Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-03-18
news FROM KLONDlKB.
Disease Breaking Out Among Some
of the Pilgrims at skaguay and
Along the Route.
Trouble Likely to Ensue Over the
Disputed Boundary Between Alaska
and Canada.
Some Fun Poked at the Government
Reindeer Expedition for the
Relief of Miners.

Especial correspondence During the
past two weeks several people have died
suddenly at Skagnay and at points on
the trails from an ailment that is known
as spinal meningitis, and physicians
who have inquired into the conditions
existing there report that a lack of
drainage and failure to exercise proper
precautions by those who are anxious to
get over the trails greatly aggravats all
ments of this kind. Very frequently
strong and robust young men will haul
a sled loaded with a quarter of a ton up
one of the trails and become over
heated and exhausted. He then fire.
quently will sit down upon a log or on
the side of his sled and cool off. The
pores of the skin become quickly
stopped, and a repetition of this sort of
thing finally results in fever. The medi-
cal men state that ailments classed as
spinal meningitis are in fact nothing
more than spotted fever in most in
stances. They say that the patients
should be isolated, if not q%uarantlened
and that it is we'll for all going through
districts where spinal meningitis and
spotted fever are known to exist to pro-
coed rapidly and not lounge about.
With proper precautions the medical
men say there is little or no danger
from any disease now existing in
Alaska.
The late arrivals from the trails re-
port that the United States troops have
marched up the hill from Skaguay and
then marched down again, not however,
without notifying the mounted police
to haul down the British flag and not
attempt to collect duties on what is
claimed to be American territory. This
question of American territory IN the
coast of Alaska has been a matter of
dispute ever since the original purchase
was made by the United States from
Russia. No boundary has been def
nitely agreed upon, and, therefore, it is
not surprising that the citizens of both
the United States and Canada frequent
ly become embroiled in difficulties. It
is claimed by the Canadians that a strip
of thirty miles inland from the sea is to
be measured in a direct line along the
coast, and that the thirty miles is not to
extend inland from an arm of the
sea. Skaguay and Dyea are both
located on what is known as Lynn
canal. This canal extends into the
main land over 100 miles, and it can be
readily seen, if the theory that the
thirty miles were to be measured from
the ocean along a line drawn at the ex-
treme points of land is followed, both
Skaguay and Dyea would be in Can
adian territory, as would also a large
amount of other territory now admitted
to belong to Uncle Sam. This misun.
derstanding will result no doubt, in
the appointment of a commission to
definitely settle the boundary between
the British northwest and the United
States possessions. In the meantime,
it would not be surprising if some
blood would be spilled.
The newspaper men on this coast are
making light of the reindeer expedition
of the wal department. They say now.
with a merry twinkle Of the eye, that
now is a good time to purchase ssde'
horned" raindeer, also to purchase q
few ice and snow machines that were
designed to climb up over the noun
tains and proceed at great leaps and
bounds into the interior for the relief
Of the starving miners. The managers
OF several of these nonsensical machines
have been placed under arrest recently,
but they claim in some instances thai
they have the backing of the war de-
partment of the United States, and thai
everything will turn out all right in the
near future. One of them, indeed, pro
poses to bring a suit against the United
States to recover damages for expenses
incurred in arranging to supply this
government with the 10Y and ice con
querors. This suit is to be based on the
failure Of the government to GO aheac
with the relief expedition. However, il
is becoming evident to most Of the PEG
pie Of the United States that the re
ported starvation and shortage Of fooc
in the Klondike was quite untrue, anG
that the necessity for sending in a relief
expedition, does not and never did. ex
list. If the actual condition of affairt
had been investigated at the start there
would have been no occasion whatever
for asking the government to appropri
ate e250,OOO for this purpose.
J A portion at least of the "dehorned'
reindeer will be sent to the Copper
River district for the purpose of picking
out an All-American route into the
Klondike district, and also into the
Birch Greek and Circle City district
: tn that ovfont tho ~aYnn6iki0n will ha nj