The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-08
FROM THE KLONDIKE,

The New London Day says; The following letter from Alfred Rogers of Gales Ferry, who is member of the Seymour expedition to the Klondllle gold fields, has just been received by his father, Captain E. D. Rogers:
 Sunday, Aug. 2l, 1897
 At sea, steamer Humboldt. To All at Home:
 As we expect to touch at Dutch har- Dor l am going to write line or two, hoping to get a chance to mall it. Dutch Harbor is at the extremity of the Alaska peninsula or on one of the islands close by.
 We had quite time in getting away from Seattle, We bought our outfits, etc., paid the freight, and at the last minute, found that there was no room on the steamer for our stuff; not only of our party, but every one who was to go from Seattle. I tell you there were hot times on that wharf for an hour or so Every one thought 1t was a put-up job by the mayor (who Is running the
 
 provisions in the steamer and would give pound for pound when we got to Dawson City, but there were other things besides provisions-our stoves, tents, tools, etc, so the first thing done was to put an attachment on the steamer to keep her right where we wanted her. Then a committee of twelve men was appointed to wait on the mayor and adjust matters so we could carry our goods.
 A. E. Seymour of our party was elect cd chairman of the committee and I told him to have Mayor Woods stuff re- moved to make room for our own. Woods was so scared that he agreed to every thing and put on a big gang of men to make the change. While this was be- ing done we had watches of five men at time set, to see that no funny busi- ness was done It delayed us nearly twenty hours, but we have all our own goods with us and are all right.
 There are some pretty hard charac- ters here from western towns and a good many of them are talking shoot, and as Woods is very unpopular in Seattle he was pretty we'll frightened. l think his scheme was to have our goods there, then after we were in Alaska where we could not get any thing, to sell us his at his own price and make a good thing out of it. I never expected to see him with us but he is here and says he will put us in Dawson City by Oct.1 all right. He has in the | h1,1I # Al g,I1 built at San Francisco, then knocked down and stored in this steamer. There are twenty ship carpenters with their tools to put her together when we get to St. Michaels: also the engines for her machinerly. Besides that, every passenger has signed a contract to dc anything in his power to help along. The river steamer is fiat bottomed and is about 20O feet long, 20 feet beam not to draw when loaded over feet of water It is expected she will make about miles an hour and it will take about IA days to build her.
 This steamer is a little larger than the Chelsea and all told there are BOG on board. including about twenty wo- men. What they are to do don't know i if anything happens so we get frozer | up and have to winter on the Yukon. hope we will make it, but I am afraid 1 Cold weather Is coming and there is i bound to be more or less delay in build ing the river boat.
 i I think Wood is bound to get us there l if 1t is possible to do so, for if he fails he will be ruined man, and lucky if ht | ever gets back alive, for there are mer right here in this push who would shoot him like a dog if he tried any funny business with them. Every one 1 seems dissatisfied at present, for they are so crowded and squeezed together
 We have had fine weather so far There is so much trouble about feed. ing. Only fifty can eat at once, so there [ has to be six tables set and every one wants to be first There is one mar here who owns mine up on the Klon dike He came down a month ago anC | is now going back with his wife. Ht says we will not find gold as plenty a. some say, but there is lots of it there | if we can only find good paying claim
 If we can get in Dawson City thi! fall and build our cabin I will be satis fled. l am willing to go to work fol some one else if l can do nothing fol myself We bear all kinds of storie. about the country, just the same as yot do in the east, and we must believe what we see fit. l guess if we get il all right we can do something and i there is as much there as they say there l is I will have some of it.
 l ] don't write any more to-day, bu | will finish tomorrow. ALE | Monday, a. m,-Have just sighted steamer. May be able to mail this | Will write again.
 l
 WHFIET, CTITR R RACHlS