Evening star., 1898-09-27
Returning Gold Seekers From Alaska
Reach Port Townsend.
Only 100000 AMONG FIFTY-NINB
They Bring Many Stories of Hard
Luck and Disaster.
a p P y LING DEATH RATE

PORT TOWNSEND Wash. September
2f-The steamer Fulton has arrived rour-
teen days from St. Michacis. having en-
countered severe gales during the VOYAGE.
one Drought hfty-nine miners from nearly
every mining district I'm Alaska and among
the crowd, according To the statement Of
the pursers. there is between SSooeo and
SlOoOo0 in gold dust.
Among the passengers We're John Emer-
son of Minnesota and Charles Daniels of
Honolulu who left Kotzebue sound August
-. Ihey have prospected nearly every
stream emptying into the sound. but found
nothing beyond small coiors They had
heard nothing OF the reported strike on the
kowak river. About 500 men were on the
beach awaiting an opportunity to return
south. All the business houses which had
opened there TO catch the trade Of the min
ers had their goods packed ready TO shin TO
some other point.
Seventeen prospectors are known to have
been drowned during the season at Hot
tom Inlet. Many others are missing. They
are supposed to have lost their lives in at
tempting TO ascend the small rivers.
Favorable Report From Minook.
Favorable reports from Minook district
are brought out. Capt. Robert J. Dunham
of the river steamer Rideout says that a
number Of new strikes along the creeks in
that district reported and the prospects
are most favorable. He also reports the
discovery of two veins of coal on the Yukon
river about 800 miles from its mouth The
coal is being mined and sold to the steam
ers at so per ton. 1t will render naviga-
tion on the river much cheaper, as wood Is
scarce and expensive. During the trip up
the river the steamer paid 81. IO1 for wood.
The coal is easily mined, one man being
able to take out from five to seven tons
day.
State Senator ]. w. Range OF Seattle.
who is among the returning Dawsonites.
said that just before leaving Dawson. Col.
Davis. president of the relief committee OF
the combired secret orders, told him that
the average death rate was five per day
during the past two months. The highest
in one day was eighteen.
On her way down the Fulton found the
schooner Louise J. kenney. which was sue
cessfully fOated and taken to Dutch Har-
Dor, where she is undergoing repairs. She
Will soon be in seagoing condition.
Dawson's Bad Health Record.
All arrivals from Dawson during the past
month have reported the health conditions
in Dawson as something most deplorable
and a death rate ranging from five to
seventeen per day.
1t is estimated that about 1900 people
Joined the rush to Stewart river. Nearly
every foot of available ground has been
prospected, but no gold was found.
Only One PrOspectOr Got Through.
SEATTLE, Wash. September 27.-Out OF
a party Of twenty-siX men that left San
Francisco early in the year to go to Daw-
son via the Stikeen trail Herman Long of
this city is the only one that pushed
through. Two out OF the number were
drowned, two are insane and the others
are far in the interior regaining their
health at trading points.
In the swift Chesley river. in the north
rivers, seven of their boats were dashed 10
pieces on the rocks and the outfits were
lost In two Of the wrecks DR. Black and
man named Morgan, both from Califor-
mia, were drowned. Long says that many
OF the men went temporarily insane after
their provisions began to give out. They
had to be watched continually as several
attempts at suicide were made