Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1897-12-02
Mexico Audrain County Thursday
ALASKA NEWS.
A WellsviIle (Mo.) Party Located at
Wrangle, $50 Miles From
Juneau.

Wrangle, $50 Miles From
| Juneau.
| WELLsvILLE, Mo-, Nov. 25.-W.
Mabrey, formerly an attorney of thi
city and assistant secretary of tn,
Missouri State Senate, who left her,
last August in company with Cal,
Copeland and FL. Fl. Brewer, of Mo
berly, formerly Wabash conductors
and y. @. Douglass, of this city, fol
the Klondyke gold fields, ia nov
located with bis party at Fort Wran
gle, where they are spending tn.
winter. Extracts from letter from
Mr.. Mabrey to o. T. Johnson, editor
of the Vide AaDake of this city, bear.
ing date of November 10, 1897, ane
received here yesterday, are as fol-
lows:
| Wrangel, Familiarity known as Fort
Wrangle, is about $50 miles from
Juneau and 500 miles from Victoria,
British Columbia. The town is situ-
ated on Wrangle Island, beautiful
strip of land, % miles in length and
about 8 miles wide, located at the
mouth of Stickeen River. The island
is covered with elegant spruce and
cedar timber. Juneau is the best out
fitting and trading point in Alaska
and parties en- route to the Klondyke
ought to buy their supplies there
instead of Seattle and go to the gold
fields over Chilcoot Pass-absolutely
the best route. Wrangle is an old
Russian fort and to go by way OF
Wrangle up the Stickeen is said by
some to be the best route to the gold
fields. At the mouth of the river you
come in contact with one of the
strongest mountain currents a person
can conceive of-one that will not be
tackled by a person but once. To
Telegraph Creek from the mouth of
the Stickeen is distance of 150 miles.
This river is so named by reason of
the fact that the Canadian govern
ment once began the construction of
teIegraphic line to Siberia, along
the route of the stream, but Cyrus
Field relieved them of the necessity
of completing the line by building the
Atlantic cable, SO that was as far as
the line was ever built. Ever since
the stream has been known as Tele-
graph Greek. The route this way is
up the Stickeen to Telegraph Creek,
thence overland 160 miles, over noun
tains and dales, to Teskin Lake.
Some say the trail is good, while
others are equally as positive that it
is not; but if have to row a scow and
ton of freight up to Telegraph Creek
to find out shall never know. was
quite we'll acquainted with young
man who started up the river at the
same time cur crowd did, but who
refused to turn back when we did and
insisted on continuing his journey.
The boat upset in whirlpool, causing
him to lose his life and also his entire
outfit. His body was not recovered.
His name was w. FL. Stevens, from
Hartford, Conn.,, and he was member
of Hartford Masonic Lodge No. So.
wrote to the lodge, but at this writing
have received no reply. Another
mans boat upset few days ago,
causing him to lose $500 outfit and
1000 gold coin. He was a Canadian
from Vancouver, and as he and his
government were the principal causes
of our coming this route, we did not
sympathize with him to any great
extent.
The reason we came back and did
not continue our journey was because
we couldn't possibly pull our boats up
the Stickeen. was glad it happened,
however, for 1t gets as cold as 65
below zero at Telegraph Greek, where
we would have had to remain this
winter, while here it seldom gets as
cold as zero.
A considerable number who did suc-
ceed in getting up to Telegraph Greek
by paying 800 ton for having their
freight carried for them sold out as
soon as they got there and returned
home to remain during the winter.
Copeland and Brewer got caught in a
storm going across the sound and
Were c-mpulied to dump 700 pounds
of goods in order to get out with their
lives; then they did not get to shore
until II O'Clock p. m. Dony and
myself were caught in the storm also,
but we managed to get to land as soon
as they did without losing anything.
When we got to shore We did not
know whether Cope and Brewer were
drowned or not. They had the tent
and stores, 30 we had to remain on the
bank until daylight, when we started
out on a hunt for them. We found
them about 10 a. m.
We are all well located here, and
everything is cheap. Get the best
-four at 90 per cwt., bacon at IA cents
per h., fruit IL plentiful and q whole
quarter of venison can be purchased
for 81. Can catch enough fish in an
hour to last as two days. We have
worked some at So per day. Gould
work all the time II we wanted to.
/ am staying in the only lawyers
office in Wrangel, and tomorrow /
try big unlawful detainer suit. 1
could do we'll practicing law here, but
/ am going to the Klondyke il have
to return afterprovisions Immediately
after ! arrive there.
would not care to be in Dawson
this winter, as food is extremely
scarce. talk with men on every
boat that lands here and frequently /
run across a man who has just returned
from Dawson, and they all say food is
awful scarce and that the people
there are liable to suffer unless the
government does something.
We are all fat and healthy. Iweigh
1874 pounds, against 100 when I left
weIlsviIle. Tell Ira Smith (Mr. Smith
is carpenter) that If he were here
with his tools he could make from
IS 30 to IS per day, including Sunday,
and get all the work he could do.