The San Francisco call. [volume], September 08, 1897, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
VOLUME . LXXXII.-NO. 100.
BRINGS THE LATEST TIDINGS
FROM THE KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS
- ______ j^Ammmmmmg^ JHW--H
ARRIVAL OF THE
STEAMER NATIONAL
CITY AT EUREKA
Returning Miners From the Klondike Tell
of the Bad Condition of Affairs
at Dawson City*
OVER FIFTY MEN READY TO RETURN WITH
FORTUNES DIE FROM SCURVY.
Provisions Are Getting Very ; Scarce and Many Will Return to
Escape Starvation The Steamer Weare Stranded on
a Sand Bar and Her Cargo of Over
$ 500,000 in Gold Transferred
to the Healy*
With three passengers and the latest news from the northern gold fields the steam-schooner National
City arrived at Eureka yesterday afternoon. The steamer* Cleveland was expected to sail from St.
Michael the day after the National City's departure from that port. The Excelsior left twelve hours before
the National City.
: Interesting information was brought concerning the Yukon River steamer P. B. Weare, long overdue
and supposed to have met with some disaster. While going down the river the steamer Healy found the
Weare fast on a sand bar, sixty miles below Circle City. All the gold aboard the Weare, which is re
ported to amount to nearly $2,000,000, was transferred to the Healy and taken to St. Michael. This
treasure is the property of 150 returning miners, who were expected to depart from St. Michael on the
Cleveland or Excelsior.
Perhaps the most startling news brought down by the National City is the statement that over fifty
men have already died from scurvy in ths gold fields this summer. Many of these had acquired con"
siderable wealth. - *
EUREKA, Cal., Sept. 7.— The
steam schooner National City ar
rived here this afternoon from St.
Michael, Alaska, with three pas
sengers from the goldficlds aboard.
They arc G. Ralston of San Fran
cisco, F. Lamb of Portland and F.
Leonard of Nanaimo, B. C. All
went into Dawson City last spring
over the Chilcoot Pass. Two of
the men have done well. The
t hird, F. Lamb, does not care to
talk of his experiences in the El
Dorado. Fortune has probably
not smiled on him to the same ex
tent that it did on his more loqua
cious fellow-voyagers.
Leonard has a half interest in a
MAP : SHOWING the Location of the New Klondike, as Reported
ty Captain Bender' in Last Monday's "CalL"
The San Francisco Call
' claim valued in a conservative es-
t imate at $25,000. Ralston also
i has a half interest in a diggings
for which he would not take
$10,000.
The National City made the trip
in eleven days from St. Michael.
Alaska, where she left sixty-five
eager gold-seekers. It is very
doubtful whether any of the pas
sengers who went up on the Na
tional City will get through this
year. The small boat which some
of the passengers had taken up on
the deck of the steamer has proved
a disappointment. Her machin
! cry has gone wrong and she draws
i too much water. There is enough
SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY MORNING; SEPTEMBER 8, 1897.
provisions in the party, however,
to winter it out, and proceed up
the river when spring opens. The
Cleveland was expected to sail on
the day after the National City's
departure. The Excelsior left St.
Michael twelve hours before the
National City.
Miner Leonard came down the
Yukon on the river boat Healy,
which, on the way, found the miss
ing steamer P. B. Weare fast on a
sand bar about sixty mils below
Circle City. All of the Weare's
gold, which is said to amount to
over $1,500,000, was transferred
!to the Healy and taken to St.
| Michael. It is in charge of about
| 150 men, who arc expected to take
j passage with their gold on either
the Excelsior or the Cleveland.
When asked why he returned.
Leonard said:
"I found I had to get out or
starve. There arc about 4-00?)
men in Dawson, and not more
than a third of them have work.
If you have not a stock of grub
you can't get work at any price.
j I had provisions for three months
and no one wanted me. I hadn't
enough to work my own claim
until spring, so I sold my stock at
a good figure, and will wait until
spring. Jim Dunsmuir, the EI Do
rado King, has had $30,000 worth
of provisions ordered for some
months, but has not been able to
obtain more than a fifth of it, even
with the cash put up in advance."
Lamb is authority for the state
ment that over fifty men have
already died of scurvy this sum
m-r. Many of them were return
ing with enough gold to give them
many years of the joys of civiliza
tion when stricken down.' : *
The National City came into
port without a foremast, having
! lost it at St. Michael by the rig
ging parting while provisions were
being hoisted from the vessel's
i deck.
Captain Anderson reports hav
ing passed the steamer Humboldt
August 28 at 8 A.M. fifty miles
south-southeast of St. Lawrence
Island, making her due at St.
Michael on the following morning.
Every one on board the National
City thinks the Humboldt's
chances of getting up the river
this year are decidedly slim.
