Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1897 — IN GENERAL [ARTICLE]

IN GENERAL

The corporation of Brown University has backed down and asked President Andrews to withdraw his resignation. It is said the United States government now claims Dawson City is in Amer-i<-an territory and has instructed Alaskan officials to act accordingly. The government has cut off all rations to Apache Indians except flour. They are threatening an uprising and the settlers near the reservation in New Mexico are very much exercised. The great Victorian Era Exposition and Industrial Fair was formally opened at Toronto with imposing exercises, participated in by representatives of the province and municipality. Mrs. Guthrie,-wife of Luther Guthrie, a prominent citizen of Walnut Grove. Ga., was killed by lightning. Mrs. Guthrie had one of her children in her arms when the bolt fell. The child was burned, but not seriously injured. Ice at Dawson is selling at 56 cents a pound. So writes Edgar Mizner. His letter was dated June 28, and the thermometer on that day was 90 to 100 in the shade. Miners last winter were too busy digging gold to cut ice. Near Appleby station, Texas, the trucks of the sleeper, on the south-bound Houston, East and West Texas passenger train jumped the track near a curve, carrying the sleeper and day coach off the track, practically demolishing both. One man was killed. Leroy Tozier, writing from Skaguay, says: “As a blockade is on and with those now here and coming 5,000 people will be compelled to remain here until spring or return home. Some have horses and wagons, and such are making from S6O to SIOO a day.’’ President De Armitt figures that the strike has so far cost the miners of the country $8,000,000. He bases this statenreirt'OTf t^e' supposition that' iOO.UOO men were out and that they averaged $lO per week. His men have forfeited $15,000 in wages to the company by breaking their contracts. The fight of the De Armitts -against the miners has also been a very costly one. Already about SII,OOO has been spent by the New York & Cleveland Gas Coal Company for wages and board of deputy sheriffs. The Farmers’ National Congress decided on Fort Worth, Tex., as the place for the meeting in 1898. More than an hour was given to the discussion of the matter, and on the roll call only Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota were solidly for the Omaha proposition. There were scattering votes from New York, North Dakota and Wisconsin, but fully two-thirds were for Texas. Before the result of the ballot could be announced, on motion of the Nebraska delegates Fort Worth was selected. An invitation was extended from Niagara Falls for the congress of 1899 and ftom Boston for the congress of 1900. A letter has ben received in Vancouver from Henry Behnson, who left for the Yukon via Skaguay, with a well-equipped party in July. The party consisted of eight, but one grew faint-hearted under the hardships and returned. They had reached the summit on Aug. 22 and expected to arrive on Stewart river before winter sets in. Dead horses are reported along the trail and at one spot, where their party-lost one horse through falling over a precipice, six horses were killed in the same day. Two men were caught stealing and were shot. Large numbers of people are turning back and outfits can be purchased cheaply. But he advises no one to go up depending on purchasing, outfits. He says horses are an absolute necessity. Ex-Sergt. Haywood of the Y’ancouver police force, who went up to Dawson City in the spring, says in a letter that “God only knows what will become of the crowds now heading this way.” At the time of his writing provisions were very scarce in Dawson, but a steamer was expected daily. News received in letters to the Alaska Commercial Company that famine is almost certain on the Klondike next winter, receives confirmation from Mr. Goodhue, a newspaper correspondent at St. Michael’s. He states that the Y’ukon is unusually low, and that the chances of getting enough food to Dawson to support those now there and those flocking in are slender.