The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-07-29
HIS SPINE GETS CHILLY
WHEN YUKON Is MENTIONED
TO FRANK LAIRD,
Whe supped From the Bitter Cup
Nf Experience Up in the God
Forsaken Locality-Iu.
terestinR Talk.

tnB race OF tne muhiOlpoiiuS'
,aaoger signs appear on many residences
m d restless heads by the score are nightly
Aussing on sleepless pillows-heads In
which SIZE rew tangled Klondyke wheals
Nrs bu King merrily, and pictures CT great
,gauBt glaciers laden with big chunks OF
rBd are constantly thrown upon the can
vas of the fevered brain. On the streets,
Is,tle groups Of men who have not seeu
ahp "opening of the mills" or discovered
Tire restoration OF confidence in the pres
mt manaeement Of national Affairs, are
Ratkiug tie matter over and consulting
maps as to whether it would be cNeaper
IN 20 by the way Of Cleveland or away
an sround Toledo. The voice of the
aIib -tougued shark is already heard In
dh4 land, and sleek individuals have ar
lvgsd in the city having in their inside
Jexkets a few hundred thousand shares
0SEalck In the Easy Mark mine whiJh
they are de irous of placing 1T your
Uwo fEure-and money. Local specula-
tore who are too old and tired TO risk the
haT5ships Of trip to the north pole are
prxytbe less anxious to fll their baskets
At The mountains of gold, ana one of
lbsm has made a splendid offer to two
handsome young men who e faces sre
fam iliar to patrons Of the Hurford. His
. urJposition is to give tie young men
s. 9Uo to meet the expenses Of the trip
into she gold fields Of Alaska. They are
t.g iay 10 supply of Indians, two-iLch
ylank and Condensed milk up toward the
Arctic ocean and then pick away back
ink0 the hills and proceed TO I'LL their
pockets with the clgsnest and best mug
gzas 1u the turf. Only the whole thing
VII 20 with this magnanimous spscu-
lhsor Any attempt to throw gold dust
in his eyes will meet with stern rebuke
yp5 a reduction in the wage scale. When
,.bs young nen return to Canton they
VII hold a st1r chamber session with the
man Of mems and diyy up, clCh to re-
sflve oDe-tuird tue stake. The youths are
ly ug awake nights and keeping toned up
IN Le various bromos, but they can
Easde Just what 10 do. 1t would be a
lEagd thing If it worked all right, but
ahere are o few draw backs TO the summer
rg:lng. Thire are several varieties Of
polar hears up around the diggings, each
Urs R it'll peculiar and distinct taste for
white meat 1t is an acquired taste and
ItF
tfbosp known to the old timers as tender
jt.sst, and TO the Alassans rs 'Cke-chUcoos.
Then, monument 20 tfe glacial pe,iod
.sou rtimfs gets tired Of the long wait and
au setly slips down on camp Of wealth
Esakprs, thereby causing distress ard
.s1,row at home bat leaving no cause for
ia 10 in the uilds Of t.ose sat upJn.
There trs perhaps hundred men In
IL city who have saved few hundred
r35uars and are anxious to spend it in
a 5ugssel with the greet rberus, Alaska.
To those. a few words from ore who
a.s been tte.e will MT be- mnlapro9os.
ur. Frank Laird, WHO resides on tie
second floor Cf 287 West TufCarawas
saeo'. srent tar.e years ana several
hundred dollrrs in clssing the Elusive
Eold phantom that hung ignis fatuus like
in shu dreary waste Of the Yukon valley.
When asked to give his experience in a
azau d. he said;
4 aTAe mere mention Of tie Yukon
Ysads chills up my spire. can not
look back on my experience in that drsar
,syanuy without fe linRs Of disgust at
als "a eakness Of man, and pity f-r the
seZudei fools who, at the simple mention
Bi great fiUds Of gold, russei in where
testh stalks forth in hundred guisUs
Ma where there is net a single comfort
dnr civilized man.
In company with four companions I
1sn she Durango mines at Irwin, Col,
" aare had worked for some years, and
rsb-ucs out for tie Yukon, whence stories
jus, s big as those circulated now had
Grrue of the vast wealth to be had only
lElr the picking up. 1t was 10 the spring
"A 1881 that We took vessel from San
Fran cisco and ,ils for S.tks, Arriving
.there We were told to get few things
rgsded in the Alaskan f.lds. 1t cost
-syeraI hundred dollars to buy oil suits
sna nee ssaries, all of whi9h were out
vigorously high priced. Thsn We sailed
H,F the Yukon regiO: and landed aJ what
gas afterward named June u. Here
rSs laid in supplies, and securing a mum
Ray CT Siwashes, (natiye Indians,) to lug
rEr stores, started fer th5 interor. 1t
WAS during the season Of daylight and
we trudged on through cold aud slesE and
= driEzling rain which fell almost con-
tinuslly during the daylight or working
Ssason, which lasts but four months of
Che year, the balance being the night sea-
rua when there is hazy light but four
Anars a day.
I'VE at once struck out for the hills.
After months of hardship and peril We
Rlnated our claims and set to work dig
ERng for the yellow metal. l remember
ahs day we cleaned up our first month
sngsing. In the dismal cold we cleaned
auE pans ana our months work panned
sRA iust enough gold to pay for ham we
had eaten in four days. So we pulled
no stakes and took another claim further
40 the river. But IL was the same thing
laF again, and SO year dragged slowly