Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-16

A more dreary place to camp can hardly be
| imagined. Yet here were a number of
| tents. A tent hung with gunny sacks for a
| door. and presided over by small Irish
man, announces by means of small sheet
of paper that meals will be served at 81. y
per meal. The meal consists of coffee bis
cult, bacon and beans Business was en-
| tirely suspended the evening l arrived at
Crater lake, owing to the fact that in the
morning the wind had carried the restau-
rant, tent, 1rishman and all, over into
canyon 400 feet below. The restaurant
| had only resumed business outwardly, and
| the prcprietors temper was still windy"
The wind blows a gale at Crater lake.
Every tent, in addition to being tied, was
| fastened down with rocks on the edges
| The center of the tent rested over a rock
about six feet square. On this rock five of
us made bed. BY dint of hard squeezing
| five can sleep on a rock of that size, pro-
vided one is not too particular; but when
turning over, all must turn at once. How
ever, sleeping accommodations at Crater
lake. with even five in one bed, is not to
| be Sneezed at, for one cannot cross the
summit at night, much less go back
By carefully collecting all the walking
sticks in camp and breaking them up, we
were enabled to make very advantageous
trade at a nearby tent of the wood thus
| secured, for the privilege of boiling two
quarts Of coffee This favor was highly
| esteemed.
Next morning a sharp walk for fifteen
minutes and the summit Of Chilkoot Pass
o,aoV ASct dDoNS SSd lcVet-IS before you.
Another ten minutes and the descent is
commenced. Down, down; jumping from
one sharp rock to another, for one and a
half miles, and camping place known as
'The Scales is reached, named because
at one time a man, tired Of carrying a set
of scales. left them at this resting place,
where they remained for years.
At this time of the year the fogs and
storms are so bad that very careful atten-
| ton is required to keep the trail across the
| summit. and also descending to 1.-The
Scales" A gradual descent of two miles
more and a resting place known as stone
House" is reached This is a large rock.
SO situated as to afford shelter overhead
and on three sides. 1t is favorite camp
ing place with the Indians, especially in
stormy weather. Across the canyon and
directly opposite "Stone House is a large
glacier. 1t was a part of this glacier
which broke loose on September IL. caus-
Ing small lake to overflow and flooding
sheep Camp. Following the canyon, past
Stone House" and Sheep Camp, the Dyea
river winds its way. The trail follows this
river from ''stone House" to Sheep Camp, a
distance OF two miles, the mud in many
places being knee deep.
Sheep Camp.
Sheep Camp is the main camping ground
| on the Chilkoot Pass route, between Dyea
and Lake Lindeman. About 100 tents con-
taining3O0 people are to be found here all the
time. The population continually changes,
some moving farther on each day, and new
arrivals taking their places. Sheep Camp
also boasts one frame building used as
hotel store and restaurant. and a log
house. erected some years ago for the use
of the United States surveyors.
On September 10 about TWENTY-FIVE of the
campers had pitched their tents on the dry
ground in the bed Of the river, when sud-
denly cry went forth at o'clock in the
Every one made for the hills, and the roar
Of the coming torrent. two miles away,
sounded like the thunder Of mighty artil-
leFy. On came the waters In wall twenty