New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-12
TROUBLE AHEAD IN ALASKA.
REPORTS FROM CAPTAIN RAY RECEIVED
BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
HE SAYS THE SITUATION IS SERIOUS AND DIS
TURBANCFs ARE THREATENED-sCA

| TuRBANCES ARE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
! OF FOOD IN DAWSON CITY.
| Washington Feb. 1.-THE War Department to-
| day made public the advices received from Cap
tain p. II. Ray, of the sth Infantry. who was sent
| to Alaska report conditions in the mining
| country. The reports embrace period running
| from October 3 TO November ?. and are dated at
| Circle City and Fort Yukon. They show serious
| state sof affairs. that trouble IL threatened at
| various places and that there Is serious danger
| at points Of lack Of food, owing In largo
measure to the failure OF the transportation COM
| PAM 70 get in sufficient supplies. In a report
| dated Circle City. october 3. Captain Ray recon-
| mends should the Department decide to establish
| a post on the upper river. that the mouth OF
| Mission or American Creek be chosen as the site,
| with a sub-post II necessary at Circle CITY Inc
best interests OF the service he says. require per-
| manent garrisons to be located well away from
mining towns so that the troops. If required to
act will not be biased by local influences. On the
| food question he says:
The question Of food here is very serious one
| and the action OF the n. A. T. and T. Company
| is causing much friction my best endeavors
TO reconcile all differences peaceably and get all
people who are without provisions down to FORT
Yukon as soon as possible. where there Is an
| abundance of food. | learn that, while 1000 Is
scarce in Dawson city. the miners in the outlying
| camps are fairly well equipped. The stores V"o)
selling very conservatively. The eatins-hou
| are all closed While / CONSIDER inc
| situation critical. | do not believe there Will be
any great loss OF life beyond that incident TO
| climate so rigorous this. That there VIII De
much suffering along the rivers and the tran OWING
to the rashness and ignorance of people unaccus-
| toned to this climate. no well-iniormed person
! here will deny; but there is nothing that snoud
| cause undue anxiety alarm among people In the
| States who have friends in this country Ihere
| are fabulous stories being circulated and VIII Dc
! published about the prices paid for food. nave
r,p1 for
pounds OF -four. but such cases are rare anu were
outside deals and not the prevailing price.
| Captain Ray under date OF Circle City, Octooer g
| says that the transportation companies u''e'S
failed keep promises made to passengers 'Id'
| OF Si6 people landed at st. Mchae.s desliheu loi
Circle City and above. fortytwo reached their des
tnations, the remainder beng stranded 0etwee
! Circle city and 5. Michaels or having returned i
4 to the States. There has been, ne 1ddsi lesS
| than two thousand tons OF IIeght an u,'ii ,,,n,
llvered above Fort Yukon, and tnere Is now 'Sit5
at that point five hundred tons OK p,d not get
! over the hats. This failure on the part OF tne
anie9aS Snc6n Supply Of food has not
given serious check to the mining 1nteresrS ono
ndcnce among me people here in tneiT sog hero 70
supply the demand by this roqe TIE me P 2yar route
| for freight Will cause the constr ucNon "a 49,,
road through British North Amer'fa 10 b fo mining
districts OF Alaska will be dependent lor suPpts
| means in the way OF discrimination In fayor OF
| British merchants. From what ! have learned
,r r that e tSe greater part Of the gold belt les in
our territory along the range known AS the apok
eTenK Birch Creek and the head OF Forty-Me
are dsGnFs soW 91i WINK M Rs Pay as 'G they will
| nav EXPENSES at the present price OF food ! am
satisfied that with adequate mean He OF in one
OF the greatest go1-producing regions IN the Mofi ~
"A raiT9 'iI,a rro" sound to the mouth OF toe
Tananah. from which point supplies G0ud al ie tbe
| navgable tributaries OF the Yukon, VII, secure 10
our people the commerce OF ,ne .o fhot could
be operated all winter, and act as check 70 inc
| Canadian route
| ATTACK ON CACHE FRUSTRATED
A,ra-entlv Captain Ray left Fort Yukon for
| time as under date OF that place, November l. ~
saws that since his return matters have assumed
| -,o,. os,.ct The Alaska Commercial Com
| ANY had q cache of two hundred tons four mites
| above Fort Yukon. and the n. A l. ana l. I'm
many a cache at Fort Yukon He received no'e
| from Lieutenant Richardson. saying tha' IFS pe
| ueved some seventy-hve men INTENDED 10 a''aon
| tha Alaska company's cache. at which Lieu'e"ai'
| Richardson had been Stationed a' ]" H. " W.
| next day The report adds:
| at once issued a notice taking possession oi
the cache copy nclosedl ana s haa and in
a am the camps and early next morning s'ar,ei11
from here with wentyhye yoinntee ~ raise only
i've rife and a few pistols: 40 deemed II S %iSe
not to take anything but pistols that thcv had
passed resolution to arrest me should Win one
no 80 Of 70 the e cache was by man (Nobe;2
| Who said the miners wished to nave me I'LL, I
decn.d Gang out ID in to his bret seHs
coors and said they hSd snd al sgnai from
him twenty-five men. armed with rifles came s oI
Of the timber and Goy o bo the cadS Sr
Richardson there and had n0t s he and saia
firing kn sane ms time starting on and told them
they might open the fght II they %lsnea To- nv,
sezure Of and they we're Gath TO dS" nW
Governmental property that II wohd WnIr i,t rev
and asked il was stu willing TO feed me destI
uc stated my eTms to assG t take Wood they
| u,are 70 60 10 work the rate OF 3 per cord ana
If thsy c0 Quiz n tSe river opened that bona de
pJ;nnrs could obtain outfits. provided they went in
me 'e'' few w moments Noblet returned and said
they accepted the terms 5e, Sne tSry and forty
men who said they had nothing ana chus ;,dr az
dnstrWte miners 1t is premeditated robbery ana
had they been able to gel h cncbe would have
I'm LOST number of very desperate ana lawIeSs
characters have been foscen quite Tu 81 numBSr in tho
camp near the cache. and learned 'o-un! s inc
,u NJ an"rivai here and mean mischief. am secur-
Inc ali the arms and ammunition can Sndll ao, 70
With caution ard get matters III suCn IP 70 take
the responsibility to protect IRE ana a. pfUI perSonn
~. ,ayc nc many lives possible IN the eneLxc,vS
" "niy hope the President and Congress VIII bn, sd'
tain my action and treat me with charIH . onerms
- ToDd g., error | believe my experience coiiii M
ne oninion formed my journey IN mere ina
III? radical oteps are necessary 10 give protccNtto
soie ga nropertv next summer with the ope.i's.
of naviEation. still OF the opnhon o tr 70
| ebould he a military government WI" f
| hunt TO death the awless element,
Under date Of November 2 captain nay 80, ,'
,oords that the Government take steps enec'ua'y
"a oheck immigration to this region oil an
| who do not come prepared Win 9"i"N''''N f
IN last them for two years
NEW GOLD FIELDS IN ALAohA'
AID WELLS SAYS TIE TANANA VALLEY RIVALS