The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-26

anxious eye The little fellows bark and
tug and lie down to their work as though
they liked II. Your feet are warm, your
soul is at peace and you begin to enjoy IL.
Pretty soon your dogs instead of following
the others carefully, take cross-cut. They
come to log. Then they all sit down on
their launches. look about with a pleased
expression and bark OF course, you swear.
There was never a dog driver who did not
swear. Your partners come back and help
you out of the mess, and on you go at the
rate OF four miles an hour Those who go
to the Klondike Will find the Arctic dog a
very cross-grained animal. Often they do
the wrong thing with the best intentions in
the world. Each has his peculiarities.
Some are good humored and some are snap
piSh.
A word or two about camping on the
klondike route may not be amiss. An IN
dian is wise and cunning in many things,
but in building a fire to ht the white mans
pots and kettles he is a failure. He builds
a conicai ire, Build your hre IN layers,
with each stick parallel and at right an
giles with those beneath. Place a bit of
kindling on top, put your ''chynk, or coffee
pot, the kindling and then light it-not
at the bottom, but at the top. Thus you
get quick action from the flame.
In selecting a camp at night, place your
tent with its side to the wind and build
your fire at the entrance, so the smoke Will
blow across the opening instead OF into 1t.
In cutting spruce boughs for your bed,
place the tWigs with the stems down and
the tips up that your couch may be soft
and springy. Place a green log at the foot
of the bed to keep your blankets out OF the
fire
Before you do all this. however, cut poles
for temporary staging and lift the dog
sled with it's load intact to a haven of
refuge away from the dogs. Also hang your
harness out of reach. Harness au natural
is one Of their favorite articles Of diet.
Give each dog his supper before going to
bed, or he may tackle the fur robe that
covers you and make off with it. If water
is scarce, place enough snow over your
"chinky" to melt and fill it during the
night. Hang your boots before the fire that
they may be dry for the next days march.
For the first few days the balls of your
feet are sore where they have struck
against the bars of the snow Shoes but
you will soon get used to it, You have long
since realized that this is no child's journey.
FIFTEEN MILES A DAY.
Fifteen miles a day is a good journey on
the Klondike route. The dogs will seldom
stand more. Occasionally you may kill a
moose or caribou and have fresh meat.
Sometimes the Indians will bring it to YOU.
1t is best to pack your bedding in an oil
skin cover Thus protected you will always
find it dry The route is directly up the
Chilkat river, and, with few exceptions,
you will find travelling on the ice moder-
ately good as far as the Indians portage
takes.
When your dogs have drawn you through
the last canyon and out of Mud lake the
real trouble begins. Here the river is about
a quarter of a mile wide and very swift. 1t
rapidly narrows into canyon fifty feet
in width. The walls on either side are sheer
and smooth, and the water whirls between
them like the Whirlpools of Niagara EV-
erybody goes down the shooting process.
Many outfits are lost here. There is no
other resource but to shoot the chuteS, and
a hair-raising process it is 1t Is only half
a minute but it is lively while it lasts The
ice cold water will drench you; its roar
will deafen you. Bailing must be constant
and lively or under you go. 1t. IS the Gus
tom TO let the boats down the White House
you take along. Then you are confronted
successfully by the Five Finger rapids and
the Rink rapids and the rapids in Lake
Laborge.
When you are through with all this you
emerge on the broad ice of Lewis river,
and once more you take up your SLOW,
wearisome march for the Klondike.
Sometimes the trip from Juneau takes
three months; sometimes it takes less You
have by this time grown used to cold, to
hardshipS and priVation. Your hair IS long
and unkempt, and SO is your beard. When
will the long travel be over?
AT THE DIGGINGS.
At last one day, the leader of the party,
topping rise with his gaunt dos team,
catches the blue curl of smoke among the
trees by the margin of the river.
"Klopdike! Klondke!' is the cry. Not
Klondike, but Dawson City. 1t is all the
same. Five hundred or more struggling
cabins, tents, mudhouses and baribooras
set on the edge of the frozen Yukon. This
is Dawson City.
The first sight is disappointing. No wom-
en- are in sight. The snow is yet deep on
the ground. over in the bottom several min
erS are laZily picking away at the gravel.
Others are burning it out like roasting corn.
must be built. You naturally select spot
away out on the edge of the town and near
the bed of the magic creek
The gaunt and hungry miners come to
visit you. They offer you a dollar for u
needle and thread. They offer you $25 for
a pair of rubber boots. They are rich,
these griZzled and whiskered fellows, but
they are ragged and hungry. You build
your cabin. While you are doing it they
tell YOU strange stories One tan. black
WhiSkered man came into town from the
upper Klondike and got drunk. a barber,
seeing shining Speck in his beard, shaved
him while helpless. His whiskers panned
out $40.
Don't believe it, oh, tenderfoot! Say moth
the gold is not. 1t is very cold even in May.
In the winter whisky is served in solid
chunks on napkins at 81 a chunk and other
You will find the country well timbered
about Klondike. The summer is dry, hot
and pleasant Grain mostly is a failure.
Turnips and radishes will flourish, and po-
tatoes, though small, will grow well. Cab
bages will not head at all. Fodder is abund
ant and cattle should be easily kept II they
were brought into the country.
The growth of plants is rapid after the
sboT @ Pc m and Tges about s9{s
Even at midnight, however it is almost as
light as at MONDAY The mean temperature
of Klondike for the four seasons is as fol-
lows: Spring 1922; summer. 59.67; autumn,
1877; winter, $3.50 below zero. Think of it
"a mean winter temperature of 80 degrees
below zero! The winter fall of snow is be-
tween five and ten feet.
But you have reached Klondike. Out of
81 500, you have $3.50 left. You healthy
and courageous. Now stake out your claim
and go to work. and may luck follow your
efforts!