Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-12-30
WINTER IN ALASKA.
Reports from the Far North Dv
Returning Miners.
Actual Starvation is observation-disclosures
of Plenty at Fort Yukon Not Credited
"God,Knows How L Am to Keep
Body and Soul Together"

SKAeUAY, Alaska, Dec IL, via Seat
tie. Wash, Dec. 27.-John Lindsay OF
Olympia, Wash, who has just arrived
from Dawson City, says there VIII
surely be starvation there this WINTER.
He examined into the food situation IN
a thorough manner, he says, and after
satisfying himself that there would pc
starvation, he sold his outfit. and IN
company with Frank Bailaine, OF
Olympia, Wash; Tom Story, OF vac
toria, b. c., and Bob Glynn, of Seat
tie, started out on foot. each man
drawing a sled. carrying about l4O
pounds of provision. Lindsay says the
Dawson people believe that there is no
great amount of food at Fort Yukon, as
has been alleged. The river rose sur
ficiently and remained open long
enough to enable food supplies to have
been taken from Fort Yukon had there
been any there.
The people of Dawson, believing
that there were not ample food sup
plies at Fort Yukon, refused to go
there, preferring to remain in Dawson.
No more than 800 or 400 people took
advantage of the transportation com
panies' offer to take the people to Fort
Yukon free of charge.
When the miners at DAYTON found
that no more provisions would reach
the town by the river route, they an
nounced that a meeting would be held
to take steps for apportioning the pro-
visions in the town. Those that had
plenty, they said, must share with
those who had none. Capt. Constan-'
- H. Mnl1nfa6 nnllNn.
interfered and told the miners that no
such thing would be permitted. The
meeting was not held.
Lindsay says the output of the mines
will be greatly curtailed this winter
because of the scarcity of food and
light. Coal oil sold for $45 a gallon
and candles are as high as $3.50 box
of 100. Even if men were able to work
their claims they cannot get light to
do so.
These statements are borne out by
all returning Klondikers, quite num-
Der of whom have reached here the
past week. Few of them, however,.
take gloomier view of the situation
than does Mr.. Lindsay.
DIR. b. l.. Bradley. of Roseburg, Ore,
says that food is scarce, but he does
not think that there will be actual
starvation. Neither does w. b. King,
of MERGED, Cal, Z. j. Holland, of Butte,
Thomas Story, of Victoria, or Robert.
Glynn, of Seattle, all of whom reached
here last week from Dawson, the most
of them having left there on Novem-
Der 2.
AS an instance of the scarcity of food
in Dawson, Lindsay relates the case of
DIR. Vanzandts, formerly of Spokane,
Wash. Vanzandts is an elderly man,
and being without provisions or money,
offered gold watch for a sack of -four.
He could not get it, and remarked TO-
Lindsay:
God only knows how / am to keep,
body and soul together"
Lindsay says 900 or more miners are
prospecting at the mouth of Stewrta
river, but nothing is known as yet.
what success they achieved.
Henderson creek, Eve miles below
Stewart river, and 40 miles from Daw-.
son, is a promising stream, and it is,
being developed this winter.
The weather about the Stewart and
Big Salmon rivers has been bitterly
cold, 20 degrees below being recorded
az MaJ' NdASh q camp 10 miles DeioW
the Big Salmon, on November 80.
The Yukon river, between Dawson
and Fort Pelly, froze completely over
November Is. The river is piled full
of ice in great ridges as high as an or
binary house, and a roadway will have
to be cut through it before dog or,
horse teams can operate upon it. The
outlook, therefore for taking supplies
down the Yukon in the immediate flu
ture is not good.
Inspector of Mines McGregor left
here week ago with a number of dog
teams and horses to make the attempt
to reach Dawson with about twenty
tons of provisions, but nothing has,