Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-08
SOME MUST STARvE
Latest News From Klondike Confirms
Reports Of Scarce Food.
NOT HALF ENOUGH FOR TIE WINTER
Story of Three Miners Who Have
Just Returned.
STEAMER WEAVE AGROUND

O1EAMLn w LA v Il A6hOO MI
EUREKA. Cal, September s.-The news
| by the steamer National City from St.
Michael's corroborates all that has been
| said of the prospects of short rations in
| the gold diggings Of the upper river during
| the winter. The steamer, which connected
! with the river steamer J. ]. Healy at the
mouth of the Yukon, brought three pas
sengers.
One of these is J. A. Ralston of No. 214
McCallister street, San Francisco. He says
| there is gold, and lots of it, in the Klon-
dixie. but 1t is generally still in the ground.
1t Is believed the claims now located could
turn out fifty tons this winter IL the scar
| city of food did not prevent full opera
| tions. He gives rough guess that the
| Klondike is good for $25O,OOO,OOO before
petering out
Six thousand men in the mines about
| Dawson City is the estimate of Ralston.
who came down on the National City with
F. E. Leonard of Nanaimo and r. B. Lamb
| of Portland, Oregon. The supply of the
necessaries of life to feed these men, he
| says. is totally insufficient. In fact. an
estimate that the stores will be exhausted
before the winter Is half over, when the
| famine will be on in earnest, and especially
as the number Of men in the country will
be greatly augmented by the later arrivals
over the passes.
whisky Plenty, Flour Scarce.
There is whisky, beer and all kinds of
| liquor in profusion, he says. but their
places could have been better filled on the
steamers with flour. It is not that the men
| in the country have not money to buy sup
plies but that the stocks Of the stores are
| inadequate.
4f ho hos
Eldorado creek is the Prosperity, OF Jas
Halleck of Missouri 1t will turn out at
least 81 ,OOO, 600. Claim No. IL on the FL
dorado is also very rich. 1t Is no uncom-
mon thing to take out two ounces to the
pan from any part Of the claim.
What wealth is coming on by the steamer
Excelsior cannot be estimated. Those Oh
the passengers of the Healey VINO came 70
St Michaers were very reticent as to their
store of dust. With the exception OF Raj
ston and his companions. all the passengers
of the Healey took passage on the Excel
sior That vessel left st. MicheaFs the
night of August 26 with eighty passengers.
She was put into Unalaska for coal, and
Capt. Anderson of the National City Is OF
the opinion that the Excelsior should ar
rive in San Francisco some time today.
When the National City left st. Michaefs
the steamer Cleveland was taking in bal
last and expected to sail for sound ports
on August 30 Many Of the passengers who
had tickets for the Cleveland took passage
on the Excelsior.
Steamer Wcnre Aground.
On the way down the river from Dawson
City. which place the steamer Healey left
August II, the steamer Weare was found
hard and fast on bar. She was passed
August 16, being about 1 200 miles from the
mouth of the river. The boat had been
on the lar for twenty days, and the Healey
laid alongside, took off her passengers and
some of the freight and then proceeded on
the way, leaving the unfortunate boat, with
small chances of getting on before the
river closes.
E. Leonard says the Weare had on board
$50 passengers and about 81 ,5O0, 600 in treas
IRE. This was transferred to the Healey
and taken to st. Michael's A considerable
amount of this will arrive In San Francis
co on the Excelsior.
When asked why he returned, Leonard
said:
II found I had to get out or starve.
There are about 1900 men in Dawson and
not more than third of them have work.
II you have not stock Of grub you cannot
get work at any price. had provisions for
three months, and no one wanted me.
had not enough to work my own claim I'M
til spring, so sold my stock at q good fig
ure and will wait until spring. Jim Duns-
muir; the Eldorado king. has had $4,000
worth Of provisions ordered for some
| months, but has not been able to obtain
more than a fifth Of 1t, even with the cash
UP in advance.
1hOSc COuiLS OUT, however, Q10 not
bring all their clean-ups with them"
Leonard recites numerous instances of
men who had cleaned up from $4,000 to
100000. but had taken away barely a
nothing except as wage workers at SIS 4
day. for month or SO. F. Lamb of Port
land is authority for the statement that
over fifty men have already died of scuryy
this summer.
Stewart River Discoveries.
In regrad to discoveries on Stewart river
Ralston says there were many rumors of
rich strikes. but up to the time he left
Dawson nothing definite had been received.
The National City was eleven days from
st. Michaers, Alaska, where she left sixty
| five eager gold seekers. 1t is very doubt
full whether any of the passengers who
went up on the National City will get
through this year.
The small boat which some Of the pas
sengerS had taken up on the deck of the
steamer has proved q disappointment
Her machinery has gone wrong. and she
draws too much water. There is enough
provisions in the party, however. to winter
1t out and proceed up the river when spring
opens.
The Cleveland was expected to sail on the
day after the National City departed. The
Excelsior left st. MichaePs twelve hours
| before the National City. Captain Anderson
reports that on August % he passed the
steamer Humboldt, but did not speak her,
and that she in all probability arrived at
st. MichaePs the following day.
Could Not Reach st. Michael's,
VICTORIA, B. c., September S.-The
steamer Bristol returned to pert this morn
Ing. She started week ago for st. Mich
aers with 200 miners, who were to have
been taken up the river by the steamer
Eugene. The Eugene sprung aleak and
could lot proceed on her voyage, and the
trip had to be abandoned. "a
REPORTS TO THE TREASURY.