The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-09-13

through 90 Lzniernzu. as most do.
The professional packers from sheep
camp On have a most sallea. and some
times. hsggard look. caused ~ ovsrwoEk
TIE price troEa Sheep camp % LdnderEnan
was - cents d pound. but jumped 70 ~
aid 5 cents, pat tnere ~ parties n =
hurry 10 get Throughout ~ TIE packers
Here that price also includes grub"
The average lead carried Is ~ pounds;
soEne carry more, One Indian carried 30
pounds from Dys2 70 Lau6erman n two
days All carry mere than they should. IL
takes one day to make the trip from sheep
camp 20 La1dsrZnan and half day back
On the entire tran from Dyea 70 the
lake We di9 not meet = discouraged miner
or one who did not say he would get
through.
Al Lake LIndsrnan there were boats n
all stages OF construction. from laying sne
keel TO launching. and about fifteen in the
water, From three 20 Ten are launched
daily and boats sell az from ylso TO $Sao
each. according 20 size. etc.
There were not many people camped on
Lake Bennett-only those who had come
over the Skaguay tral-2boGt twenty IN
Plumber. and only one cornpiete outfit had
got through at that unS. September !.
that OF Roberx Cahel and wife. he had
Aired enough mules 10 take his entire out
n through al one trip. had been month
on the Way and had had 70 keep watch
on his packer 70 keep him from giving
him the sip. His RGe. petite hItls
woman. who had never even done her own
housewoTk. had stood the trip Wei even
leading mule nearly the whole distance.
They expected 10 get a boat and start
down the next day. and would be also the
first TO get down the river from Skaguay.
Detective ". h Welsh, who was the first
man 70 break through the trail. only had
part OF his out, and it vas scattered
from there 10 the summit What he had
got through had cost him 90 cents A pound
All the rest were IN the same fix. their
stuff being scattered all along the trail.
We left Lake Llnderman on the back
track, over the Skaguay trail. Thursday
afternoon AZ o'clock. From Lake In
derman the tral begins "a ascend almost
Immediately through the mOTaine OF an
extinct glacier that had left huge granite
b0uiders scattered ali through IL There
has been a growth Of stunted timber
fspruce). but FIRE has gone through il.
killing Il.
The elevation Of Lake I.inderman is 1850
feet: that OF Bennett l 500 snd the FIRST
seven miles Of the Skaguay tran the ele-
walton increases to 2.5so feet. but Ii Is not
a steady climb. as there are many pitches
over granite ridges into bogs or swamps
covered with moss and moose grass and a
growth Of small stunted spruce that does
not grow more than four or five feet high
and is as much OF vine as a tree The
more travel there IS over this kind OF A
tran the worse II is bound to get and 4
was bad enough when We were there
Only the vanguard OF the army os horses
now on the Skaggay trail had then got
over. There are over $500 horses on the
trail now. We were five hours going the
first seven miles. where we campes9 with
friends the first night. / carrying forty
pounds and the others OF my party some
less.
Next morning we started out at and
went for four miles through swamps and
hogs as before. but less granite ridges.
and descended some. The trail was sim
ply horrible 10 the meadows where We
found the first OF the much-yaunted
grass that was said 10 abound on the
trail. and found II to be coarse. wirv
moose grass. which horses will not eat
until nearly starved and then IL does
them no good
The stock We met on the tran from
there through was over one-half Of /; so
poor that they could hardly carry them
selves. let alone a pack of I50 TO 20
pounds. THIS was caused by greed and
ignorance on the part OF the owners. who
thought they could starve stock and get
through and save expense by killing them
at the end Of the traiI. but many OF them
VIII not get through at all.
The farther We went the more dead
horses. mules and burros we saw
Nine miles out we passed n log house
built for the British mounted police and
as a way station for the mail carriers
and a warning posted on a tree warning
travellers not 10 ATTEMPT 70 get through
10 Lake Too Chi. they could not get
down that lake after they got there Ten
miles from Linderman we came 10 a shall
low lake and the first good trail. where
there was sand ridge thrown I'D by some
frzs.s s-Ia 1T.
which led for one and a half miles tha.
would do for a railroad by throwing in
one short trestle. At the end OF this
natural roadbed We came TO the first ford
and were kindly allowed 10 ride horses
over that were going back light Timber
again gets small and scarcer. The forna-
ton granite houlders again. some almost
an acre IN size and at all angles. / put
slope level on one forty feet across that
had a slope of q degrees. and horses and
men had to lunge right Of into siush and
mud three feet deep. This character 81
TRAN continues for twenty-five miles from
Lindermau 70 Big Meadows. where we
found a good camping place but little
wood, about 30 acres Of so-called grass.
stock starving people discouraged. but
so far over that they were compelled 10
push through. Strong men would almost
break down and cry and then curse the
men who had induced them 20 leave q
We passed several woman. too. along
this trail. and as q rule they kept their
courage up better than the men, and not
only kept camp but did the manual labor
also 10 help along From the Meadow
an elevation 81 400 feet il is a steady
climb TO the summit. but the trail is in
better condition. as there is not so much
swamp and moss 70 contend with.
From Shallow lake nearly 20 the summit
there IS a chain Of lakes divided by port
ages Of from oue-haf 70 two and one-haIf
miles. and small boats have been placed
on them 10 ferry freight and passengers
but they charge SO much and Il IS go hard
20 get down to them that there is not
much gained. Summit Lake IS four miles
long but you have 20 "a over one mile
out of the way 10 get 10 & over a very
rough trail The elevation A. the summit
where tire tran crosses is 2 4lo'feet. and at
the lowest place where a road could be
built Sina
The iran over the summit is Just ! 90
feet higher than had been claimed for H.
and 30 feet higher than the Chilkoot pass.
The descent from the summit 20 The
ford on this side IS very steep and slip
pery. s degrees. but only for short Ills
farcs. whare you plunge into the Ska
quay river and have 20 ford it. bot the
ford Is not dangerous. az least now.
Just a little below the ford we came 20
a good camping spot. covered by six v
tents. and one OF them occupied by a
r.srtv OF surveyors, headed by A. e. Cook.
/ % saarfI, who was not present though.
ard six assistants They are doing the
preliminary woTk for a railroad. supposed
or good authority % - the oregon I'm
uroveruent Company. or 5y usen connect
"a with f. While there we checked our
anerold bsrrnomster against theirs. and