The record-union., 1897-08-17
so NEAR AND YET so FAR.
EXPERIENCE OF GOLD SEEKERS
GOING TO KLoNDIKE.
Frank Jackson's Description of
Affairs as They Exist on
Shore at Dyea-

w. F Jackson has received a letter
from his brother Frank, who left on the
steamer Elder for the Klondike coun-
try a couple of weeks ago. AS it gives
a reliable account of matters UP there,
1t will be read with interest 1t is as
follows:
Near Dyea, Aug. 6, 1897.
Dear Brother: l wrote you last from
Juneau, where We stopped over night
on the 4th It is quite a good-sized
town Of two or three thousand inhab-
itants, and I was surprised to find it
80 up-to-date in every way. Every
bit of the town is heavily planked TO
keep a person from going out of sight
during the wet season, and as the rain
falls heavily and frequently at this
time it gave the place the spank, clean
appearance.
One could readily realize that we We're
coming close TO a mining region. All
stores kept open until late in the night
to accommodate the many that out
fitted there for the KlOndike. Gambling
houses and saloons by the score We're
in full blast, and fallen women in num-
bers We're everywhere on lookout for
the yerdant sucker One tail fellow in
boots Of such immense proportions that
they had made him the butt of many
jokes on board our boat obligingly
loaned a woman S25 to make up a
sum necessary for her to have to cash
in her drink ticket-after waiting her
return patiently for a length of time
sufficient to allow her plenty of time
to get away-kicked so hard that
young man representing himself as a
lawyer kindly volunteered to see the
girl and prevail upon her to return the
money. He demanded and received $40
for his services, and departed to hunt
up and no doubt divide net profits OF
the little cleanup.
Whisky was % cents per drink, but
1t did not seem to make any difference
in the numbers that usually fill up on
such occasions.
We arrived at Skaguay Bay
about dark last night. This place is
some four miles from Dyea, and like
Dyea is situated at the head of a lit
tie inlet that is shut in on all sides
by lofty mountains. 1t is already a
city of tents and typical in every way
of a mining or frontier camp.
Upon information received at Juneau,
our party are divided as TO which is
the better trail-White's Pass or the
Older one, Chilcoot Meetings We're
held with the object of having the ma
jority agree to land at Sl1aguay in
stead of Dyea, where nearly all the
freight is billed for, but nothing could
be gained further than to have COM
mittee appointed to get off at Ska
quay and investigate as far as possible
the condition of things at that point
with a view to being able to learn from
those already on shore which place Of
fered the best opportunities for get
ting over the mountains. The COM
nittee spent half the night in the in
vestig'ation, and found the condition OF
things so bad that their report was
discouraging enough. About half the
crowd decided to come on to Dyea, so
after dumping off nearly all the live
stock we came on this morning, and
found exactly the same state of al
fairs here.
What mess it all is. Provisions and
miscellaneous cargo of freight have
been dumped out ON mud flats and
later hauled to a point above tide
water and piled up 50 as to make one
great big tumble. We are going
through the same thing to-day, except
ing that our effects are put out on the
steep mountain sides ON the rocks, and
Win have to be taken away again in
small boats at SO per ton.
It's hard to give even remote idea
Of the chaos that exists Men with their
outfits are strung out on trail clear TO
the mountain. There they find a bar
rier that, without help of the Indians or
with horses, is almost impossible. Rates
for freight have gone up to 80 cents per
pound over the White Pass, and at
Chilcoot the Indians demand 80 cents
to get it to the summit from head of
canoe navigation. From the landing
To head of canoe navigation is six miles,
and the Indians want ) cents per pound
for the use of their canoes to take it
that far This means that after the
boats are loaded you have to put on
gum boots and pull the boats up the
river with ropes while the Indians sit
on top and enjoy the ride.
A great many to save the expense
a this first stage of the game pack
their outfit on their backs. This means
a delay of several days and not a little