The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-03-21
FROM THE LAND
OF The YUKON
Graphic Description Of the Trip to
Alaska and Condition Of
Affairs There.
MANY MEN CANNOT FIND WORK
nHadreds rOufins in by Every Stesmer-
Everything Scarce snd Dear-rsrils Of
the Trip 20 the Ihkoa Gold fields
-HaAy renish By the Nay.


celved yesterday by Chas. Finch from his
brother In Juneau, Alaska:
Juneau. Alaska. March 3. 1885.
Dear chariie:-
We arrived In Juneau all right and are
enjoying the best OF health The trip
up was 20 far beyond my powers of de-
scriptJon that ! will not attempt 10 go
into details. but can only say that
never enjoyed anything more In my life.
We left Tacoma on Tuesday on the
steamer Topeka. Quite a number from
Tacoma took passage. and every berth
was taken Fortunately secured mine
In advance. and had but one companion,
and he OF my choice. Others were less
fortunate. fully twenty people being
Obliged to sleep on the tables and floor,
and Il was necessary to set two tables
for each meal sat at the head Of one
Of the tables and was well provided for.
We dId not stop at Seattle. but took on
freight and passengers at Port Townsand.
The waters OF the Sound are simply
beautiful and as deep and az clear as
they could BE-. The mountains rise right
out OF the water and Il would be impossi-
BILE TO ind beach in most places. All
the country is covered with a heavy
growth OF timber. and the strangest part
OF II isfthat II grows right down 20 the
edge OF the water. II Is Just like this
all the way up 20 Alaska, although the
trees are not quite as large further north
We do not get out into the ocean at all
on the way up. but take the inland pas
sage Mountains are on each side OF
the strait. sometimes being over five
thousand feet high. The water Is over
ten miles wide in some places and in
others only a few hundred feet Wherever
ta a fhafugand
feet and In many places over a mile
In some places the mountains rise almost
straight out OF the water and on2 won
ders how the trees can grow on them.
Many waterfalls are seen and as one gets
near Alaska they are frozen solid We
met several small icebergs. but II Is too
early to see many OF them yet
Al Victoria we took on passengers and
some freight and nearly every one took
in the town. II Is as sleepy a place as
one could md and so different from
American cities that We were inclined
to laugh at Il. They have an immense
stone government building that will soon
be finished. but aside from that there is
not much OF interest in the place.
The next stop was at Nanaimo. where
we took on coal. remaining over night
and half the next day. as one Of the pas
sengers died suddenly and the coroner
had TO hold an inquest. They have i'm
mense coal mines there but they are a
number OF miles inland and so we did
not see them.
From Nanaimo to Mary Island Is a
long run and the scenery is fine all the
way. At this place we took on custom
house officials, who examined baggage
We stopped at wrangle in the night
time. so did not get a chance TO see
the place. AS soon as we got into Amer
lean territory we began TO see Indian
villages and stopped at some OF them
They are a very queer people and some
time l will tell you something OF their
customs.
We arrived in Juneau Sunday night and
I was met by my old friend, Lloyd Win
ter. OF the well known firm Of photog-
raphers here. Winter & Pond II Is
pretty cold here, with about eight or
ten feet Of snow on the ground and the
thermometer away below the freezing
point. There Is ice everywhere and the
windows are frozen every morning when
we get up. There is not a vacant house
in town. and a great deal OF building is
going on. Rents are extremely high and
property is very valuable, so one has to
have quite capital in order to DO busl-
ness here Winter goes out every year
in his boats TO get new views and has
invited me TO go with him in about three
weeks over the Chilcoot pass. This is
the route that the Yukoners go over and
we will be with some OF them all the
time Then I am to go hunting bear
and caribou and fish for salmon and
halihut. so that you see | am in a POSI-
ton to enjoy life very much.
The town Is full OF miners and fellows
who have come here In search Of work,
and as each steamer comes loaded YOU
can imagine the result. II is almost i'm
possible for man to obtain employment,
and so those who have any capital buy
an outfit (about $3.50 and try to get into
the Yukon country. 1t is a very difficult
trip and requires lots OF nerve and en-
durance, and when a man gets in he Is
not sure OF anything. Nearly every day
we get reports of men freezing hands and
feet. and occasionally a death is reported.
One party had to eat their dogs, ms they
became stalled and ran out of provisions.
The Thermometer goes down to 60e and So
below zero and It Is almost impossible to
Keep comfortable. Circle City, located
on the Yukon river. has about 100 In
habitants, and is growing every day
Everything commands a fancy price as IL
Is difficult work getting anything into
that country. / viii probably go as far
as the lakes that form the head of the
Yukon river.
An immense mountain towers above
this town, and at the present time Is
covered with fifteen or twenty feet of
snowA Some places are too steep for
snow h hold on to and so 1t makes tLa
picture all the more fascinating. The
mountain is filled with gold lodges and
numerous claims are being worked all
the time The Silver Bow basin is about
three miles up the canyon, while directly
across from Juneau is the celebrated
Treadwell mine, which operates two hum
dred and fifty stamps, and turns out
$4,000 every month from a low grade
ore There is a small city over on the
island that is entirely supported by this
mine The mills are operated by water
power and run day and night. Sundays,
holidays and all the time that they can
work In edgewise.
Yesterday I fished for herring with
what is called a rake. This is a long
pole with sharp nails for about three
feet from the end. 1t is put into the
water and brought to the surface with