The Portland daily press., 1897-10-02
One Klondiker Who Got Enough Of
Alaskan Travel.
STILL HE THINKS THAT HE WILL
TRY AGAIN.
His Interesting Descriptions of Scenes by
the Way-The Hotel on tho Trail at
Which No Change Is Given-Iucidents
providence Journal.)

in the Long Journey.
providence Journal)
9 There is one man in this CITY who start
ed for Klondike, but who has returned
after encountering little of the hardship
to be found in Alaska He is Howard
K. Harris, who resides at 90 Pitman
street. Mr. Harris did not get within
500 miles of Dawson City, but being con-
WINGED that it was folly for him to re-
main where he was he determined to
come home before the winter set in. Mr..
Harris left this city on Thursday, Aug.
5. He started alone and went first to
Vancouver, from there he kept on to Seat
tie, arriving there on Friday Aug. 13.
His experience after that time he tells in
substance as follows:
II stayed in Seattle few days and
while there l met young Scotchman
named Alexander Dunbar. He had had
considerable experience in mining and
like hosts Of others the attraction at
Klondike had proved too strong for him
to resist.
"On Thursday evening, Aug. 10. Dun
bar and myself left Seattle on the steam
or Al-Ki. The steamer was loaded with
people going to the gold country. We
stopped at different places along the way
and took on freight or passengers. AT
Fort Randall several of the passengers
went ashore for the purpose of going up
the Stickeen river. 1t was reported that
this river Is comparatively free from
rapids and it seems to be the prevailing
idea that it will be much used next seas
on. 1t is necessary to do about ITO miles
of packing but the trail is SO much bet
ter that this more than outweighs the ad.
vantages OF the other route.
Dunbar and l, however, decided to
keep on. On Friday morning, Aug. q,
we reached Dyea. Here we landed. We
were obliged to land at high tide, since
there is no wharf, the freight being land
ed by scows.
con the beach was small village of
tents, perhaps 300s in number. Here were
Klondikers in truth, and we began to
believe that we ere.seeing something of
the life we were to lead for awhile. On
iiOOA WO l01b oS Cd t1utL sUtFC6u
for Finnegan's Point. Then we began
to get a taste Of what we were to have
later. Each man had two packs to carry
and the journey over the trail seems
longer than 1t really Is with these bur
dens. 1t is about seven miles to Finne-
gan s Point from Dyea, and although the
trail Is good one compared with what
we encountered later, yet we were glad
to see Finnegan's Point.
'After leaving Dyea 1t was two miles
to the ferry. Here boat was in readi-
ness to carry us across. We were obliged
to pay so cents apiece for.our passage and
four cents pound for our baggage. After
crossing the river this time we had to
ford it several times later. In places it
would only be ankle deep and in others
the water would come to ones knees The
current runs swiftly and the water is ice
cold, flowing down as it does from the
glaciers above. The sensation one-experi-
enced while wading through this stream
was anything but pleasant. But cross it
we must to get on, SO we waded in and
through. This experience was repeated
at least dozen times before we reached
Finnegan's Point. The trail began to
grow worse after leaving the ferry, and
by the time we reached Finnegan's Point
1t was pretty rough.
I'VE reached the Point at last, pretty
we'll tired out. The mud had been deep
in places and had retarded our progress
materially. At the Point we found about
300 tents. After resting at Finnegan' S
Point, we started, on Sunday, for Sleeps
Camp, II miles by the trail. Here we
encountered some dangers In places the
river had to be crossed on improvised
bridges. These were trees felled across
the river. 1t..was case of making ones
way as best one could over these logs.
With heavy pack it is no easy job to
keep ones footing, and slip and
plunge meant, perhaps, the end of some
ones journey to the region of the Klon-
dixie.
again did we encounter mud, which