Mesa free press. [volume] (Mesa, Ariz.) 1892-1901, 1897-08-13
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TROUBLES OF KLONDYkE.

/ ALREADY potes of discomfort com
from far away Alaska. Many OF tn
miners have found on a near approach
to the cold aelds thaS there are eve,
there many uncertainties IN becomin,
suddenly loaded with nuggets, ant
they have also found that even th
search tor the precious metals vii
entail almost untold hardship ant
suffering. IT'S said that very man,
Of the miners campsd at Dyea are of
Iferine to sell their outfit for almos,
nothing to enaLle them to get home
a recent letter from the Klondyke
lregion thus details few of ths perils
OF getting there:
"Tae trip in here is one in which a
IMAM virtually carries his life in the
palm of his hand. From the start at
pyee difficulties meet one on every
side. In the climb over the stormy
and snowy summit oS the Chilkoot
range and down over the Crater. lake
which never thaws, you are forced to
battle with binding snowstorms, in
which are icy PARTICLES that cat like
glass, filing the traii so that you are
In danger of losing your way, and are
compelled to break q new trail for
miles---a terrible undertaking when
one is pulling heavily loaded sled.
"4As there are times when you can
not haul but 100 pounds many jour
neys la the same trail are necessary.
You cannot stop except for few
.minates at time. No matter how
loudly nature calls for a respite you
must push on, for 70 low is the ther-
mometer that rest of any length
means a stiffening of the limbs, in
tense suffering, letharsy and death.
Two young men, in company with
Jimmy Jackson, an Indian, were lost
here last season. The Indian barely
PULLED through. The two others lie
lie somewhere under the eternal snow,
never to be found until some great
revolution of nature takes place or
until the coming of the last great day
Of resurrection.
"After making the mountain. trip
comes the long and wearisome jour
neg over the lake and down the Lewes
and Yukon rivers, distance of abont
1000 miles The run on the river is
frau9ht with danger from beginning
to end. There are ulapy miles of
rapid running water, flied with jagged
rocks and sunken boulders, must be
ira versed - then an awful, awe in
spring canyon to shoot, The canyon
is three-quarters of mile long, and
through it the waters of Lewes and
Eve lakes force their way The three
quarters of q mile is made in two
minutes and four secon,d Then you
90 on to the White Horse rapid, a
passage of two miles, which is literally
one mass of rocky, broken bottom,
around WHICH the water ~hirls and
eddies until the entire surface il
dashed into white foam.
At the end OF these rapids you
plunge oyer perpendicular fall of six
feet, and then for thirty miles you
have a smooth, rapid current. The
next important place of danger is Five
Fingers, 200 miles below. Here five
perpendicular columns of basalt ris'
and extend across the entire stream
WHICH at this point has narrowed t.
three-eighths Of mile. The river her
seems to have gone crazy-chaDnel
Are everywhere and whirlpools tina
spin and roar until they can be heart
for miles. There is but ore passag'
through which boat can shoot, ant
I it is only 80 feet wide. The other
are filled with sharp and dangerou
rocks, and title would be left of man
boat or cargo should any one of then
b. taken. You must PICK the RICH
one ut once and row hard for it-t'
be swept onto one OF the false place
would require more than human pow
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