The herald., 1897-11-08
Los Angeles Party 10
Winter Quarters
FAIL TO REACH KL0NDIkE
HILL GLACIER PROVES AN IN
sURMoUNTABLE BARRIER
But a Portion of the Party Will Try
It Again in the Spring-Camp-
ing at Neskataheen

After a desperate but fruitless at
tempt to force an entrance to the gold
fields of the Yukon by a new route via
Yakutat bay and the headwaters Of the
White river. the Los Angeles party is
now in winter quarters at the mouth
of the Alseck river and will wait until
the middle of next February before
making another attempt to press on to
Klondike.
In a letter from Hill glacier, dated
September 18th, c. NJ. Holmes, the Her.
aid correspondent with the party, de-
scribes the beginning of the overland
trip from the head of Yakutat bay. The
glacier is situated on Disenchantment
bay, fifty miles north of Yakutat. The
party arrived there the day the letter
was written. OF their journey Mr..
Holmes says:
"The Los Angeles party of eleven
members arrived here today. All well
and hearty. We hired three boats at
Yakutat and made the trip to the foo.
Of Hill glacier in two days by hard row.
ing and some sailing. The entire partj
have about 5000 pounds Of freight. To-
morrow we commence packing over the
glacier which is forty miles long and
reported quite rough. From where we
are now camped it will be necessary to
pack the entire 5000 pounds over the
entrance to the glacier for two miles, at
which point we will commence shedding.
We expect to cross the glacier by Octo-
Der 1st. After we cross we hope to make
Alseck river and so north by water or
shedding on ice, thence across the coun-
try to tributaries of the White river
and camp for the winter, doing what
prospecting we can until spring.
Weather is fine, wind rather cold
blowing off the glacier. Am writing this
hurriedly, as Indians are waiting to re-
turn to Yakutat."
OF the failure of the party to cross the
glacier and the going into winter quar-
ters Mr.. Holmes writes as follows from
Neskataheen under date of October o9th:
after weeks of hardship we arrived
here in good condition. We found it
impossible to cross Hill glacier. 1s>ter
packing our freight two miles and
thence three miles up the glacier we
returned to the mouth of Alseck river
by boats and towed our possessions in
smaller boats up the river.
This place is merely trading post
run by Dalton, and is on the Dalton
trail from Chilcoot to Dawson City. the
route used for driving sheep and cattle
over from Dyea to the Flondike region
We find this vicinity abounding in game,
black bear, cinnamon bear, wolves and
ducks and smaller game galore. We will
probably go into camp here and winter
~ l.~&
we will move by seds for the White
river. We found "color" in many places
of very fine gold, but did not go to bed
rock at any time. not thinking it worth
while. In and around the vicinity of
Yakutat bay, on the ocean bars as well
as on the island in the bay, we found
Color" and there are a few parties
camped along the coast washing out a
few dollars at low tide.
"As soon as we are settled for the
winter in our log cabin We contemrlte
season of hunting for pastime, of
which I will inform you later We
could move on up to Lake Klul1shu, the
head of the east fork of the Alsecl
river, but that would leave us in open
country with no fuel and that is an i'm
portant matter at this time Of the year
Last night we had the first frost of the
season, and found ice this morning one
fourth of an inch thick. For the past
two weeks the Weather has been cloudy,
with continued cold. driZzing rain. The
Indians tell US we can look for a freeze
up at any time from now on. They also
report an entirely different country
forty miles beyond (north) our pres
ent locality. They say it is open and
fine grazing lands, abounding in ber-
ries, such as wild strawberries, rasp-
berries and blueberries, and give credit
to their stories, as we found wild straw
berries in abundance as late as Septem-
ber 10th on the many islands in Yakutat
bay, and ate our fill thereof.
I'VE could have crossed the forty
miles OF glaciers, but ON account of the