The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-17

~ tlA0wAY. sept. 1.-THE gkag.
way route Into the klondike
country 10 congested with
freight and the 10y grasp Of
w winter will In al proba btiity
ind Thousands Of tons of goods
piled up ~ White Horse and ct Bennett.
Some Of the supplies will even Be caught
here ct 0kaSway. not % much on account
OF difncuity In getting them to Bennett 40
because the owners will prefer to leave
them here 70 any other intermediate point
on the way to their destination.
While II ID fact that freight ana sup
plies have never before been moving 70
expeditiously A. now. yet tho quantity
going forward II no great that winter 10
bound TO ovcrtake some Of Il before II
reaches Dawson. II In estimated that at
the time there are between $40 and 1000
tons OF freight piled up here at 6kagway.
most of II at the ocean dock Of tho white
Pass railway. Incoming boats are bring
Ing from 30 TO TOO tons and they are ar
irving 20 numerously that the railway II
taxed to it, utmost to take care of IT,
A shortage OF cars has been preventing
the railway from handling a. much freight
A. II otherwise could. At Lake Bennett
are stored In the companys warehouse.
In the Canadian Development Companys
warehouse and piled on the levce. eomo-
thing like 600 or 100 tons. while nearly as
much more y said to be piled ND at
White Horse.
Nov the capacity for handling the
freight en- route TO tho interior decreases
n rapid proposition A. Il passes from one
transportation Company to another on Its
way from Seattle or British Columbia
ports. The steamers lately have been
bringing up an average OF 30 10 100 tons Of
freight per day. much o; which remains
at SkaEway. The White Pass road could
hnVx< In t~.xs <U.s.
Ing Lake Bennett together with scows
from that point. can take away l50 tons
daily: the White Horse tram can usually
handle all that comes and the steamers
from White Horae to Dawson from this
time to the close OF navigation cannot be
counted on TO carry more than 100 tons
daily on the average All these figures
are maximum.
During the past six weeks the White
Pass road has been hauling an average OF
l20 tons daily. Some OF this OF course has
been Atlin and Bennett freight and some
has been railroad equipment. That freight
has piled up at Bennett is due 10 the fact
that some OF the steamers have not been
having full loads. However. that il not
the case now. for all boats are doing
good business
Steamers Cannot Handle IL.
II all the steamers plying TO White Horse
take their full capacity from this time on
and run regularly. they can take away
about Us tons daily About two scows
per day could be built at Bennett, with
mn average capacity OF Is tons each.
Steamers plying TO Atiin are now making
occasional trips TO White Horse and these
trips may b. more frequent now that all
realize that A congestion ~ really upon
them. But the scows are largely employ
ed In carrying cattle and other livestock.
- -
And some Of the freight going In orig
mates at Bennett. making a s,.ll further
discrepancy between the railways capac-
.ty and the steamers II II hard TO fore
see anything else than big pile Of freight
n, Bennett when the lakes freeze up. for
the steamers can hardly do more than keep
up with the railways daily business. and
there Is the pile OF stun on hand ahead OF
them.
There are two things which might hap
pen to prevent the threatened congestion
At Bennett FIRST. that the railway will
bring in less freight than II has been do
ing. and second. that the scow building
industry may be enlarged % turn out
three or four. instead OF one or two.
scows day. The first % these - very I'M
likely, considering the way freight IL COM
Ing into skagway. but the latter Is not
so improbable Whatever may trsnsr,re
here ard al Bennett there seems little
douhs that there will be a congestion OF
immense proportions a, white Horse
when river navigation ceases for the sra
son. Failing water on the Yukon has al
ready compelled the larger steamers on
that end ~ the route 20 reduce their loads
very materially. Longer and darker nights
are contributing toward less trips and
more pr~carious navigation. IL In freely
predicted that there will e~ anywhere
from soo TO io.ec tons OF supplies caught
a. White Horse when the ice drives the
steamers 20 winter quarters
VIII Give NJ Gwaraatee.
II has heen Sacetfous!y asserted lately
'ha. the people az white Hor>c vii I've
cheariy and sumr,ncusiy tbs winter But
II must he remembered that not al - the
freight rli.rr gp along the route 10 pro-
visions. Much q IL .s machinery thaw-
irx apparatus hoistin< appliances hysrsu-
nc arrangements o: various forms. boilers
rspes and tram rails. hardware. etc. The
Canadian Development Company which
has hy far the greater proportion ~ the
fresShs TO transport ha~ -os. issued an
order directing To agents o. guarantee no
more through shipments. This company
10 employing every steamer I, ear secure
beside, IFS cwr 30 TAXI freight sro-n White
Horse 10 Dawson
The Canadian Development Comnaryss
steamers are - - hauled NJ on ways q,
rav~n this fan fr- wfntersng instead %
wcsne fr'o tire aio,ich near White Horse
TAts vii mean one more trip thar fer
rnsrly and subsequently that mach less
e. cong@srson az White Ha-se II IL
purely a gamble ss - whether ravtra.scs
Will last three weeks marc or .sx weeks
All prophets predict an early winter.
20 QUIT and ss~ M ny October iS,h
C3rs.isrx on the exssnp.ca a. sAo Wrhtss