The San Francisco call., 1897-11-30


the river began to close and the agitation
to go down the river, which had been in
terrupted since it became SO dangerous,
was renewed. A mass-meeting was held
in the opera-house on Saturday night, at
which Captain Hanson clearly stated the
iull gravity of the situation here. lie
SAID shat an army officer detailed
to represent the Government OF the
United States in Just such emergencies
stood ready at Fort Yukon to act. he
salo the situation had passed beyond
where any one or two commercial compa-
MES could offer 10 handle it. 1t was one
Tor the Government itself to rise to. Ii
the men here had not provisions they
were simply following starvation TO re-
main, for, he said, there were not pro-
visions to be had. He offered to provide
barge or barges for any number OF men
who might wish to take advantage OF
them without charge. They would be
given enough here to save them until
they reacned Fortv-mile or Fort Cudahy.
There they would be provisioned for the trip
to Circle City and at Circle City would re-
ceIve enough to carry them 10 Fort u
kon. A meeting was held the following
afternoon Sunday in front OF the COM
pany store in which the same arguments
were gone over to a large crowd. The
barge was got ready. and at O'Clock that
Sunday afternoon twenty forlorn men got
into it. They had little tin stove, and
some OF them had blankets. The barge
was simply an open affair as unprovided
with shelter as skiff. Several had no
PROVISIONS. One man announced to the
crowd, which stood out in the ice to see
them OF, that he had two tiaplacks and
pound OF beans and $4 as his outfit. 1t
was an instance OF the misconce ption OF
many people of what they had to meet
when they Joined the stampede into this
inhospitable land.
The barge cast off, Captain Hanson and
Others bade the party godspeed, said they
were brave men and really earning the
congratulations of the immunity, which
was indeed true, and with an Indian, pro-
vided by the Commercial Company, at the
pilot-car the disconsolate party drlfted
away with the stream, still in the direc.
ton of the north pole and the same day
fully as many as they numbered took
their places here, arrivals from up the
river.
During the run of ice the signs OF dis
tress on the river have been constant. On
October 6 fMonday) a boat from up the
river was crushed while attempting TO
make a landing here. and six men were
carried with it under the ice and lost, no
vestige of them or their boat or their
effects being recovered. 1t was growing
dark at the time. James Courtney,
roft nf
with some others gone out on the ice to
watch for il. He saw the boat coming,
and to him man in it calle cheerlly.
asking him to take q line which he was
preparing to throw. The men seemed in
fine humor at having reached the end OF
their long and trying journey.
Courtney called TO them to be careful,
as their boat was approaching the edge of
the shore ice, with an immense lot OF
floating ice pressing upon it.
The men answered, "All right; take the
line"
As one of them lifted his arm to swing
it the boat struck the edge of the shore
ice and was instantly forced under 1t by
the ice behind The six men without
cry, 50 quickly was it done, were carried
with it, the ice closed over, crushed them,
threw some pieces OF wood on the sheet
of smooth ice at the feet of the appalled,
men standing over and passed on.
Courtney was intending to send some
men up the river to look after his overdue
raft of meat and to bring 1t down in case
it had not started for lack OF assistance.
The shock he suffered at the sight of the
loss of the men changed his purpose. He
built fires on the shore and kept them
burning ali night to aid the other men in
case they came to make q landing. The
next day he sent man up the river to ad.
wise those in charge, in case the raft was
tied up, not TO unite it or bring it down
until he was sure they could effect a
landing.
A raft that got in the daylight saw
wrecks of many boats UP the river. From
fragments of the boats that are seen
floating down the river, they say at least
half dozen parties have gone by
within the two weeks of the run of ice in
boats and on RATS, unable TO make the
landing. The ice extends for third the
width of the river, and the current just at
this place is extremely swift.
Yesterday, with the river clear, two
barges came down Win no occupants.
They were recovere by men in skiffs, and
one of them was found to contain guam
tity of provisions.
These things but lightly indicate the
distress. suffering and loss of life that Is
besetting the men who are still struggling
to join the houseess and unprovisioned
crowd in this city.
With regard to the mum ber OF people
now in the country, that Is, along the
Yukon, a comparison of estimates made
by the heads OF two transportation COM
panies would put the figure at about 1000
OF these over 5000 are thought to be here
and dependent upon the city. 1t is esti-
mated that about 1000 people will winter
at Fort Yukon and Circle City and about
800 at Rampant City and Manook Creek,
the new diggings of the lower river.
There is reported to be thousand tons
of provisions at Fort Yukon, with q
quantity also al Fort Hamlin, new cache
near the Manook dlggings, so that the
people on the river below here are in no
danger even of stint, although if all the
provisions there stored together with all
the people brought were here there would
still, | am sure, be a scarcity.
n c I'D TO-