Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-23
DISTRESS ON THE YUKON
RELIEF SENT By THE GOVERNMENT
INADEQUATE.
Lieut.. CantvelI's Story of the HerOisn
Taking Succor to the Stricken.

A report has reached the Treasury De-
partment from Alaska that further opens
the eyes of the officials to the horrible con-
dition of the natives living along the Yu-
kon. From the mouth of the river to Fort
Gibbon at least 90 per cent of the popula-
ton is sick, all the people are in want and
the dead have accumulated so fast that the
living unable to give them proper
burial. In some instances the dogs of the
villages have dug up the corpses and have
dragged the mangled remains from place to
place, and there are none among the living
able to either stop this dissertation Of the
dead or give the mutilated remains proper
interment.
The department received the facts from
First Lieut.. Cantwell commanding the rev.
enue cutter Nunivak. which is about to go
into winter quarters at Dali river, after as
cending the Yukon from its mouth The
cutter was sent up the river to leave sup
plies and medicines for the destitute ma
tives. but as the authorities at Washington
and St. Michael had no idea of the dreadful
condition of affairs she was altogether I'M
able to give aid to d tenth part of the Suf-
ferers. Lieut.. Cantwell. in describing the
condition of the natives and the attack of
grip that spread so rapidly over the entire
country, says:
Sudden and verwhelminE.
attack of the disease that in many cases
coming under my own observation whole
villages would be Frustrated. with hardly
single person left well enough to attend to
the wants of the sick and helpless. In some
of the villages the dead were left unburied,
as none of the living were physically able
to perform the duty: and at one place we
visited six corpses had been thrown into
grave and insecurity buried that the
dogs had dug them up, and parts of the
bodies were found lying around the village,
mangled and gnawed in the most repulsive
manner by the animals. ~
Wherever we went the same conditions
as regards sickness and starvation con-
fronted The force Of the Nunivak was
employed constantly on the way up stream
in the work of caring for the living and
burying the dead
HerOism of the Missionaries.
After urging the department to send more
supplies to the sufferers Lieut.. Cantwell con-
tinues: Il wish to call the attention of the
department to the noble, self-sacrificing and
devoted manner in which the Christian men
and women attached to all the church mis-
sions along the river have carried relief and
succor to the stricken people under their
spiritual charge No work has been too
hard, no sacrifice too great, office too
performance. Night and day. in good
weather and bad, far and near, they have
labored to relieve suffering.
without a murmur, and with a total alb
sence of ostentation. they have gone about
their work, giving freely of their own
scanty provisions, enduring without COM
plant all hardships, and, in one case-that
Of the Sister Superior at Holy Cross-even
laying down her life direct result of
the exposure and fatigue brought on by
long-continued effort to relieve Distress
Number of Destitute.
Lieut.. Cantwell givees the following esti-
mate of the number of natives destitute in
the Yukon region, nine-tenths of whom are
also sick: In the delta region, go; at and
near the Russian mission, 600; at Holy
Cross, 300; at Anvik mission, 80; at Nu-
lato mission, 600; at korkrine's trading
post 200; at small camps and isolated ham
let's go