*>
HOW THE WEARE
WENT AGROUND
Passengers Say the Accident
Was Due to the Captain's
Incompetency.
Those Who Returned on the Na-
tional City Tell of the Gold on
- the Way From Dawson.*
EUREKA, Cal., Sept. 7.— Captain An
dreason of the steamer National . City,
which made the quickest trip to Alaska
and return yet ' recorded, was seen by a
Call correspondent this evening. He
was very proud of his ship, but says he
always knew it was in her. Thirty days
is remarkable time ana people here did
not think the National City capable of the
trip. °
The river steamer P. B. Weare has been
located, and is apt to stay where she was
found until she breaks ud and falls . to
pieces. She is stuck fast to a sandbar
below Circle City. Her cold, and passen-
THE STEAM SCHOONER NATIONAL CITY as She Appeared^ on the Night- of August 7 While Leaving
Folsom-Street Wharf for St. Michael With More Than 100 Gold-Seekers. Returning From St. Michael
With the Latest News From the Klondike Gold Fields, the Vessel Arrived at Eueka Yesterday noon.
gers were transferred to the river stea me
Healy, and will be brought down on the
Cleveland and other steamers when that
ship arrives. The Weare were discovered
on the flats by. the Healy on her trip
down the river from Dawson City to r St.
Michael. She passed her* and then re
turned for her gold and passenger.'. •
For seventeen -lays the Weare remained
on the sandbar before being relieved by
the Healy. The passengers with all their
sinning gold aboard employed almost su
perhuman efforts .o get their craft afloat,
but all to no avail. • .
The last heard of the Weare before
the Healy arrived was on July' 20,' when
the Alaskr Commercial Company's steam
er Bella passed, her at Circle City. 'She
should have reached St. Michael on Au
gust 1, and contributed her share of pass
engers to the Portland's list, but did not
arrive in time to catch her sailing day,
AligUSl 10.' '*' . ;_ '' " ' *' ■':'' ' '-"*
It was, thought at St. Michael- that the
Weare had had the misfortune' to «' break
her machinery, and for days she was ex
pected hourly at St.* Michael. * She had
I on board, according to Lamb and Leonard,
about $1,500,000 of gold. The passengers
were very reticent on reaching St.
Michael, but their gold was seen and lt
spoke more eloquently than words.
The Cleveland was left at St. Michael by
Captain Andreason. She was waitin - for
more passengers returning to civilization
with their hoards of precious gold. Over
fifty had spoken for berths on her, and it
was expected on the 27th of Au ust, when
the National City sailed, that the Cleve
land would depart in a few days.
The Excelsior left twelve hours before
the National City. She had on board over
100 passengers. The Bella, another river
boat, arrived on Wednesday, August 25,
withiu two hours of the Healy, which
was fourteen days coming aown from Cir
cle City. The Bella came down in seven
days from Dawson. The Healy was"de
layed two days with a broken crankpin a
quarter of a mile from where the.Weare
struck."
Passengers Lamb and Leonard, who
were on board the Weare when she
struck, say it was due to nothing but in
competency. Captain Thielen of the
.Weare did not understand the channel.
The Indian pilot who was on board at the
time protested with Captain Thielen for
taking the course that he did, out to no
avail.
The Indian left the pilot-house and Cap
tain Thielen ran, .her ashore with his own
hands. The North American Trading
and Transportation Company showed the
passengers on the Weare no favors after
they struck.
President Weare of the North American
Trading and Transportation Company was
on board the ill-fated boat. .He showed
the .passengers whom his incompetent
oaptatn ran ashore no favors.
r He would not allow them a light. An
I Indian stole a candle and sold it for a
I dollar. The Weare went' on 4 to the, bar
: sideways, says Miner Lamb,' and if Mate
Phil of the boat had been able to impress
Captain Thielen with the practicability of
his plans for petting her off she would
have been making her trips to-day.
: After seventeen days of futile work: the
passengers on the Weare were glad to for
sake her for the Healy.
; The 'steamers Cleveland, South Coast
and Bertha and the schooner Volante and
brig Courtney Ford' are waiting at St.;
Michael.' The Novelty was met in Uni
niak Pass by the National City on her.re
turn trip. °° The South Coast had secured
about twenty passengers before the Na
tional City left. ""'" - '.'..'; .......
""The Bertha had quite a few and the Vo
lante had eight berths spoken ; for. The
Cleveland had already sold about lifty
tickets.
" The St. Michael fleet, all told, will prob
ably brine: down about . $1,500,000, pro
vided the gold that the Bella and Healy
arrived with at Sl. Michael is all shipped
this year.
