The San Francisco call., 1899-07-08
GOOD CLAIMS ARE
NOW RESERVED BY
THE GOVERNMENT
Peculiar Action Of the Dominion
That Has Caused New Sem
satiOn at Dawson City.
BY SAM w. WALL.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

this year, for the agents of the many rival
lines are already fighting like wildcats
for the business in sight. The big crowd
that is really desirous of going out has
little money and are waiting for the low
rates that they know are certain to be
offered very early in the scramble. The
freight boats Will carry people down the
river for little above nothing, leaving
them to find their way home from St
Michael as best they can. The real con-
tention will be among the up-river boats,
for the traffic, especially that of paSSen-
gers, will be nearly all that way. The
North American Transportation and Trad
ing Company will turn several of its new
fleet up that way: The John c. Barr has
already gone to bring in John j. Healy,
general manager, and a company of Unit
ed States Senators, now at the lakes. on
their way in to view the country.
Besides the melancholy outlook for the
big fleet as a whole, many of the boats
are having special troubles of their own.
For instance, the Clara. owned by Sar
Francisco parties, is tied up temporarily
Mr.. Roncovieri-the former the present
and the latter the eX-president of the
company-haYe come here to straighten
out. P. Haussler, also of San Francisco,
who held mortgage over the boat and
its accompa ny1ng barge and brought the
trouble upon the company for his own
gain. and is now fugitive from justice.
with officers ranging the country under a
bench warrant for his arrest a charge
of perjury. Haussler held a mortgage for
a small sum on both boat and barge, with
II one of the securities was separated
from the other. He himself advocated
leaving the barge at Fort Yukon last fall,
so that the boat might be certain to reach
Dawson. Immediately upon arriving here
he foreclOsed and secured the boat refus-
ing to allow her to return down the river,
as she might have done. He recovered
the amount of his mortgage and is now
supposed to be at Fort Yukon trying to
recover re 4E it again by the sale of the barge.
In the meantime he is charged with per-
a
transaction. On the arrival of Schmitz
and Roncoyieri a few days ago he i'm
bonds, and bench warrant was issued.
Although it will give them some trouble,
Schmltz and Roncovieri fully expect to
There have arrived here from down the
river the steamers Victorian Sovereign,
eTn Monarcb, B Rotlr+ J; j HeaIy Rdeoutt; Mary
and Arnold: From their quarters up the
river the following have arrived: Tyrren.
Columbian and Flora. An amusing but
rather disastrous experience may be re-
lated Of the old Boston and Alaska Com
which, with its companion in disaster
last year, the Philip 3. Low have been
extensively advertised here under new
names, to wit: the Bonanza King and Ell
Dorado and collectively as the yukon
Flyers" While waiting for lakes to open
earning, some, of the advertising, ex-
penses by a Sunday excursion to Forty
Mile, little run of fifty miles down the
river. The people responded and the boat
was crowded. me boat left in the morn
ing and was 10 return in the evening. 1t
did not get back until the evening of the
next day, having been unable to breast
the current. Aid had to be asked from
passing boats and the old trick of max
ing the passengers chop the wood for the
furnace resorted to. Provisions ran out
and those who did not come back on some
other boat arrived in a half-StarVed condi-
ton. The names of the boats had been
changed because of the reputation for in
quired last year, and this incident has
thrown such a cloud over their new name
that there is some thought of christening
them again.
This review of the transportation bust
ness does not reflect the situation in other
lines. AS yet very little merchandise has
arrived, that brought by the early barges
from the upper river being enough to
leaven the lump. The town is being built
up in new directions and putting on a
much more substantial air since the clear
ing of the water front. The old shacks on
the front are being replaced by wharves
and warehouses. The tenderloin is now
relocated and grouped within three blocks
back of its old quarter.
United States Consul MCCook who
brought suit against the Klondke Mug
get charging criminal libel for the publ
in which he was the principal figure, suf-
fered the added humiliation of a verdict
in favor of the newspaper. In summing
up the court leaned in McCook's favor
to the law while directly stating that
statements in the paper had been shown
the paper not guilty. The civil suit will
probably be dropped The general health
of the people of the district remains ex-
cellent