The times., 1897-09-01
VOYAGE UP YUKON RIVER
POet-Miner Miller Describes
Cruise in the Golden Current.
OLD GLORYIN BRITISH WATERS
Prize Fighter Slavin Found in a
Camp Heading Gang of Read
Make Sailing in Tagish Sea.
PIEcky Prospectors Brave the Ter
rors of White Horse Falls.

New York, Aug. 31.-Joaquin Miller N
mis- letter to the Journal, dated. At the
Head OF the Yukon, Dominion OF Canada
August G." writes:
a few days ago this great river, the
greatest in volun.e and length on the globe
some say, was almost unknown Today it
is the most renowned, and still entirely
new 20 the world Of inquiry a brief letter
from its source, therefore, involving
voyage, incidents, flowers, animal life and
all that, must be Of interest To the millions
with esturned TO the golden Yukon.
we started in our barges on the morning
OF August 3. The Examiner, equipped and
Hanned for our party, carried captain
of thirteen years experience, four boat
men, cook and five passengers. besides
a fulI cargo OF miners supplies. We have
not been out OF sight Of some sort OF craft
since casting off, but in ali this distance
we have not met one thing going up these
waters. We have not seen one living thing
on either of the wide. wild banks, not even
a deer-no, not even a bird. The weather
has been beautiful, mild as San Diego
May, all the time save a single night; 50
warn. even the day preceding IL and the
day following that the boatnen We're in
their shirt sleeves all the time, and the pas
scugcrs courted the shade Of the sails.
But let us take up the quiet Incl
dents Of the voyage and things TO be
noted iH their order. Our business was
70 60 forward as fast as possible, and
30 it was that we had TO take the first
thing to eat, no matter at all about dis
comfort, or anything at all but the one
objective point ard purpose the Alonclke
mines and the situation at the sCene of
excitement
'.SItvin, the Australian prize fighter,
appeared In camp al the head OF
gang Of staIwart road-makers, through
an entirely new region, and his report
Of wild game, fish and fowl, had filled
US with expectation, and we prepared
Notwithstanding the haste, to have much
sport descending the great river. The
river here where we emit arked was full
10 its banks with melting SHOWS, and
quite equal to the Hudson. and yet only
few miles from its deep blue and most
beautiful fomtain-head.
sYuu wll never really aud truly know
this river until you have seen it, or
have read a true description Of this sec
ton OF its mountain wall. And who can
pen that description? Surely, not ]. You
can Imagine the cold, blue waters. bottom
less: the stream runs in many places, the
bluest OF all blue waters; the oolcest,
Clearest. sweetest in the world: but you
cannot imagine these massive, ice-crowned
and granue-bunt mountains.
The mountains. those massive, fearful
mountains are alike. Mountains on top
Of m0uataias. mountains milne wifhmount-
aims, a monotCny OF sky-companied mount
aims BUTT isthe monut0nyof the stars,
monotony of majesty and maEuificence- In
camp nov, tin plates tin spoons our forks
wmttled from fragrant pine sticks; OUT
tin plateSiu our laps our fish in our fingers.
But were ever trout so sweet, 50 sweet?
Were ever such hungry, hungry men?
The mountains have gone back \ little.
as II TO repoSe; some seem 70 hayeIaid down
TO sleep. 1T is 1880, San Francisco time,
the sur is almost down and we tie up.
and in the small pines Oh the sand We re-
pUse TIL dawn, 3 O'Clock.
You must know that we are in British
waters with our Americana flag, and so have
been ever since We took TO water; and so
we shall be till the Klondike and thu day
beyond. And il makes me impatient to see
this artificial line bet ween the two great
nations of the earth, when nature has made
this mighty river as if for that use and
purpose
Here the wind dropped out; lock to the
woods the captain said. Then the wind
came back and banged us in the teeth.
Then We tied up at the end Of Caribou Pass
ard atuhe end OF Tagish Sea. and took tools
and went OFT among the pines. Only two
cOlOrs, too. You all know that color
is gold. Briefly, 4 color is a particle o pure
gold. IL you had coIors enough you could
pay up the national debt. 1 sa this much
for readers in other lands, for all on this sea
bank know this much OF gold.
Again q sea sailing under a stiff breeze
right into Tasish. Now, this sea OF Tagish
is q terror, one Of the terrors that CON
tinaally loom up TIL we go forward and
pass over it. A wind plGnges down from
out the snow peaks and plows the arm of
the sea 10 the right of US, and then furrows
the main sea to foam and drives boats
ashore. The captain tells us to look out
for squalls. All the smaller boats have
fuTled sails, aud are creeping close up
shore and trying 10 get to some little islands
ahead. We brave the open Tagish, and
spat, iiang, boomi AS we turn a granite
nosed eadland, as if in ambush, the mighty
arm is thrust out for Us and lays hold terri
Idly. Oar larboard trace is parted, the
mainstay gets loose, and our topsail is a
big, white bird away up yonder, hunting
FOR the clouds. But we get through, of
course; wonderful what dread things we
pull through: for it really did look for a
time as If we would be wrecked.
Now we see great big moose tracks
in the mud The head of the expedi-
tion is in rubber boots, gun In hand.