The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-26

keeps in that country, when It gets
ready TO freeze. But we believe the river
oh @ 50 per ay ON Febdy t and
the winter is long. OF course we will make
a good profit. We expect It. Its better TO
run boarding house in the arctic river
than lay idle all winter.
From Seattle the steamers sail to Dutch
Harbor, in the Aleutian islands. which Is
the steamer lands at Fort Get There, on
St Michael's island where passengers and
freight are transferred to our large river
steamers. which ply the Yukon all through
the open season. The distance from Seattle
to st. Michael's island is $500 miles. From
st. Michaefs island to Weare, one of the
principal trading stations on the river, it
is 1000 miles. and from there to Dawson
1000 miles more"
1T was suggested that the Juneau route
was much shorter and that a voyage of
4,fOO miles was no small matter. To TINS
the agent replied: Yes | know 1t is only
100 miles from Juneau to the Klondike
region, but it doesn't seem to me that is
the easiest way TO get there. You have
TO cross a mountain range and pretty nigh
mountains, too. They are covered with
snow and men crossing them have TO
travel on snowshoes taking poles with
them to prevent them from slipping and
rolling down the mountain sides one thou
sand feet or So Everything transported
over these mountains is carried by In
dams. who make pack trains of themselves:
The packing has to be done a distance OF
thirty miles and It costs s15 a hundred
Two-thirds of the distance from Juneau is
by water, but the traveller has TO pass
through a succession of lakes, and after
getting on the upper Yukon he encounters
several rapids, and worst of ALL the Grand
canyon of the Yukon. This canyon is three
quarters of mile long and the stream
pours through the narrow dehle so rapidly
that il is said the center OF the current
is raised six feet above the level of the
water at the sides of the canyon. The
speed of the current may be judged from
the fact that ii takes a boat or raft only
two minutes and a half to make the pas
sage and if it is not steered true it is like
ly to be dashed to pieces against the walls
of the canyon.
THE journey by the Juneau route has
been made in twenty days, but a GOOD
many have started and never been heard
from again 1t is said that the bones of
two thousand travellers are streWn along
the trail between Juneau and the KlondlKe
The usual time for making the voyage from
Seattle to Dawson is thirty to tmrty-nVe
days, so not much time can be saved.
ION account of the expense of the trip
Alaska and the gold regions is pretty good.
In the Klondike region. which is in the
British dominions, the Canadian govern
ment has thirty-five mounted ponce, ana,
understand no one else is allowed TO carry
arms. Any disputes arising among the SET
tiers are decided by informal courts OF ar
bitration established by the miners ana
prospectors themselves"
circular issued by the transportation
company contains the following fnforna-
ton, which ought to convince any talr-
minded man that II is easy enough to pros
pect in the Klondike regions: In
order to get at the pay dirt in this coun-
try it is necessary to go through ABOUT
twelve to fifteen feet of snow and Ice be-
fore coming to. the gravel in which the gold
by building fires and thawtng the way
through. The climate in this country is ex-
tremely cold, the Thermometer averaging
not stop mining, which is carried on the
wear round"