Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-03
YUKON MAIL FACILITIES
Uncle Sam Will Attend to Letters for Gold
Diggers.
Contracts Made for Transportation of
date American Prospcctors.

1t will he Ct interest to know that there
are post office facilities for the gold fields
of Alaska. and the Northwest territory, for
many pers, ms have started for that region
and their friends will naturally he anxious
to hear from them. Additional contracts
for the delivery Of mail have been made by
the Post Office Department in view of the
influx of Americans there.
Since July / contracts for mail over what
is known as 1.-THE overland route from
Juneau to Circle City have been made by
the department. The round trip over the
Chilkoot Pass and by way of the chain OF
lakes and the Lewes river takes about
month, the distance being about 800 miles.
The department has just been notified by
the contractors agent that three carriers
will start from Juneau July L.. -snothcr
party will start August !, ard there will
be party to leave regularly on the first OF
each month thereafter. The cost is about
500 for the round trip. The Chlkoot Pass
is crossed with the mail by means of In
dian carriers On the previous trips the
carriers after fms hing the pass built their
beats but they now have their own to
pass the lakes and the Lewes river.
Deg Slcds in Winter.
In the winter transportation is carried
on by means of dog sleds. and it is hoped
that under the present contracts there Will
be no stoppage, no matter how low the tenn
perature may go. The contractor has re-
ported that he was sending a boat, in sec
tions by, way of st. Michael, up the Yukon
river to ~ used On the waterway of the
route, and 1t Is thought much time will be
saved by this. in former times it was
necessary for the carriers to stop and build
boats or rafts to pass the lakes.
In addition to this for the summer sea-
son contracts have been made with two
steamboat companies for two trips from
Seattle to st. Michael, and three from
there to Seattle When the steamers reach
St. Michael. the mail will be transferred
from the steamers to the fiat-bottomed
boats running up the Yukon as far as
Circle City. 1t is believed the boats nov
run further up.
The contracts for the overland route call
for only first-class matter, whereas the
steamers Ii. the summer season carry
everything p to five tons 4 trip.
Some extracts from the official report OF
the second assistant postmaster general
for the fiscal year ending June !, 1895. VIII
prove of interest. Under date OF September
%, 1896, Contractor Beddoe wrote to the
department concerning the trio to Circle
City, the Establishment of that post office
having been authorized March 10, lS:1:
Contractors Story.
He says:
II have just returned from my first round
trip Through to Circle City with the United
States mail, under contract route No. 7S103,
and In accordance with your instructions,
corrol,orating those received through the
superintendent of the Pacific coast, at
Seattle, 1 delivered the return mail from
Circle City to the postmaster at Seattle ana
accompanied 10 Juneau such mail as re-
manned for that point.
Il have already delivered Cor have EN-
route) the mail for June, July, August and
-e-st. 10 Gov
any other mail to leave here until spring,
outside of the winter contract.
IF you were familiar with the conditions
which obtain in the Yukon you would be
in a better position to regulate the dates
of departure and arrival for said service.
For instance, l left this point on June 10
for Dyea: for sixteen hours it was impos-
sible to land owing 10 storms, and as the
landing is made in small boats, the cond.-
lions must be favorable 1 took with me
sufficient lumber to build two boats: the
ones had already built could not be taken
over the summit i'm consequence of Excess
Sive snow storms. Upon my arrival at the
base of the summit the Indian packers re-
fused to go over with the lumber. l was
compelled to abandon it there, having paid
sG7.5O for packing it. The packing of sup
plies. etc, cost $500 additional However.
/ pushed on and upon arriving at Lake Lin
derman, a distance of thirty miles. i built
a raft, there being no lumber in that local.
!ty. and upon this raft We journeyed to
Lake Bennett, where We found sufficient
lumber to build boat. A start was made
in five days after arrival. although the lurn-
Der had to be cut from the trees. and from
there We Travelled day and night until
our destination. Circle City. was reached
and the mails delivered in good order.
The ques ton now was to get the return
mail to Juneau the quickest moment IL
impossible to start up the river IN
consequence Of the rapid water. the current
averaging eight miles an hour for go miles
If / remained in Circle City until July 10 1t
Iax-
the boat up the river. l therefore decided
to go on down to St Michaels and come out
through Boring sea. 1 was fortunate IN
getting there in time for the steamship
Portland, which sailed from that point to
Seattle, via Unalaska-3..tO miles. At Sc
attic l took the Alki and reached her in
due course, having Travelled $3.50 miles In
addition to the regular trip, and saving
thereby a month of time in the de-
livery of the return mail: and owe 1t to
myself to say that 1 was the last man into
the Yukon and the first one out this sea-
son, which is evidence that no unnecessary
delay occurred.
This Yukon trip is a terrible one, the
current of the river even attaining i, ,1,!;., Ten
death trap into which one Is likely TO be
drawn without notice, and the White Horse
RAPIDS known as the miners grave TO say
nothing of the Five Finger and Rink rap
ids both of which are very dangerous. All
of these dangers are aggravated by rea-
son of tie defective maps and reports of
the country.
Reflection of Rivers Course.
'It is my intention to submit to the &C.
partment a map with many corrections.
although in the absence of proper survey
it will necessarily be only an approximate
reflection of the rivers course. You are
probably not aware that for a distance of
$50 miles, commencing at Circle City, and
going north. the river is fifty miles between
banks, and contains thousands of islands.
very few of which appear on any map.
ut is impossible TO perform this mail
contract without having at least three rar
ties fully equipped, the distance being so
great and It being out Of the question for
the first party to return i'll time 20 depart
with the succeeding mail, and the expense
of each will be about the same. 1 shall
have made four round trims by the end of