The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-20

Seattle, Wash. Sept. 19.-The most
conspicuous figure of the Grand Con-
fusion at Skaguay and the White Pass
is without doubt Sylvester ScoveI. the
| famous correspondent of the New York
World. who is organizing the necessary
measures, with tools and dynamite, to
put the trail in passable condition at
an expense of several thousand dol
lars, thereby enabling many to get
through to the gold fields this fall Mr..
ScOyeI is now in the city, having ar
rived today ON the steamer Resale, on
a 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 viii get
through to the Yukon river though he
believes that only a small fraction of
this number will reach Dawson City
before winter.
From the best information which he
could obtain, gathered from all sources,
over the Chill1oOt pass and have gone
on down. to the mines. These men.
however, have, with few exceptions,
gone through with little or no supplies.
the average amount taken by each man
| being not over 500 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 in" said Mr.. ScOvel,
Il tell you that the White Pass has not
been used by the thousands of men
who have been climbing over the noun
tainS from Silaguay to the lakes. In
stead of using the pass, the men have
scrambled up along the sides of the
mountains, $50 feet above the pass. The
reason they have done this is that the
pass itself is full of bOuIders and even
| in it's present shape is impossible. The
/ Canadian builders had no money for
dynamite. To get away from these
! bouldars 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 noun
tatns are steep and the trail in its
| present location can never be made
into a good one
MISGUIDED TRAILERs.
Instead Of following along the Skag-
uay river bank where there is an easy
grade, though the course is greatly OBJ
structed with boulders and in places
entirely blocked by preeipitous 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 detCurs, which would be
unnecessary by the use of a, little dyna-
mite. The sum of $1,000 would make a
fine pack trail to the summit and $4,000
would be required to build a good
wagon 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 Is days
time. The possibility of making this
trail a good one has been told me by
I four different engineers of high stand
ing sent up into that country by differ
( ent railway companies, whose names
! am not at liberty to state. A railroad
4 could be built on the same route, but
/ of course what is wanted is an immedi
/ ate inlet 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 freight
on their backs. The ChiIkoot trail, of
/ course, cannot be used for horse pack
| ing.
THE men who have gone to the
| Skaguay pass with determination and
! grit have succeeded in getting over it
1 with their outfits, while those devoid of
]
I appointment. It is from the latter class
\ that you have heard so much Of the
I terrible hardships Of the trail-@tender-
{ feet who we're either undccumStOmad
to work or afraid Of it.
ORGANIZATION EFFECTED.
"When arrived at Skaguay and had
! been over the route and had secured a.
thorough knowledge Of the conditions
surrounding it, saw that the con-
fusion would continue to increase IN
4 less the men would organize and make
/ a united effort to fix up the trail. But
none of the men were willing to put
: the money. necessary to buy dynamite
and tools into the hands of any one
man. they did not know each other and
we're suspicious and distrustful. Every
man wanted to push on, but was I'M
| willing to help others doubt if even
at the Greek retreat from LarisSa was
there such a desire to get ahead Of
others. But the trail was deep in mud
and blockaded and there was no head
nor authority. In this dilemma, recOg-
uiziug the need of immediate action, in
behalf of the New York World / pro-
vided ample explosives and tools, being
SIRE that with means in their hands.
the Americans on the trail would pun
ont of the mud. This they did. When
the news arrived that the World pro-
yided the necessary dynamite and
tools the men organized and went to
work-SO0 of them. Three points Of
rock which jutted out into the river,
and which necessitated long and
laborious detours, were blasted out,
saving from two and g, half to three
miles of travel. making a passable
route for hundreds of men and horses. y