The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-31
xay anything mere of the tran. because I
have not been ever II
xnf gnnr Reach the Iakrs

Not Many Reneh the Lakes
There are very few who have reached
Lake BerrAse. 50 Il Is hard 20 get correct
Information fr0zn taers. AIb-o Gardner,
] tr. q Seattle. who Is Esemher q Or.
i Leszey's party. wien seen this evening.
I said.
We have tlzst returned from the lake
( WITH our lead, we iefE Tuesday noon ard
I reacnsa there Thursday noon; Il has Just
I taken uz Ave DAYS 10 make the round trip"
Whea ASKED atsoat bozrs, be said soma
have carried their boats nearly 10 the sum
rnft ard then le<t them No ore has taken
a best clear through Il - impossible 20
get boat made over there. as the men
+ working there have orders ahead for q
month or SIX weeks. and they charge from
Sise % 81. for making beat.
There seems o DC very little friendship
here. friends are parting every day. have
not yet heard OF a party having more than
three IN which some enc has been. or soou
viii be, forced 20 draw cut: men become
tired. cranky and nearly worn cat. and
seem 10 think that they are doing more
than their share, and In just this way the
break Is started. WILL ". EWING.
Let Cheecaroes Beware.
VICTORIA, Aug. so-of all the men
heard from on the Skaguay trail. and a
very large number Of letters were received
today. only three have got their goods
through 10 the lakes and are ready 10 sail
down The river TO the hlondfke. and they
had unusually light outfits. The other
Coo or more are camped az skaguay or
are fighting their away across. .i;h very
poor chances OF success in most cases.
Here Il an extract from letter which
sizes Up the situation:
.sThe trails over which many now are
packing on foot and on horses are ex-
treE1ely difficult and dangerous TO man
has 4-H 81 n m
over. and when the weather II wet. deep
mud 70 struggle through. The path Is mar
row, bordering In places on precipitous
heiEhKS, wnere slip means certain death
Numerous horses and mules have already
been icsi. A few days ago as many as
eleven animals persisted, either falling over
or through accidents In crossing the White
pass. IN one day alone. The loss of pack
animal invariably means 10 q man of Sleu-
DER capital the abandonment Of the jour
ney.
Then. too. how few seem TO be able to
realize the effect OF the rigorous Alaskan
winter upon even men Of hardy constfsu-
TORS. Those who intend wintering in
skagfay must not forget that It viii be
hard time. especially in tents with tenn
perai3re e. degrees below freezing point.
Winter commences shortly. and snow falls
70 depth Of three or four feet. With
sNch large population the unsanitary
state VIII become horribly bad: the fresh
water Ia The creek will become polluted
and disease will set in.
otlt wiser. and more viii be coming back as
winter approaches. SIN many are going
even now TO Dyea and Skaguay, and the
/ cry il heard, More victims
All other letters and the disheartened
men who returned on the steamers City of
Kingston. Islander and Bristol tell the
same story.
j. IL. Escolme OF the British Yukon
Company. says his company will do no
more work on the trail until they receive
assurance from the United States govern
ment that they viii be reimbursed, but
they VIII commence work this winter on
their railway and viii have part OF 1t COM
pleted b. spring.
Capt. Moore. who agitated for the White
pass before the rush commenced. also came
down. He said the trail was good before
the rush of horses and men cut il up but
Il Is hard 10 understand how the immense
bouiders grew up in a day. In Dyea
pass all the men are making good pro-
sress. they not being impsdsd by the rush
Have Earned "a Million AIready
Special Dispatch TO the Post-Intelligencer.
EVERETT. Aug S0-w A. O'Rar writes
from the east slope of the Skaguay trail
under Gate OF Sunday, August Is:
This Is Sunday afternoon. and we are
completely worn out. | have Just returned
rom Two days journey TO the lake TO
order a beat, so there. VIII he no delay
when We arrive. i paid $40 for the boat.
! learned that there had been no trouble
on the river this season with boats thai
We're properly constructed
III ~ safe 70 say that there are 800 peo-
PIE ana LOS horses on the trail between us
ana skaGuay. IL half those now climbing
the western slope reach the lakes before
the river freezes up they VIII do we'll The
iran Is simply awful, and almost impas-
sabie as lar as the summit and there N
such q Jam OF men and horses that II would
be slow even with a good trail From
where we are TO the lake the trail Is bet
ter.
People who are starting this way have
NOT the sigatest idea OF what they are 10
encounter II we could bring out million
In gold We have earned every cent of II.
and some are saying at a dear price TOO
We stand the hardship well and with 4
little rest are ready TO tackle It again our
shoes. with .soles fun of biz nails, are the
only ones that viii endure for a day l
now IN my second pair
Hardships and High Prices.
/ A letter from F. W. Payne to the Mitch
ell. Lewis & Staver Co. tells graphically
/ the story of the hardships and difficulties
! 70 which the rush through the passes ia
subJecting the congested masses OF hu-
maaity IL IS dated Skaguay Trail, Au-
/ gust y:
y would like 10 describe In Inn the ax-
/ lstnE conditions here, but a volum- would
not begin te tell It, or an the hard mon
esiloHs nave ever seen or heard Of this
I - AftF atfHks anu SIN increasing GlfTtCUf-
I ties tend 10 make life a burden. II you can
imagine a steep. narrow. rocky mountain
Z tfaiis Win thousands % horses and men
: crow ding, with dead animals strewn alI
alous the WAY. you may form a slight idea
1 OF noW things gre on the Dyea and Ska0-
gay tFallS There IS not q day passes bat
+ horses are killed hy falling over elirs or
/ over rocks. and men IN their crazy rush
70 reach the lakes are throwing away
much Of their provisions so that today AZ
Lake Bennett, s. handful Of tea costs 81
and q sack II flour could not be bought for
"Oue thing that has caused SO much ex-
! eitemsnf Is the fact that two parties Of
men have come out over the trail with
I many thousands Of gold. and like gunpow-
Ger the craze spreads.
"Our party OF four has held 10 every
pound or provisions. ard when We reach
t1e lake We viii have our OUTFIT intact a.
j W 90 not teei lusliied ia throwing away
car supplies down 10 the starvation point
~ order 20 gain two weeks ;igre as Nv
{ saving our grub we VIII surely d. on tho
4 titcr ahead % those who spend thousarsIs
OF goiiars and sttil 40 IN short Of PROVISIONS
ana out q money Horses are worth
frow SD - $50 each ana MANY a rae-
fellow has pgf his last dollar into a nSrss
( uiaN te nave u Killed the very next day on
( ne tFatL People are paying as high as
+ Nco @ have Na pounds Of pretlsior,s
+ packed over thc frafi and even 81 49,
( nSgre they have hard work TO get any ore
4 20 take the contract Our PARTY has ba~s,
( very fortunate thus far and b csftire
alpnS 9@ nicely as could be expected ne wse
3 aFe &oinS through with the idea u stavl,,eg
EeFe after reaching CTR destination
8 NntEa - something many hundreds p-ffI
{ A1t Re able O. do. as BY the time the,- y-rf
+ there Il VIII ba a case OF get cut rr,fe
{ fhis ne y VIII 20 g ease ~ Hfe ana ssatb
si'1 : Tear starvation Win win the race in
I a ErSat rsany eases and leave It's Victims
+ Strown an along Tire way"
Hardy Wen Able To Get Thrnn.b
81