The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-21
AMERICAN MAIL
THROWN ASIDE
BY CANADIANS
Twenty Tons Rotting
Near Skaguay.
CARRIERS WILL NOT TOUCH 1T
THE INTERNATIONAL POSTAL
AGREEMENT VIOLATED.
Only Letters Bearing the Dominion
Postage Are at the Present
Time Transported Over thee
Pass by Contractors.

The postal service to and from the
KIondike has been most unsatisfactory
for many months, and friends and rela-
tives of the gold seekers in the frozen
north have long been puzzled over the
fact that their letters have never REACHED
their destination. The fault lies with the
Canadian contractors who are employed
to transport the mail. Letters come out
from Dawson and other points in fairly
good condition and as quickly as can be
reasonably expected. But the mail going
the other way is sidetracked.
The explanation of this condition is the
fact that the contractors who bargained
with the Canadian Government to carry
the postal matter from Skaguay to Daw-
son refuse to handle any mail which does
not bear the Canadian postage. Mail
matter from the United States is thrown
aside when it leaves the steamer, and at
the present time it is estimated that
twenty tons bearing American stamps is
piled up in heaps at Skaguay. Thousands
and thousands of letters from anxious
friends and relatives who have not heard
from the venturesome men who went into
the land of ice to dig for gold are rotting
in the open or being blown into the gull
lies and sea and will never be delivered.
The anxiety of the snow-imprisoned
miners can be imagined when month after
month passes and no word comes from
unfortunates who staked all their ready
cash to defray the expenses of the inward
trip, and this money has been exhausted
since they reached the alluring gold fields.
These men have been unsuccessful, and
they are hanging around Dawson waiting
for money from home to bring them back
to civilization The letters containing re-
mittances are in the discarded mail at
the seaboard, and the persons to whom
they are addressed are in desperate
ii
Frank Jaqua, a young man from Pater-
son, n. j., who went over the ChDkoot
route. He brought messages to several
people in this city from stranded miners
to whom money had been sent, but they
derstand why their correspondents here
had not responded to their requests:
affairs at Skaguay and he solemnIy de-
clares that carload upon carload of mail
from the United States is lying there in
not transport it over the pass. He in
formed a Call reporter that the only sure
to first send it over the Canadian, line; to
Victoria or some other point, enclosed in
another envelope and have some friendly
person repoSt it with Canadian stamp
attached.
Since his return to civilization Jaqua
has received information from his home
that his relatives and friends. wrote him
repeatedly and that they were surprised
to read in his letter from the KIondike
located the cause at Skaguay and called
on the Canadian postal authorities there,
but got no satisfaction. He was curtly
informed by the contractors that they
were not paid to carry American mail
over the passes and that they would not
touch the post coming from the States.
A we'll known lawyer in this city whose
brother is mining near Dawson, when he
learned from the Paterson man the true
condition of affairs; decided to report the
matter TO the postal authorities at Wash
ington The refusal of the Canadian car
riers to handle American mail is a VIOLA
ton of the international postal agreement
and in all probability the Dominion Gov
eminent will be requested to investigate.
In the meantime all persons wishing to
with friends in the Klondike
will be wise to send their missives to some
one in Canada and have them renal
them.
Jaqua does not think the Klondike a
very good place for miners. His partner
is an expert mining engineer and both say
the country has been overrated. They
went there as the representatives of a
wealthy syndicate, in which Vice. Presi-
dent Hobart is interested. and during the
past year have Travelled extensively
through the regions where digging is go
ing on. While few lucky argonauts have
struck it rich. the majority of the thou
sands who rushed into Alaska expecting
to get wealth quickly will return with
eDortU DOckofG