The herald., 1897-12-01
IN THE CHlLCOOT PASS
REGISTRAR WADE OF WINNIPEG
CROSSES IN OCTOBER
The Journey Made in the Midst of a
Heavy Snowstornl-Never to
Be Forgotten

ceived the following interesting letter
from her husband, who, with party,
crossed the Chilcoot pass in October. Mr..
Wade Is registrar and crown prosecutor
of the Yukon district. The Manitoba
Free Press prints the letter:
Lake Lindeman, Saturday, Oct %,
1S97.-At the present moment we are
cainped on the south shore Of Lake
Lindeman. 1t is about IT degrees below
freezing, but we are in our blankets and
O good fire In little sheetiron stove
makes everything very comfortable.
Some mounted police and dog drivers
are camped near by, and few of the
dogs are chained up out in front of the
tent door. BY 1--WE" I mean Inspector
Starnes, DR.. Bonnar of the N. w. M. p.
and myself. The other members Of the
party were Judge MCGUIRE and C. C. Nc
Gregor, but they went on to Lake Ben
net this afternoon.
We compose the advance party of the
expedition, and will be followed by Major
Walsh and the rest about the beginning
of the week.
We left the ships side on the steam
launch and yawl for Dyea on Wednesday
and went into same there to get sup
plies and stores ready to leave for the
pass next morning.
On Thursday we were up at o'clock
and had breakfast at O'clock BY 935
our baggae and other supplies, in all 1883
pounds, were loaded on three strings of
mules or pack trains and we started to
Sheep Camp. The judge, inspector, doc
tor and myself were given saddle horses,
but as 1t was cold and we were not al
together selfish, we divided them with
the rest Of the party, taking turn on the
hurricane deck of the cayuse, as they
say here. The journey to Sheep
camp was for time along flat land
covered with water at high tide, where
thousands of salmon were vainly
ftoundering and dying; then up along the
river bed, crossing the stream frequent
ly, now on stepping stones and now in
rubber boots UP to our hips, or on horse
back, according to whose turn it was.
The mountains pierced the sky on both
sides of US, brown and rusty, and
with rough, fretted sides, and crowned
with snow. After a time we left
the river bed and began the
apparently endless struggle up the
mountain streams, through gorges and
clefts In the rock, along lodges and cor
duroy bridges, through mud holes and
past dangerous spots, where dead horses
told of the difficulty of the trail, all in
the cold and the snow blowing on our
backs.
The scenery on all sides was SO stupen-
dous and novel in character that I am
sure no one of us felt in any humor to
complain, although for great part of
the way we were compelled to dIslnount
and lead our horses or drive them ahead
of US up the mountain sides or through
the marrow defiles and clefts in the rock
along the way, We reached Sheep Camp
about 2:45. The snow, which had begun
to fall about l o'clock, on entering the
canon, was still blowing wildly around.
us and we were glad enough to go into
camp with the knowledge that we had
the rest of the day and the night to rest
before proceeding to the Scales" and
up the Chilcoot pass. Here we met Cor
poral Rudd in command of detachment
of N. w. M. p. and a number of dog
drivers.
Next morning, Friday, October 22d,
reveille sounded at 4:30 and we were up
at breakfast From here everything had
to be packed by men, as mules are not
used beyond this point, though some
have gone over the entire pass light"
that is without packs. The night before
our ninety-three pieces of baggage and
boxes Of supplies had been handed out
to the packers and by o'clock they were
all on the way to the Scales" Packing
from Dyea to this point costs cents
a pound. From here over the pass to
Lindeman We are paying so cents q
pound. A feryman paid $500 to have a
$40 boat carried to Crater lake over the
lass, but made $1,000 with it in two weeks
ind then sold it for $500.
A LONE GRAVE
About o'clock we came abreast of
the great glacier from which on Sep,
tember 18TH last the great rush of water
was precipitated which carried immense
masses Of rock down into the canyon and
killed poor CRoynski. The glacier looks
enough and beautiful indeed,
when its pale green depths are
lit by ray of sun. At 1882 we came
acros poor Choynski's grave, a gap in
the rock where his body had been thrust
and cribbed about with stones. The mar
row gap was stopped by simple rough
board about four feet long and eight
inches wide, with this inscription: "a.