The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-24
MARKED By DEAD MEN
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TRAIL OF THE KLONDIKE WILL DE
WELL DEFINED NEXT SPRING.
Predictions of Frank Phiscator, a
Hardy Miner, Who Has Returned
with Big Fortune.
STORY OF ALASKAN PERILS
TRIP FROM DYEA TO LAKE Under
MAN ONE OF GREAT DANGER.
GoId-Seekers More Likely to Die than
Survive-OppOrtuni to Test the
Value of Reindeer.

CHICAGO. Aug. 23.-Frank Phscator is
back from the Klondike. with his pockets
full of nuggets, his purse full of drafts and
five times a millionaire. He became gold
king in fifteen months. He went West with
money he earned saving wood. He was
backed by two strong arms. a brave heart
and a constitution as tough a knot. He
ran race with death over glaciers, crags
and passes, through raging rivers, canyons
and rapids into frozen lakes, killing
storms, murderous insects and pests, past
starvation, along yawning chasms and un-
der avalanches. 1t is his verdict that
man who stands the venture earns all he
gets. He pities the men who have dared
to try the trip. He will be surprised if one
quarter of the crowd that has started gets
through alive. He expects to find the trail
from Dyea to Dawson strewn with dead
when he goes again in March.
This mans story, says the Times-Herald,
sounds like the tales from books of adj
venture where fact has no place He told
1t at the Great Northern last night to some
men who were preparing to start for the
gold field. They went home converted.
Phiscator says the pay is not worth the
risk. He declares there is only one kind of
man that can get to the creeks-one trained
in the hardshps of the wilderness, hard
ened by years of hard fights with actual
frontier life and one versed in all the ac-
complishments which are acquired in a
country where the best man is he who gets
his pistol out first. A course of thirteen
years in such school put him into fairly
good condition, but this years jaunt into
the arctic circle pulled sixty pounds of
flesh from his bones. The man who gets
through it comes out only by accident. the
rule being that his bones are left-in the ice
and snow.
Phiscator looks the sort of man re
would build for this journey. He is short,
stocky and weighs 230 pounds He has
sharp, clear eye-an eye of a man that
would shoot rather than be shot His up
per lip curls up in an expression of reck-
lessness. His hair is jet black. His neck is
short. He walks with a swagger shakes
hands with q hard tug, takes his bracerS
straight, wears the big white hat of the
West. When he talks he looks squarely at
one, and his talk has the ring of rough
honesty. There is nothing on earth that
would frighten him He was not afraid to
plunge into upper Laska alone and single
handed.
HAS ALWAYS ROUGHED IT.
ut is all a good deal of a dream to
ltilOW Ike me- nt SdIu DIS he luIuDleu ii
couple of yellow Jumps that he had picked
out of the sand. Il never had cent in
the world until / went West. You see, my
father died when l was three years old.
We were living on a farm over at Baroda
Mich There wasn't much left after the
affairs were settled up and it was a hard
time of it from then 1 stayed at
home until | was nine. The only thing for
me to do then was to get out and work
for myself
Il can remember blowing corn when
j.. was considerably shorter than the top of
the handles of the plow. 1t was a case
of knock around during all my boyhood,
and one day ! thought | would go West.
The rough life pleased me, and by hook and
crook in Baroda, saving wood and jobbing
around ] 1 managed to get together enough
promised no more than any place else, but
1t was a case of hard work and win or go
to pieces. / managed to get along from
sistant packer. We carried freight.
"A few years later happened to meet
government contractor who had a mail
route 1t looked like pretty good thing
and by scheming l captured the right to
carry the sacks from Cook City to Nam
moth Springs, a distance of sixty miles.
1t was about the hardest road in all the
Rocky mountain region This is probably
said would be able to keep atsf the way open open
during the summer, but they asked some
body to have mercy on my soul in the
winter.
TT seemed to me that was born for just
such venturesome undertaking. l was
happier over the prospect of keeping that
track open where other men had failed
than was ever before or have been since
This was fourteen years ago, and l was
not of age, although | looked to be. The
mails never missed a delivery that winter
although one time | was three days over
due; sleeping In IA snow drift three nights
during fr1ghttul storm
The next thing got to do was in yell
lowstone Park, acting as guide for tourists
and supplying ponies for hunters. My taste
ran to mining, and during some of the
frelghting contracts / would ride for DAYS
with men who knew all about the business
I should think it was about ten years ago
that we first began to hear of the gold in
Alaska, and this was picked as my field
All the experiences in Montana had been
rough-so rough that there seemed no
chance that / would suffer more than had
up TO date This is where a great mistake
was made. | tell you 1t was never intended
that any human being should live in the
klondke country and a great many of the
poor fellows who have started will never
have chance Of trying it. They will die
along the road.
RISKS HIS LIFE FOR GOLD NINE
TT was the KlondilSe or die year ago in
February. The chances were ten to one
would never come home. and in view of the
cheerful outlook l came to Baroda aud Chi
cago to say goodbye TO my friends and rel
atives. 1t seemd to be a big risk but had
to come to the conclusion to risk all / had
as well as my life in one last try for a gold
MIME. You see, l had had years of rough
ing ii and knew exactly what | wanted to
take along. There didn't seem to be any
other man who wanted to go with me, az
one cold day | stood alone on the Seattle
wharf about the only white man bound to
Juneau
1t is easy to Juneau The business of the
journey begins right at this pointer it did
at least to me. / picked up a fellow on
the boat who was pretty brave and we
Joined forces. There was but little accurate
ngs:r:og s.uu...... g M