Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-09-04

per 1O0 and bacon one dollar per pound.
"As to shelter, 30 per cent. of Dawson
Is living in tents, laborers scarce, and
houses ci.nnot be built. How are 7,0Uu
people to Withstand the rigors of Il nine
months winter of seml-darkness when the
mercury goes 20 degrees below zero. As
to labor, 1t is true that last winter. the
winter succeeding the great strike, when
men were scarce wages were $l5 n 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
Hunker creeks that will probably be
worked this winter-an average of eight
men to each Is liberal If but 2700 men are
employed and there are 5000 or more seek
ing work, what must be the result? Wages
must go down.
"The Klondlke is a land of ice and snow,
as well as a land of gold Let 1t not be
made one of gaunt hunger, wretchedness
and death. Let no one be allowed to wrest
! from the foolish people a few hundred thou
| sand saved, borrowed or begged dollars
| There Will be as good chances for mining
in the future as now. Let the people wait
This Is not 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 to the Klon-
dixie gold fields, writes from st. Michaels
| island, Alaska, under date of August 15
as follows:
According to all reports from the upper
country, 1t 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 in 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 Klondilke craze.
Some of the Lucky Ones.
There were 20 persons here when the
! Excelsior arrived who had come down the
river from the dggings, Is of whom We're
miners. They are said to have all the way
from $100 900 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. C. B. and u. 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 $2O,C0O;
Timothy C. Bell, of Vancouver, has $751;
600 in Canadian money. the result of the
sale of his holdings. NJ. S. Lansing, of
Bozeman, Mont, has $4,000 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. II. 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 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 Alaska's fields are rich
with gold; second, that awful perils
threaten those who seek it. The Yukon
miners who came back cn the Portland
without exception estimate that not
, less than 100000 will be taken out
of the Klondike district next winter
Many of them think the amount will
, reach fully $15,OOO,0O0. Following are
extracts of interviews with some of the
passengers:
, "You can believe almost any Statement
: about the richness of the Klondike digging!
/. that you hear. They are rich beyond de
Y scription."
r ITS hardly fair to Judge the Klondik,
, by the returns of this year, sensational a
| they may seem. The work that has beer
. done is little more than 'gophering
v was impossible to do systematic and thor
n ough prospecting of claims. Next win
= ter they will get down to solid work. TheI
L look out for results"
o "These two creeks (Bonanza and FL
dorado) are richer than anything that ha
ever been found in the world so far Large
y nuggets and richer pockets have beel
L found in many places, but history has n
e record where the pay streak has been 8
n wide and the gold so evenly divided a
: on these two creeks. They will be enor
u nous producers for the next ten year
y at least"
y "There are big chances for capital on tn
Yukon. There are many miles OF goo
ground which will yield handsomely whe
worked on large scale, which the averag
t. miner cannot afford to work. A year
s outfit costs from $3.50 to $1,000, and pros
- pector must find 1t pretty good In order t
u make his board bill Consequently h
n looks for the rich spots only, whereas cal
n ital could work ground that the miner ha
- rejected and make it pay big"
"It Is Just as good and even better tha
y the Canadian side" says a firm believe
y in the American part of the Yukon. 'Ther
it is lots of rich gravel on our side. Ont
n side of the Klondike strike nearly all tn
" gold dIggings have been found on Amer
'e can territory There are good chance
% there for prospectors and for capital"
p Warn people to stay out of the Yuko
- this winter. Tell them 1t means starvs
- ton there. Telegraph to every paper
the country that miners will starve theI
II more people go in"
n I'm warning people to wait until sprin
simply act for the miners, who speak
'e the name of humanity, There is gold in IL
y Yukon country, plenty of 1t, but to seek
this season under these circumstances
a., sheer madness. 1t Is even worse, 1t
~ criminal to those who already are in II
90 country"
n 1T is almost impossible to take in enoug
W supplies, and to go without supplies meaI
~ ~ starvation, as there is not near enont
20 ~ food In there now for the people alreae
W w In the district"
=. buildings cannot possibly be put ,
81 to accommodate everybody, and wintegir
y, in tents is out of the question"
,ro ~, ANYONE who has good situate