The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-01
SKAGUAY TRAIL DEFENDED.
wiliiana Moore Writes IT Length Oh
the Proposed Routes 10 the Yukon
-AIIeges That u job Ii o." ="
ncwn Lynn CauaI-The Rest Pass.

f1c S44fEGEZ- lEEskl FO%%f ~
q communication from william MOOT, ~.
IIsned In the Alaska searcnixhs Oh w
vember -. lie says:
at have read with interest HdAy i"es. ~
articles published on the various Io 4 ~
the Yukon mining country, ana az silry 81
<as.nfn ~. many erroneous statements,
deer, IL but just 10 give s2ch inae. i.la s
as have gathered fron scn a 49,
ffrogtrg1 the country IN question ana oser
some OF the routes referred 10. AZ mrs. !
Intended only 20 conaner tae a-aN 'ra =. at,ta
general way. but 80 many writers are ss y,
Sertly preiId.ced against all roates ana ~
favor Of the Ssickesa-Tesiin. tnat ! snasi
coniine myself 10 a COMPARISON oi ''''@ "sN'-
TIA SkaRuay route.
'.ss rsIr~. we will take up the Stickeen route
by stages From Wrangel 10 IeteeIapa
creek the distance Of 10 miles Up the StIcn-
,-ef, river Is navfgable for small, light draft
steamers carrying from % to le tons. ios
three months In the year. the naianes VI
the year travel must be N cang1s- wv
r1Dutns-aad on ice the remaining se.sn
months From Telegraph creek 70 souta-
west hay Of Tesln lake we maze 20; ., liza -,
over an altitude varying frosn Lao 10 @ssn
feet above the level OF the sea- OF q very
swampy nature with timer only Tor Isat
work and railroad bridge ana .res SUE, aa-
her would have 10 be shipped II. from III
coast This item alone would Dc . ~
expensive one considering the uncertain
nature OF the stlckeen river | WI add
here my knowledge Of this river Is fron
Southwest bay OF Teslin lake 20 head - OF
miles Of lake travel navigable for fouf
months each year, and thence 70 NICK 81
ver's bar o. the Hootaiinaua " r so i
rssfy-five miles; from The bar TO junction
OF Ho0talinqua and Lewis rivers slxfS-'iVA
miles more. and from the junction 70 Daw.
son CITY 5s2 miles further. making the total
dlstanfs from Wrangei to Dawson CITY So
miles over e route which, II the StickeTh
river be used. Is reliable for three months
pnfx In the year as a rail- ard water rffn'e
s@rhe present proposed Stickeen-Tesliu
route in 7 claim an entirely mpracticahle
one, ard all money invested therein an NJ
ter waste, for Ii the Stickeen river De de-
pended upon for navigation II never can
he a popular. profitable or reliable route.
and the distance is too great TO ne inland
route. People are already on an unprece-
dented move. and no road ready Tor them,
"a nothing % tkss stSe'tee af }ffeAN- y
relief 10 those already IN the interior The
British Columbia and Ottawa governments
VIII be held responsible by the wprid Tor
this neglect. and any suffering resulting
therefrom. Ten years ago warned them
that when natures great quartz mills were
discovered-as they now have been IN the
new glacier flelds-that relief would be
needed and urged upon them the neces-
sity for immediate action. but was politely
dismissed. and their total lack OF prepara-
tson shows with what heed , rhsy as5sp a.
mand Is now for immediate relief ana
cheaper transportation. with least hand
tsffw nf goods Via - aettS& ~ ~ So
qua river, and thence by steamer TO Daw-
son and other points Hes the route. so
many false Impressions have been sent out
regaraing the skaEnay trail az na ,k trai,;
emphatic denial II In order. As matter
OF record. the trail has been passabfe and
travelled this whole season and some ZONE, 80. .s
thence TO the interior, that never would
have left the coast had not this temporary
.fal been opened say ,s as ,hs 'fa re-.
sui. OF limited private appropri-
alton. and Its object to dtsprove state
enents that the route was impossible for
pack animals This question has been set
tied and while hat little repair work has
been done on II since Its completion; expert
enced packers have worked continuously
over IL 40 to date. November "a. with profit.
