The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-16
ABBO
Medical Qll SlIligl! Institute
100 and 1872 Hull Street west,
Savannah, Ga.

but in the towns they embrace all sorts
of questions, and it is here, more than at
the "diggings, that the popular one has
"cinch."
As winter settles down and the days
grow shorter and shorter the monotony
of life becomes irksome. The cold is in
tense, the mountains seem a prison, aud
the knowledge that one has no choice but
TO stay it out, unless he takes the long
overland trip, makes life dreary The mails
are uncertain and far apart. No news
papers find their way in except in the
summer. A man is out of the world and
almost as far removed from it as if he
We're in the moon. To a man who loves
his home, his wife, his children and his
friends the sense Of isolation and helpless
ness it depressing. 1t seems to him that
it would not be so bad could he hear from
home and know how they all were, but the
long months drag slowly by until the first
Of the year, when mail sometimes finds
its way in having left the states some
three or four months before.
To see the excitement that the mail
from the outside makes, to see the eager
ness with which men press up to the post
masters desk for their letters, and the
trembling hands as they are opened and
the filling eyes as they are read, touches
the heart. The first two or three days
after the mails arrival find the morals of
town vastly improved, but this soon
wears away, and the old habits are re-
sumed
Dec. 10 the writer after carefully max
ing all needful arrangements, with twelve
dogs, three sleds, two Indians and 200
pounds of grub" bedding and camp out
fit, started on the overland trip, a dis
lance of 1000 miles, to the seacoast. We
left Circle City at 9 o'clock, just as day
was breaking, with the thermometer at 46
degrees below zero. AS we went through
the town with the dogs yelping and the
men yelling, every saloon door opened,
and all inside came out TO wish US good
luck and a safe journey.
1t was turning the face away from many
good friends-many whom | hope to meet
again-and tackling a great unknown, but
the many delays which has kept us back
for two weeks made every one light
hearted and happy at getting started at
last, and we soon passed through the
town, down the river bank and on to the
ice in the river where bend in the river
soon hid Circle City.
A Yukon sled, with dogs, Is a popularity
of the country. ours were nine feet long,
and two Of them were chained together
Upon this "double-header" we had seven
dogs, and on the single sled five The
dogs are hitched together tandem fashion
one ahead Of the other, the wheeldog hav-
ing a whihetree attached to his traces
From this is a rope running back to the
sled, which, passing, as it must, between
the drivers legs, necessitates the acqur-
ing OF a peculiar gait for with each turn
the dogs make-as the trail curves from
side to side-the driver has to keep his feet
moving from this side to that OF the gee"
string, as It Is called, or he will be thrown
down. on the right side OF the sled is a
strong, smooth pole, reaching about to the
hip, which Is used for guiding the sled
Between the gee string and keeping the
sled from overturning, a "tenderfoot" Is
generally In "a dripping perspiration after
the first five miles are covered, and his
legs get sore from the chatting Of the rope,
and the arm nightly tired from guiding
the heavy sled.
The clothing used IN travelling Is also Pc
culiar TO the country mine consisting Of
a heavy suit Of underwear, a sweater, a
pair OF macklnaw drawers. a mackinaw
shirt and a fur cap. which came down
about the ears ana back OF the neck and
tied under the chin. The fur being next
70 the skin, that part OF the head covered
Is very comfortable. Fur-lined mitts COW
cred the hands. aud on the feet were a
pair OF woolen socks a pair OF long. heavy
German socks or stockings and n pair OF
moccasins, with straw I'm the bottoms. on
the sled for extreme and windy weather
were TWO 'parkas," one Of drilling aud the