The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-05
Ice In the Rivers Beginning to Melt
Away Rapidly.
TEN THOUSAND MINERS
PASSED OVER THE TRAILS DUR
ING THE SEASONS.
When Navigation Opens, Order of
Canadian Government Requiring
Prospectors to Have Supplies Will
Be Reseinded Altogether-War
Among Freighters and Packers.

Lake Bennett B. c., April 26.-CVia Ia
coma, Wash, May 4.)-Fully 5000 people
are located here on their way to the Yu-
kon, and it is estimated that 10000 per-
sons have passed over the two trails dur
ing the winter and spring. The ice in
Lake Bennett is melting rapidly, but will
not be clear before June. Thirty Mile
and Fifty Mile rivers are free of ice and
the lower lakes are beginning to break
up.
The order of the Canadian government
requiring prospectors to have at least
Loss pounds OF food has been reduced to
500 pounds and when navigation opens
Will be rescinded altogether.
PACKERS AND FREIGHTERS.
There is merry war ON among the
packers and freighters of the two trails.
fhe Chilkoot Railway & Transport com
pany has finally succeeded in getting its
bucket tram over the summit into oper-
alton, and to make up for lost time and
the falling off in traffic has begun the
SlaShlng of rates. Its rival concern, the
Dyea- klondike company. which has had
IT'S line in operation some weeks, is meet
ness is keen. All the individual profess
sIonal packers have been run off the trail
by the companies, and the war has now
beer carried to Skaguay.
Freight rates have tumbled from Il and
IA cents to 9. and ~. When the trouble
was over the business was divided. part
of it going over the Dyea trans and part
by pack train over the White pass.
RAID ON LIQUOR MEN.
Deputy Collector Floyd's men made a
wholesale raid upon the liquor dealers
here on Thursday. They were followed
ABOUT from saloon to saloon by wagons
engage, for the purpose, into which were
duiaped a miscellaneous collection of con-
traband stimulants which were convey ed
to the custom house. They will be de-
DOrt66 Orppnn to "a n n
der. and in all likelihood. smuEgied
again INTO SkaSuay. The SaIoonS We al
VIDE open again within Is minutes after
the raid was over and are running unmo-
Tested.
SKAGUAY DISTRICT.
At a public meeting held Wednesday
night citizens organized the Skaguay
mining district. a recorder was elected
ana the necessary machine set into opera
ton TO enable nIings and locations TO be
territory Immediately adjacent to the
summit.
One of the pack trains operating out
OF Skaguay was stopped by the Canadian
ponce at the summit yesterday. six of
the animals shot and the remainder
ordered off the trail until such time as
they were in better condition TO travel
The orders of the police are 90 permit no
cruelty to animals on the road TO Yukon.
The detachment of the Northwest
mounted ponce Wnich. under the COM
mand of Captain Wood. has been sta
toned at Skaguay all winter has been
ordered to Lake Bennett. One sergeant
and one man will be left behind. Cap
tain Wood and the remainder of his con-
tingent left for the interior today
Colonel Anderson's detachment of
United States troops stationed here and
at Dyea are expecting orders to about
face for the south.
THE WAR NEWS
The arrival of the steamer City of
Seattle at an" early hour this morning
bringing the first authorize tive infornia-
ton that war has been declared and
open hostilities begn, set fire to the mill
tary spirit that has pervaded the Alaskan
for some weeks past
Colonel Anderson believes that his COM
mard will be recalled. or at least the
major portion thereof at once. One com
pany, perhaps. may be left behind to con-
tinue police duty here. Company A First
regiment National Guard of Alaska has
been organized in this city. The captain
of the company. Jefferson R. Smith is
none other than the ilustrious and in
domitable "Seapy' Smith.