Frank Dunsmuir, the veteran prospect
or, is among the passengers on the Excel
sior. He has been there for sixteen years
and has not been out for eleven years.
He bought a claim on the El Dorado.
Mr. Balaton, one of the National City's
passengers, says tnere must hi fully
50.000 tons of gold in the Klondike mines,
but it is impossible to tell how much of
this can be taken out. On one of the
claims he said it was not an uncommon
thing to take out $10 in a pan.
PROVISIONS ARE
VERY SCARCE
All the Stores in Dawson
City Reported Practically
Closed.
If Food Could Be Taken In There
Would Be Work for Thousands
on the -Klondike.
EUREKA,' Cal., Sept. 7.— The reluming
miners think thai the steamers will be
more than overcrowded with men coming
from the Klondike.
- Some will have stakes, but a greater
number will have little dust, and it will
be impossible for most to stay there this
winter ' without suffering untold hard
ships.
Provisions cannot be bought for love
nor money, and the stores at Dawson City
are practically closed, now. Pay in ad
vance from $5000 to $30,000 cannot (secure
provisions.
Fiank Dunsmuir calculated on working
seventy men during the winter. -He put
up $30,000 in advance payment for hi*
goods, but later received his ; money back
with the information that only twenty
men could be fed with certainty.
If food could be got into the Klondike
there is work, say the home-comers, for
10,000 laborers this, winter. -..
A mistake which, all - newcomers into
Alaska make is to wear winter clothing
during the spring and summer. ;
The discomforts from * excessive heat is
as great as the hardships from the terrible
cold of winter. The thermometer varies
from 60 to 70 below. zero in winter and to
100* above in summer. ' The summer is
short, but excessive.
The population of Dawson City in July
was about s' oo. About as many more
are on the trail. , Not more than a third
of the incomers can secure work.
, The claims are all staked out on all
creeks within fifty miles of [Dawson.
The - appended - was written on the
Weare by one of her passengers:
- Come all you fellow' pnssengers,
And listen to my tale, :* ' "'"" '
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
Of a grsat trip down the Yukon
On a steaming, floating jail. .
We started in good spirits.
Some with and some without gold,
To go down the Yukon in six days,
So most of us were told.
We steamed along quite beautifully—
On down the muddy stream;
When we struck in the night a sandbar-
Shattering many a happy dream.
Dreaming of Home and quick transit,
- We sent up many a wail
To find as day grew Into weeks.
We were fast in the floating jail.
At length after seventeen weary days
The Healy she came near 'ilatJfSi
To relieve from present troubles,
And took us from the Weare.
We started once more on the Healy,
On a Sunday clear and bright,
To resume our broken journey.
Thinking the Healy was all right.
But lot our hopes were shattered,
For. very soon we tound
That at every fisn camp and woodyard
We had to go aground.
We had reporters and photographers,
And missionaries, too;
And stowaways and preachers,
- A cosmopolitan crew.
TERRORS OF THE PASS.
Recent Heavy ' Rains Have Made
the Chilcoot Pass Im-
passable.
PORT TOWNSEND, Wash., Sept. 7.—
From a letter received here last nitrht
from John Jarae-, who left here six weeks
ago for the Alaskan goldtields, an idea of
the prerent .tondition at Dyea may be ob
tained.: James and bis partner, Lawrence,
succeeded in packing 1200 pounds of pro
visions over the Chilcoot Pass to Lake
Linderman. While building a boat at the
latter place Lawrence cut one of bis feet
nearly off with an ax, ana will not be able
to continue the journey before spring.
James is staying with Lawrence as nurse.
The letter says that recent heavy rains
have made the trail impassable, and the
result is that horses which two weeks pre
vious were selling at $150 a head are now
a drug on the market at $10. Horse feed
is selling at $70 a ton and is hard to get at
any. price. James says it will be cheaper
for those who cannot cross the pass thi"*
fall to kill their horses now and ship in
others in the sprinc. He says language is
inadequate to describe the terrors of the'
pass since the rainy season began.
HUNDREDS WILL PERISH.
Predictions Made by a Govern-
ment'i Official Who Writ s to
the Treasury Department.
WASHINGTON. D. C, Sept, 7.— The
Treasury Department to-day made public
the following letter from a- Government
official now on his way to the gold fields,
stating at the same time that the writer,
whose. name is withheld, had been twelve
yearj in the service and was thoroughly
reliable: .
DYKA, Alaska, Auk. 22.— 1 deem it my duty
to write you on a': subject that does not come,
strictly within my line of duty, as it trenches
somewhat on the (unctions of the Treasury
Department.*! have hud a long talk with Mr.
Ivey, Collector of Customs for Alaska, who Is at
present at ' Skaguay, three miles below here.
The Skaguay trail' is the most largely used