Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-08-20

| utke region - Ihe TROUBLES BY
Mountain and Stream Frozen
Heans for Food Custom House
Get There.
William Kolju, who lately returned
from the Klondike with $4,000 in
gold dust, says the percentage of men
who make rich strikes is no greater
than in the average mining camp.
"Some of the oldest settlers are poorer
than when they went there, although
they have worked untiringly. All the
pay dirt lies at the bedrock, beneath
the bed of streams, and the only time
it can be reached is in the winter
when the water is frozen. In summer
it cannot be reached because of the
water"
To obtain chance on the klondike
a man who very likely never saw gold
field in his life, starts from Dawson
City now. Arriving at Dyea he faces
a savage mountain trail, upon which
snow has already begun to fall. He
has ton of provisions and utensils
The Indian guides refuse to pack il
even over Chilcoot Pass for less than
% cents pound, a sum which prac-
tically doubles its cost. As no dogs
are left in the market, the tenderfoot
cannot be his own teamster; he must
hire the Indians at their advanced
price, running the risk that they will
raise the figures on the way,
He starts on foot through drifts. II
the snow is soft he wades through it
if hard he is expected to adapt himself
to snowshoes. If any rivers are open
he must build a raft or boat to navi-
gate them, taking his chance of losing
his stores in the rapids. What does he
know about building RATS or boats?
AS freezing weather has begun, the
chances are, however, that he will have
to walk. Fifteen miles day through
snowdrifts is excellent time, and the
space to he travelled is from $50 to
1000 miles. Accounts differ as to the
distance.
The days grow rapidly shorter, but
even when they are reasonably long
they are likely to be overcast and dark
Alaska has but Sc clear days in the
year on an average. In midwinter the
sun rises from $50 to 10 A. NJ, and
sets from 2 2to3P.M. The weather
grows worse and worse after summer
ends. According to Willis L. Moore,
Chief of the United States Weather
Bureau, in the interior of Alaska the
winter begins as early as September,
when snow storms may be expected in
the mountains and in the passes.
Heading one of these storms is impos-
sible, and the traveller who is overtaken
is indeed fortunate if he escapes with
his life.
Our tenderfoot, after incredible
hardships, crosses the Chilcoot and
braves the long trail. There are no
inns for him to rest in. At night the
guides get sheltered place behind a
rock or in a ravine, and if they can,
build fire. This bonfire process is
not easy in the Arctic, which is one
reason why seasoned explorers cook
with alcohol and Esquimaux with
whale oil. A recent home-comer from
tho Klondike speaks of frozen beans
as his chief article OF winter fare. BY
daylight he had no time while travel
ing to wait upon the slow process OF
cookery; by night he was exhausted
and wanted to sleep. So he took
frozen food and let it go at that. 1t
was poor diet for man who was
obliged to toll for 10 hours or more
and sleep, shivering, on snowy ground.
He does not want any more of it.
But we will assume that the tender
foot gets through to the Canadian
line. He is stopped by the customs
officials and taxed from 25 to GO per
cent. on everything he brings into the
country. His beans and bacon, cost
ing market rates in San Francisco,
have paid ocean freight to Dyea and
Indian freight over the divide, and
now are made to yield revenue to the
Canadian government. They are ex-
pensive luxuries when finally landed.
The tenderfoot finds himself in a
log city. He can live at the tavern
for $12 per day or build himself log
house. As he never drove nail in
his life he has to hire carpenters at
$15 a day, and as they are not in the
country for their health, they make a
long job of it. Finally, with pockets
sadly depleted, he moves in.
When the innocent gold hunter
looks about him he finds that the only
way to get a claim on the Klondike is
to buy it, and the cheapest one costs
$4,000. He may have $500; perhaps
$l0O; possibly less. The plentiful
gold he has been hearing about, il
above ground at all, is packed away
with an armed man guarding it. II
he wants any nuggets he must find
them for himself. Wheres The ole
settler points vaguely to the frozen