Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-01-14
FAMINE All DAWSON.
JAMES r. kEENE PICTURES THE SUI
FERINGS OF GOLD HUNTERS.

Are Crossing the Passes.
Mr.. James r. keene received the fol-
lowing letter at his Office in New York
recently from an expert mining engineer
at Dawson City, Northwest Territories,
dated Oct. 8, who, with an assistant,
was sent to the Klondike region last fall
by himself and other capitalists to in.
vestigate and report on the situation
there:
my last letter, written to you from
on board the steamer Bella, after leav-
ing Fort Yukon, under date Of Sept. rs,
was mailed in Circle City. Sunday,
Sept. 26, 1897. We reached Circle City
Saturday, Sept. rs, at 7 p. m. The
steamer had barely tied up to her land
ing, the passengers going on shore in a
snowstorm, when she was boarded and
taken possession of by so armed men,
who demanded all her stores and sup
plies for the starving people living in
the vicinity Of Circle City, some 1873
miners. The list they presented called
for all the delicacies Of the season, but
all case goods having been left at Fort
Yukon, likewise wines, liquors and
cigars, they only found staple articles
namely, -four, bacon, butter, ham and
lard.
"The proceedings were very sum
mary. There were about 30 passengers
on the boat. The crew, composed Of ST.
wash Indians, left the steamer on her
arrival at Circle City. Captain Ray, U.
s. A., addressed the mob, but they dis
posed of him by not paying the slightest
attention to his remarks, intimating
that this was the United States, and
to hi with the fellows in Canada;
that the English government looked out
for them, and that they didn't propose
to allow food to leave the United States
for q foreign country and they starve.'
Accordingly they took about 80 tons
of ham, bacon, butter, beans, potatoes
practically all that there was of these
articles-and about 200 sacks of -four.
Private property was respected; other
wise we would haye had u shooting
match OH the boat. After cleaning up
the vessel armed guards Were put on
board by the miners as well as on
shore to prevent any further robbery,
though there was really nothing else to
take, unless it was private property.
Sunday morning, about 7 O'Clock,
the Bella left for Forty Mile. From
Circle City III the passengers became
the crew of the steamer, and at short
intervals they were compelled to tie UP
the boat, go ashore, cut wood and pack
it aboard to run the engines. Wednes-
day night (Sept. 29) Forty Mile, the
first port in British territory, was
reached. As soon as the steamer was at
her mornings she was boarded by a de-
tachment of the mounted police and the
mail sent ashore. There being no cargo
to discharge she was ordered up to Fort
Cudahy, across the creek from Forty
Mile, where she remained that night.
"Rumors came thick and fast about
starvation in Dawson City and the ter
rible condition Of affairs in general
throughout the country. Wednesday
night the ice was forming rapidly in
the Yukon river, and it looked very
much as il the steamer would be unable
to face the floating masses as they came
down the stream. Thursday morning,
although partially frozen in, the steamer
started for Dawson City, SO miles away,
where she arrived at about half past 8
O'Clock that evening.
"A more God forsaken place you
w saw. The town lies on a flat on
the east side Of the river, Immediately
back Of which are hills about 500 feet
high. The river is about three eighths
of a mile wide and is, I should judge,
quite deep. The elevation above sea
level is approximately 1 900 feet. Where
the town is located must have been an
old moose swamp. During the summer
time 1t is undoubtedly a regular quag-
Mire.
"There are fully 500 loafers in town,
who won't work and expect to be fed,
and there is no food to feed them with.
The police won't arrest them because
they haven't any food with which to
feed them. Everything is frozen except
the whisky, and there seems to be an
unlimited supply Of that article at 30
cents a drink, or $40 per bottle. Cham
payne is $36 per bottle, and l suppose
other beverages are at corresponding
figures.
Give cent cigars cost so cents each,
and flour, outside Of the company's con-
tracts, $l26 for a so pound sack; can
dies, 81 apiece. Seventy-tive dollars is
paid for o five gallon can Of coal oil. In
fact, none is for sale. Sugar is 30 cents
and tea 81 a pound. Coffee, 81 pound,
and not fit for dogs. Ordinary dog meat,
which means dried fish, 81 a pound. No
man works for less than SIS for nine
hours and confers a very great favor
upon you even at that rate. Cordwood,
sawed and split, is $50 a cord in the
yard. Can't say what it will be before
this winter is over.
Cooking stoves are not to be had for
love or money. Some sheet iron ones
can be obtained at a cost ranging from
SIS to 800. There is one timer in town
working five men, and his orders are 80
days ahead. Sawed lumber, the poorest
quality, sells, when you can get it, for
&160 for 1000 feet, and flooring is 90
cents a foot. The restaurants are all
closed because they cannot buy sup
plies. Bakeries closed because there is
no -four to be obtained. There is no no.
tel and there are no lodging houses.
EVERY building on the main street
is either a saloon with a gambling out
fit or a dance house. There are only
two stores, which belong to the compa
nies-respectively, the Alaska CONNER
oial company and the North American
Transportation and Trading company.