The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-22

very high. The cost of packing from Dyea
has advanced to q cents a pound. The cost
of sack of -four laid down here is about
SIT, and one sack sold yesterday for SIS. a
and coffee at Lake Linderman for less
than s1.25.
The new route from the coast to the lakes
by way of the Skaguay pass is open, and
the first lot of gold seekers, numbering
about 15G, reached the arm between Lakes
Iinderman and Tagish on the 5th inst The
tail is between forty and fifty miles long,
and can be put in good condition for horse
travel. The horses that came in with the
first party carried from 200 TO go pounds
each. The trail terminates in good belt
of timber on the lower end of Lake Bennett.
1t will no doubt become the most Travelled
route, and, though 1t Is twice as long as
the Dyea trail, the travelling is much easier
and pack animals can 80 over the entire
distance
nett are alive with boat builders. Scores of
men are culling the little forest near by for
timber Trees are felled and tOwed or car
ried to the yards and then whipsaWed into
planks. This is done by putting the logs
upon platform about seven feet from the
ground and then, with one man above and
another below, and with a tWo-handled
cross-cut saw the operation Of saving the
| logs into lumber commences. Inc mil az
for saving logs, and to construct an ordl-
nary-sized boat capable of carrying 900
pounds and five men about 400 feet OF lum-
After a hearty breakfast yesterday morn
| ing and with a light pack strapped to my
! back and two heavy oars, started for Lake
| Iinderman. The ascent of the first two
| miles is gradual, crossing considerable
marshy land and not few powders On
! each side the eternal SnOW-capped noun
| tains were hid in the clouds. hundreds OF
! waterfalls and cdtaractS came daShlng
| down from the mountain heights above ana
| the roar of it is occasionally disturbed by
| a shrill blast of a bald headed eagle. Some
| of the cataracts fall over 200 feet and dasn
| against iron and granite powders until II
| iS uhiODe0 into seeming foam OIL WulI6
| spray. r,rrr, c,r-,,,,,r
Two miles from Sheep Camp we came to
! Stonehouse, so called on account of the
| fancied resemblance to a huge stone build
ing. AT that point the timber belt ends, and
hardly spear of grass is to be found from
there to the summit. The walking is tire
some and slow.
AS i stepped on to the summit, with a sigh
of relief, thankful that L had got over the
worst part, as 1 thought, 1 was overtaken
by the chilling blast from off the glacial
| tops of adjoining mountains, which trans
! formed the beads of perspiration into par
| ticles of ice. An Indian, who had carried
| some of my supplies over the mountains
put me on the right TRAIL and was soon
| nurrying over the snow banks and glaciers
| On the lee side of a friendly boWlder, which
| shielded from the wind, l hastily partook of
| a light luncheon and then hurried on for d
| distance of a quarter of a mile Suddenly
| / stepped GOWN anu Out VI Inc ClOuuS, anu
| unfolded before me was a landscape scene
| which l am unable to describe. The warm
| bright rays of a MONDAY sun SnOne down
! on dainty green lake, rlmmed with YER
| dant MOSES, and in t.e waters were mir
rored the iro 1-cappeo granite and lime
| rock peaks of the surrounding mountains.
| The instant transformation from the bleak
summit of storm-SWept mountains to such a
semi-tropcal scene is impressive and inspir-
ing The name given to the beautiful sheet
of water is Crater lake, and it is the
source of tributaries of the great Yukon
| river, which empties into the sea three
| thousand miles from here.
From the time we left StOnehouse there
was not enough Shrubbery or wood on the
trail to start fire, and the unfortunate
who is overtaken by night between this and
Long lake must sleep among the rocks
without fire or shelter. Crossing Wild lit
| went, and there lay Lake Linderman before
| us. From fifty to one hundred white tents,
| as many camp fires and nearly two hum
dred persons constitute the IittIe colony or
| gold seekers who are camped here, Dulldlng
boats and waiting an opportunity to sail
down the river
There is one saloon at Lake Linderman,
and it is doing thriving business in tent
| Without license or other lawful restrlc-
! liquors, so diluted as to be unrecognlzable
! to the fastidious taste of experienced cpl
selling drinks at SO cents each. A bottle Of
whisky is worth $15 AS the Indians ar
rive in from the coast with their packs and
receive their stipends, averaging about $50.
! they are inVeigled into the saloon and made
! drunk. few drinks out of bottle of a
! vile connection called whisky they are
broke, and after SOLDERING up, are ready to
| hit the trail' and get another pack. Some
! OF the nights are made wild and hideouS
with midnight orgies by these natives
| The mail carrier for the Yukon arrived
! this afternoon from Seattle with a few
letters for the local colony. He had copies
| of the San Francisco, New York and Seat
| tie papers, and the news that most affected
| the prOspectors was the Ottawa dispatch of
July q regarding the imposition of a royal
! ty of 20 per cent. by the Canadian govern
ment | talked with a score of conserva-
| that if such was the case it would have a
| tendency to cause the development of the
| mining interest on the American side. The
| class of men who are now going to the
| mines are of stern character and will act
| honorably and justly to all parties, but will
| not tolerate imposition.