The evening times., 1899-03-09
KLONDIKE MINERS !.
IN DESPERATE STRAITS
Food Giving Out and Appli-
cants for Relief Numerous.
State Department Notified by Con-
sui McCOOk.
Americans Badly in Need of Help.
Yukon Press Complains of
DETERMINATIONS.
Is there to be successor to the Inflated

Is there to be successor to the ill-fated
Yukon relief expedition of last winter?
Consul McCook, at Dawson, has written
to the State Department announcing that
the condition of affairs at Dawson is very
grave, and that great suffering exists. He
says that many of the miners will be out
OF provisions in two months and should be
helped to leave as soon as navigation opens.
Following is Mr.. McCooks letter in full:
The situation persons who will be out
OF food in couple of months is becoming very
serious; many hundreds will be so situated, and
will have To be helped out when navigation
opens.
Many have gone out over the ice and are go-
ing out daily, while more remaining, in the
hopes that they will be able to strike some pay
on claims they either themselves or are
working on claims leased from others. Appli
Cants daily ar this Office for relief.
The INDECENT sick 50 far have been taken care
OF by the relief committee and by the local
thoritieS. the latter seeing the necessity of tax
ing hand III relieving the destitute sick while
many OF them not Paupers in the strict
sense Of the word, but being temporarily with
out funds are compelled 10 call the relief
committee, and will finally pay when they hear
from the outside with remittanccs
The relief committee this date are unable
10 extend any more aid. as all funds collected
have been exhausted, and they two
thousand tS2,UDD) dollars III debt
The greatest evil, however, will be the large
number of people who will have exhausted their
supplies, and who viii fail TO succeed in get
ting paying claims.
knew it is not customary for any nation to
provide Tor destitute citizens out OF their own
country. STILL ] feel il is my duty 10 pu this
matter before YOU to take whatever action you
may deem best
The Yukon sun clippings from which
are enclosed by Consul McCook, complains
bitterly of the manner in which the Cana
dian government is handling matters at
Dawson. 1t says that vast sums OF
money, running into the millions, wrung
from the citiz ans of all countries have been
collected in the shape of fees and taxes
and shipped to Ottawa. and when relief
for sickness and poverty is requested of
the government representatives they reply
that they have no power TO use any OF
the funds in their possession for the pur-
pose.
The Dawson Nugget" declares that
Americans are Disseminated against in
relief measures. When miner, sick and
helpless from scurvy applies for aid his
nationality is enquired into and if an
American he is refused all attendance At
least s. 900 600 of the 81 500 900 collected
by taxation last year came, it is said, from
Americans. but none OF il is used for their
benefit
The Yukon settlers are also complaining
Of the inadequate mail facilities. The
American contractors, il is claimed, have
never lived up to their bargain nor given
the service promised. If il were NOT for
the Canadian police the settlers would be
without mail.
Ii Will be remembered that some eight
cen months ago an appropriation for the
relief of the miners was made by Congress
and an expedition was prepared by the
War Department, but was finally aban-
doned on conviction that the food could
not get there in time TO do any good. Since
then the reindeer secured TO carry il. have
been turned over to the War Department
Much of the canned beef that had been
prepared TO send to the Yukon. ha7
ready been to Japan during the Chinese
war. and had been returned. II was aft
crward sent to Cuba.