The most recent arrival from Lake Ben
neft Mr. J. Mekeown, says ne made the
trim with I 40 pound blind horse and ESQ
round pack In two and half days. finding
the trail better than ever. II lie true few
have turned back disconraged-fhere are Al
WAYS faint~hearted few-and from sucn
7 am sorry to say. newspapers accept any
information, accurate or otherwise but II
Is generally In fun keeping with their dis
aouragemef,ts resultant from an entire lack
OF experience. So great has been the over
powering desire 10 reach the gold fields
that all humane feelings were crushed ana
fully 81 per cent. of the horses dying on
this trail died from actual starvation or us
indirect, effects.
we find .ha distance Ivy proposed railroad
from Skaguay hay 10 Nick silver's bar
or TIE oo,s ,n The rser 10 i par an r s
construction. as 81 were, IN the PAIN al
ones hand From the bar to Junction o;
Lewis and HeotainGua rivers sixfy-nve
niles and from the junction to Dawson
city So mties-these latter distances be
Ing the same both routes. as In both
cases I have made Siiver's bar the OBJ
tertive raint-Ynak.ng the distance from
Skaguay hay to Dawson 5s4 miles This
rail- and water route IL open five and o
hale months In the year, rs the rivers are
naslgabte about that length Of time and
II tn also shorter by 3ls miles Of the un
certain inland travel Al Skasuay there
IS a fine harbor. ample wharf aecommoda
tans distant but q few days from al
reas, ports through an unobstructet
channel open throughout the entire year
I'm spite of the cry all Canadian route.
Skagnaw approaches nearer 20 this thar
any other. being but fifteen miles o
American territory 10 he traversea. Now
confronted "a we are by large immigra
ton the matter of routes and immediate,
Improvement thereof Is an all .mportan
one. and since a thousand mls-statsment
have been made regarding the accessible
ity OF the Yukon district from varioa
and wrangel. feel Justified In calling at
tention 10 these facts.
Roth Provincial and Dominion govern
nients are working for the lupraCticahl
Slickecn route-t say impracsicahic 70
II certainly Is such unless \ railroad I
huilt from the mouth " the Sticke~n 4
Tesiia Lakeland all influence seems ii
yeeted 10 II. 10 the detrimpnt % other an,
more faverabla roads.
tfgnttAr!Fs Of state WIRE cautioned ter
years agp about such ventures and ae
tails laid before them. Vet records shoS
that thousands Of dollars have been waxt
81 on useless exploration, notably in ~
and 1871. thousands az Hes have been TOLD
and the impression s. that tho 'utlarteFts
has BEEN huilcd into surh Transaction,
All government appropriations have gpn
~ ore direction. when proper Application
os such would have directed public motto
- athcr points OF greater imrurganc,
Such action has. ana IS dtVprttug capite
from investment whore IL would Re mos
useful. leaving at least one grea, rou,
almost entirely overlooked
Trails ara nearly always the aavsnc
guard 90 the wagon or railroads. and
constructing this has hut ore Idea Wig
% prove the feasibility OF this ronti
Now. having done thss. Il remains for -
public ani the SoveYnmeats 10 foI1o~
properly open or assist 10 open what ha
.@FH Nrat:lttnasv iatd h~zors thrrs ~
Mayor Grant. Dt Victoria, =. e. reteyttl
stated 81 81 article that the WAGON rss
would contract far the delivery II eoos
from SkaEuRv hay 20 Lake Bennett :,
cents per pound. THIS. rtvtinE from 4
experienced man. e. valuable se~fts,..as.,
ana should carry deserving weight All
ofliCfals az al governments hAVfrg paaf
Interests 81 heart As Rs instance - th
raaaS value, | would mention tNa. f, ,
about September Il a large taatf ~ ,-s+.
was ian3si a. NasHs'S mission for ira -
over thu muc1,-tslkesa ~ Dalton trasf J.,
after meeting repeated storms ara lNxs.
they were forced hack brought 10 n =
HaN ana Nv shss rD8ts taken tu ss, To-