The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-19
TOILING OVER SNOW.
A Seattle Man Describes His
Trip to the Yukon.
MUCH LABOR AND HARDSHIP.
Hauling Heavily Laden siesis Over snow
and Ice and Across Mountains
Many Are Homesick.

Pred 4. Fay, Of this city has written
an Interesting letter. dated March - 70
a friend in this city from sheep Ranch,
on the GhiikooE pass. Asassa, Thl4. on
his way 10 the Yukon ugiHes, and gives
a graphic description % TIE hardshtps Of
the trip. Among the seattleites on their
way 20 the mines whom he mentions are
Morton T. Atkinson. son Of City TreasHr-
err Atkinson. Robert Cash. r. W. Au4gett,
y. W. Cobb and Alexander Eanss. MI.
Fay writes.
''ffere we are, Within I'VE miles Of the
summit of the chiiko0s pass. We landed
al juneau one week ago today, and have
been all the week u0rksng ~ this Tar,
about fifteen miles You have no idea of
the hardsnips Of this trip The mountain
trail itself is not 20 steep or 10 very DIM
cult TO get over. but II Is the terrible
loads we nave 10 haul on our sIeds. about
80 or 60 pounds 20 the man. wilson
"Gui5e" or any other book gives one no
Idea Of this trip. perhaps because they
never packed anything themselves, bat
hired IL eli done, which h very much
easier. you know ! will give YOU two
or three days. description OF our trip
and we have the hardest 10 come yet
go az to give you little idea OF this
march
well, the frat day we packed every
thing on our eieds and started and made
one and one-haR miles and pitched our
tent on the Ice. OF course. we pat brush
under our blankets, but u was mighty
cold and we dld not sleep much that
night The neat day we made three rniies.
foraed the river three times having 10
pun our aleds across the rocks through
the water with FIVE 70 seven men 10 the
sled That night we pitched cur tent on
the snow. wet as rats. and had no sleep.
The next day we made four miles. Pitch
ed our tent on fifteen feet OF snow and
shivsred All night from the thought OF
H. Had trout for breakfast. The next
DAY We went through the canyon TWO
miles. RULED our sleds up one ladder and
lifted them perpendieuiarly In another
place ten feet over the falls. with about
10 mounds on each sled 10 the worst
places We would double up. sometimes
eight men 10 the sled. and the whole
length OF the canyon filled with sleds. We
would pull until the eyes hung out OF our
faces. ! never had any idea that IL was
20 rocky.
ssNow We have hard tugging until We
get 20 the summit. God knows when We
wili get there. We can only pack hffy
pounds from the foot 10 the top-about
oue-auartar Of a mile. From here we can
draw about 100 pounds TO the stone house,
which IL one and one-han miles, so You
see that we have 70 make many trips be
fore we can get all Of our goods up. we
expeet 60 be here about one week before
we can get everything up There Is grub
scattered along the road for fifteen miles
about half of the people would 70 back
If they were not ashamed TO. There are
about ia0 people in this camp now ana
about az many more have gone over al
ready. They are going over every day,
though they have stayed here Tor long
time waiting for better weather. Hawlcy
and Atkinson are still here. but are going
over the pass as soon as the storm ietS
IN You know they started two weeks
before We aid Tell Atknson's father
that the boy is having fine time hunt
ing ptarmigan or white grouse. Ander-
son was up 10 their tent last night and
said that they were all right. We are
going 70 rest tomorrow. thank the
Lord. and start in fresh Monday. We
have not had our clothes Oft since We left
Seattle. The days are not very mnch
colder than In Seattle and the sun has
shone every day until today. but the
nights get very cold ] expect on tho
other side 10 strike a very different at
mosphere: they say that II was fifteen
degrees below zero yesterday. ! did not
expect that We could write or send letters
after we left Juneau. bat there are men
going down 10 DYea every day, which Is
about lDa miles above Juneau.
you have no idea OF the harfships OF
this trip TO the Yukon, and II had time
I would copy my diary and send u TO
YOU. If you could only know the layout
that | have for writing this letter you
would not kick ~ YOU could not make it
ont You may wonder how | got the Ink
90 address the envelope. We'll one OF the
BOYS brought a bottle with him. and
hacked bundle OF envelopes SO as 10
have them ready II ! had a chance 70
write. There are half dozen women IN
camp going over with their husbands
They can keep pretty comfortable as
they have no packing To do. II Is the
amount OF truck that one has to take
that makes II So uncomfortable and il 50
hard ~ get over the pass. IL Is showing
hard today. and there Is terrible storm
at the tor of the pass. Several have
come down nearly dead and the fury %
the storm has driven every one down that
started up this morning. Rauke. Mud
pett, Cobb and Cash have stood ~ we'll
! expected that they would give up. bat
they stay with 10 50 far. They ARE az the
foot Of the canyon. That ladder and
falls gets them. I sNess. II It takes MS
as long 10 SO 50 miles as u takes
TO so fifteen miles. We viii not get there