Evening journal., 1897-11-05
THE CHILEAT PASS.
The First Woman to Brave
1t Says It's Not So Bad.
HER NAME IS MISS ESTHER LYONS.
She Is Now In New York and Describes
Her Experiences on a Journey
Last Summer Through the
New GoIdneIds.

NEW YORK, Nov. 5.-The first white
woman who successfully braved the
perils Of the 'Chilkat pass entered the
heart of the KlondilSe region. pegged
out claims, panned gold and returned
to civilization is in this city.
Miss Esther Lyons was an actress
who had attained some fame as a hero
inc of melodrama, having acted only
few years ago at Palmer's theater, in
this city. She is of an adventurous ma
ture and in 1894 made u tour through
British Columbia with a theatrical
company.
With a small party she then started
from Juneau, made the trip up the
canal to Dyea. crossed Chilkat pass.
sailed up to the lakes to Forty Mile
City and, making the descent of the
Yukon. returned to Sitka by sea. This
was all done for pleasure.
There had been no phenomenal finds
Of gold at that time but when Miss
Lyons heard the wonderful news from
the Klondike through which she had
passed three years before, she deter
mined TO make the journey again. and
accordingly she started from Juneau
last summer.
In speaking of her experiences, Miss
Lyons said:
"All this talk about the dangers Of
the Chilkat pass 1 cannot understand.
My experience tells me there is little
danger, and it is impossible for a prop
erly constituted party to lose it's way.
The terrible chasms which have been SO
often described exist only in the imagi-
nation of certain class of sensational
writer's.
I'VE built two RATS at the foot Of
Lake Lindeman, and while these were
building I had some excellent sport
hunting and shooting. one Of these
RATS carried our baggage. and on the
other we had a most delightful journey
up the lakes to Fort Selldrk. at the
junction OF the Yukon river"
Miss Lyons described trading cpl
sodes with the Indians, who claim that
they are "just the same as Boston
men" and showed articles Of dress
made by them from the fur Of the red
fox.
1T was strange sight," continued
Miss Lyons. ito see the little Indian
children shaking gold nuggets in old
tomato cans or rolling them about like
marbles.
'TO use a common phrase, there can
| be no doubt that there Is gold to burn
out there. and any man physically able
to stand the Alaskan winter. with the
| thermometer ranging from zero to SO
degrees below, is reasonably sure to
make a good stake inside of three years
and has fair chance OF making riches
/ beyond the widest Imagination.
II myself did lot of prospecting and
panning, and 1 never failed to get good
results. At no time did we suffer foi
want Of good food, and 1 am Of the
opinion that the reports Of prospective
famine are greatly exaggerated"
Miss Lyons has with her hundreds o.
excellent photographs Of all the claim:
and workings on the celebrated BOnan
"a and El Dorado creeks. also Of tn,
principal residences and stores in th'
| Kiondiie The interior Of some of th'
| homes entirely dissipates the popular
notion that there is no comfort in th'
new El Dorado. Some OF the views show
as much elegance and artistic arrange
ment as may be found in many mid
die class house in the heart of New
York city.
Miss Esther Lyons is about q year
old She has twice made the entire tril
through the Chilkat pass to Klondik
and back by the Yukon river, and sh
says that she will do 1t again mex
spring.