The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
SKELETONS LINE THE TRAIL,
And Gold Dust IL WeiEhed Like BaEs OF Meal
on the scaIes ut Dawson City.

wINsTED, Conn, Oct. l6.-Waldo c. Curtiss,
who is 30 years old and went to tho Klondike
last July, has sent his father an account Of his
adventures on the way and his prospects.
1T Is through sheer good luck that l am here
to write you now" he says. II fell in with a
party Of seven other fellows and at Lake Under
man we found q man who had constructed a
largo boat or scow, roughly built and capable
of carrying about a dozen persons. He offered
to take us through the rapids and down the
Yukon for $40 each and let ns have the privi-
leRe of working our own passage. We were not
long In accepting his offer, 30 we put aboard our
outfit and tied 1t on the best We could, and
started on our journey through the several
lake and rapids to and down the Yukon. 1t
was q case of hustle from the beginning of tho
journey to the end to save our lives as well az
our outfit. We ran the different rapids with
out losing anything to speak OF until We reached
the treacherous White Horse rapids. Here
we lost much Of our outfit, AS We, were sub.
which ! priced most highly was the loss of my
films and developing materials, as had taken
Dyea, Alaska, and through the different cahons.
1T takes about two and a half minutes TO
shoot Miles Canon, but we ran it without &C.
Gidont, os a,lthopqgh four different times 4 came
The journey from Dyea 70 Klondike, is
p Place of "i those s'" less f toHrniat Ii M myself ssil.'ff
also saw many skeletons and bodies of men
who had lost their lives in the rapids and could
not be reached to be buried. We ran on TO
piles Of wreckage, logs, and sand bars, but the
worst are the sharp-edged rocks which come 10
near the surface of the water In tho White
Horse as to strike the bottom of the boat,
which throws 1t out of course and makes II ak
ceedingly dangerous for its occupants.
But i am hero at Dawson City at last. In
what Is supposed TO DO tho richest mining
camp in the world. where dollars are as nickolt
In the States and wages are $40 a day, meal:
$1.50 each, and consist of moose stcak or fried
tea or coffee. with q little bread and butter
Whiskey IL 30 cents u drink and never saw a
still. Talk about rat poison; 1t isn't in IT,
Gambling houses arc thicker. than mosquitoes
In Maine, which are not half al thick as they
"In order to get a letter you must begin a,
ono end OF the town and take each gambling
hell and saloon In rotation, for you will be al
likely TO ind your letter In any one or them a.
at the Alaska Commercial Company's store
which Is considered the headquarters. Every
body brings In letters, and they are left pro
miscuously about the town. ! brought In owe
the carrier of which Is willingly paid.
~ have been offered Sl6 u day OF ten hour
at the mines and shall go up tomorrow and TAX,
In the situation. They claim some Of the mine
here are running $500 TO $500 TO u pan. j q,
know that gold Is being brought into Dawson
in abundance. j have seen them throw 1t on
scale 10 weigh in bags like meal, saw tn
first day here what was claimed TO be sovera
millions. One man had nearly a quarter OF
million dollars worth, Nearly all dealing |
done In gold dust here"