The San Francisco call., 1898-01-08

some left Dawson as late as December
 z, although the most of them started during the latter part of November
 The last party to leave Dawson was composed of John Burke, J. NJ. Kepner and French Delourge. Just previous to
 their departure Captain Geiger came down over the ice from Circle City and
 reported a shortage of food at that
 point. The miners who sought refuge there will be compelled to procure SUD-
 plies from Fort Yukon.
 For a number of years John Roberts was on the detective force of this city He went to Dawson last spring but returned to-day because of a scarcity of food. He said tonight to The Call correspondent:
 Men who say there is plenty of food in the Klondike and there is likely to be a famine have some motive in telling this untruth If there is not danger of starvation why is it that so many are leaving? In my opinion there is going to be great want and suffering
 before spring. I personally know a large number of miners in the district who have not nearly enough food to carry them through the winter, and, furthermore, provisions are harder to get than gold there.''
 J. M. Kepner left Dawson December z. He says: Tt is useless to deny that
 there is a shortage of food around Dawson. l personally know scores of good men who are facing the long win ter on one sack of flour and a small amount of beans, bacon and coffee. It
 will be a godsend if the Government can succeed in getting in provisions" An old Yukoner who came down to-
 day is John BOurke, who thus ex- pressed himself: "I don't want to scare
 any one, but there are not enough provisions in Dawson to feed the peo- fhprP Those r. fits and came out helped things some; but when you can't buy flour there's
 no comfort in saying therell be no starvation. I did not want to take chances and left"
 Barney McGee, formerly an old rail-
 road man running between Seattle and i St. Paul, sent down a letter from Dawson to James Gill of this city. He | says: "Thereis not day that some one | does not come to the cabin begging | for bread, and they are all willing to pay for it. There is going to be lots or suffering here before the boats | come up in June. Over 5000 men are
 in camp doing nothing but eating their
 little grub. They think more of a meal | than they do of $100 outside; and ohi how they watch their grub. People in tents keep man on watch all night to guard against theft of food" One of the most prominent of return | city. for many years mine superin- tendent for the Oregon Improvement Company. He says that unless relief is taken in the miners will experience extreme suffering. Before leaving Dawson Corey visited the stores and observed that where miners had put in orders for their years supply of
 provisions, including from eight to ten sacks of flour, but one or two sacks at
 most were allowed to each order D. P. Bailey of San Francisco has re- turned after a two years stay in the Yukon country. He left Dawson on November 29, at which time, he says, hundreds of men were preparing to leave owing to the shortage of food. He believes that if the government sup plies can be gotten in soon the majority of those now coming out would turn back. Their trip to the coast is forced by the fact that all cannot stay and live on the food supply. The men coming
 are starting light and buy at extrava- gant rates food from miners camped
 along the trail, who sell merely because ! they get big money for their goods. | Bailey further says that serious results
 will follow by reason of an epidemic of
 scurvy.
 i A. Deraux of Seattle left Dawson be- | cause of the probable shortage of food. | There will be actual want in the | spring months of March, April and May
 and the fore part of June. unless food
 reaches the Klondike district before
 that time''
 In a letter dated Dawson, Novem-
 Der S0." J. K. Dillon writes to H. R. | Clise of this city as follows:
 Times are lively here and the coun-
 try has great prospects if there was
 only grub. There surely will be some
 hungry men in this camp this winter
 There are men going outside who have
 good claims but no food"