The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1897-07-30
CHILCKY CROSSING
A Former Granite County Miners
Novel Scheme.
TO THE ALASKAN PLACERS
A New Machine Invented and Patented
to Pull Freight and Passengers
Over the Difficult Pass.

The stories of wonderful, wealth be-
ing taken out at Klondyke and other
Alaskan placer fields have electrified
the world and hundreds are now max
ing their way as best they can to the
new Ell Dorado of the far North. The
steamers that have been going up dur
ing the past couple Of weeks have been
loaded to the limit and additional
transportation facilities have been put
on by the Alaskan Commercial com
pauy, besides which number of YES
sles have been chartered by private
parties and individuals. Almost
every section of the west has felt the
effect of the stampede, and we believe
that almost every town of any inpor-
tanca in the State of Montana Will
have Que Or more represeu tatives on
the ground.
At present there are two ways Of
getting into the Yukon country. Tie
first and easiest, but longest and most
expensive, is by sea to ST. Machael'; i;
Island, near the mouth Of the river,
2, SEQ miles from San Francisco, ard
thence by steamer up to Circle City.
2, 800 miles, and beyond. AS the river
is not open until the early part Or mid
die Of June this route entails a loss
Of good part of tie very short work
ing season, and is not much followed.
By the other way one must pass al
overland journey of nearly 800 miles
from tidewater to the mining district.
There are several of these overland
routes One starts just below juneau
and goes up Tuka river over the di
vide at the head of Teslin lake, and
thence by boat built on the ground,
down the lake and the Hootalinqua
river to the Lewis, and thence into the
Yukon. This is the longest of tFe
overland routes, but is the easiest after
reaching Teslin lake.
One Of the other routes overland,
that from Ty-a Cor Dyea, at the head
Of tidewatec navigation, so miles
above Juneau, Ovec ChilCat pass to
Lake Linderman, the headwaters Of
Lewis river, is the one most used,
fully 80 per cent of all the travel in
aud out choosing that road. The start
il made from juneau as base in
March, SO as to get over the pass be-
fore the snow melts and have boat
built ready for the melting of the ice
on the lakes and rivers beyond. The
summit Of the pass. 10 miles from
Ty-a, is $500 feet above the sea- The
passage up is very arduous and par
ties are frequently detained by Snow
storms for ten days or two weeks at a
time, adding this much to the six or
eight weeks necessary for the trip to
tages of this, the most troublesome
part of the route, juneau parties have
established a pack train of horses to
carry baggage over the summit, hotel
and restaurant at Sheep Camp, near
there, and q sawmill and boat building
shop on Lake Linderman.
One serious objection to the Chilcat
Pass route is the very dangerous por-
ton claimed to be over two miles in
length near the summit Of the noun
tains. It is said that great many
lives have been lost at this particular
point and the transportation of sup
plies over it is rendered quite hazard
Gus. A great portion of the expensive
ness of the trip is occasioned by this
one difficulty. But such difficulties as
these are infnitessimal where human
ingenuity is pitted against them. Els
pecially is this the case when there are
millions Of dollars in gold depending
upon passage.
This dangerous and almost unsur-
mountable difficulty-the Chilcat Pass
is destined to be of short duration,
Judging from what we can learn of the
operations of former Granite
County resident. Fred Stotko. who is
well known in this county and W he
was one of the original owners in the
Sunrise mining properties, near Stone
Station, is now in Spokane Falls, and
writes to an acquaintance, stating
that he has obtained an interest in an
apparatus which he believes is JUS
what is needed to do away with the
: Chilcat Pass difficulty. One of the
machines has been made in Spokane,
and The Mail now has photographs Of
it in different positions. From wha,
we can understand from the photo