The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-09-18
TRIALS OF A
kL0NDYkE Err.
Nearly Everyone in Camp Short Of
Provisions.
COUNTS WITH INDIANS.

women GOlng over the PaSS-HOt Pan
on ChilcOOt - One Man Blew His
Brains Out-AVerage Duty 25 Per
Cent.
Lake Linderman, Alaska, August
l7.-Last evening arrived here with
two Indians, the other eight being
strung along the trail for miles. With
these Indians, left Dyea Saturday
evening and kept with the two ti-he
ones all the time. l had no trouble as
l saw others having. l treated each
Indian with consideration and found
that courtesy counts with redskins as
with white,people. The Indians carried
from $50 down to 40 or fifty pounds.
The ten Indians brought about 1000
pounds, and you folks who object to
freight tariffs in the states may figure
it up and stop kicking. That is not
One-third of our freight outfit for three
persons.
Prices have been going up so rapidly
that have no idea what the remain
der will cost. Here is another illustra-
ton of the law of supply and demand.
When l left Dyea, boats were being
sold here and at Lake Bennett for 800
large enough for our party. Now if I
go out and offer $500 for the same boat
am treated as though were a pau
per and asked something preposterous.
AS good boat bought in Portland,
had it made to order, knocked down
and daled out, with screws and bolts
complete, for $25, and the demand for
boats that day was very heavy.
am looking up the. rafting prOpo-
sition and as soon as DR.. Beatie and
Jim Jackson arrive with the remainder
of the outfit, we will start on raft, un-
less can secure boat in tho mean
time.
1t approaches the time after which
it would not be safe to start on a raft,
and it is not so long before even a good
boat will not take one there soon
enough. No one here who has not Sc
cured boat has any assurance of go.
ing any further this winter. 1t is not
question of prices alone, but physi,
cal impossibility for the people to be
moved over the line. They come
streaming along, each hour, increasing
the number and the demand for every
thing purchasable, and prices mount
skyward like Fourth of July rockets
Only the:rapidity with which those rock
cts go upward is but faint suggestion
of the terrific speed obtained in prices
A man came into camp last evening
and offered 50 for meal, anything in
the shape of grub. He could find nc
one to furnish it,
offered $50 for a whipsaw. There
was no price would take it.
Our boat at Lake Linderman will
cost us at least 500, our duty about
$125 or $50, our Indian packing S1O2;
making about $500 just to take Oul
1900 pounds from here past Lake Ia
gish, where the Canadian custom
house official is stationed. The aver
age duty is 20 per cent and all stuff MOI
in use six months is taxed
. The weather here and all along from
Dyea is hot in the daytime, comfortable
at night, and morning and evenings
, 1t never is very dark, and last evening
by moonlight we sat out of doors anC
read newspaper print, nonpareil solid
Perpetual SHOWS are all around thi
! lake, so that when the winds blow tht
temperature is delightfully."- cool ant
invigOrating. But, with no wind an;
! with clear sky, it is hotter in thu
i daytime than any variety OF climate
! ever heard the theologians quar-: G
I about.
The camp presents an interesSin,
j appearance. On all sides one may Sc
3 workmen building boats and scows Nd,
every available tool here is in use. T
: get out lumber for boat it is neceG
D sary to go up the lake one mile, the
up the river four miles, cut the log