The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1897-12-03

III OOUUI " tu6 uAHIWAysWut SvSS u C011e
pleied. and certainly, unless matters are
rushed much more, vigorously than at
present, the tramway will be Of little as
sistance to those who 60 in in the spring.
There is also wagon road, but Il Is Of
no more use than the tram, and the only
means of transport at present is by the
pack horse or the human back.
The trail is almost impossible for any
pack train now. There are four or five
feet Of snow on the summit and the trail
is very icy in many places. A pack
train that started out just before arrived
had to cache their loads and return, be-
ing unable to get through. met NUM-
Der of persons who came in on foot and
of course they had little loadSor none at
all; and they all declare it to be trip
terrible in the .amouut Of suffering and
hardship to be endured.
| While was at Skagway,, two men
came in from the White Horse rapids.
They had watched an experienced hand
run over five boats; then they tried to
run their own outfit, with the result that
they drowned one of their party and lost
every bit of their outfit, and had to be
assisted on their return by the Canadian
police. One of these men went to work
in Skagway and the other was trying to
raise the means to return to his home.
On Tuesday, the l6th,> party of four
teen started in flat-bottomed sloop to
go from Skagway to Dyea. The north
wind drove them five miles south Of
Skagway, and here two of the men de-
cided to take to the shore. The other
twelve had not been found when Ileft
Skagway on Friday morning. The two
on shore suffered terribly; one climbed
over the mountains and reached the
town, and then a tug went out after the
other. They also went ten miles down
the shore looking for the othels. There
was report on the Elder that bonfire
had been seen eight miles below Names
Mission, and I hope those poor fellows
may have been picked up all right. l
mention these troubles that those who
intend to go to the Yukon may not start
thinking that they have a picnic ahead
of them.
On Monday, the 18th, went to Dyea;
went in sail boat. The wind was
raging, and the water was coming over
the gunwale, and wished myself ashore.
After about two hours of this freezing
cold and went reached Dyea, and after
an early dinner in restaurant started,
pack> OH back, to go to Sheep Camp,
about fifteen miles distant. The first
nine miles is pretty fair wagon road,
in some places good enough for buggy.
This nine miles brought me to the head
of the Canyon; here the Dyea Tram Co.
has large camp, and they have the
power house up and the rafters on; by
this time perhaps the roof is shingled.
From the head of the Canyon to Sheep
Camp is five or six miles, over the noun
tain trail. had no idea that horses
could be taken over such place, but I.
met them scratching and scrambling
alon over the steep. slippery rocks, more
like goats than horses. Thepoor brutes
suffer horrible, as their bruised and
bleeding limbs testify. Poor, patient
creatures, how many OF their carcasses lie
along the way, mute evidences of mans
greedy determination to reach the land of
gold.
After tramp of about five hours
reached Sheep Camp, with my heel bad
ly skinned BY the slipping okmy large
heavy rubber boots. My back also ach-
ed from the unaccustomed pack had
borne so many weary miles. My load
was light however, consisting of about
forty pounds of Blankets and other neces-
saries. met one poor fellow, who ask
ed me to help him over bad spot. He
had an ordinary cooking stove on his
back, and he told me that it weighed a
hundred and eighty pounds. Right here
| might suggest to would-be Yukoners,
that they might get themselves some
what in training for their spring trip, if
they would take their kitchen stove out
two or three mornings in the week, for a
constitutional, and if it did not help the
health Of the stove, it might help their
own. and at any rate it would somewhat
prepare them for the hardships Of the
Yukon trip.
At Sheep Camp slept in my blankets
on the ground, and Oh! was it not cold.
1t was fortunate that / had my blankets
or l would have been in bad fix. The
people only charge fifty cents for the
privilege Of spreading your blankets on
i the floor Of their houses. The house ]
slept in had no floor, so Itook the frozen
j ground for it. Y
i Next morning l started for the Pass.
Some Of the regular packers thought !,
too stormy to 60 on to the Pass, but
others and ! among them, started and