The herald., 1897-09-23
ALL TRAILS
BLOCKED
When Arctic Winter Begins
in Earnest
MINERS STRAGGLING BACK
MINERS STRAGGLING BACK
SEEKING SAFETY AT JUNEAU
OR sKAGUAY
Men Who Tempt White Pass in Win
ter Are Walking Straight to
= Their Death

Ter Are Walking SCTdASuL W
y Their Death
Associated Press Special Wire.
SEATTLE, Wash, Sept. 22.-Winter
has begun in earnest with the travellers
on the Dyea and Skaguay trails, and all
who do not intend to winter in Alaska
are Fastening out. The steamship Queen
arrived today with eighty passengers.
Among these were United States Mar
shall j. M. Shoup and District Attorney
3. E. Bennett. The peaks of the noun
tain5 fanking the passes are hlanketed
four feet deep with snow and. the smaller
streams are encrusted with films of Ice
When the Queen left Skaguay, Septem-
ber 14th, there were many parties strag-
Cling in from the mountains and it Is
stated that a majority will return to
Seattle and await the return of spring.
Prepare tions are being made to winter
a number in both Juneau and Skaguay
Hundreds are turning back, but the
United States mail, in care of G. "
Sproule and assistants, will go through
A letter received here announced the
safe arrival of Sproule, with his party
at Sheep camp, and on September 8th he
expected to be at Lake Linderman.
where boat would be built The letter
expressed confidence in the carriers
ability to reach Dawson, but Sproule
complained that coming out with the re-
turn mail would be task for which no
adequate provision had been made by
the government.
One of the most distinguished passen-
gers to arrive in the city on the Queen
was Burton Bennett, who was sent north
by Grover Cleveland as district attorney
for Alaska.
From what I can learn" he said,
"there Is not and will not be enough food
at Dawson City this winter. With favor
able weather the trading companies may
get more up the river than was antici-
pated, but 1t Is not likely. 1t will be
impossible under the most favorable
circumstances to get enough in to supply
all those who are there. feel sure Of
that after careful inquiry and from let
ters have received from Dawson City.
But as I say, If Dawson City suffers,
think Of the men on White pass. The
world may not realize 1t, but there are
men up north who are walking right into
death. The snow is probably flying on
White pass, and If not, soon will be-
Many propose to winter at Skaguay.
but from what can learn hundreds do
not propose to stop there nor will they
return to civilization. They have the
gold fever as no other body of men ever
y of Sk,,f1
IN the Yukon country they get crazier
than ever. They will not stop for snow;
they will not stop for storms am sat
isfied that while the snow is coming
down in all It's furry on the pass and
the wind IS blowing awful gales this
winter you will see men on White pass
1t is a frightful thing to think of, but
it Is true, and these men should be
stopped 1 would not be bit surprised
to learn Of many deaths up there this
winter. 1t is the most damnable rush
ever heard Of or read of. These men
do not know anything about the horrors
of White pass in the winter time, yet they
keep on, and just about the time tha.
winter is at its worst, some Of them will
be caught on White pass They will never
escape.
II am satisfied that those who remain
at Skaguay this winter will be all right.
Spring will soon be with them and they
can start for the north. Once there
they will all come back rich, if they are
willing to stay and work for a few years.
There is gold in every body of water,
big and little, In. our country. Why,
the people of the states, with all the
newspaper talk do not know what the
rush will be this coming spring. From
letters I have received from the states,
l am satisfied there will be $4,000 people
in Alaska six weeks after the sprirg
rush has commenced.
Il think that the reports about so
much crime in the vicinity Of Skaguay
have been exaggerated. We are doing
what we can to see that order is pre-
served and we have been fairly sue
cessful. or course there are some Grim
inals there, but crime is very small. We
have officers at Skaguay. They will
winter there and look for no trouble.
'One thing is certain and that is that
the United States government will have
to take steps at once to give Alaska
new government. At present it is one
judicial district. favor having three,
one for southeast Alaska, one for west
ern Alaska and one for the Yukon. In
that way the country would be much
better governed. If a murder is COM
mitted in the Yukon country in the win
ter time, the murderer could not be
brought to the south coast until spring.
This is not the way to control Alaska
I have given the matter serious consid-
GRAFTON. 1 think that there should be
commission appointed by our govern
ment to map out a code of laws for the
country. At present We depend upon
the revised statutes of the United
States, and when we cannot find what
we want in them we turn to the laws
which governed Oregon up to 1884 And
the land laws should be extended At
present one cannot get title to land in
Alaska. The point is a very important
one in. advancing the claim for new
legislation for the country"
TROOPS STARTED
PORTLAND, Or, Sept. 22.-Lieur.
Col. Geo. M. Randall, Eighth infantry,
u. s. A.. with twenty-five men from the
same regiment. left here at 8 p. m. on =