Dawson
City miners together and made n short
speech, in which he advised all who did
not have provisions to last them all
winter to either get cut of the country
to cfyi' LIS tim or try to reach yoi its in
tie Yukon ri1er cOuitIt where il was
known food could he secured. That night
was the greatest one in the history of
Dawson City. The miners, as soon as
they heard the news, made hasty prepa
rations to get out, and nightfall saw the
gold-seekcrs and men who can today sell
out for many thousands, leaving by thou
sands for down the river or up the river
points. The little steamer Kikukuk,
which was to make the trip from Daw-
son to Pelly. where the Jack Dalton trail
starts, was brought into play. She was
besegcd by wOuld-be passengers, who
offered as high as $3.50 that they might
he aboard while she made her journey of
1I5 miles to Pclly. The Kikukuk left
Dawson on the afternoon of September
~ with twelve or fifteen passengers.
"The next day we made up a party
including Herbert Raymond of Seattle,
Bert Nelson of Seattle, Harry Robertson
of San Francisco and myself. We start
ed up the river in n small river boat, the
same one we had used in going from Cir
Gle City to Dawson. We left Dawson
about 2 p. M, and were soon on our way
up the river.
while Jack Dalton left Dawson a
couple of days later, the situation there
then was the same as it was when we
left, and l can tell you in a few words the
only things you could possibly buy was
sugar, baking powder, spices and some
dried fruit. No flour, bacon or anything
of that kind could he purchased from any
of the stores, simply because they did not
have them. want to say that the stores
treated the men all right and never adj
vanced the prices knowing that they
were aware of the shortage ard knew
that they had but TO ask for higher prices
and receive them. knew of an instance
where a private party sold to Il miner n
sack of flour for $40 and bacon at 81 per
pound"
ID. ii. Ferguson, another of the return
ing miners said:
"Thc situation at Dawson was relivch
by the exodus 10 Fort Yukon l doubt
II there will be any actual starvation
there. but there will be shortage The
old timers have provisions enough to
carry them through. The stores are
closed out. All they would
sell was FIVE pounds of sugar to the man.
Flour could not he bought at all. One or
two sacks were quickly picked up at
500 per sack. Wages are still SIS
day, but they are sure to go down to IS
by next summer. and SIS a. day there is
no better than S1.50 day outside"
Thomas Mace. ST.. the well known cap
italist Of San Francisco. in an interview