A KLONDYKE DISASTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 19

A KLONDYKE DISASTER.

100 PERSONS KILLED.

Ottawa, April 9.

A terribla disaster occurred on ths Dyea trail to Kkmdjke. A snow slide killed 100 persons.

This is not the first disaster which has occurred in crossing the Chilkoofc Pass from Dyea. A young Australian miner in a letter to ihe Melbourne Argu3 says s "We left Dyea October 27, aud got our provisions carried to what is called the Canyon, 10 miles from Dyea, ab the rate of two cents per lb. From there wa packed our own goods to Sheep Camp (five miles) on our backs. We each carried 701b and made two trips a day. That was 20 miles per day each of us walkad. It took us six days to get our goods thoss five miles, bo that for the six days wa each walked 120 miles. Rathsr slow work, and very hard ; in fact, the hardest ever I did in my life. Shesp Camp is now ODly a, smail place, for lately a glacier passed that way, and swept half the population to destruction. Ife is nob known the exact number of people that were killed. Sheep Camp is pract-'cally the timber line, and from here to the summit, or Cbilkoot Pass, the trail leads up a narrow and, precipitous defile. Tha summit is 15 miles distant from Dyea, and 3500 ft above sea level. Many glaciers are passed in those 15 miles.

Mr 11. W. Harvey, of Invercargill, has shown the News a letter from his nephew, who resides in British North Ainericß, which should acb as a warning to arsy who meditate a journey to the Frozen North in search of tne precious metal. He slates :—": — " I don't think you hear of cases o£ starvation in the newspapers — they carefully avoid any refereme to thai;. Tfa?re are several cities ou Pugefc Sound doing a land cffice business and outfitting people for Alaska, and the more who coaia the better for then*. They are careful to pvoid tciriug anyone away. I see the steamship companies are booming Klondyke — the greatest fraud on carth — in New Zealand. They are enticing men to go into t. country 400 milea from the coast to psrish of cold or hunger wheu their fands {rive. out. I have some friends up in th»t country, and they tell tne in their letters that from the time they left the lakes till they iaaded in Dawsou City the country was Just one huge graveyard. Yon do not hear that spoken of. though. Those New ZaaSanders who go there will bitterly repent; it when they get on to ihe lay of the country."