The Republican journal., 1897-09-30
klOndike News,

| Harper's Weekly is now receiyino its
regular weekly budget of Klondike news
from its special correspondent, Tappan
Adney. The instalment published in the
issue of September 18th is dated S. S.
Islander, Aug. 10, 1897, the writer being on
his way from.Victoria to Juneau. The
following extracts are interesting: cit is
a good natured, sober crowd aboard. Sew.
eral have remarked how undemonstrative
it is. Of our passengers one half are
Americans. They are of every degree and
of all sorts but dudes. There is house.
builder from Brooklyn, a contractor from
Boston, the business manager of a New
York paper, and boys that seem not over
nineteen. They have all formed parties
or partnerships, some to share every vicis-
situde or fortune, others only to last until
the gold diggings are reached. Only few
are dressed in the loose, rough clothes of
the miner. Several that | know who are
going in have kept on their city suits, and
it has been amusing to see men unaccus-
toned to rough garments emerge one
by one from their staterooms with their
miners rig of heavy boots and cordurovs.
CAAS
man of spare but wiry build who turned
out in full buckskin suit. at which some
smiled but after a talk with him it was
impossible not to admit that while the
buckskin might ''draw'' some what in wet
weather, nevertheless he was as we'll fixed
as any man on board. He is packer and
hunter, and halls from the Black Hills.
and has partner seven feet tall.
lone noticeable thing is the total alb
sence OF oaths OF the sort of language one
will hear continually from morn till night
| among lumbermen. The conversation is
pitched in a low key; men have serious
things to talk about-those they have left
behind, the pass ahead of them, their out
fits, and those of their neighbors Some
are pretty we'll equipped; indeed, save for
a general lack of water proof sacks, they
are well prepared for the rainy country
which, by the lowering clouds and in
creasing banks of fog, we seem to be en-
, tering.
| ''Of the passengers aboard it may safe
| ly be said that each man has half a ton of
freight stored away in the hold. Some,
representing companies, have more than
that. There is a large consignment of
sleds aboard and several boats, all of
which are in lengths too long to pack over
the pass. We learned that boats taken up
are being left behind. One New York
party have folding canvas canoes.
''During the daytime we lounge about
on the bales of hay on deck, some of us
sleeping, others admiring the grand noun
tain scenery through which we pass.
/ Others, who have rifles to test keep a
/ sharp lookout for ducks. Going through
| the nalrows between Vancouver Island
and the mainland we came across numer-
Gus small coveys, which gave us long
shots, in which the excellence of the new
30 40 smokeless'' as long range guns
stood forth Enthusiastically, 'Btckskin
/ Joe, - as We dubbed our mountain man
from the Black Hills has a gun which,
like himself, is unique. 1t is a 30 10 box
magazine Winchester placed side by side
on the same stock as Il Winchester repeat
| ing shot gun, and there is a telescope
1 sight between them. 1t is an odd weapon
fortunately so put together that it can be
taken down and each gun fitted to a sep
arate stock.i
''Freight is in utmost confusion, three
I parcels of my own that came aboard as
my personal baggage went into the hold {;
! the result, some valuable Photographic
chemicals are crushed, although in heavy
! boxes. No one knows where his oats and
/ hay are. Everybody is borrowing from
his neighbour We have three bales of hay
and a thousand pounds of oats, and, ex-
cept for one bale of hay, not pound OF
our horse-feed have we been able to get
at to use on the voyage.