The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-08-05
FROM JUNEAU
TO THE KLONDYKE.
Continued from first page

| Continued from first page
| selves at low tide by climbing over the sides
of the vessel and walking around her or
making little trips ashore. l found Fr.
RI ne comfortably settled in his little her
mitage at Juneau, and he was much sur
| prised and pleased to have visitor.
| concluded that as | had already made
the journey around by Sitka and Unalaska
while on my way down last season. if
could find a favorable opportunity | would
p" cross the divide.n Accordingly l looked
around in Juneau to find some suitable
party with whom | might make the trip.
! | soon discovered some men who had taken
q Star route contract to carry the mail Into
| the Yukon country. They styled them
selves the Yukon Mail and Transportation
| Co., "and their prospectus was very brilliantly
worded. AS they were just upon the point
of starting, decided to join them.
Our party consisted of nine. Besides N.Y.
self there were three prospectOrs bound for
the gold fields, and we four ranked as pas
sengers. Then there were the President of
the company, the Secretary, an engineer,
reporter of a Chicago paper-who had been
d tailed to write up the Xpedilion-and,
finally, an impecunious young man who was
| DESTROYS to reach the mines. He had charge
\
| pressed it, was to cook himself in." The
company had brought up three gasoline
laucheS. One of these was to run from
juneau to Dyea, and the other two were to
| be taken along with US to use on the river.
i soon discovered that not one OF the party
had the slightest idea of the difficulties of
the journey, and they all left the direction
| to me. | soon convinced them that it was
now entirely too late in the season to think
of getting the launches over the range, and
| prevailed on the leader to give up the
idea of using them on this trip, and to carry
his party to Dvea on little tow-boat called
| the Rustler." This was agreed to, and
| having gotten the mail, which was put in
three knapsack pouches, we went on board
the Rus, Ter" and left Juneau on the even
ing of June II.
Among the passengers there was an Eng
lishman. special correspondent of the Pal
Nal Gazette, named Henry de Windt. Mr.
de Wndt proved to be a most agreeable gen.
tleman. He is well known OH account of
his famous explorations through the Cobb
Desert and other little-known portions of
Central Asia, but most of all for his extern
sive journeys through Siberia and his letters
On the Russian prisons.
Mr.. de Windts present task is to make the
journey from New York to Paris in such a
way as to avoid as far as possible any travel
by sea. There was also party of three
mem bers of the u S. Geological Survey,
who are detailed to examine the Alaskan
gold fields. These gentlemen turned out
to he mos, pleasant travelling companions,
and we kept together during the whole trip.
They were accompanied by an experienced
old Yukon prospector who knew the country
perfectly. The other passengers were miners
bound for the gold fields.
OFF FOR DYEA.
The little Rustler," which was built to
carry % persons, was densely overcrowded,
having nearly 80 passengers on board.
There was hardly room to move about, and
to increase the general discomfort one of the
passengers soon became intoxicated. He was
notorious character who had just been
tried at juneau for nearly hacking man
to pieces with Ratchet. He was too blind
drunk during the assault to infict any NOR
tai wound, and consequently was not con-
victed. He was returning in great triumph
to his place at Dyea, and celebrated his
escape from justice by Showing himself"
as he expressed it, into state of perfect
inebriation.
The run from Juneau to Dyea is around
the south shore of Douglass Island and then
| up Lynn Canal to where it bifurcates and
forms the two deep bays known as Chilcat
| and Chilc0ot. The course lies amid scenery
of the widest description. We passed
glacier alter glacier, and would have en-
ioyed the journey had it not been for the
overcrOwded state of the boat and the
offensive company of the inehriated gentle
man." The run to Dyea should not have
taken us more than ~ hours, but toward
morning one of the storms for which Lynn
Canal Is famous suddenly burst upon US,
and the '' Rus:ler" was obliged to seek
| shelter in little nook and anchor.
Here we were wea her DO and until nearly
noon of the following day, when the storm
abated. The "Rus,ler" then ran up TO
| Dyea, but as the tide was low at the time
she was forced to stop several miles from
land on account of shallow water.
| The Captain managed to get ashore in a
| skiff, but on returning he was upset in the
surf and nearly drowned. At this exciting
| juDcture the Mate appeared to be at a loss
| 10 know how TO act. His early life had not
| been spent at sea. He drove milk wagon
in San Francisco a respectable occupation
indeed, hut one which had not particularly
qualified him for marine emergencies. A
| very forward youth, who served as cab IL
| boy on the tow boat, but whose general de-
| pertinent was that of owner of the earth
sprang forward and shouted, Man the life
boat" Under the circumst ances the order
was the proper one. So, after struggling for
a long time in the surt, the poor Captain
finally got on a sand bar. Here he dragged
up the skiff, and, having emptied it, he
padded back to the ''Rustler." Although
he was warmly welcomed after his mshap,
still he seemed to show slight regard for
sentiment, as he at once began to collect $40
apiece massage money.
After waiting about four hours the tide
rose enough to allow an old scow TO be
brought ont, into which we all set to work
and uDloaded our goods. Before starting off
the "still inebriated gentleman" was
roughly dumped in, and we poled ashore
and assembled the Dyea River as far as the
scow would float. There we waded ashore
with our effects and soon each party had
its tent pitched an I dinner in preparation.
This being our first camp, / named it
Camp al pha." Some of the party thought
| that the Greek letters would be exhausted
before reached the end of the Journey.
but we were fortunate enough to make a
quick trip, and ended up with Camp" Phi"
While awaiting dinner we walked around
Dyea, which consisted of one store and some
half dozen Indian huts. Near one of these
huts was the tomb of chief 1t was built
as a miniature house, with a door and win