The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-02
FROM THE KL0NDIKE.
Our Special Correspondent Gives Some
Wholesome Advice
TO THE PROSPECTIVE PR0SPECTOR.
He Advises Against Going to the Land of
Ice This Year. If You Must Go
Start Early Next Spring.

still keep coming in from all
parts of the United States Canada
and Europe, all asking about Klon-
dixie.
People want to know when to go to
| Klondike.
They want to know how to get
! there.
They want to know what it will cost.
Nobody wants to know how to get
! back from klondike or how much
money will be made there. They all
expect to get rich and they will not
begin to think Of getting back until
the shoe pinches.
In the first place, 10 matter how
much gold comes out of klondike
this season, don't go there until
spring. Simply make up your mind
to play a waiting game. Don't go
till spring. And don't go at all unless
you can stand hard mountain tramp.
OF course you have plenty of money
and can afford to pay your way regard
less OF expense, you can go anywhere,
any time, with more or less comfort
But the ordinary man who expects
to get his share OF the klondike mug
gets and who does not propose to
spend one fortune making another
should begin calculating right now
and keep it up, without changing his
base Of operations, for about four
months
When four months rolls around it
viii be about New Years and the
Klondikers should then begin to get
into marching trim. FEBRUARY 18th is
early enough to start over the noun
tain passes back OF Dyea and Skag-
way, in Alaska. 1t will be good sled
ing then aud a half ton outfit can be
hauled over the mountains without
much trouble. TO so to klondike
via the Yukon river would bring the
gold seekers to the diggings pretty
late in the season. Those who cut
expenses will go over the mountain
passes. Those who have plenty Of
time and wish to see the country can
go aboard a steamer here and ride in
comfort to st. Michaels and then 90
up the river to Dawson City and the
Kiondike district.
By the way, how far is it from Ia
coma to ST. Michaels?
How far is it from Tacoma to Daw-
son City by the ali water route?
TO either point is a longer jour
ney than to Europe. St Michaels is
2,5o0 miles from Tacoma and klon-
dixie is 100 miles from St. Michaels.
Before this season there have been
but three or four steamers thatreach-
ed st. Michaels each summer Now
the klondike e.,citement is bringing
many new lines into service and last
week six steamers We're headed for
st. Michaels at one time. These ocean
steamers have barges and river
steamers in tow. which will be used
On the Yukon river next summer
They will bring down from Kl0ndike
the lucky miners who wish to return
home to civilization if by that time
some enterprising Yankee has not
built an electric railway or tramway
of some kind over the mountainroute
which is much less than half the dis
tance from Tacoma, being 1850 miles
over the Dyea, Chilcoot and White
passes and 50 miles longer over the
S5tickeen River route.
To-day hundreds OF hardy men with
blistered feet and aching bodies are
tOiling over these very passes. A few
of them will reach Dawson City this
fall but most of will not make much
progress until the snow comes. And
yet, with these conditions known to
people now on the mountain passes
and trails, many gold seekers are
still going north. They have made
all their arrangements to go and
they are going. With them it is
klondike, right away, quick, or
bust. Most of them will BUST so far
as getting into the new digginSs this
year is concerned. Those who wait
until the beginning Of 1898 and start
with fresh stock of provisions and
supplies will get to Dawson City as
quick as many who are just starting
now.
At present the mountain passes are
almost impossible. Heretofore only
a comparative few people went over
them. They went during FEBRUARY
and March and on top of the snow.
They made no trail worthy of the
name and now, all of sudden, three
or four thousand people try to wedge
through the mountain passes at once
and, of course, they get jammed.
That would be the case even though