The San Francisco call., 1898-08-09
MINERS TALK
 IF LYNCH LAW
Desperate klOndikerS at
 St. Michael.

Lynch law Is talked of in St. Michael The stranded miners are having a hard time of 1t, and if they do not get up the river to Dawson there will be trouble The following extracts from couple o1 letters contain a lot of interesting in- formations:
 ST: MICHAEL, July 22.-Owing to the number of river steamers lost on the way, the majority of the ocean steamers here are in serious trouble. There are not over eight or ten river steamers in the bay, outside of those owned by the North American Transportation and Trading Company and the Alaska Com mercial Company, and of these at least two-thirds are English. Up to date none arrived, nor are they likely to.
 captain Daniels brought the dredger LaVelie Young through in good shape though she was two days outside of the inland passage on June g and q, on which days so many river steamers were lost.
 There are at least 300 passengers here on these ocean steamers who. were booked through to Dawson and other river points, and who are in pretty bad shape, owing to the companies who booked them having no means of getting them up the river. Consequently there is much trouble and rumors of trouble in the air. The National City, Albion and Rufus E. Wood passengers. together with some twenty odd from the Humboldt, that were sent up by the Alaska Yukon Transportation Company, brought suit against the company and attached the coal and lumber aboard the Rufus F. Wood. The agent in charge Of the com panys affairs. Captain Hatfield, made an assignment for the benefit Of the passen- gers, and il remains to be seen just what they will get out of 1t. The assets here to very little, according to re- ports.
 The Brinham was forced to give a bntfDDnrV bond the North American and Trading Company to secure provisions enough for their pas sengers. The Progresios passengers are in equally as bad shape, and IL is hard to tell what the end will be. Any quantity of passengers who had the means gave up expecting the companies who booked them to do anything, so left them and paid their passage up the river in some of the few outside steamers that got through.
 they jumped their fare to Dawson from $50 to $50, and limited the passengers to g50 pounds of freight each. Conse- Qlenuy, any one with four or five tons gf an outfit was shut out. The com mander in charge of the island will not allow passengers to be landed against their will, so the probaolliues are that those who cannot make other arrange ments will have to be taken back 10 their starting point.
 Those parties of from four to ten who
 
 boats or lumber and material to build boats, appear to be the best off, and there are at least twenty-five of them. all of whom will get off within the com ing month. Should any more river steam CTS and barges get through from the coast or even should some of those that went up tht river early get back for a second trip affairs here may brighten, otherwise We may see trouble. for there are some passengers who threaten even lynching if they are not taken care Of.
 1sa.~s. ,-s. ef,1, river, but on the whole there is lots of gold there. judging from reports The ones are usually men who couldn't even do days work al home, let alone in such a climate as Alaska's. they become discouraged and sell out their provisions for enough to get out on and ceme back. I have talked with several who went in over the trail and who stayed in and around Dawson for from one day 10 two weeks and then took the first steamer for home,
 It is reported that there are about seven or eight river steamers high and dry on bars in the Yukon. some with no pros poets of getting off. Others are more fav- orably situated as the river is improving though the water was extremely low at the start. The channel changes every