Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-02

the mountain and over the range, a
distance OF about twenty-eight miles.
Here begins our descent to the Yukon
by water. We are now left to our own
resources and 'to paddle our own
canoes for the Indians have made
back tracks, to enjoy the proceeds Of
their hard-earned labor. We here
CONSTRUCT A RAFT
on which TO cross the lake, distance OF
five miles, when we had to make port
age of half n mile. Here we made
another raft in order to pass through
half mile Of river to another lake, but
the water ran very swiftly, the rocks
standing right in the middle Of the
channel, which was so crooked that
soon after being launched it was dashed
upon the rocks and wrecked. The raft
lodged upon some rocks about sixty
feet from shore, and as 1T was necessary
for us to have some Of the logs with
which to make another raft, we had to
shoot out the Plus which held the logs
together. In this way we loosened the
logs and managed to catch enough OF
them to build another raft, upon which
we sailed twenty miles across another
lake. Here we landed and whip-sawed
out lumber for boats, in which we sailed
across n chain of three lakes of eigh-
teen, twenty-five and thirty-tive miles
respectively, connected by rivers OF
five, twenty and sixty miles in length.
The lower lake empties into the Yukon
river, which is about one-half mile
wide at this point, and for most of the
$50 miles that travelled 1T, the water is
very deep and runs very swift. Nu-
merous
ISLANDS RISE OUT OF THE WATER,
heavily timbered, but of small size and
mostly spruce. The tributaries are
many, some of them rivers from one
quarter to three-quarters OF "a mile in
width.
We had little difficulty in passing
down the Yukon until we reached what
is called the Canon. Between the
twenty-five mile lake and the thirty
five mile lake, referred to above, the
water passes through a river sixty miles
long, and at the canon the rocks rise on
either side to a perpendicular height of
sixty feet, through which the water
flows with tremendous speed,
BOILING AND sEETHING,
for distance of about one-half mile.
We went through the canon in two
minutes, but our boat became nearly
swamped. We then run two and one
half miles down rocky piece of river,
Horse" so called on account of the
water passing through perpendicular
rocks on both sides, though not so high
as at the canon, but the water is lashed
into foam upon the jagged rocks which
are concealed from view by the white
lather which covers the surface of the
river from bank to bank. AT this place
one of our boats became unmanageable,
and at the lower end of the whirlpool
SUDDENLY PLUNGED FORWARD
and instantly disappeared. A short dis
tance below it came to the surface, and
one man, who had held to the rope, was
picked up more dead than alive. Two
other men who were in the boat were
never seen after it capsized.
A short distance below White Horse
we come to what is called the "Five
Fingers" Five huge rocks, whose
fanes are exposed to the rushing tor,
rents, are worn smooth and round, and
rise to height of forty feet, standing
IN line across the pathway of the mad
torrents. We passed through the Fin
gers safely. From tins point to Forty
Mile creek, the location of our placer
| diggings, we had smooth sailing, and
commenced our prospecting as near as
| l can estimate, after having travelled
| about nine hundred miles from Juneau.
| We were
SIX WEEKS GETTING BACK
to Juneau, and the journey was one OF
constant labor, pulling our boats along
by means of ropes. wading, and pushing
| with poles, and you can imagine what
| headway we could make in water that
| / have described as above"
''HOw many men were there in your
| party on the return trip?"
! KTo 1ynr iply irfr ho, nd vha,,
we reached the range there were
| twenty-siX men in all"
Ibid all of them have some dust?"
HOW IT PANNED OUT.
"Every man had more or less. AS
near as | could ascertain the least had
| by any one man was about $50, and the
largest amount by a single individual
was about $4,000. Six of the party had
about 1900 each; two had $1,000 anG
| $4,000; the balance would probably
| average about $500 each. Bear in mind
however, that those who had the most
| spent the previous winter in the mines
and thus got the advantage of about {
month longer work than those who
| went out when | did,. And besides
they prepared in the winter for work as
| soon as the weather would permit"
| "How many men do you think there
/
including all its tributaries, last sea
SOM"
mot to exceed four hundred. Thai
think a big estimate"
"Do you think there willb as many
| go in this season."
81 do not. AS near as I ca nascertain,
few of those who have been there be
fore will go back. The risks incurred
far exceed the amount taken out
| When some easier means of getting
into the Yukon is found, the country
will swarm with miners, and l have M
doubt that rich mines will be discov-
cred" MINER w. BRUCE.
| AnnabciIe Leigh.
| j. p. BdbcOck, in NeiU York World
| 1t was many and many year ago,
| In kingdom by the sea-
| That there lived maiden whom YOU MAY