The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-29
BORDER LAND
What Was Seen and Heard BY a
Correspondent.
Of THE THOUSANDS TIED UP
At Skaqua, Not One in Forty viii Be Able to
Get There Ere Spring Steamer
Portland's Valuable
Cargo.
Of THE THOUSANDS TIED UP

Il lOnulyke.
1t was brought out today by John j.
Mckay and party, who made the journey
UP the Yukon and lakes in twenty two
days, breaking the record by eight days
for the INLAND trip. When the steam h p
Portland arrives at Seattle from St
Michaels, which she Is expected to with
in a few days, there will no: be enough
figures on the fever gauge to show the
increase in excitement. In her strong
room and under heavy GUARD. the Port
land will carry S3,500,00O worth of Klon-
dyke gold dust.
When the Rt.la Yukon river s cam r left
Dawson City .ihree weeks ago to cornsct
with the Portland at the mouth OF tine
great river she had corded up ON her
main deck forward, in eacks like so
much wood, that amount. of nuggets ard
dust, taken out of the creeks of sihe Treas
ure Land.
IA tarpaulln was carelessly thrown over
the gold. The little steamer threw off
her lines and swung around to follow the
current to the SEA. amid the huzzahs Of
thousand men, and Mr.. Mckay was am
eye witness to the scene. Mr.. Mckay will
put NO estimate on his wealth. He tells
tale of gold that makes the heart jump
and the pulse Jingle.
He said. There is more gold in hat
country than any man has yet dreamed
Of"
Skagua, Alaska, Aug. 19.-Via Seattle,
Wash.)-Four weeks ago this patch of
ground was a wilderness without human
Efe. Two weeks ago 1T was the biyouac
of handful of pioneers. Today it is a
bowling mining town of 1000 men and
women, 1000 tents, several houses and
four flour3shing saloons one of which is
a dance hall. Within two weeks more, If
the news brought by the last Klo-dyke
party that there is gold enough for all
is verified, this scalawag Skagua will
boast 5000 people.
The cry day before yesterday: There
will be a man for each nugget, = has
changed to Joyful, There will be mug
gets for each man..
Not ONE man in twenty here Will reach
Dawson City his year. Many have put
their last dollar in their Klondyke Stakes.
1t was all they had. There is no work.
The spring of 1898 will find Thousands lit
orally straving, their provisions having
gone to satisfy their winters needs. They
can go neither forward nor backward, for
much money is neeiiful 10 do Cd her Could
the plain facts of the situation have been
telegraphed from the spot week ago
it would have prevented all sensible peo-
pie from leaving ait least something at
home for "a worse than nothing here. Sav-
eral shipl0ads now on me way upwards
never would have started.
The estimate that mot one in twenty
would get across the mountains in time
for open water on the Yukon has drop
ped to one in forty, SO bad is the trail.
There will be at least 5000 disappoint-
ed people forced ITO winter here. Day by
day provisions will be idly eaten in camp
here that should be sustaining gold earn
ing muscles over in the Klondyke.. Men
will have nothing to do but think. They
will become first dispirited, then morose
and then savage if not held severely in
check. Fores icing this, the permanent
people here organized an additional Wig
ilanc committee.
D. J. Mckinney, a prominent business
man of Seattle, is president, and w. F.
Rapertas of New Yorks fashionable 7th
regiment is secretary.
Mrs. L. D. Keiser is a plucky woman.
Well provided with cash. she started
from her home in Jacksonville, ILL.,, to
go through to Dawson City; Miss Geor-
gia Osborne and young A. S. Mitchell
started with her.
When Mitchell saw thu path damned
with big packs, hanback,, horseback and
dogback, he decided that Klondyke this
year was an impossibillty, and, rather
than winter here, he sold his elaborate
outfit to a sturdy frontiersman for bit
of papsr representing an eight-hund-
redth interest in whatever he might
strike.
But Mrs. Keiser vows she is going
through, and Miss Osborne, too. Mrs.
Keiser bought five good pack animals
for an even thousand. THY would have
cost $40 each in Seattle.
Mrs Keiser may get through. 1t will
probably cost her about 1852. She trav-
els chiefly for pleasure.
Skagua has just finished the observ-
ance of its first Sunday. The black
sm5ths anvil rang away all day long, and
the carpenters hammer and saw kept
knocking and rasping out sound.
The pack train saloon canvas sides in
closed thirsty crowd, the full length of
a long planed board bar. The roulette
wheel whirred, the dice ratified on the
crap table, and chips clicked in big
poker game. The saloons were damned.
Towards evening drinks came thicker
and stacks heavier Although there was
no disorder, men began to walk waver
ingly and faces wore an alcoholic blush.
The first piano in Skagua came along
upon a.wagon, and coarse jests flew over
the coming dance. the dance hall and
''the girls.
Somebody began to sing. Half a
dozen msn looked to see where the voice
came from On pile of useless po.ib- bic
boatplanks that some tired owner had
thrown down with curse, stood you g
man singing hymn. The melody was
poor and the fellows voice was not over
ly good. but it was hymn, and he was
in earnest. He sing a s7cond song, then
another without effect. He did not seem
to know it. Sons women gathered. Then
came some men from their tents.
Fsa y,f1ior en-ed SONGS ryera f.hor1,c -