The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-10-14
THE LAND OF TREASURE.
Our Special Correspondent Makes Trip to
the 'InyaSSatle PaeS2S.'
MANY DISCOURAGED GOLD SEEKERS.
The Passes are Closed FOR the Winter with
Many Hundreds o: Men STRANDED
Tons of Provision Thrown
Along the Trails

week, | have enough very Interesting
notes that would make a dozen letters
of ten columns each. The round trip
to the passes can be made in two weeks
with plenty of time to inspect the
trails, and the expense need not be
over SEQ all told.
/ There are people up there from all
parts of the United States, and the
whole world besides. Men are there
/ fresh f1ana &l{th 80 "a sssb
I from australia and Europe. Every
state in the Union is represented, and
/ the 8tTangest thing about the people
you meet there is rhe fact that they
are not, ,as a rule, discouraged although
encOurtering the most trying hard
ships Bat, OF course, there are eX-
ceptiOns, and you find men who de
nounce everything connected with
kIOndike and Alaska. This is espec-
I tally true on the Skaguay or White
pass. where many have lost all their
/ outfits and have spent all their money
irving to get over the most damnable
scratch on the face of a mountain tnat
ever was designated as pass.
4 There never was a pass there and pro
badly never will be one. Some sur
i veVOrs bla2ed d way along the side OF
the mountain last summer. and then
2 number of men who We're interested
l., a possible railway into the interior
; announced thHt the trail was open
and the people rushed in like so many
sheep They have struggled for so
mauv weeks in the !lud and over the
rocks, and not over |HJ out Of 5000 got
over the "impassable pass
~ Hn trail from ~k9pii1E there is
enough provisions gong to vast, to
load q ship. they were thrown away
by men Who thought to get through
by thus reducing theH patkS. Ihefe
are bags Of beans, Hour, potatoes, Da-
con and han scattered along the trall
for miles. 10 one side few feet III
the brush, big SaraGOga trunk may
i be sceu, 4 few miles from Skaguay,
/ The person who cast 1t Oil started out
/ with the idea that she or he would
need it aion" the trail. Her counter
part in man brought up a bicycle.
What nonsence, Another man took
r canvas to carry his gold nuggets out.
There are dead horses by the hun
dred along the trail. They are better
dead than alive. Their horrible suf-
ferings are ended. For days some of
them had carried packs along the trail
with blood gushing from wounds at
every step, After working all day
they were frequently left standing all
night III the rain without a blanket
Oh and without anything 10 eat. They
could not rest without tloundering in
the mud and slush and that they
would not do until too weak to stand
up. Their owners would not return
for food, and sometimes fed them on
beans and flour. Really the suffering
of the horses on the Slaguay trail is
one of the saddest subjects to dwell ON
in connection with the klondike eX-
element. And, am told, a horse
could not carry food enough for it to
live on and reach the summit Of the
White pass tosay nothing of carrying
packs. And vet most klondikers who
return say they dare not tell the true
situation up there for fear Of trouble