The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-09-22
LIFE IN The KLoNplKE.
A Government Onieial Tells OF the Scarcity
Of Food, the Boggy Trails and Other Pri-
vations Found There.

A Government Onieial Tells OF the Scarcity
of Food, the Boggy Trails and Other Pri-
vations Found There.
Washington, Sept eO.-7-Mr. 0ren w.
Weaver, acting commissioner OF labor,
has given to the press a copy of a
graphic letter on the terrors of the
trip across Alaska to the Klondike
gold fields The letter has just been
received from Samuel G. Dunham, sta
tistical expert of the governments de-
partment of labor, who was assigned
by Commissioner Wright to investi-
gate the opportunities which the gold
regions in the Yukon valley and ad-
joining territory afford for the re-
munerative employment of American
labor and capital The letter is dated
Lake Lindeman, Alaska, August 0e,
at n, on, and says:
TIE sun has just made its appear
ance. This climate is very treacher.
GUS, changes being very sudden. On
the ocean side of the mountains it rains
more than half the time. On account
of the rains the soil washes down from
the steep mountain sides and wherever
there is level place You will find a
bog into which man or horse sinks
to the knees at every STEP This makes
it almost impossible to use horses.
/ passed at least 1000 men between
Dyea and here, and not more than 100
have got their outfits this side of the
summit Every so yards along the
trail are piles of goods, and | suppose
there are provisions to the value of
100000 scattered along the trail.
Prices for packing and for all kinds of
service are practically prohibitory for
most of those who are attempting to
get in, so many are carrying over their
own outfits. Some of the Indians
carry as much as 200 pounds at a load
and make the trip from Dyea to Lake
Lindeman in two days, returning to
Dyea on the third day, thus making
two trips a week. White men carry
from rs to 1875 pounds and it takes
man with an adequate outfit month
to get to the lake. There are many
here who have been five or six weeks
packing their outfits over and are not
ready TO start down the river yet
There are about 200 men here and
40 tents Probably three or four boats
are getting away every day with from
two to five passengers. There is one
sawmill here with capacity of 1000
feet day and it has all the orders it
can fill in three weeks. Lumber is $500
thousand and rising. A great many
whipsaw their lumber, two men turn
ing out about 100 feet day. A boat
carrying three men sells for $3.50 to
S400. Wages of carpenters are S12. so
day and board. Everything is high in
price when you can get it at all.
Whisky is so cents drink and SIS
bottle and poor stuff at that. Alcohol
is worth $40 a gallon. 1t makes ten
gallons of Lake Lindeman whisky.
Meals cannot be had for money as
every one is holding on to his provis-
ions.
San Francisco, Sept 2O.-A special to
the Call from Hal Hoffman, dated
Juneau, sept. 10, says:
The first snow storm of the season
swept over the mountains last night,
which is one indication that the same
thing is likely to recur at any time or
continue steadily. Small boats which
arrived here to-day from Skaguay bay
report that the snow fell one and
half feet deep on Skaguay trail. This
means that further progress cannot be
made on that trail by the staggering
thousands, and that the establishment
of winter quarters must be begun
quickly, where not already under way.
The slippery, sliding snow will rem
der it almost impossible to make any
progress, to say nothing of the drifts
that pile up from the winds. The snow
storm may be said to stop further prog
ress over both Dyea and Skaguay trails
unless such an unprecedented thing as
a spell of dry, calm weather comes.