The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-02-03
FROM ALL over ALASKA
Yakima Boys at Dawson, Fort SeIkirk,
Dyea and Haines Mission Write Home.
WORDS or WARNING FROM DAWSON
Parties Going In should be Careful
ana 20 We'll QUILTED As There 10
No Prospect OF Buying FOOD a.
Dawson CITY.

Last Saturday John Mackison received
letter from bis brother Jim, who is in
Dawson, which gives a great deal OF re.
liable and valuable information that
should be carefully considered by every
person who figures on going north. 1t
was sent out shortly after the Yakima
boys arrived aud after stating that he
was all right and we'll provided for, goes
on to say that much suffering will result
il everymsn who goes in does not take in
with him his own supplies and recon-.
mends sufficient for two years.
He explains that the present shortage
can only be blamed on the people that
came in without outfits. The two large
companies imported all they possibly
could and later on one of them offered
free to all in need, sufficient grubstakes
to last them down the river to Fort Yu.
kon and the other company agreed to feed
them, money or no money, when they
once got there, and the last steamer that
left took all that wanted to go down free
Of charge.
Next year is apt to be worse than this
II the river lie AS bad as it was this year,
and people coming IN via st. Michsels
are not sure of getting here unless they
leave on the first boat.
Too many people are coming in, as up
to this time there are only 200 claims
that are known to be paying claims,
and working full capacity these will only
employ 1000 men.
A great deal Of sickness is expected at
Dawson this summer "a the town is built
on moss and muck everything a glacier.
Foundations for houses are built on the
ice which has covering OF muck from
to 10 feet thick
The letter was not written to frighten
friends of our boys who are already in
there because they all have ample food
for the present, but to warn those who
still insist on going in to take large out
fits with them.
FROM FRED JUNGsT.
A long letter has been received by Har-
ry Null from Fred Jungst who writes from
Fort Selkirk where he is csmped with
the grubstake while the other boys have
gone on into Dawson on a preliminary
prospecting tour. He has for neighbors
party Of Frenchmen.
He writes that life in tent with the
fhaymometay An halou 1oyo 10 for fro,,,
pleasant. He has not been able to get
the inside of it warm enough to thaw out
the ground two feet from the stove and he
does not dare to leave bucket of water in
over night because it would freeze 80 hard
a. to burst the pail. Every morning
when he gets up he finds his blankets
frozen over him from the dampness of
his breath and he has had frozen cheeks,
nose, wrist, heel and thumb but they
were all right again when he wrote. The
tent has not been a sufficient protection
and he had been working for some time
building a cabin further up the river.
The sun goes down at $50 p m. and it
is four mile walk to and from his new
site so the work was slow but when he
ST. the letter NOV. 27) it WAS nearly done
The window pane will have to be of cloth
as his glass WAS stolen as were also his
hinges.
One morning he was awakened by his
neigbors at o'clock and discovered that
the river had overlooked its banks and
WAS within two feet of his tent. He
hurriedly loaded his goods into boat,
made it fast to q tree and taking his
blankets withdrew to await a time, with
what patience he could, when the waters
should recede. This they did in a short
time. He had done some prospecting
and some hunting but without success,
and was anxiously awaiting word from
Krober and Norby, who together with
himself have cast their lots together.
The letter was a very cheerful one con-
sidering what he 10 undergoing and