The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-20
Says At Least 1000 Men VIII Get
Through to the Yukon.
It is Doubtful, However, if Many
of Them Will Get to Dawson
City This Winter-He Estimates
That $500 Men Have Already
Gone In, But With Very Little
Provisions-What Has Been
Done to the Trail.

SEATTLE, Sept. 19.-The most con-
spicuous figure of the grand confusion
at Skaguay and the White Pass is
without doubt Sylvester Scovel, the
famous correspondent of the New York
World" who is organizing the neces-
sary tools and dynamite to put the trail
in pasSable condition at considerable
expense, enabling many to get through
to the gold fields this fall. Mr.. Scovel
is now in the city, having arrived to-
day on the steamer Rosalie, on flying
trip to communicate with the World. :"
Mr.. Scovel brings the news, which
will come with comforting assurance
to thousands of people who have friends
on the pass, that at least 1000 men
with complete outfits will get through
to the Yukon River, though he be-
lieves that only a small fraction of
this number will reach Dawson City
before winter.
From the best information he could
obtain, gathered from all sources, he
believes that $500 men have gotten
over the Chilkoot Pass, and have gone
on down to the mines. These men,
however, have with few exceptions
gone through with little or no sup
plies. the average amount taken by
each man being not over 800 or 600
pounds, not more than enough to get
him to the scene of the great gold fields,
where provisions are not to be had.
when you ask me what condition
the White Trail is ill.," said Mr.. Scovel,
L tell you the trail has been used by
the thousands of men who have been
climbing over the mountains from
Skaguay to the pass. Instead of using
the pass the men have scrambled up
along the sides of the mountains, 300
feet above the pass. The reason they
have done this is that the pass itself
is full of boulders, even in its present
shape being impossible. The Cana
dian builders have no money for dyna-
mite. To get away from these bould-
ers the miners have, throughout the
entire length of the pass, gone up above
the boulders on the side of the hill,
and made their trail The mountains
are steep and the trail in it's present
location can never be made into good
one
Instead of walking along the Skag-
uay River bank, where there is an
easy grade, though of course greatly
INSTRUCTED with boulders and in places
entirely blocked by precipitous points
which jut out into the river, they have
gone off to the side in their great rush
to get through in a hurry. The trail
crosses and recrOsses the river, and
makes long detours which would be
unnecessary by the use of a little dy
Mantle The sum of $1,000 would make
a fine pack trail to the summit, and
50 coo more would complete the trail to
Lake Bennett. Not more than $4,000
would be required to build a good wag
on road the entire distance.
"A man with two horses and an out
fit weighing 1000 pounds could by the
use of the trail thus improved, take in
his outfit in five trips at the outside.
and the expenditure of less than eigh-
teen days time. The possibility of
making this trail a good one has been
told me from four different engineers of
high standing, sent up into that coun-
try by different railway companies
whose names 1 am not at liberty to
state. A railroad could be built on the
same route, but of course what is
wanted is an immediate outlet for the
people there and on the way. A trail
that can be packed over with horses
is absolutely needed, for men are not
going to pack on their backs.
THE men who have gone to the Skag-
uay Pass with determination and grit
have succeeded in getting over it with
their outfits, while those devoid Of
~ h rr;x- - IL
SPAR. 1t is from the latter class that
you have heard SO much of the terrible
hardships of the trail-tenderfeet who
were either unaccustomed to work or
afraid of it.
when 1 arrived at Skaguay and had
been over the route and had secured a
thorough knowledge of the conditions
surrounding it, I saw that the confu-
sion would continue to increase until
the men would organize and make a
united effort to fix up the trail But
none of the men were willing to put up
the money necessary to buy dynamite
and tools They did not know each
other, and were suspicious and dis
trustful Every man wanted to push
on. but was unwilling to do anything
to help others. 1 doubt if even in the
Greek retreat from Larissa was there
such desire to get ahead of others
But the trail was dep in mud and
blockaded and there was no head nor
authority. In this dilemma, recognizing
theneed of immediate action. in behalf
of the New York World I provided
ample explosives and tools, being sure
that with means in their hands. the
Americans on the trail would pull out
Of the mud. This they did When the
news arrived that the World had
provided the necessary dynamite and
tools the men organized and went to
work, 500 of them. Three points of
rock which jutted out into the river
and which necessitated long and labo-
rious detours were blasted out saving
from two and a half to three miles of
travel. making a passage on the route
for hundreds of men and horses"
Percy w. Smith Dead.