The San Francisco call., 1898-03-19

Those on the Bella were given free passage to Yukon. Neither, because of the ice, got further than Circle The extra crew on the Weare, believing that the boat could be put through if the commanders so desired, threatened to take possession of it.
 I have in earlier dispatches reported what took place following this until the men embarked from Circle City in small boats to make their way amid the floating ice to Fort Yukon. l to- day heard from Captain Ray the in terrupted story in these words. He said:
 T was on the Bella, attempting to reach Dawson, and had gotten as far as Forty Mile, when the Weare came down the river. The floating ice warned me that the river would not long re- main open, and as my post was on this side of the line I shifted over to the Weare. I found her loaded with men who were promised an outfit and $5 a day for the trip. When we got to Circle City, after making a landing at about Il o'clock, these men insisted that the boat should be pushed through. Captain Mariner gave them no definite answer. In the afternoon, as the boat still lay there, they began to get impatient and angry. The captain still refused to give the order to move. The weather grew colder and little later he pulled her up in the slough. The men held meeting that after noon and Captain Mariner and MT. King, the company'S agent, came to me, both a little nervous. However, the men did not assume any deter mined attitude till the next day, when some of them came to me and de- clared they had been ashore without anything to eat and that they had de- termined to take the steamer to Fort Yukon and to take provisions out Of the company'S store, if necessary.
 T went out to see how many rifles
 I could find to cooperate with the
 Miners Association against them
 That afternoon the men came to me
 and stated they would drop aggressive
 measures if I would help them out of
 their predicament. 1 investigated and
 found that the company owed the men
 certain concessions. 1 refused to in
 terfere as to their claims, but said
 would see that they got food and
 shelter. I went to King and he ac-
 knowledged the justice of their claim
 to that extent, and that night 1 saw
 the men housed in a diSmantled res
 taurant and mess started. That was the Sd of October and all remained se-
 rene until the 10th, when the river cleared of ice. The men held a meet ing and resolved that the boat sholsd be taken to Fort Yukon. The Weare was now fast in the shore ice. Cap tain Mariner, in my presence, agreed, if the boat was cut out Of the ice and he then considered it safe, he would go. He worked all that day and the next cutting channel for the boat through the ice to the open water.
 At noon of the 11th the men in charge of the work came to me and said that Captain Mariner did not in tend to keep his word, as the engineer had received no word and the engines were not in shape. I went and saw that what they said was true. I told them I did not believe the steamer could get down; that they must not make trouble and that I would resist any attempt at force. I said that if they acted at once l thought they could get there in small boats. Cap tain Geiger had agreed to see that they got small boats, and I said l would see that they secured food. They accepted, and a barge and three small boats started the next morning at 8 o'clock. After they had got under way knowing the bitterness they felt toward the company, I grew anxious about the safety of the caches here. I had no opportunity to send word to Lieutenant Richardson in charge here and determined to start myself
 "A party of miners happening to land at that time I embarked with them at 10 o'clock We drifted all that day and arranged to run all night. At about 8:30 the Indian pilot, Paul, called us, saying he thought the river was freez- ing. 1 came out from under the shel- ter and heard the peculiar sound of ice in motion. I called all hands and told the men the river was gorging below. I tried to get the boat headed up stream or across to reach the shore, but before we could turn her we were forced into the jam. We could not see the shore and the ice was pill ing up on both sides and it was with the greatest labor that we kept her from being forced under. Gradually the ice formed about us and we were In a pack.
 The ice was too soft to bear our weight, but at Il o'clock we were still fast. The sky cleared and the mer- ,ury dropped to 10 degrees below zero. At daylight we found ourselves off the tight bank of an island. and after sev sral attempts with a setting pole, we got ashore We transferred all of our baggage and provisions. supposing we lad reached the mainland. l cut across through the woods, however, and discovered an open lead of water m the other side. I saw figures on he shore and in the ice, the boats of he Weare that had left an hour ahead lf us. l Signaled, they got boat loose. rowed over and ferried us to shore.
 Both parties then got together, aud asked me to take charge and tell them what to do With the crew of the Weare. my boats people and a number If others, who had come along, there were about eighty men in the camp. I had the provisions rounded up, and 'ound there about four days rations for all. We were about sixty miles rom Fort Yukon. pointed out to the peo- ple that they couldn't get back to Cir ,le. as we were on the wrong side of the river, and that we could not get to Yukon sholt of four days, and that the