The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-10
CONDITIONS
in ALASKA
Rather Discordant Note Sounded by
y Bratnober Who Has Made
a Long Tour.
Prospectors in Tanana Starving
Agricultural Resources Have
Been Overstated.
Special to The Journal.

Tacoma, WaSn., sept. lO.-fenIy ordt-
nober of Oakland, Cal, who is interested
in banks in Tacoma and Helena, Mont,
and who Is a heavy stakeholder in the
Tacoma smelter, the Treadwell mines on
Douglas island, and is also interested In
other mining properties in Alaska and the
Yukon territory, has just returned from
long tour thru different parts Of the
north and the report that he brings back
is not encouraging. He Is very bitter In
his denunciations of those who are maxi
ing efforts to get people to go to Alaska
thru false representations and he blames
transportation companies and the news
papers on the Sound and in Alaska for
the suffering that is evident on every
hand at the present time. He said:
II passed thu the Tanana country on my
way from Valdez to Eagle and there !
found lot of prospectors who were suf-
fering for the necessaries of life. The
party that met had not had anything to
eat for seventeen days except huckleber-
ries. Most of the men Were provided
with money, but there were no provisions
there for them to- buy. !, The party had
been in the country for some time and had
not found a single color Of gold for their
work. I had some provisions with my
outfit that I had packed in from Valdez
and left 800 pounds Of grub with the
men and this will prolong their lives for
a time 1 do not know what they will
do after the provisions are gone.
''Unless relief goes in from somewhere
fully 100 men will perish in the Tanana
country this winter. In my estimation
there is but one way to get relief to the
men and that is from Eagle. It would be
impossible to get anything over the trail
from Valdez to Tanana in time to save
the lives of the men. The country be-,
tween those two points is full Of mud holes
and is most difficult to travel thru. Cap
tain Perkins, who is in charge Of the mill
| tary department at Eagle, will do all that
| he can for the prospectors. Whether he
can do enough to relieve all of them is
| doubtful. If the men could only get down
| as far as Fairbanks believe they could
get some provisions there. But the dis
| lance is 200 or 800 miles-too far for the
majority of the men to walk, in their pres
ent emaciated condition, and the river is
| dangerous. Several prospectors have al
ready been drowned in trying to go down
the river on RATS. A majority of the men
| who go into these traps are not expert
enced prospectors and they make no pro-.
| vision for getting out. When they attempt
| to go. out on RATS they build them too
cumbersome and it is impossible to steer
them. -. - :
| . Getting Out Of the Country.
st visited the Yukon country and it is
not as prosperous as it was when I was
last there two years ago. There are many
| idle men in Dawson and they are getting
can. There will be- little if anything do
ing in Dawson this winter The ground
| that wiE be drifted is very scarce and 1t
does not pay to. drift poor ground.
| 'There have been no new discoveries in
Alaska or the Yukon this year. A strong
effort has been made to get UP a stampede
from White Horse to the Alseck river.
1 met some prospectors at White Horse
whom knew ito be good, reliable men.
They had just returned from the so-called
new diggings and they: informed me that
| there was nothing there that would pay.
The dust found was very fine and In six
! or eight pans enough Of 1t could not be
obtained to turn the scales. The gold
does not prospect any better there than
it does on the bars of the Yukon river.
I hope there viii not be a stampede into
that country as they will surely perish if
4 they go IN this fall. * .,-r
Farming Impossible.
II met several men who had gone to
Copper Center to farm. They had read
Governor Brady's report on the farming
i district of Alaska. They told men that
i they had taken in 1900 pounds of seed and
4 they could not grow anything. There Is
no use trying to grow anything in that
I soil. I do not believe there could be
enough grain and vegetables raised in all
Alaska to feed a dozen men. It is all
bosh to state that Alaska is farming
country OF q SIOCk growing country. IueTe
is no timber in Alaska, that is any good
except in the southeastern part. On the
whole men who can make a living on the
! outside have no business to go to Alaska
, for it is the poorest country that know
of to-day.
:. 1.-The building of railroads in Alaska will
be an expensive proposition. 1t will cos
not less than 100000 a mile to construct
a railroad from Valdez to Eagle. There
e is nothing to build q railroad; for yet ex
cept to reach the copper deposits on White
E river and the line from Valdez to Eagle
t would not go any where near these de-
4 posits. If railway were built it nigh
+ develop some better country, but withou
d a railroad it will take many years to pros
g pect Alaska, owing to the difficulty ex
I perienced in bringing in provisions.
y IT have been greatly worried ever sine
= I met those unfortunate men in tn
:. Tanana country and I hope that tn
. papers out here will take this matter VI
+ and let the people know the true con
- dition of affairs in Alaska. There Is alb
l. solutely nothing to go there for at tn
E? present time"