The San Francisco call., 1897-07-23

forced upon him by his poor health, but
now he is anxious to return. Knowing e
the field as he Toes he feels that he could
90 through a trip without any mistakes
or many hardships.
Il spent three years in the Klondyke
region and camped on the very spot wnere
Dawson City is Standing said Mr.. Ship
pey this afternoon while at work in q hay
field. II saw the whole country, tested
my strength in packing grub over the
trail. going on short rations, freezing in
the winter and paying fabulous prices for
supplies.
al am sorry that 1 am not there now. I
left owing to i'll health. Men going up
there in the quantity that they are will
suffer for food. The Alaska Com mercial
Company cannot carry sufficient food for
all that are going, and there is no other
way to get food but from them.
eff men with money want to make a
fortune they can do it easily this winter
by fitting out a supply boat and sending
up an immense supply of -four, dried
fruit, bacon and the like. 1t will sell in
large quantities and for big prices. They
would have to take along a boat and put
it together at st. Michnels Above thsre
it is i'm possible to get freight carried, as
there is only the one line, and they will
carry none except for their own stores. Ii
taxes them to keep them supplied.
"4n ordinary times. when there is no
dearth of supplies, -four sells for 81 per
fifty pound sack, bacon 40 cents per
pound beans l2K cents. dried fruits from
20 to 80 cents, according to variety. Tea
and coffee are 81 pound.
The clothing worn is mostly the heavi-
est of wooden WITH fur over them. Under
clothes come at $6 to SS per suit and over
alls 81 so. The fur garments are called
parkeys and cost from $40 to $50, accord
ing to quality. When the supply beco m es
limited then the prices go sky ward, and
the man that has the money TO purchase
is lucky.
- have lived for two months with moth.
ing TO eat but flour and lard. 1t is not
much, but when it is all we could get it
was pretty good. Our bacon, when we
could get any, was of the 'pay-streak' va
riety; that is, there was streaks in it that
was not spoiled. The greater part was so
badly spoiled that it was streaked with
color.
The weather is so cold that there is
very Lit lie snow. Early in October it
SHOWS two or three feet and that IS all we
have. Every oay frost nearly as heavy
as snow falls. 1t lays on the trees for
weeks as there is not wind enough to blow
it off. The ground is covered with heavy
growth of moss from four to eighteen
inches in thickness. The only trees that
grow there at all are the spruce, and the
taIlest of these are only two feet high.
These only grow in sheltered hooks.
The worst draw back of the whole
country is the mosquito. There are two
kinds there. One is a larger fellow than
the California breed, while the o her is a
smaller insect, perfectly black. They will
make a straight live for man for ten
feet and their bills seem 10 strike in be-
lore their feet touch one. They attack
the dogs around the nose and eyes and
nearly kill them. Great sores result from
their bites. The big ones are about the
size of our big spiders.
I'VE packed everything into the Klon-
dyke on our shoulders. l made eighteen
trips over the trail. Half of these saw
me playing pack mule with enormous
loads on my back. The discoveries are
about fifteen miles from Dawson City, and
every man that goes in there must pack
everything in on his shoulders. 1t will
not be very peasant task in the cold
weather which they will have to endure.
81 located one claim there which re-
suited in making me quite little return.
found rich spot and brought the gold
to San Francisco, where l disposed of it..
II could have stayed | might have been
one of the richest. Of course when my
health gave out that settled me. But
there is plenty of time for me yet, and I
nay return in the spring"