The San Francisco call., 1898-03-20
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0 S o O St 0 G Q Q O 2 V tS S 1.e = q q DYEA, Alaska. March 14 (by steam ship Queen to Seattle, March 19).-Ma- jor Duval, who came up the frozen trail from Dawson a few days ago, brings news of a unique and important na- ture. Old-timers on the Yukon and the late corners who have been in the coun- try long enough to become familiar with the general conditions, and also the representatives of the Alaska Con- mercial Company and the North Amer ican Trading and Transportation Com pany are fearfully apprehensive of the conditions that will prevail at Dawson and on the Yukon next winter as a re- suit of the rapidly increasing popula- ton of the region. How all the incom- ing thousands are going to be fed IS the worrying question. Notwithstand- ing the amount of provisions that was taken in last year by the commercial companies and individuals, the recent food shortage and starvation scare re- suited. A hundred men are going in this year to one last year.
 Even if the state of water in the Yu- kon is at it's best and permits two or three round trips by the many steam ships from St. Michael, sufficient food cannot be taken in. But the state of water in the Yukon is very uncertain quantity.
 It is so problematical that only one trip is as likely to be made as two or three. The last seasons experience demonstrated this. Hundreds, empty handed, will slip through the Canadian police lines on the river beyond the Chilkoot and White passes, despite the utmost vigilance. The latest finds at Walsh and Lake creeks have well nigh crazed the floating population at Dyea and Skaguay.
 Being thoroughly aware of these con- ditions, the leading men of Dawson are considering the question of holding the whole output of gold in Dawson this spring when the water runs and the clean-ups are made from the mines, and allowing not dollar more than is ac- tually necessary for business purposes to go out. This is what Major Duval says. They feel that if millions of dol lars worth of nuggets and dust are brought out on the first steamers from St. Michael to Seattle and San Fran cisco next June the effect will be to so electrify the people of the country that they will flock into Dawson in much
 
 that even a possible war with Spain cannot distract the attention of the people from ground where gold is dug out by the shovelful. The present rate of the exodus to the Klondike, from 1000 to 2000 people week being dumped into Dyea, Skaguay and Fort Wrangel, already makes the food question very serious one. Before the open season closes people with large outfits, owing to the congestion on the trails, will drop most of their freight and go on to Daw- son with what they can get in, just as they did last season.
 The matter of allowing no gold to be shipped out of Dawson, or, if sent at all, to ship 1t secretly under another name, Is being seriously considered in Dawson. Some action along this line may, from information available at the coast gateways at this time, be looked for. Consequently the public may not be surprised or disappointed if the Ex- celSlor and other first ships from St Michael next June do not bring out any visible or announced quantity of gold Perhaps search in the coal bunkers might discover a few sacks, the con- tents of which will be heavy and yell low.
 Every man who has come out of the Klondike during the last six weeks, with whom l have talked, has said that if the present rush to the Yukon country runs on apace there will be unparalleled suffering, starvation and death there as sure as ice forms in the Arctic cir Gle. It is estimated by the latest out corners over the 600 miles of frosty trail that the spring cleanup of gold from Bonanza, Fl Dorado. Hunker, Do- minion and the other tributaries of the klondtke will amount to between ST. 900, ,000 and s10, ,000, ,0O0