The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1897-10-15
YUKON PIONEERS
Capt. Healy, Montana Man, Among
the Number.
THE FIRST BOAT ON THE RIVER
An Interesting Recital of the Almost
Insurmountable Difficulties En-.
countered in the Enterprise.

The story of the North American
Transportation and Trading Company
the organization to whose enterprise
is largely due the opening of the 1u-
Klondike gold fclds--is told in the
Midland Monthly. The company was
organized in 1892 by Mr.. p. b. Wearc,
Chicago merchant, and his friend,
Capt John Healy. an Alaska trader.
"These two men of action wasted
no time getting ready to act. They
started at once for Seattle, where they
chartered schoonor-rigy yed steamer,
loaded it with supplies and with all
| the material for tie building Of a river
steamer on the Yukon. They sailed
on the way, they did not reach ST.
Michael's Island. at the mouth of the
Yukon, until August II. Their pur
pose made known, the Influences at st.
Michael's proved so hostile that had
the pioneers been men Of ordinary
nerve they would have turned their
backs upon destiny, and, instead of
being among the principal actors in
this new Monte Cristo drama, they
would doubtless have lived to see their
Canadian rivals sole masters Of III st
interesting situation. But American
enterprise was not so easily daunled.
These men went to st. MichaeNs Island
TO build boat for the ascent of the
Yukon, eighteen hundred or two thou
sand miles to the then unknown or
little known, source Of this gold sup
ply, there to plant trading posts and
watch and wait for the inevitable on
rush of the gold hunters.
"They established themselves at a
favorable point Oh the island, and gave
their camp the characteristic name,
Fort Getthere. They were thirty days
unloading and hauling their stores and
building material by means of RATS
aud with the hired help of Eskimos-
for a number Of their men had been
hired away from them. Work on the
new boat began in earnest, and after
MANY embaTassments obstacles had in
turn been overcome, the boat was fin
ally completed At midnight on Sep
tember r., five years ago. the twilight
of an Alaskan autumn day, the little
steamer Portus B. Weare was lauuched
the first steamer to penetrate the
headwatcrs of the Yukon and the first
to bring down the river the news of
the rich find of gold in the klondike
Valley. with much moro than mill
ion dollars on board to corroEOrate the
startling story.
On her first voyage up the Yukon the
steamer was stopped by the ice at a
distance of eight hundred miles from
the mouth of the river. One Of the
party, however. made the journey on
snowshOes TO the present site of Daw-
son City, at the mouth of the klon-
dixie, on through the ChilcootPass, and
down to the coast at juneau. On
this journey he established Fort Cud-
ahv.
"Meantlme Captain Healy and his
men had pushed on up the Yukon tC
Fort Cudahy and stocked it with pro.
visions and supplies; and few hun
dred pioneer miners had found theil
way through the Chilcoot Pass and
were taking out gold in paying quan.
titles. Interest in the new gold fields
of the Yukon continued to grow anG
adventures reached out in every di.
rection. the Klondike region included.
The captain employed expert pros
pectors, who found that most of the
many streams emptying into the Yu
kon yielded from four to fifty dollars
r day to man With the opening OF
Birch Creek Circle City was founded
This is now one of the company's
stations. on American soil. Many OF
the Birch Greek claims are now run
ming from one to two hundred dollars
dav. The season of 1894 closed witt
large increase in the mining popula
{ tion and large increase in the mum
t ber an extent of claims successfully
? worked
2 "The spring of 1895 opened auspici
ously. The Chilcoot Pass was alive
, with argonauts eager to test the claims
made for the region just opened. The
company, now sure of the future
built second steamer. the John J
Healv. to alternate with the Portu
, B. Weare in traversing the Yukon
q The close of the season for 1895 showed
an output of gold amounting to abou
a million dollars. This was chiefly
from the Birch Creek and Forty Mile
. placers, nearly all on the American
q side of the line.
y "The year 1896 was one of increas
5 ing growth and development for thu
i, new gold-feds The results of thu
a placer mining were reasonably and il
nnmerous instances surprisingly profit
able That permanent investment II
the Yukon gold fields was at least saf'
n was no longer question. and man!
: INDUCED in bright hopes which foun'
:, full realization.
: "But it was not till late in the fal
= that the rich leads in the Klondik'
! River region were laid open. Pros
:. pectors who applied to the COMPANY
n for grub stakes brought reports of al
), most fabulous leads on the branches o
i the Klondike. Mr.. Ely f. Weare
y younger brother Of P. B. Weare. nov
20 president of the company whose ca
r reer we have been following, alert +
!. the importance of the finds, at ono
sent experts to verify the reports IN
men sent to spy out the land amp1l
q. verified the first accounts. The Wild
est day dreams Of the pioneer invest