The San Francisco call., 1898-08-22

By order of Major Walsh a census of the city of Dawson was taken last Wednesday and 16,O00 souls were count ed within the town boundaries on that day. The work was done by the northwest mounted police, the city being divided up into small districts and the count was completed within a few hours, so that, despite the un- settled condition of things, the fact that four-fifths of the inhabitants live in tents and nearly that proportion are camped in such confusion as might be expected to attend stampede or the retreat of a beaten army, it is believed to be very close to the actual number of people here. Five thousand more are camped at the mouth of the Stew art River, few hours by the river current from Dawson. Other thou sands are camped at Little and Big Salmon and the Pelly rivers.
 I have been here a few more days than six weeks and the scene of this big bivouac remains un- changed. Thousands have gone out, but other thousands have taken their places. Building is going on at a tremendous rate, but in pro- portion to the number of people who, if they remain here, are yet to be housed, it is nothing at all. The days are shortening very rapidly. The long, cold and dark winter is rapidly ap- preaching and still this big crowd sits as in trance, waiting for the Lord knows what. Every up-rfver boat carries away as many as its decks will hold the passengers being slowed away I1I. for fI1a tiyra 61N NyG' fI-II1 there being no room for beds. The earlier down-river boats are crowded, but since the demonstration of the practicability of the up-river route, which is so much shorter, most of those hurrying homeward go that way. There are three small boats plying from here up the river. They run from here to White Horse Rapids. where they connect (with portage to above the canyon) with boats to Ben nett They make the round trip in about ten days. Their best efforts from now until the river closes will scarcely make an impression on the camp, although they will be more and more crowded as, the margin of the summer ,narrows. Nine-tenths of this. big crowd that is camped and idling here does not know what 1t is going to do. Being asked they will plainly tell you so. They came into this faraway, W1lH vague HOllOuS OI what they were to do and how they were to do it when they got here; ar rived and face to face with the hard conditions and the tremendous Strug- gle for fortune that is going on here, their uncertain plans are dissipated and they sit in their tents and cook their meals and sleep, drawing their blankets 8 little closer about them as the night grow colder and wait and wait
 With the first heck of snow, less than six weeks hence, there will probably be another such sailing of the great fiotilla as took place at Bennett and La Barge less than six weeks ago. The destination this time will be St. Michael. But it takes money to get back to the States" even from St. Michael, and great proportion of this crowd lacks the required amount. Out fits are being sold in every direction, auction sales are in progress in al- most every block, afternoon and even ing, and the prices of the great mass of stuff that is sold is little if any above that at which it was purchased away back in some city of the States, and the dragging of it over that terrible summit" over mountains and lakes and rivers and through freight and customs offices goes for nothing. This sacrifice will go on and increase until
  passed.
 The price of certain provisions re- mains high, these being scarce and especially desirable here, such as on- ions, potatoes and vegetables, that may be obtained fresh. Onions readily sell at $1 a pound and potatoes at 50 cents Beef was offered to-day at 50 cents, it having fallen from $1. The run of salmon has begun and although the fish are not in the finest condition after their swim of 2000 miles from the sea- they sold readily for $1 50 a pound at first, but have since been bought at 25 cents. The price of meals at restau- rants is still kept up to $1 50 and $2 50. meal may be had for $1, but it is scant and of a quality below that served for 5 cents in San Francisco.
 The Alaska Commercial Company's steamer Bella has made the run to St Michael and return and brings little en- couraging news concerning the new boats upon which so many have under taken to reach Dawson this summer. It is reported that there are twenty-two boats in various stages of construction at and near St. Michael, and that some twenty others are being built at Dutch Harbor or UnalaSka. Some of the com panies operating these boats are mak- ing big preparations here to do busi- ness through them, but they do not come. The Empire Line and the Alaska Exploration Company are both building big warehouses, but the boats that were relied upon to bring the goods to store in them are not even reported in the river. Very many plans that were based upon the arrival of these boats have already gone to smash and it is freely predicted that very many of the boats will be unable to get their passengers up the river, and that the experiences of last winter, suffered by the passen- ~f xIz1 To, Nh 1 Merwin, Governor Stoneman, Kettle B, the Dwyer and others, will be suffered again by very many more this winter. It is almost a fixed superstition of the river that no boat can make the ascent above the flats from St. Michael at it's first attempt. But four boats have done so this summer, demonstrating the ab- surdity of that saying. Two of them, the Monarch and the Sovereign, be- longed to a company wholly new on the river, the Columbia Navigation Com pany, and the boats were in charge of hod hafnTa