The sun., 1889-11-19
OUR EXPLORERS In ALASKA.
PR0GREaS OF THE PARTY THAT rs
sURTETIN9 TIE BOUNDARY.

Mr.. Turner Taking n Steamer Up the For
eupine River Toward the Arotio-suRsr~
inEs OF the Miners on Forty Mile Greek.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 1S.-The first news In
months Of the Government expedition for the
survey OF the boundary between Alaska and
Canada reached this clty yesterday. II came
in letter TO Patrick McGrath. father OF John
E. MoGrath. one OF the chiefs OF the exploring
party. That part OF the expedition which Mr..
McGrath commands has now naviRated tho
Yukon River further than any steamer ever
went before. and will. during the winter. travel
through an unexplored land. The Turner
party has already pierced into an unexplored
part Of the country. Mr. McGrath writes:
We have been steaminR up the Yukon for
eleven days. and are now 200 miles beyond that
point on the river. which Is half way between
st. Michael's and whore expect to 20. We
are making on an average five miles per hour
This is great river Near its mouth 1t is al
most twenty-five miles wide. taking In tho va
rious channels through which 1t reaches the
sea. 1t much resembles the Mississippi. Our
boat is small, and we are compelled to stop fire.
quently for wood. much OF which We are COM
pelled to cut.
Every fifteen or twenty miles we como upon
an Indian settlement. Moro desola;e novels
you cannot find any where. The sexes are dis
tinguished in their dress only by the length OF
their fur coats. The women wear their coats
long behind and the mems nre cut OF equal
length all around. When you get close to them
tho women have another distinguishing ioa-
turo. thoy have threest raight limos tHttooed on
their chins. A man can take as many wives as
be can supnort and each one has TO work as
:" Further up the river the state OF affairs is
different. There q, woman may have two or
three husbands. The furniture in the native
some SON - spoons @ oi ivory. wooden WOO ~ dishes arrows
spears, may be gun. straw mats. anu iurs
little for the game and tlsh they have to sell.
Both are so plentiful that we have tired OF
srs os fhS and the f 'as
green as any lawn in spring Ii IS difficult to
thn s az
but dig down ten inches anywhere and you
I'VE reached Fort Yukon on July 2 and sep
arated., Turner and his party went np the
sloTy up to s' the boa1dary TarneP the %
man to take steamer up the Porcupine. The
river Is a regular mountainous stream. rising
ward. Turner struck It at u low stage and
progressed but forty miles. Fort Yukon is but
houses left. The English used to think 1t be-
longed 10 them. but a survey showed 1t WAS
twenty-five miles within our territory, and they
AS there was no business to warrant occu-
patton, the houses Of the Hudson Bay Company
were allowed TO go to ruin. Moose are pIenti-
can get up hero which will not poison them.
keeper at Forty Mile Creek had $4,000 worth
OF had debts in his books this spring, and still.
l am told the man who comes into his store
one who has the cash TO nay for what he gets.
He gets his money II the miners can. maxi 1t.
and II they don't he loses 1t, These frontiers
through thick and thin; Last year 2 solitary
River. He was the first one ever touched. A
sand miles and hanged the Indian murderer.
This letter was mailed on Aug. ~. A second
letter, bearing date Of Aug; II. says;
I've are four or five miles the other side OF
the United States line, and are now sGuatti1g
on her British Majestys possessions. but | do
trespnss. Times have been dreadfully hard
them have lost heart. 1t has rained nearly the
who 10 spring and summer in this neighbor-
hood. and in consequence the mountain
water wheels sluces. sluice boxes. &c.; and
Wages are high-ss WHOM you workout they
and grub; don't expect to get any more let
ters out this year nor In the spring. haye no
dogs. and therefore no way to send them"