The Rush to Klondyke.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIII, Issue 7214, 19 May 1898, Page 4

The Rush to Klondyke.

A VOICE FROM VANCOUVER. (From the Bulletin.) Been four days here, scraping up all the information I can. Been introduced to miners of all classes, . from all parts—mining agents, experts, practical miners, etc. Some from Dawson. City and other parts of the Yukon. 'Met an old schoolfellow here, who started from Vancouver last August, with a party of eight, and four tons of stores. Killed 21 horses in crossing the White Pass. Reached Dawson City in three months ; staked out claims, and, after two months work, had to leave for want of tucker. Gob no gold out in that time, and paid LIOO for tucker on the way back, arriving at Seattle after nine months' hard toil, and an expenditure of 8000 dollars. The papers announced that they had returned with 7500 dollars of gold-dust, whereas they hadn't a color. This man is trying to sell his claim, but has little hopes of doing so. The boom here is at fever heat; people rushing about madly, buying stacks of stuff to take with them. Thousands coming in every week from all parts of the world. Worth being here to see the life ; reminds one of the ant-hill when the ants have been stirred up. Local people are very calm over it", but raking in the dollars in hundreds of thousands. None of them dream of going out —got their mines at their own doors ! and laughing in their sleeves at the rest of us A mining engineer baa come back here with a reporb from Dawson, but his account is so sober and truthful that the newspapers would not publish it for fear of checking the boom. He said there was work, so far, for 4000 people, and that the remaining 2000 had nothing to do, and that 50 per cent of the people were poorer than when they arrived. He says the transportation-companies are doing their best to get in enough tucker to keep alive the big mob that are going in ; but he cannob see what the people will do when they get there. I do not think there will be less than 150,000. Everything here is in the hands of syndicates—even the press. They are all working together to keep the boom alive and bring as many people as possible to spend their money here. On every street you are stopped by someone who wants to drag you into his store and force you to buy a Klondyke outfit. No uoubt that there is ralenty of gold in Britith Columbia, but it is a losing game to get it. There is a man here who came from Klondyke a week ago. Been working hard for three years, only made 50 dollars. I can hear of no one from here who has done any good there. There will be a great deal of gold from Klondyke this summer, but only from a few claims that were taken up nearly two years ago. It is quite untrue about tho high wages on the Yukon. Difficult to get work at any price. A party of my shipmates are off to-morrow to the White Pass. Going by an old ocean tramp converted into a passenger boat. Six of such have been wrecked within the last few weeks. My mates spent 7500 dol. on supplies, and have only money left to pay tneir fare to Skagway, so I don't know how they will get back, or live there when their food is done. They can only do surface prospecting in the summer, and have no chance of proving their claims till this time next year. No one san know if h 9 has got anything in less than a year, except in a few cases. I don't think tho danger to life on the journey from Skagway to STukon is serious. The news that hundreds of people are dying is quite untrue. I don't see the need° of hurrying away at once, in any case, as no one can travel past Lake Bennett till the ice breaks, which will be about* June. Ice on the rivers very rough with hummocks ; cannot drag more than 1301 bon a sledge. Thousands camped at Lake Bennett waiting for the ice to break; meanwhile eating up their provisions. Many thousands are camped at the -Pass ; some sitting on their luggage crying in their helplessness. No money to come back, and no money to have their loads taken up the mountain by the transportation companies, who charge 200 do). a ton. The rest of our fellows think they are going to drag theirs up ttiemselves, a little at a time. This might possibly be done ; but, as it is 40 miles to the lake; and this would have to be travelled over at leaat six times, it means 540 miles, or two months' work. The tucker they would eat would be worth more than the cost of having it packed over by tne companieSi The much-talked of Stewart and Pehhy Rivers are not staked-out, and no one can get up them, as the stream is too strong in summer, and in winter the surface cannot be prospected because of the snow and ice. Some men went a little way up the Stewart and found rich gold, but their journey was so slow (one mile per day) that their tucker failed, and they had to return after two daya there. Nothing can be done till the railway is made and steam launches built. The Stewart) Is about 400 miles long, and cannot be reached across the _ mountains. The opinion amongst candid people is that this wili be tb9 most disastrous gold rush ever known. Kenneth Stewart Hungerford. Vancouver, 9oh March, 1898.