The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-02
NOTED MINING MEN.
GATHERED ON THE KIoypYKE
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
Henry Hilbert. the Sage of Them All.
Tells How He Uncovered Gold on
the Cassiar Bar-Hunt for a Horse


Noted mining characters from an parts
o. tae world are Assem- bled on the Kion-
dlse 20 participate TO a more or less sx-
tent N the great output OF gold and 10
the Cd miners and the tenderfeet alike
the sage Of them ali Is Henry Hilbert a
french Canadian, 70 whom the honor be-
longs OF having first discovered gold on
the Cassiar bar on the Stsckeen river
he sufferiags that this man endured are
almost unparalleled IA North American
history In four years, when the great
belt OF country north OF the American
boundary was In comparative darkness
and was just emerging from being under
the espionage of the Hudson Bay COM
pany, Hilbert started on a periious Jour-
ney Of 500 miles by way Of the Great
Slave lake and across the Rocky mountains
10 the Pacific coast The country was
new. and, excepting Hudson bay traders,
nao never been explored by white men.
One winter. when SO miles from the near
est habitation. Hilbert and his partner
Angus AcCulloch, an old Seotehman, who
was over 50 years old, were Imprisoned BY
a heavy fan of snow in the Rocky noun
tains. which drove all the game far to the
south. and they were subjected 10 such
suffering and hunger that they were COM
PEELED TO eat the dried hides and skins Of
the furs that protected their bodies from
the cold. No pen can describe nor truag-
BY these two hardy pioneers. And the
object Of IL ali was TO find gold. No hap
pier man lives than Hilbert, and whether
In misfortune or in luck his jovial dis
position undergoes no change. The cor
rect account OF his trip across the CONT
nent is first told In these columns in his
own words:
A few months after the Hudson Bay
Company had relinquished its title by
royal charter TO Jurisdiction over the
Northwest Territory 10 the home govern
ment in consideration of $3.50 600 though
the company wanted 1896, 600 and Eng
lands reply was that you have kept the
country long enough in darkness and you
can either accept our offer or else ulti-
mately lose the territory and derive no
pecunlary benefits ! started out from
Minnesota as the representative OF a new
trading company TO ascertain the oppor-
tunities for the profitable establishment
OF trading posts along the Mackenzie
river and Great Slave lake. We started on
April 20 1859. and travelled 1850 miles TO
Winnipeg, and thence to Athabasca lake
We worked slowly down the Great
Slave river to the lake OF that
name, and put in the summer near
the headwaters of the Mackenzie river and
passed the winter at Fort Providence.
The outlook not being very favorable, my
partners decided to return 10 Winnipeg.
There / met Angus MeCulloch a hardy
old Scotch miner, who was experienced
and Injured to the hardships Of frontier
life, and we decided TO prospect the
Dsliard river and it's tributaries for gold
The stream empties into the Mackenzie
river 900 miles from Great Slave lake
Though We could only obtain one months
provisions. We fitted out otherwise for a
three years cruise. We had good guns
nd H1a ~ of nd szd m
killing game for food. A boat was built
and in few weeks we reached Fort Simp-
son go miles distant, and started up the
Dsliard river, the headwaters of which,
as was later ascertained, are only a few
hundred yards from those of the Stickeen
river, emptying into the Pacific ocean.
By hard work. attended with a moderate
degree of success during the summer OF
1871. we reached Helrs Gate, which Is at
the base of the Rocky mountains on the
northeast side. / cannot describe the wild
and rugged character of this body OF
water. boiling, leaping and dashing from
boulder 10 boulder in its wild endeavors %
escape from the confines of a canyon OF
rock. 1t Is over six miles long and the
roar could be heard for miles. In places
the water was dashed against pillars OF
iron capped lava with such force as TO
form a cloud of vapor. II is without
doubt the widest piece of scenery in all
North America. We were several days
in portaging these waters. Reaching
Fort Harquewood. an old abandoned post.
from one OF the old employees Of the Hud-
son Bay Company we learned of a little
lake about twenty miles long and two or
three miles in breadth. some 700 or 500
miles distant. where gold pEospectors were
said 10 do good Many serious obstacles
were encountered, and We We're late in
arriving there. Winter came on early and
the cold weather was unusually severe
Before we ahad time 10 build winter quart
ers and kill our winters meat the game
had migrated TO the south. A heavy snow
then covered the country for hundreds OF
miles and the nearest habitation was 500
miles distant and only blind trail over
the snow for a path. Our provisions
amounted to less than twenty pounds and
we were soon reduced to the lowest
imaginable diet possible. Slowly. but
surely as the winter passed We were be-
coming emaciated and living skeletons. In
February, the last morsel OF grub was d.
yided and devoured. There vas no alter
native bat 10 accept the situation as II
existed and meet death ike pioneers. I
proposed TO start out and attempt 70 cross
the desert OF snow 10 Fort Harquewood.
My partner considered tho question a mo-
ment or two and said: No. It's no use;
tll mean certain death. and besides. be-
fore I'd have IL said that old Angus Nc
Culioch would undertake such a foolish
undertaking and turn back. ia put my feet
in that fire and burn them 10 a crisp He
was over ~ years old. and | was in the
prime OF lie, and the outlook could not
have been more gloomy. Suddenly a beam
OF light Illuminated the tightly-drawn skin
over the brow OF his face as he suggested:
Say Henry we can eat the skins Of these
furs' The pot was soon on and the water
boiling and in A few minutes we were de-
vourinS soup made from the skins OF furs
OF wild animals. The fare was bad. but Il
served % keep body and soul together As
spring was breaking the relaxing grasp
of winter I broke q hoie~,n the ice and
caught a few white fish NcCulloch came
out and was unable TO withstand the
temptation. and eagerly grabbed up and
dsvoureo the raw Ssh. In few moments
he had eaten five and with three others
soon had a meal The next spring we
continued up the nslari river and To-
Gated NcC'uIlochs bar bur dld not find
gold IN sufficient quantities 20 warrant fur
Their prospecting. In the middle OF the
fourth summer We met an Indian with
some new cloth. and ey signs ne told rs
that the Stiekesn river was only ter days
Journey further on. We reached the river
ard found some seventy o. eighty miners
asonE the streams NcCufloeh and ! went
further On and we discovered gold on tie
CsssiaT bar. The proper name should be
Casco. Supplies we're short and nv part
Eer desired 10 80 IN Victoria where he
had wlnterea once before. and return IN the
sprl0E with proper outfits He and
Young man started up ta@ river with sleds
from Fore Wrange} Alaska long hsfore
TIE see bad broken aud were over.aksn by
severe snow storm. They LOSE their vsy
and became SEPARATED. and me young man