The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-11-14
THE CHILKAT PASS.
ALFRED DALY'S EXPERIENCES ON A
TWP OVER 1T.

States attorney for the district of Alas
ka, recently returned from trip over
the Chilkat pass to Lake Lindeman.
Mr.. Daily was convinced by his expert
ence that a great deal of the hue and
cry about the danger of the Chilkat
pass and the difficulty of getting over it
comes from men who have faint hearts
and soft muscles He declares that there
is not the least danger for any person
reasonably active in attempting the
journey and that any woman who is not
frightened at the prospect of roughing
it i'll moderate degree can get over
the pass with comparative ease and COM
fort.
III speaking of his experience the 9th
er day Mr.. Daily said: 1--WE started
from Dyea about 10 o'clock in the morn
ing, and the first thing we had to do
was to cross the river. You could al
most throw a stone across, but we had
to pay so cents to be ferried. The trail
crosses the river several times before
getting to the head of canoe navigation,
and every time it cost so cents for fer
~, although in some places one can al
| most jump across.
II wore light tan shoes We had
been told by some persons who had been
! over the trail that the best thing to do
was to wear light shoes and to take an
J extra pair, so as to have dry ones. 9th
ers said to wear rubber boots. We
found that the men who were in favor
/ of light shoes had the best of it. The
| trail is very rocky and hard on thin
| soled shoes, but if one wore good stout
walking boots he would be all right.
Our first stop after leaving Dyea was at
| Finnegan's Point, where the wagons
| stop packing. Then we went on TO the
| head of canoe navigation, where there
was tent doing q restaurant business.
| We stopped to get square meal, but
| they had run out of everything but
naince pie and coffee. From the head Of
canoe navigation on to the head Of the
canyon the trail was sandy and rather
good. At the head of the canyon there
is bridge, over which there is sign
saying that Chief Isaacs had built it
free for public use. There the gradual
ascent begins up to Sheep Camp. Part
of this stage has been corduroyed, and
that part was fine.
1--WE got into Sheep Camp about
o'clock and found it place of about
| 200 tents. The trail from the canyon
up was very muddy, and having Oh low
shoes we had to step from rock to
rock or log to log, which made the way
very long. The trail finally narrowed
down to nothing but footpath in
among the powders. We had supper at
Sheep Camp-bacon and beans. We
staid in a shanty where they had a
| floor. 1t was kind of hotel You paid
for the privilege of sleeping on the
| floor We turned in right after supper,
because the proprietor told us that if we
didn't get our blankets down on the
floor very quickly we couldn't get room.
He was right. The floor was full very
soon.
AT z o'clock the next morning we
started for the place where Stone House
used to be. The ascent was very much
| sleeper, and the trail was very muddy.
| On the right as one goes up the trail
there are two glaciers, one of them quite
| large. 1t covers the mountain and is
not apparently held on by anything. 1t
looks as if it would let go at any mo-
! ment and come down The first stop
after leaving Stone House was at a
place called the Scales, because there is
tradition that some time or other
there was a pair of scales there where
they weighed out the packs for the
packers to take over the summit At
the Scales packing by horse ceases, and
the packs go on the backs of the men.
An average pack is from 100 to $50
pounds. l heard some stories about In
dams carrying $50 pounds and about Il
Swede who carried 275, but it takes q
big man to carry from 100 to $50 The
Indians usually carry right through the
whole trip, but the white packers carry
from point to point and double on the
trail. When Indian packers are en-
ployed, the dicker is usually made with
Chief Isaacs, who controls the packing
He arranges with the miners and deals
with the Indians. The packs are made
out and checks are given showing how
many pounds there are in each one. The
prices for packing were running very
high when we were there, so cents a
pound in some cases. After the Indians
take the packs you have nothing more
to do with them and nothing to do
yourself but to get to the lake, claim
your packs and pay off the packers
The Indians usually get there first.
after leaving the Scales the ascent
begins in dead earnest. The face of the
hill is covered with large rocks, and you
step from one stone to another. 1t makes
you think of a great pair of stairs You
just keep raising one foot above the
other, but the constant going up with a
pack on the back gets very tiresome in a
very short time. There is not danger
Gus place on the trail that could see
They take horses and sheep and cattle
over the summit
1.-The descent is much easier than the
climb. 1t leads right down to Crater
lake, where there were few tents
Crater is a very irregular little lake,
with few small islands in it. We met