The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-20
MAIL SERVICE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN THIS GOVERNMENT AND
THE DOMINION AUTHORITIES.
Two Trips Between the Gold Fields
and the Coast to BE Made Each
MOnth-Ready-Made Hotel.

SEATTLE, Wash, Aug. 19-The Asso-
ciated Press correspondent writes from
Lake Linderman, N W. r. under date of
Aug. T. as follows: ION Lakes Lfnderman
and Bennett are nearly 500 people actively
making preparations and building boats for
the descent to the Klondike. The Skaguay
trail is open and the first contingent reached
Tagish lake on Thursday last numbering
200 people. The trail is nearly fifty miles
long and horses are able to pack 80 pounds
from salt water to Tagish. Nearly 1000 peo-
pie are in camp at Skaguay, and it is ex-
pected that they will reach the lakes in
ten days That route will take nearly oil
the travel from the DYea route except dur
ing the winter and spring months The
opening of the Skaguay road is sure to
cause travel to continue as long as Sept. 10.
AT present the Dyea trail IS blocked with
freight and passengers, and to complicate
matters the Chilcat Indians have struck fer
20 cents pound, which makes the cost of
flour laid down at this place $11 q sack.
A boatload of people is leaving here and
Lake Bennett every day for the mines"
Bernard Jerome McGee, a we'll known
character about Seattle. writes q letter
about affairs at Skaguay, which cane down
on the Al-Ki. He gives information about a
river on the Skaguay route that has never
been spoken of specially before. Under date
of Aug. 6 MCGEE says, writing to friend
in Seattle: This is life on the mountain
side OF the tragedy of a pack train. We
landed last Monday at 3:43 p. m from ISL
ander. 1t was Wednesday evening before
we got freight landed. II was the - mess
you ever saw; had to swim our horses a
quarter of a mile, and 1t was raining like
h for two days. We had a pretty hard
time of it when we got in camp. You ought
to see the crowd. There is all kinds, from
sixteen to seventy-fve. There are 1900 peo-
pie, and the most any of them have made
on the trail is four miles, except William
Mcmahon, who made one trip, twelve miles,
and he says it is a terrible proposition.
George Noble and his crowd arrived this
morning. They were going through without
feeding, but they are still here and will be
for several days. Noble says he is going or
bust. There will not be one in five here now
who will get in A horse can pack $50
pounds to the lake and make the trip in five
days, so you see how long it will take a
horse to pack in a ton. There are 1000 tons
of freight here now, and only two pack
six weeks the river will be frozen, and there
the gang will be. 1t will take us with two
horses three weeks to get in about 1900
pounds We are getting some goods packed.
The pack trains are contracted for six
weeks ahead.
Il made two trips out four miles and saw
four horses drowned on the trip. There is
a bad river about a quarter of a mile wide
;aI,
hour. When George Noble got to it he
threw up both hands and sat down on a
stump and rubbed his old bald head
MANY of the boys are going to stay here
until spring, or if they get money they will
go back to Seattle. Tell the people not to
come unless they can bring plenty of horses.
Tell them not to bring boats we all had
boats built in Seattle and not one of them
will go over. 1t can't be done. There are
300 boats on the beach here.
Everybody is cutting out all the goods
they can Men that had 500 to 1000 pounds
are cutting down to about one-half on -four
milk, butter and coffee. You can buy an
outfit to-day for 25 per cent. less than in
Seattle We have two horses that cost $40
can get $500 for them any day. A team is
town." and they get $40 per ton for three
and a half miles. They make four trips
every day; IL costs four bits $50 cents tor
drink. They are paying 81 a day for men
to pack and s. a day to work in the city"
If a man had a hotel or restaurant here
now he could make all the money he
wanted. The town is only four weeks old
and there are 1000 people here now. Next
winter there will be 5000 more"
Skaguay the city of tents at the entrance
of White pass, Alaska, has already gone
into the vigilance business. Following the
drowning of Dwight Fowler, of Seattle, and
Thomas Wall of Nanimo, and the lnsOlent
demands of Cleveland and Young team
sterS. for $40 to requite them for hauling
the bodies to camp, the pr0spective miners
nn int omit Ttf -itya
to enforce the orders of the miners meet
ings Those chosen on the committee were
men who will remain in skaguay all win
ter, and at present T. j. Mckinney, former
ly a well-known railroad engineer, Is acting
as chairman
J. A. Costello. a Seattle newspaper man
writes from camp of the Big Climb Aug
as follows: This is a glorious morning and
grand place and we all feel happy after
week of extraordinary labor and toll.
can't begin to tell you all about it. 1t is too
awful to describe. Nothing approaching it
did ! ever experience In my life; BransOn
and / have 2, 400 pounds and, thank our good
star, have it all with us here in camp,
twelve miles up from salt water-up where
the trees grow short and the white moss
long; up where the snow lies all about us
in the mountain gorges. and where the gla-
ciers play hide and seek with the bright
sun near the mountain crests. 1t is mag
nificent beyond description.
But there has been bitter with all this
sweet. and how shall | begin to tell you
about it? In the first place, We having
horses, are kings among men, The toil-rid,
den men who have for the time turned
beasts of burden. are passed by on the
march up steep hill and down, faboring and
sweating to get their heavy supplies up
where men without loads can scarce make
their way-pOor fellows. They are entitled
to any and all success.
we have seven or eight miles to make
to reach the summit, and are far ahead of
nearly every one who came on the Queen.
Mexico and Islander 1t will take US about
all of next week to make il with our whole
outfit, and we calculate on another week to
get on to Lake Bennett. That will give us
about five weeks for boat building and get
ting down the river by Oct l. We have no
other expectation than to make it.
Many men are falling by the wavside
Many are turning back many more will
not make it. Men without horses are sell
ing outfits at Seattle prices and less Tb,.Iy