The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-10
NEEDS NEW
WORDS.
Joaquin Miller Says the Lam
guage is Inadequate
To Describe Even a Single Day
in Alaska.
MEXICO MEETS ALKI.
No News is Received From the
Gold Fields
Because No One is Returning
From Them Now.

New York,Aug. 1o.-The Journal con-
tains the following letter from Joaquin
Miller, en- route to the Klopdfke:
The Duke of Clarence Straits, Alas
ka, July 80, via San Francisco, Cal,
Aug. 6.-Ten o'clock and the sun is still
shining in the snow dappled hills and
peaks of Alaska. The high black hills
right and left are as spotted as Jobs
cattle. Steep canons of snow shelter
down almost to the waters edge here
in the last days of July. We are pass
ing away from under the path of the
sun.
1t is already cool, cold, a SAVIOR of
frost is in the air from the fields of
snow about US, above US. We are
steaming up a mighty gorge, a vast
still river, wide and dolorous and deep,
as one might imagine the river of death
Not a sound, not a sign of anything
at all, save the crOak and shifting of
our own ship, and now and then a
splash of a young salmon, breaking
the CLASSY surface of the great river 1t
is simply great view, the greatest of
tide views, it seems, from Seattle up to
this point in the heart of South Alaska
a thousand Hudson views with peaks
and palisades, set and encircled with
everlasting snow.
All the day that is behind US the
snow peaks and black forests of Prince
of Wales islands lifted like the Sierra
between us and the Pacific, a contin-
uOuS, unbrOken chain. To the right
snow and clouds, and clouds and snow
lighted up the bleak sleeps and peaks
and blazed as the sun battled for su-
premacy in some majestic dream; aw-
full, fearful, as not of earth. One needs
to coin new words, words that are
brighter, bigger, keener than common
words, to describe even a single day in
Alaska.
Even now, long past 10, the tired and
vanQuished sun reaches a sword of sill
yer through the black frs to the west
and at last lays it silently along the
still waters at our feet in sign of re-
1uctant surrender.
Sitka, the capital of Alaska, lies over
yonder away out on the farther reach
of an arm of land, 20 miles away Juno
or Juneau, If you insist on the twist
of tongue and waste of ink, lies a little
further along up this mighty tide riv-
er. The Klondike-Clcndyke, if you
like the white mans name better than
the Indian'S-iS now not nearly a thou
sand miles further on
And how eager the 498 souls on the
ship. Some of them will not go to bed
tonight, many will not sleep.
A strange, pathetic scene took place
little time ago. In the midst of all this
stiffness, solitude, might, and majes-
ty of nature, we met a steamer, the
AIEi, San Francisco, coming right down
upon US out of the clouds and snow. She
had come from Dyea, the nearest pos
sible point for ships to the mecca of all
good gold hunting pilgrims. She came
straight on as if to take US in her
arms. Seeing there was news and good
news for all. she lay right alongside.
The great ships ground their sides to-
gether. Our eager gold hunters came
on the decks by hundreds.
News? News? What is the news
from KIondike?"
Not the ghost of news from there.
good or bad, thousands had gone for
ward and down the great river Yukon,
but not a single one returned. A good
sign, perhaps, but it was as if question
ing the dead. And they were so few
Ct. i
action, compared to our own great big
hearted and open handed men, begging
for news from the gold fields, that it
was as if we had landed CharOn's ship
and demanded the secrets of his dead
Only one bit of news did they have
to tell, and that was doleful enough;
not bit of bacon or bread at the trad
ing posts ahead of US; and the KlOn-
dixie, where there are plenty of sup
plies at some price. away over Juneau,
on and on, hundreds of miles beyond
the glittering mountains of snow before
US. Men looked each other in the face
for many of the miners in their haste
to get forward had brought no supplies
at all, but expected to outfit at the
posts at the base of the mountains, and
that is why some will not sleep tonight.
They will have to turn back or wait for
the traders ships to come from far
away.
1t would seem that more men have
gone into the mines by this mountain
route than had been believed. Yet
think how many are coming. we hear
that ships by the score had been char
tered and every berth taken in them
by the time we were setting out. They
| will be along here the next week or the
next, and likely enough lots of them,
| like some of our own boys, will have no
supplies at all. But then, of course,
| there can be no suffering. There is
plenty in the loads of the more provi-
dent, and these waters are always open
and ships go up and down all the year.
iS finding state things
on the other side of the mountain, but
| it may make delays for a number of
| bold, good men, who have neither pa
! thence nor money to spare.
| At the site of old Fort Wrangel
/ named after a Russian governor who
| founded it long ago-we found the few
| stores also short of supplies; every man
| having loaded himself with SUPPLIES and
| pushed over the pass to the mines, leaV-
| ing the stores empty.
| The fever is high and the faith in the
| mines is great and the men whom
| spoke to laughed at the idea of any in
| convenience attending a want of sup
| plies at Wrangel.
| Reminds me of old times" laughed
| the captain, ''for you must know that gold
| mines in Alaska are no new thing. The
| river putting in here, or Wrang1e, was
| once very rich stream. Twenty years
ago it was populous with miners, ano
/ much gold. was washed from its bee
and banks. In fact, the Russia ms
mined gold in Alaska more thar
| a hundred years ago, and not many
years after it's discovery by Behring in
1741''
In working heavy hydraulic mine.
| not far from Sitka, the American mines
gave you undisputed evidence that the
| ground had been worked very thor
oughly long years before.
| 1 find great many new facts as
go forward, covering the mines, boil
old and new, here in Alaska. For ex
| ample. I find that the famous Tread
| we'll mine with the largest stamp mil