The herald., 1898-01-15

the river and its tributaries. Both will
be supplied with apparatus for dredging
and for washing the dredgings. In one
party there will be ten men, and in the
other six. They will take supply of
provisions, ETC., to last two years from
the first of next June, when they expect
to be leaving St. Mchaels on their trip
up the big Alaskan river.
| LAWS FOR ALASKA
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-Attorney-
| General McKenna today submitted to
| the senate special report made by the
committee to revise and codify the GRIM
inal and penal laws Of the United States
concerning the criminal and penal laws
| relating to Alaska; also a code Of GRIM
inal procedure for that district in the
form of bill which accompanied the
| report of the committee. In its report
the commission says that as no organi-
zation Of the territory of Alaska. the
District of Columbia and Indian Terri
| tory has been authorized in congress
which contemplates local self-govern
ment, it is required to codify the GRIM
inal and penal laws peculiarly appli-
cable to these territories. The criminal
laws of the United States will form the
body of the code which the commission
is to prepare. The commission points
out that by virtue of the act providing
a civil government of Alaska, the laws
| of Oregon become laws of the United
| States. The commission suggests that
if the bill which 1t reports be enacted
into a law it will furnish complete
penal code for Alaska.
SMITH APOLOGIzED
VICTORIA, B. c., Jan. H.-Collector
Milne Is in receipt of a letter from
! Skaguay, in which it is alleged that J.
H. Smith, United States commissioner
for Dyea and Skaguay, claims strip of
land three miles down from the head of
Lake Bennett, which is near the boun-
dary line, as it is defined by the United
States, and which would give the
United States control of the territory
| from the coast to the lakes. Commits
sioner Smith, the letter alleges, has or
dered all locators of lots to have them
recorded with him. A party Of Ameri-
cans, the writer says, followed up the
commissioners declaration by hoisting
the American flag just below the police
barracks, where the Union Jack was
| flying. The police demanded an ex-
PLANTATION, and after some parleying the
| flag was hauled down and an apology
| rendered.
FUCKERS REPORT
PORTLAND, Ore, Jan. 14.-The re-
| port of Major L. H. Rucker of the fourth
cavalry, who was sent to Dyea by the
war department to ascertain the condi-
ton of affairs in the Yukon, was re-
ceived by General Merriam today at
Vancouver barracks. From his inter-
views with those who have come out
from Dawson recently and from his OBJ
servations of the Chilkoot and White
passes, Major Rucker concludes:
First-That while there Is shortage
of stores in the Yukon basin, state of
famine does not at present exist, nor Is
| it likely to exist in the immediate fu-
| ture.
| Second-That large expedition, with
quantities of supplies hauled on sledges
by horses or reindeer, could not proceed
down the Yukon further than the foot of
Lake Labarge, 400 miles from Dawson.
Third-That reindeer on such an ex-
pedition are no more esrviceable than
are mules or horses.
Fourth-That if government assist
ance Isl conspicuously needed in the Yu-
kon it would be when the stores now in
the hands of the people are exhausted,
which is not likely, from all he can learn
to be earlier than April or May.
He therefore recommends that if the
snow locomotive company which has a
contract with the government, does not
convey the relief into the Yukon during
February, the government pack trains
with sledges should carry them across
Chllkoot pass and on the lakes and
rivers to the foot of Lake Labarge dur
ing the month of March, and there await
the breaking up of ice in the Yukon.
The supplies could then be taken to
Dawson in boats.
The Chicago Snow and Ice Transpor-
tation company, which has a contract
with the government to haul the relief
expedition supplies from Dyea to Daw-
son, notified General Merriam today
that they would be unable to start their
snow train into the interior earlier than
the middle of February. The contract
which the company has with the gov
ernment allows that length of time in
which to start the expedition. General
Merriam has, therefore, extended the
time of starting the expedition to some
! time In February