Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-08
W-BURIED TRAIL.
4 JOURNEY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
IN ZERO WEATHER.
Professor Nason's PeriIous Trip to
Civilization from Mine on the
Over Three Feet of snow.

At this end Of the line one hears n
great deal about the glorIes and gains
OF gold hunting in the new parts OF the
West, where there is real gold to be
hunted. 1t would seem 10 be all ro-
nance, and rewards, and red flannel
shirts. Undoubtedly the red flannel
shirts are there, also the romance and
rewards, but along with them there
comes an amount OF misery and hard
ship difficult for one who has never been
Oeyond the reach OF telegraphs and
railroads to estimate At the other
end or the line they know all about these
hardships. but they keep them TO
themselves. IL Is only occasionally that
some returning traveller there are
good many travellers there who neither
return nor stay, but just perish, owing
to the exgencies of the situation), tells
something Of the bitter side of gold
mining. One Of those who has been for
tunate enough to get back intact is Pro-
tessor FRANK l.. Mason, of New Bruins
WICK, who Is now spending the holidays
IN that city with his family.
Professor Mason was formerly con-
nected with Rutgers College, but severed
bis connection to enter the employ
OF the Columbia Hydraulic Mining
Company, the mines of which are in
British Columbia, about sixty miles
north Of Revelstoke. the nearest rail-
way station. Reference TO the map of
British Columbia will show Revelstoke
to be $50 miles north Of the United
States line, and about 100 miles from
the eastern boundary of British Column
bia, i'm a country made up chiefly of
mountains and the Columbia river. Tho
mines are directly up the river, in
| locality known az the Big Bend Dis
trict because there the river makes
sweep around huge corner and comes
back almost parallel to itself Professor
Mason left the East last March to put
! IN hydraulic plant with which to
wash out the collaborating gravel banks
lie took with him twenty-seven tons Of
steel-pipe and some other baggage of
personal nature, as he purposed to stay
up there through the fail, and possibly
well into the winter. The steel-pipe got
along very well as far as the railroad
extended. but when Professor Mason got
his twenty-seyen tons unloaded at Revel-
stoke the real work began. With
thirty-nine men and four boats. three
OF which carried eight tons each, and
tho fourth three tons, he cordelled that
steel-plpe up sixty miles of Column
bia river Cordelling is the process OF
Harvesting men TO boats Ike canal
mules, and having them furnish the
motive power The difference between
the men and the mules is all advan-
tage to the animals. They have a tow
path to walk on. Ii Ia no light and airy
pastime TO cordelle twenty tons
Of steel-pipe up sixty miles of river, and
the only relief that the men got was
at the rapids, where they had to make
portages. This could not be truthfully
described as welcome relief. Gwo Of
the portages were over 800 feet each Of
land. However, they were at least one
day land, whereas the cordellers were
up 10 theiE, waists in water much of the
time, and The water in the Columbia
river is as coid on the LIST OF September
as 1t is on the LIST Of January. In fact, it
keeps a pretty steady temperature the
| year through.
After eight days of amphibious labor the
| party reached the mines. Professor Ma
son put IN his hydraulic plant and began
the active duties of his Office OF manager
/ Of the mines. The summer passed off
uneventfully enough, and with the first
snow the manager began to make plans
for returning to civilization and bringing
his men with him. as the placer mines
are not worked In winter. Originally he
had intended to come down about the
first OF December, but he was warned
that an early winter would set in, and
that he would do well TO start earlier, SO
he arranged his plans for start on No
vember 18th. About half way down the
river to Revelstoke was packer with a
number of pack horses which Professor
Mason had hired to carry his provisions
and packs. The owner of the horses
agreed to be at the mine on the 18th or
18th, but on the Sth II began TO snow, and
from Sunday afternoon to Saturday noon
the snow fell almost without intermis-
sion When it stopped the ground was
three feet under a solid blanket OF white
The unfortunate packer strove to get his
horses TO Revelstoke, where he could get
food for them. but the animals were I'M
able TO get through the snow, and he was
obliged TO shoot them to save them from
slow death by starvation
This left Professor Mason with the
choice OF carrying his own packs to Revel-
stoke or staying at the mines on short
rations until the new year, when the
river would probably be closed, except
at the rapids, where IL never freezes, ana
passage over the ice would be compare
lively easy II he started ne would have
al
ning through the thick forest beside the
river. In some places leading along the
sides of precipitous cliffs which went
straight up into the clouds and on.
height Of $500 feet. 1t is not the Kind
OF path that one would choose for q quiet
saunter even In summer. and buried under
three feet OF snow II presented extreme
difficulties and dangers. Had the river
been navigable 1t would have been
simple though dangerous matter-for the
stream Is full Of rapids-to drift down TO
Revelstoke. carrying over the bad places.
But some OF the men had already tried the
river. and had found it frozen over In a
still place four miles down. -Four OF the
party went on to the house OF a settler
named Boyd, and sent him back to act
as guide TO the manager and the others.
This was on Tuesday. and on Friday BOYD
appeared. ,,
no 'sbut well get through all right. We
can travel on the ice at the edge OF the
liver. where it's strong enough, and
where II amt wen take the trail
on November Goth the party started out
each man carrying his pack OF ABOUT
forty pounds The thermometer was
ranging between 4 and l6 degrees below
zero. and the party was dressed for the
weather in double thickness knit toques,
ordinary suits Of clothing without over
coats. as overcoats would be both too
heavy and too likely TO induce perspira-
ton which, In that temperature, is apt
TO freeze upon the skin; heavy woollen
socks over which and over the trousers
were drawn double Dutch stockings up
To the knees, and duckskin moccaslns.
Each man carried snowshoes. although
az the start the snow was too soft 10 adj
nit of their use The story OF the trip
down was told thus by Professor Mason
to a sun reporter