El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-15

next year, as the Yukon river, where it
runs in the Attic circle is not navigable
until that time and may not be
navigable more than one week during
the year, as immense ice gorges form.
making a complete to barrier to all ma
viga ton, and one ice gorge no sooner
breaks out and drifts away till another
one forms. These facts, Mr.. Elstner
saws, he obtained from parties return
ing from ST. Michaels, disguised with
their efforts in trying to reach the
Klondike by that route. By the Yukon
he distance is fully fifteen hundred
miles further than by either OF the
other routes.
Taking all this into consideration
Mr.. Elstner decided to go via Juneau,
Skaguay and Dyea. He QUILTED in
Victoria, British Columbia, 50 that he
would not have to paw customs duties
on entering the Klondike country. He
went direct to Skaeuay. which when
he arrived was a fiourishipg town and
growing fist. AS he was late in reach
ing tn at point he decided to leave his
family there and go ahead himself and
recunoiter 50 he could make an early
start in the spring with his fami y.
He made the trip over White Pass,
which he said was one OF the most
difficult trips ever undertake n. Shares
the foot of the mountain to the summit
and down the opposite side, but the
worst feature 10 all to overcome is the
drifting snow, the strong wind and the
continuous dr;zzling rains. This whole
route is covered with quagmires and
crevasses that make it entirely imprac-
tical for animals to cross over. On
reaching the opposite side he fourd
parties getting outfits over both the
White ard Chilkoot trails, and they
employed Indian carriers to whom
they paid 81 per pound for all the
goods brought over, and carriers were
even hard to obtain at those high
rates.
Mr.. Elstner returned via the Chill
koot pass which he pronounced much
more practical than the White Pass,
but sleeper and more dangerous as it
was necessary to go over the summit
when once a start was made, as no
human being could possibly live on the
summit for twenty-fOur hours and
would be blinded and lost if they made
any such attempt. The only way the
trip over the Chilkoot Pass can be
made is by WIS sitting for q clear day and
then making start up the steep in
cline and around craggy rocks coverei
with snow and on the brink of deep
abysses. The trip itself is simply IL
UlsCTlDdUiS dCu ullllCuItlcS ~ ONeFCCmS
cannot be fully realized until one
makes the effort. Macy have tried
aud failed aud fallen back, descoui =
aged, disheatened and tired out 1t
takes muscle and a stout heart, for the
feeble will break down and die, whi e
the weak hearted will fail from fear at
the dangerous places they hsve to
tread. The Indians can carry over
this trail $50 pounds of baggage, bu. a
white man only make the effort with
Is pounds and if be makes the trip
successfully he is glad he did not have
heavier load.
If the pass is once crossed then COM
mences other difficulties. Lake Lin
derman has to be walked around.
When Lake Benne tt is reached it is
necessary to buy a boat, which can be
obtained for $500 ard all the luggage is
load into one of these frail crafts and
a trip down the river is began. There
MANY dangers are also encountered.
There are inume rable rapids, wbirl
pools. and sunken rocks that requires
a cool head and n rye to stee through.
In regard to the town of Skaguay,
Mr.. E stnar says it is q place of from
1000 to 2500 populstions. which built
M suddenly from an Indian fishing
village to the starting p, int for the
Klondike region. 1t is six miles fron
Dyea, which is competing point for
starting outfits and which Is just elk