The San Francisco call., 1898-06-29
REACTION IN
 THE KLONDIKE Gold Hunters in Serious
 Trouble. LITTLE WATER IN THE RIVERS PERILS THAT THREATEN STERN
 WHEELERS.
LITTLE WATER IN THE RIVERS
Vast Fleet That May Get Into the Country but Not Get Out Again Before Next
 Year.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

JUNEAU Alaska, June 25 (via Vic toria. B. C., June 2S, by ste~-nship City of Seattle).-J. M. Thomp6ins, who says he has for fourteen years been a grain buyer for Phil Armour of C.ncago. stepped off a boat here to-day, having just come from Fort Selkirl1. at the mouth of the Pelly River, and Dawson. He stated that Mir Armour is not in terested in kiondike mines.
 Mir. Thompkins mission inside" is apparently O. more importance than he has made public. However, he brings out some news of the greatest interest in view of the thousands of men who have gone into the Yukon basin by the Lynn Canal trails, the thousands more who are expecting to go up the Yukon River in stern-wheel Steamboats and also in consideration of the vast sums of money that have been invested in the construction of light draught stern Wheelers to carry the expected crowds
 MT. Thompl1ins opinion is that these fiockS of steamboats will never get up the river this year, and that t,.e money used to build them will return about as much dividend as the dollars put into the erection of three-story hotels at the head of Lynn Canal which are now vacant.
 He said: Not in five years has there been so light snowfall in the in- terior of Alaska as last winter. Noun tain peaks which are usually covered with snow are bare. Melted snow and ice make the greater volume of the water of the Yukon River, and this year the Yukon is lower than it has been in long time. It is very low now, and the amount of snow will not produce water enough to raise it more than few inches at most. Bars and points jutting from the shore at the bends of the river are far out of water At the present stage of the water none of the boats at St. Michael can come up the river. They would never get over the flats. If they got that far they would stay where the Hamilton stuck last fall. The exceptionally mild win ter accounts for the light snowfall Where Is the water coming from to raise the river? The snow is not there to make it."
 What do they think at Dawson about this?"
 "They are very doubtful that the boats will ever arrive there. Prospect orS who have been in the Yukon Basin for years say they have never seen the river so low at this time of year, and so little snow. There is a good deal of uneaSiness on this account in Dawson .. boats do not succeed in making at least one round trip, my opinion is that the Government relief expedition which turned into burlesque last winter will become a stern necessity next winter Yes, I know that the men going in are taking grub with them, but I'll just be prophet enough to ask you to remem- Der what I have said when next Feb ruary comes."
 MT. Thompkins Is the first man to come out of the wilderness and say that there is disappointment among claim holders generally in regard to the clean up. He says the amount Is much less than was anticipated. and while some hope it may reach $20 000,- GOO, MT. Thompkins says he and a good many others will be surprised if the total clean up exceeds S5, ,000, ,000 The pay streak narrowed or ran out entirely in many claims. There is not man in the Klondike region who owns a claim that does not want to sell
 will the gold come out by the up- river route or be sent down to St. Michael?" he was asked.
 Most of it will be brought up the river by its owners and they will be coming all summer long and till late in the fall,' said MT. Thompkins '"There is a feeling of distrust about the boats being able to get back down the river even if they succeed In mak- ing Dawson, owing to the low water Men who have made a rich strike do not fancy being stuck on the river in the midst of a wilderness all winter long with load of gold. A few may risk of getting out by way of St Mich ael, but nine men out of ten who have got anythir~ out of the clean up will give it a personal escort up the river themselves, for by the up-river route they know they can get out. though it will take little longer. There will be small steamboats on the river this summer and along in the fall till navi- gation closes from Dawson to Lake Bennett, porta oipg the rapids.
 These boats will make regular trips