The herald., 1898-02-12
On Conditions in the Yukon
Country
THE FOOD SUPPLY IS FAIR
BUT TROOPS ARE NEEDED TO
~-" ORDER
The Great N eed Is Some Legal Author
ity With Power to Enforce Its
DEGREES
ssoclated Press Special Wire

ing country.
The reports embrace period runnin
from October Sd to November Sd, an
are dated from Circle City and Fort Yu
Ikon. They show a very serious state G
affairs; that trouble is threatened
various places, and that there is seriou
danger, owing to the failure of the trans
portation companies to get in sufficien
supplies In a report dated Circle City
October Sd, Capt. Ray recommends tina
should the government desire to estab
lish a post on the Upper Yukon, tn
mouth of Mission or American creek b
| chosen as the site, with Sub-post, /
necessary, at Circle City. The best in
| terests of the service, he says, requir
permanent garrisons to be located wei
away from mining towns, so that th
troops, if required to act, will not b.
biased by local influences.
| While food is scarce in Dawson City
the miners in the outlaying camps are
fairly we'll supplied. The eating house.
are all closed save one. While consider
the situation critical, do not believe
there will be any great loss of life, be-
yond that incident to a climate so rig
DIS lIlS. IIldl tltiO VIII OC iAoVh
suffering along the river and the trail
owing to the rashness and Ignorance
of people unaccustomed to this climate
no well-informed person here will deny;
but there is nothing that should cause
undue anxiety or alarm among people
in the states who have friends in this
country.
Some trouble was engendered because
the master of the Weare would not pro-
ceed to Fort Yukon with fifty people
belonging in Dawson who had come
down as a volunteer crew at the re-
quest of Manager Healy to handle her
for the round trip, so that they could
obtain winter supplies. The men ap-
pealed to Capt. Ray, who says: II took
them before the agent of the company.
who, after hearing their case, admitted
that the company was responsible; that
he would furnish them shelter and food
until such time as the whole river should
become passable and they could reach
Fort Yukon. The whole matter has been
much aggravated by the drunkenness
and inefficiency of the master mariner of
the Weare.
"Great injury will result to the COM
mercial interests along this great high
way if some radical steps are not taken
to protect all persons from such inter-
ference with their legitimate business.
At the same time there should be some
power to force common carriers to trans
port goods for any person offering. AT
the present time neither of the trans
portation companies will transport a
pound of freight for other traders or
for private parties, forcing all people
coming into the territory to be wholly
dependent upon their stores for their
supplies, at their prices.
A large majority of the people now
here are peaceable and law-abiding,
but in the absence of any person in au-
thority to appeal to for the settlement
of the many differences that are con-
stantly arising, they are compelled to
act outside of the law, and when influ-
enced by passion, prejudice or liquor,
will commit acts that jeopardiZe great
financial interests and from which there
is no appeal. While here l am constnat-
ly being appealed to to act where 1 have
no authority. I can only act as arb-
traitor or mediator in the cause of peace.
The appeals continue to come to me to
know If ever the government is going to
send in officials to enforce the law.
Miners complain that they cannot per-
feet any title to their mines, owing to the
absence of any land office.
THE departments are sending OUT
commissions to commissioners, re-
ceivers and registers who cannot quail
ify for obvious reasons, the principal one
being that there is not an official quail
fled to administer an oath within a
thousand miles of this place. A com
missioner is powerless, as he has no
power to enforce his decisions
II am surprised that matters are not
worse. We are facing fact, not the
ory, as I believe it is the first time in the
history of our government that it has
been called upon to govern an outlying
province where the issues are vital and
important both national and financial
For, if the transportation. companies
cannot be given protection along thi,
river they will be driven from the field
and a route opened through British
North America to supply our own peo
pie in our own country"
Capt Ray, under date Circle City, Oc.
tober 7, says that the transportation
companies utterly fail to keep promise!
made to passengers; that S46 people
landed at st. Michael destined for Cir
Gle City and about forty-two reached
their destination, the balance being
stranded between Circle City and St
Michael, or having returned to the
states.
There has been" he adds, "less thar
2000 tons cf freight, all told, delivered
above Fort Yukon, and there are now ly-
ing at that point 500 tons of provisions
and liquor, cached by steamers that
could not get over the flats. This failure
on the part of the transportation COM
panies to put into the mining districts
a sufficient supply Of food has not only
given serious check to the mining
interests and caused great suffering, but
has destroyed all confidence among the
people in their ability to supply the de-
mand by this route.
81 am well satisfied that much more
could be accomplished if the employees
of the transportation companies de-
voted less time to personal traffic From
what L have learned from mine owners
and prospectors, am fully satisfied that
the greater part of the gold belt lies in