Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-09
IS IN A RATHER CRITICAL SITUATION
AT FORT YUKON.
HE is STANDING OFF A MOB
GUARDING THE PROVISION CACHES
AGAINST A RAID.
Special Courier Wells Says Relief
Will BE Needed at DnyvsOn-The
Rush This Year Will Be to
Gold Fields on Amer
lean Side.

Washington, Feb. Sc. HaZen Wells,
the special courier who brought out Cap
tain Rays dispatch from the Yukon.
reached Washington this evening. He did
not bring the full copy of the dispatches.
these having been expressed by General
Merriam from Seattle. Speaking to an AS
ISOLATED Press reporter. Mr.. Wells said:
Il cannot properly say anything as to
Captain Rays report. but / can say that
l left him in a rather critical position.
and the sooner the government gets sup
port in to him the better. Captain Ray had
only one man with him, Lieutenant Rich
ardson. They reached Fort Yukon some
what ahead of u mob of between eighty
AMI 100 of the toughest men that could be
picked out of Dawson, and when l left
the captain he was standing Off this mob
from the provision caches largely by vir-
tue of a small American flag and his own
magnificent nerve.
when the food panic struck Dawson,
this mob of toughs left for Fort Yukon.
knowing that the Weare company and the
Alaska Commercial Company each had a
cache of provisions there. The DAWSON
men intended to appropriate these sup
plies and let the rest of the camp shift
fo- itself. Captain Ray learned Of this
and he posted himself at one, while Lieu
tenant Richardson guarded the other.
lIltN "tic III ~. oilu al nav ="
small American flag. The mob tackled the
captain first and ordered him to give up.
He refused. and for a time it looked as
though there would be shooting. but be-
tween his uniform and the flag the mob
was overawed.
Ray then established himself as
a sort of military dictator. super
intended the sales and distribution
of provisions. and will make an
accounting to the companies when it Is all
over. When 1 left, he had the support of
about sixty of the decent clement, and
there are about GOO of the better element
there also. but a few bad men in a place
of that sort can usually make trouble and
run things, If they get started.
LAS to provisions. they will need the gov
eminent relief by the time it reaches them,
but there is no reason 1t should not get
in all right. ] came out by the White pass
and the road is good. though the Dyea trail
has recently been buried by a big snow
slide.
One thing cannot be too strongly i'm
pressed on those who contemplate joining
the spring rush. Major Walsh, the Cana
dian commissioner will allow no man in
over the Canadian soil who does not bring
1000 pounds of provisions. To start without
that will be to be turned back.
A to the reported trouble with Cana
dian collectors. on american soil between
Lake Linderman and Lake Bennett, I do
not believe it. The Canadians were collected
at Tagish when / came out. but that Is in
unquestioned British territory. They seem
to be a very decent class of officials and
not inclined to make trouble.
The rush next year, SO far as one can
judge. is going to be on the Tanana river,
in the heart of Alaska, southwest of the
Klondike, and in American territory. There
is where the most of the 100000 newcomers
will strike. The transportation companies
cannot get provisions enough in for all that
crowd. and the government probably will
have to help them again next winter.