The herald., 1898-01-22
Did Not Care for the Cost
of Candles
HIS GROSS ExTRAvAGANCE
CAUSED THE DESTRUCTION OF
KLoNDIKE CHURCH
Sympathetic Gold Hunters Forego
Amusement and Turn the Opera
House Into a Church
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
NEW YORK, Jan. 21.-Two mission
aries were last August sent to the Klon-
like by two New York women, under the
auspices Of the Presbyterian Board of
Missions. The names of the women are
kept secret by the board. a letter has
just been received by Mr.. D. ]. Mcmillan.
| Corresponding Secretary of the board,
from these missionaries-the Rev. Hall
Young and DIR. W. A. McEwen. The
letter is from Dawson City and is dated
| December 1St. 1t was carried from Daw-
| son City to the nearest outpost of civ
| ilization by Jimmy Jackson, an Indian,
who has a record for going where no
| other man can go. The letter announces
the establishment of the first church in
Klondike and says there is food enough
there to last till spring If provisions
reach miners by April 1st the danger of
want will be entirely past. Mr.. Young
writes that he and his companion are
the only missionaries who reached Klon
dixie City. two miles from Dawson City,
| their destination. before the winter set
| in. Since then, of course, nobody has
arrived there. They started at once to
provide a place of worship for the min
ers. On this point Mr. Young writes:
Il found a newly erected two-story
| house belonging to a saloon keeper,
which he offered to let us have on the
following terms: The large trout room
on the first floor. one month for 500 in
advance; or the whole house (there are
six SX10 rooms in the upper story until
may 18th (seven months) for $3.50, Civ
| ing five days to raise the money. Well,
| l prayed and called on several friends.
l got the 800, which secured the room
for the next Sunday. l advertised and
had a nice meeting; attendance, fifty;
collection, $40. Then l arranged to sub
| let the upper rooms at 500 month each.
They are little. rough, cold. unfurnished
| boxes, but were eagerly snapped up the
| first day. l got the renters to advance
| all they could and borrowed the rest
| from the Gold Commissioner, Mr.. Faw
cett. At the expiration of five days
paid the other $3.50 and got the lease of
the building"
But there We're troubles ahead. On
| the 21st of November one of the dodgers
came home filled with whisky. Although
candles were worth 80 each. he lighted
one and kicked it over. The building
was burned to the ground The pluck of
| the missionaries had aroused the en-
| thusiasm of the miners, however, and
gold was forthcoming in paying quanti-
ties. Mr.. Young argued for and won
the observance of Sunday in the camp,
| and the opera house." which had been
erected for other purposes, on that day
is now a church.
The missionaries have started Young
Peoples Society of Christian Endeavor
| and a branch of the Young Mems Chris
tan Association.
The letter closes: "I walked over twen-
ty miles on Tuesday with the thermome
ter 81 degrees below zero, made eleven
calls and found about thirty church peo
pie who will attend the meetings.
Flour is about Sl.50 per pound: can
dies. $1.50 apiece; meats, s1.25 per pound,
and other food in proportion. Flour can
hardly be had at any price, and groceries
can scarcely be bought at the stores
| On the other hand, some of the miners
are pouring forth constant streams of
gold, and there is no difficulty in pay
ing obligations"
MINERS GOING
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 21.-J. l..
! Fishback. one of the leading trap-shoot-
ing experts of California, will be missing
when the roll of shooters is called at the
spring tournaments. Mr.. Fishback ar
rived in this city yesterday morning
| from Los Angeles and last night de-
parted for the Klondike. Shooters of
Los Angeles will especially miss the
traveller as he has twice in the past as
sisted them to win the championship of
the State, an honor which is shortly to
he made the subject of rivalry in big
tournament to be held in this city.
Amid a chorus of "Good-by's" and
God bless you's," the steamship Una
tilla left her wharf today, carrying three
score of men and women, who go to join
the thousands that have preceded them
90 the gold fields of Alaska.
The Umatillas destination is Seattle,
at which point Klondike- bound passen-
gers will be transferred to the steamer
City of Topeka, and will go to Dyea and
Skaguay on that vessel
MINERS RETURN
VICTORIA, Jan. 21.-The steamer City
Of Seattle arrived tonight, bringing As
prospectors from Dawson. Among the
passengers were the three delegates sent
by miners of Dawson to Ottawa to in
tervieW Premier Laurier and other mem
bers of the Canadian government re-
garding the government mining regula-