The sun., 1897-11-29

Drarts-Tho Canadian OmcinIs Told the
Miners They Wore Facing Starvation and
ADVISED Them 70 &c 70 Fort Yukon, where
There Il Plenty or Grub-Mnny Take Their
Departure - Circle City Abandoned last
Restaurant in Dawsen CIosed-S1inors Curse
New Rnen Arriving with Little Food.
SEATTLE, Wash, Nov. 2s..-Tho steamer City
OF Seattle has arrived here with twenty-five
miners, who came over the Dalton trail. bring
ing with them S2Oo,o in gold dust and
$1,000. 900 in drafts. They also bring harrow.
ing tales of the present distress, with still
greater to follow. Jack Dalton. after whom tho
trail is named, came out with the party.
When he left Dawson with his party tho
steamers Alice and Bella had reached there
loaded light. Tho Bella's cargo consisting of
whiskey and billiard balls. She carried no pro-
visions. The Canadian mounted police char
tered he Bella and gave all who wished FREQ
passage to Fort Yukon. Tho Bella 10 reported
20 have left about Oct. IL with 200 mon.
According to statements made by members of
the Dalton party there is liable to be trouble
of q most serious kind this winter in
Dawson. Billy Leak told one of the men
in a party ahead Of him. whom he met
ut Dyea, that all the people talked about at
Dawson was food famine. Men were gathered
in groups and cursing with might and main tho
newcomers that were constantly coming into
the Klondike, with scarcely any provisions.
Tho mounted police were offering free trans.
portation to grub piles further down the Yukon,
but to many hundreds who had labored
hard all through the summer accumulat-
ing grub stakes tho prospect was uninvit-
ing. These men figured that It would take
all their savings in gold to pay their living ex-
penscs at Fort Yukon during the winter, and
that in the spring they would not have even
enough gold left to pay their passage money
back to Dawson, to say nothing of purchasing
enough food to subsist upon until they could get
started again.
To these men the offer of the mounted police
was no better than the prospect at Dawson of
being compelled to winter on half rations until
the supply boats can roach the diggings In the
spring.
Some of the mon who came from Dawson are
Bill Gath. Joe Boyle. William Huckins, F.
Eckert. II. Robertson. II. Raymond. Bert Mel.
son. John w. Brauer. William H. Chambers, e.
w. Pond. E. Ash, ]. Gillis. Tom Wilson of
Nanaimo. and p. McGraw of Winnipeg, Jack
Dalton, Billy and Charley Leak, and eight
others
William II. Chambers, who has mined in Ceur
dAlenes and Rocky Mountains OF Kootenay dis
trict for twenty five years past. snid 81 got into
Dawson early in September Of this year. Hound
many old-timers in the Rockies md Coeur d Alene
mountains. They are all dodnG we'll. exam.
ined the camp thoroughly. and can say that it
is better than 1t was represented to me. The
ground Is richer than 1t has been described 1t
is mistake TO think that the gold is confined to
Eldorado and Bonanza creeks. Sulphur. Indian,
Dominion, Bear and Hunker creeks arc all rich.
New tributaries OF the Bonanza are turning out
richer than was expected. Seyerale big strikes
hate been Iifdds tfiiS SEASON. One Of them is at
Deadwood Creek, where / 900 men have located.
They found so cents to the pan.
There is gold at Dawson. but little food"
Jack Dalton, whose opinion is worth some.
thing, says. "Thcre will be no starva-
tion in Dawson this winter. yet at the same
time -four and bacon are not to be had.
They were Offering 81 per pound for flour
when l left, and it. could not be had for that
There was no getting sugar or bacon. even at
thcsc prices"
The Canadian officials at Dawson have issued
the following notice OF war ing:
THE undersigned officials of the Canadian
Government, having carefully looked over the
present distressing situation In regard to the
supply OF food for the winter. find that
tho stock on hand is not sufficient to
meet the wants of those now in the district
and can only see one way out of the difficulty.
and that is an immediate move down the river
of all those who are now unsupplied to Fort
ATOMS. Within a few days the river will be
closed and the move must be made at once.
1t Is absolutely hazardous to build hopes
upon the arrival Of boats. 1t Is almost beyond
possibility that any moro food will come into
this district. For those who have not laid In
winters supply, to remain here any longer Is to
court death from starvation, or at least the GER
tainty Of sickness from scurvy or other troubles.
Starvation now stares every man in tho face
L. ttVH.. fa, katl MA
Little effort and trihing cost will place them in
comfort and safety within few days at Fort
Yukon or other points below. where there are
now large stocks of foods.
Capt. CONSTANTINE,
"of the Mounted Police.
I'D. W. DAVIS. Collector of Customs.
THOMAS FAwCETT,
"Gold Commissioner OF the Dawson district"
Fort Yukon. where provisions are reported In
plenty and TO which officials have advised those
short Of provisions to hasten, 10 about 400 miles
from Dawson.
Mr.. Brauer. the mail carrier. says: "when 1
left Dawson the men who were there had on an
average four months food supply. Some did
not have q months supply. Some had four or
i've. The last restaurant closed the night
left 1t had been selling nothing but beefsteak.
for which the hungry paid $3.50"
Brauer Is resident of Seattle, and the reRu-
lar United States mail carrier. He left Dawson
on Sept. 27 and reached Chilkat on last Tues.
day. There he and his party were Joined
by Joe M. Dalton's party, which had left
Dawson two days after the Brauer party. but
brought no news of a change In the situation at
Dawson. Tho mail route of which he has charge
extends from Juneau to Circle City. Brauer
left Seattle with the mail Of July 8. went to
Juneau, and left there for the interior on the
18th. Brauer said:
My partner. Fred Hoyt. accompanied me- and
when we reached Dawson he took the mail and
proceeded to Circle City. and later returned to
Juneau. remained at Dawson until the end of
August. when went to Circle City to get tho
mail. There met the first delay of the trip by
reason OF low water, steamers being unable to
como up over Yukon Bar, ninety miles below
Circle. Istayed at Circle until Sept. IL. looking
for a steamboat, but 1t never came. On the day
! left Circle City there was a severe snow storm
and the Thermometer went down below zero