The record-union., 1897-08-23
STILL STALLED AT SKAGUAY.
THE BULLARD.JACKS PAR
TY IN THE MUD.
They Hope, However, to Get t.
Lake Bennett by the First
of September.

Another letter has been received from
Frank Jackson, who left here with Ben
Bullard and William Ahern for the
Klondike. The letter was written on
the 10th, from Skaguay Bay, where the
party was awaiting the arrival of Was
son with band of horses to carry their
outfits over the mountains. Mr.. Jack
son writes:
We are hung up here for several
days, so there is a good chance to
write you the situation of affairs. We
came back here from Dyea because the
Chilcoot Pass is so crowded that it is
an utter impossibility to get through.
To get our outfits over short of a cost
of forty per cent. is impossible. There
are hundreds of tons Of freight to be
moved, and it has caused a blockade
that has stopped everyone. We don't
know how long it will last nor when
we can move ahead with the rest. We
will take the White Pass, as we think
it offers the best chances for getting
through.
Il wish you could be here for a day
and take in the sights. All sorts of
men, with all kinds of outfits, are jum-
bled together here. Talk about trying g
to cross the Sierras in early days. 1t
was never in it. There are numbers
of horses here, but the mountain trail
is so bad that about one trip knocks
them out, and then there are ten men
to every horse. They land them from
the steamer by taking them on lighters
and then showing them into the water
when they get four or five hundred
yards from shore. Sometimes the
horses will turn and swim straight out
to sea unless they can turn them with
small boats. l saw three drown that
were taken from our ship.
"Old plugs that you could buy by the
dozen for SO in Sacramento bring 5000
here now, and you can't contract to
have your freight moved for love nor
money just now. but the regular price
is thirty cents per pound. There is no
telling when the price will come down,
either, for although every boat brings
more horses, yet just so many more
people land each time, and the situa-
ton grows worse and worse.
''To get over by carrying your own
outfit they say is impossible, but I think
we will try it, if everything else fails.
We expect a friend on the steamer Will
lamette, due to arrive here on the 18th.
and he telegraphed that he would bring
eight horses; but there will be five of
US to move, and a horse can only pack
200 pounds. AS the distance is thirty
miles, and it takes five days to make
the round trip, it would consume nearly
a month to carry our 5000 pounds
over We hope to be able to hire
some more horses, though, and get
through in two weeks. Our calcula-
tions may be all upset if Wasson
doesn't bring the horses, or will make
other arrangements; but we have got to
wait and see.
Everything is high. You can't get
a chew of tobacco for less than two
bits. The ridiculous part Of it is, too,
that every steamer brings in a few
women. What they expect to DO I
don't know. 1t is very different now
from what it was two months ago.
Then you could set Indians to pack
clear to Lake Linderman. Now they
will only pack up to the summit. and
have more than they can do for the
next six months at thirty cents Il
pound. They are tired out and ugly
too, and raise on the price every day.
"Well, we will get as far as we can,
and will get clear on through if anyone
does A man could have made a for
tune here if he had brought a cargo
of old skates of horses up.
'"There have been three men drowned
since we came, who tried to cross the
river in rubber boots.
'If you don't hear from mo again,
you may know that we have hit the
trail Maybe you won't know how we
have made it until next spring, unless
we can send letter back by some one
from Lake Bennett. If we get that
far before September 1st we can make
| it all right. If Tom Ahern had come
| this far with US he could have made
| $50 a day shoeing horses There is
one man and ne has more than he can
| possibly get through with.
II will write again if l have an OPP
portunity and give more definite news
| of what progress we can make #
we can get over 10 Lake Bennett we
will be all right, and if you ever get
letter from me after We land there
you may know that we have made it
all right and are on the Klondike.''