Phoenix weekly herald., 1898-01-06
ABOUT THE KLONDIKE.
Breezy Letter From the Herald
 Correspondent.
Reindeer Proposition Not Considered FeasibIe-The Probably
 Gold Output.
especial Correspondence.l )

l discuss his proposition for taking SUI
 plies to the gold hunters at Dawso
 City and whereabouts. They do nc
 consider the reindeer proposition at a
 feasible or adviseable. In fact, if tn
 furnishing of supplies to the miner
 at the KlOndike were looked upon q
 a purely business proposition it woul
 be a very easy matter, indeed, for tn | United States Government to engag I contractors or business men to Ia, down at Dawson City, at a given time 1 a given amount of provisions, at given price. As it is the Governmen has started off half-cocked, ordere' l several droves of reindeer from LaI | land and then set out to do what SrOuld have done in the first place viz, the securing of accurate informa l ton regarding the condition and tn | shortage of the food supply among tn 1 miners.
 | Now, the fact is that there is not {; 1 starvation shortage of provisions a 1 I\londike, nor will there be during tn, present season. There will be a short | age, to be sure, and here and there ; miner who has not taken in a Sufl | cient supply of provisions to last hin during the winter, and who cannot ge l out to replenish his supply, will starvt 1 to death or come very near to deaths door; but that sort of thing occurs every year in the mining districts into which men, unfamiliar with the con ditions, go without suitable provisions and clothing.
 Again, the reindeer proposition would work all right in certain parts of Alaska, but along the passes and trails it would prove a failure unless
 numerous sums of money are spent.
 The reindeer cannot live on snow and
 ice. and must have their regular food,
 which is moss. This cannot be had
 along the passes over which it prOpos-
 ed that the reindeer shall pass. Once
 they are in the interior they will be
 able to pick their own supplies and
 keep from starving.
 It seem a little harsh to tell the
 truth regarding what would be done
 if this proposition of getting supplies
 to the miners were let out at contract,
 the same as if a railroad were to be
 built or gigantic mountain range
 were to be pierced with a tunnel.
 What would happen would be about
 this:
 The successful contractor would
 gather together from the ranges of
 Eastern Washington 2,000 head of horses. which can be purchased in punches of LOGO for from SIP toS15 per uedU I10 NOulu luen Sdlu0G lO- gether few carloads of dogs of the largest and most hardy sorts. Next he would move his provisions to Dyea and Skaguay, taking along a small supply Of hay and oats for the horses. Very little food would be taken for the dogs, that is, very little prepared dog food would be carried, because it would hinder the work of taking for ward the provisions. The contractor would also take along bOb-SledS of the pattern, such as are used in the winter in the northern States He would load his provisions on these bob-sleds and start the horses forward After the first few days the horses | would be put on short rations, and | finally the poor animals would not be fed at all After a while these horses | would begin to become exhausted and unable to proceed. Their condition would be the result of starvation, to ell the truth and then they would be shot and their carcasSeS fed to the log In the meantime the great cara Tan would be pushing forward. As ,aSt as the horses died from starya- ion or exhaustion, or were shot as a eSult of their incapacity for further lse, the dogs would have plenty to at and would in turn take the place If the horses. Finally, a long way his side of the Klondike, all the lorses would have been killed or died, r. nd then the dogs would be in prime ondition to go ahead with the great urden.
 Several months ago, when it became vident to well posted people here that here would be a shortage of provis- z 1ns at Klondike and in the gold min lg region, the Citizens Klondike Com littee of Tacoma suggested to the ar Department the advisability of ' ending a capable party to Dawson ity to investigate the real condition nd report to Secretary Alger. The | ecretary replied that he had sent | aptain Ray into the Klondike cOun- I. ", with orders to ascertain the con ition of affairs tilesfree.- tilesfree and to report .. the ea..iiest moment to Ge-~S sr;4s ler fI : f1 tInent Mr Alger stated repeated . that nothing could be done until q port was received from Captain aN That report has never been re . lived. Mining men and the Citizens |. Omnittee well knew at the ume the = lggeStion was made to the War De ' lrtment to send couriers into the ,ld fields to find out the exact con d ton of affairs there Captain Ray ,uld not reach Dawson City in time Y
 forward a report before winter r osed in. In the meantime, largely for the " lrpose of advertising and selling lpplies. various Pacific Coast ports we wired and written to the War apartment stating what they would ze to do to help keep the miners h om starving. This thing has gone l until finally Congress has taken e matter up, and a quarter Of mil f, ,n dollars is to be expended for the it eIief'' of Lapland reindeer owners Il ld various cliques of supply brokers, V ho believe they will be able to ham, it e the provisions that have been or b red sent to Klondike. II The question of the probable output II
 gold from the Klondike next 2 ring by the early boats has received reful consideration by a member of e Fl Dorado and Bonanza creek me owners who are now in the city. ere it not for the fact that there is
 shortage of candles es-old-fashioned How candles-the output of gold om the Klondike would be two or rec million dollars larger next year. le days being so short in the gold Ids it is impossible to work to any vantageS without candles Candles Q also used in tunneling under ound, and without them the I\lon- ze miners are being greatly hamp- ad in their work. Nevertheless, the rlier boats to arrive from Dawson ty next summer will bring down tween five and six million dollars )rth of nuggets and gold dust; and fore the first day of August, 1898.
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