The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-08
GOLD LADEN, BUT HUNGRY.

Continued from PAGE 1
re care OF party OF men from this city.
stss sunerfngs were terrible.
asle Il Ia asserted IL all Of the ss.e
nsondikers that The output OF the claims
sis ~ihier VIII be iexsenec on account
- .ns mek Oh sufsicfsns food. IL Is stated
y shs Best posted OF them that rs Es3ase
"a Gust and nuggets viii D shipped down
TIE river IN the summer The new dis
asct1 opened Up this winter are reported
IS banning ont yeIl. TIE claims on
EARN Geld Bottom, Last Chance, Roul-
asf. Dominion. Sulphur and Moose Hide
cFeexs and Irish guich that are being
MoskSo are prospecting well and rich
sksikes IN the payssreak are reported On
sa q the streams named. Or BONANZA
afSo Eltora6o the mines are yielding heav-
~ Q. TIE precious metal The naen sn the
eahp who 5ave food enough are working
HAe beavers ard the dumps are being
ssscksa high wish nugget studded DIR,
from the paystreaks
Kspn~r Talks Of Starvation.
=. N kepner. a well-known broker and
IanKer os chehaits, who left Seattle July
- WIN eleven other men from this state.
ere OF the last rnen from Dawson.
Win French Curly De Lorge, he left the
gay. December Z. Two days cut from
stewart river he was taken very sick
ana Eas hauled on the sieighs by his ecm-
pantons and their dog teams for a great
part or the journey. The hsrdshIps o.
the trip told severely on him, and look~
Ing pale and weak. he liz at the Batter
recuperatinx
John BourEe a Fr>nch-CanaSian who
went TO Alaska In isss and spent thir-
teen years II the Yukon basin. Mr..
Eourke knows what hunger iz In Alaska.
tie has seen the terrors OF winter !n that
country reinforced By lack OF sufficient
1000 10 Keep man well and healthy.
he ana Mr.. Kepner agree on ore proposf-
ton. and that Ii thar there - not enough
food for the people now living In the
Klondike camp
II know that people are saying that
there viii be no suffering AZ Dawson on
account OF the food shortage" said Mr..
Kspner last night. sBut you can quote
me AZ saying that there Is not enough
food fn Dawson 10 feed the people
who viii be forced 70 live there this win
ter. II IL not necessary 70 say that there
win be starving-there 81 10 need ~ max
ing matters worse than they are, or OF
giving needless alarm TO people who have
relatives ard friends there. But the
truth II had enough. | know hundreds
OF miners who will suffer before spring
opens the Yukon river To the trading
companies boats. and Il will be because
they have not enough food TO keep theu
well this winter.
Look al the men who went through
last winter in Dawson without having
laid In a full supply OF vegetables and
other kinds OF food. They are physical
wrecks now. the at prey Of disease and
all the Ills that a man encounters IN dig
- h ~
peat beds OF the kiondike. Life under
such conditions as a rule az Dawson IL
not a fowery bed OF ease The miners
work like beavers. They encounter all
kinds of difficulties and dangers In the
search for gold A man working In the
mines through winter In that country
wants TO be well fed. or he viii emerge
In the spring weak and subject to typhoid
fever and other diseases that prevail
there.
ss'rhe men who winterea In Dawson last
season on short rations are examples or
what food shortage will do 10 those VINO
ara not supplied and who Will De unaoie
to leave the camp this winter. Some or
them will never recover from the terrible
effects Of their experiences. and some OF
them would be better of dead
II know hundreds Of miners In Dawson
who are facing the long Alaska winter
on little more than sack OF flour. ana
other provisions in proportion. The trad
ing companies gave the men who bought a
seasons supply OF provisions one sack OF
-four when they came after the FOOD tney
had purchased, and no more Ihey save
them proportonate amount OF beans.
bacon and coffee. \ sack OF flour lasts i
man ak weeks What those poor fellows
Will do when they eat that up NOBODY
knows Some people say they Will not
starve. want 20 take no such chances
at II true that great many people lett
Dawson. gc,ng down the river 10 Circle
city ara For. Yukon Hundreds came out
over The Ice and are on the trails yet. sun.
Il s. my belief that there are between 5000
ard .eof people still in the camp. There
were mary who went N this summer. ex-
psctiag To get full supplies In Dawson.
Others were unable 20 pay the Canadian
duty on the trail and were forced 10 give
us part OF their outfits IN order 10 be al
lowed 20 pass Often these people did not
have more than enough food 10 last them
dowa the river. When they got 10 Dawson
they were teTror-strieken 10 learn that
provisions cca,d net be had for love or
moaey what are they 10 doP They are
afraid 10 move. They have no money with
whIsh 20 bay n sack az four and other
supplies on which 20 live while they walk
out 10 Dyea. Does any man say tf4t these
people are not In dagger
There may NJ 40 actual starvation in
Dawson. Men who have A pound Of -four
will deny themselves before they see fell
iew+creature perish fer wait Of food Yet
when the winter comes 20 an end In Daw-
son Il ~jll find MANY a poor fellow on his
last ration. II the government relief expe-
dition reaches Dawson this winter. or be-
fore tn, Yukon opens. i VIII cheer the
hearts % hundreds Of good men In THAI
country. who are now wondering whether
ghey will pull through or not
old Nnkoner see. Danger Ahead.
he aalnlon Of john BouVke. a veteran
Yukoner. who wss with French Curly"
DE Lcrse ard Mr.. kepner. az 20 the
food situation in Dawson. is backed az
by knowledge aaa experience gained hy
nearly twelve years life IN the Yukon
basin MIR. Sorrke IS = typical Yukoner
He was ~ Forty-Milc IN IRE early days.
ard has prospecteA the length % the
Tanara river from It's headvaters 20 rs
saeuth He knows the Yukon like book
and ~ is not > stranger N hunger and
prfvasion. such as was the lot q the pto-
nsees iu the frost bound E.ldorado.
II do not want 70 say anything that -
likely 20 cause any alarm" said Mr..
Raurks last night. ''T dom; care 10 he
cuntet, ore Way o. another as - the food
shortage in Dawson. BAT theva IS ora
thins / will say and that is tina; re
miners Of shs E'ondske camp are IN
worse shape today for provisions than
they ever were before iu their lives The
shortage IS r1ore e~ute than {; ever was
during AL nv residence IN the Yukon
You krow that the food matter has been
the great question 20 contend w.fh n
Alaska Wei have sesr men 40
through a winter o. hals rsft3rs have
IT. 4 II &C., q