Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-02
WILL START IN EARLY SPRING
SOME OF HER ENPERIENCEs DUR
ING 4 FORMER VISIT.
Praise for the Men Now DelNinE for
Eortuues on the FIondike-Many
Good Claims Abandoned for
Retter Ones - Alas
kan Towns.

Head RAPIDS and join her husband on the
banks Of the golden Bonanza.
This looks easy enough in PRINT IL
sounds like the prospect Of a little summer
haunt 10 some seaside retreat. II means
in reality an adventure which has been
faced by but two other women. II VIII
take thirty DAYS covering the 600 hard'
rerpendicular. rocky. frozen and snow
hound miles from Juneau to Dawson City.
Her companions will be Frank Phiscator
and Clarence J. Berry-the new gold kings
and the three expect that the work which
will be done on their claims this winter
will heap upon the shores of the creek
more nuggets than horse can haul.
Mrs. Gage has no mine in her own name
since in the eye of the law married Woh-
an is not considered capable or owning
such property Her husband has two.
She has caught the fever, and there'is no
temptation in the gentle life IN the Evans
ton avenue home in COMPARISON with the
charms of a wild hunt for tie pot Of gold
at the tip of the rainbow 1T. takes cour-
age for a man TO make the iperney, but
courage is easy when. the resf mbtive IS
infatuation Mrs. Gage is infateAted with
frontier life, and week lst hQIne has been
enough TO convince heHtlla there Is more
contentment for her in sise log hut IN, the
land of mushroom fortunes than on the
piazza of pretty red house, With green
lawn.
Fascination of Frontier Life.
'It is wonderful how fa&e5bstIng the life
on the frontier becomes sffe said the 9TH
er morning. 1.-The man or woman who gets
a taste of it and succeeds and thrives by it
rarely gets to like anything else. II may be
a barbarous confession, but II seems TO me
that the kindest, most considerate and most
practically honest people that ever met
are the miners who are risking all at one
throw in the work of the Klcndike. II was
here that I saw code Of honor which
made all men honest-a life in which each
man must live fair part or get a forcibie
and roughly polite invitation TO move.
1T takes men of sturdy character TO get
into the valley, and the virtues which they
cling to are ones from which they want no
man to part do not think that 1 heard Of
a single case in my summers stay In upper
Alaska where prOspectOrs and diggers had
been guilty of dishonesty. it may be that
honesty is a trait which thriyes because II
Is backed by the point of gun, but il is
there nevertheless. Explorers going 70 the
field or miners coming out frequently IN
3ertake greater loads than the teams can
pull through. 1t is the custom at such times
to put the surplus at the roadside and go
on with half. The part left behind IS per-
4
doubt that this rule would work in Chi
cago or other civilized places
Mrs. Gage is so enthusiastic over the Gus
toms in vogue in this region that one
would imagine she was ito the manner
born" This is all wrong. She does not come
within a thousand miles Of being the ideal
type OF the frontier woman. There is a b.
soutely nothing frontier about her except
her Inclination 10 champion the style OF
men and bravery that she had found
among the new Argonauts. 1t is this inclin-
alton that IS taking her back to the land
OF the midnight sun.
MOdesty of the Pioneers.
Mr.. Phisc5Jor and Mr.. Berry were on
the Portland-the ship which brought the
n.OO.000 cargo Of yellow metal into Seattle
1t is not likely that one man in fifty could
picture these two men as they are. The u.s.
ual thing would be to have them half saw
age, uncouth and hardened by long sea
son away from men and the world. This
sort Of description would not not fit either ir
the slightest particular. They are both
modest. decidedly bashful and lack all the
traits which the tenderfoot gives to tbs
real miner. They have no boastings tC
make-and this in face Of the fact that il
Is more than likely the next year will prove
they are among the richest men in the
''It is probable that they were the money
kings Of the Portland, although the ships
safe and the captains staterOOm were filled
10 overfowing with the earnings Of othel
members of the passenger crew. II wa.
like an actual representation of the ali
castles of fairyland. There was gold
stacked upon gold, nuggets and in dust
tied up in old sacks and held in bottles will
the corks sealed. I asked the captain if a,
did not fear to carry such load of pure
money. He said he feared nothing so Ions
as he knew he had.no one aboard but min
ers.
H3EsN 81 l.
chance and had won. Some OF them haC
gone into the region with barely enough L
keep soul and body together. They had
only made the try asa last resort. Having
failed 10 make a success at home they hat
resolved 20 make one plunge and die o
come out rich. The most pathetic case o
They went into the Klondike without ever
a grub stake. They were on their weddinl
tour. and when they left they told thei
friends they might never get back I,
Fresno alive.
PInns for the Future.
This pair sat on the deck Of the Portlan,
fifteen months after their departure an,
their plans embraced bigger things thar
them $50 while they risked their lives irwin. i
TO get over the mountains and into tn,
placer district. They were like two chill
drsn, Mr.. Berry planning TO buy the farm
upon which he had been unable to max,
living wages and Mrs. Berry getting idea
on the newest things in diamond rings. Sh
ceremony when they started for Alaska
hut Ike all women she was pleased tina
the ring could now be bought
1T is evident from the conversation tha
] had with Mr.. Berry and Mr.. Phiscato
that gold Is going TO be dug II Alaska IL
almost unlimited quantities. They wer
both a year in the center of the gold field
that is. the center as Il exists to-day. The
were positive that the claims that ha
been staked OIt were only small fraCtio
of the claims that are going 20 pay bi
money The nrospeCtors in the CistrlC
have not failed 10 ind paying dirt in
single sgot where a good search has bee
made. They said they had 10 idea hoy
long OF how wide the territory would prov
70 be, since 10 one has found the end
q the profitable veins.
Many Good Claims Abandoned
There are many claims along the hes
known creeks that have been abaudoUe,
The prospeotors would be digging on th,T
CDutrnteolv. earning blg money every day
There would then come a report from som
HeighborinE place of fAbuIousIy rich IND
and there would follow at once wild rusi
IN this way. sizes that paid moderated
were passed in the search for others tha
would bauisn poverty in month. The tw
king o. the region we're wise enough Z
pront 10y the craze which carried the me
alvug and they bought claim after claiI
nlong the Bonanza and the EIdorado. ] q
no think any man on earth can Eu-S
EOv much these men are worth to-dal
They would be milliOuaires TO stay ut hom
the balance OF their lives and sell intel
"sts in the mines they now have in OpeI
alton.
Experts says that the best mines ar
z'u' 10 be found. II Is an old saving tina
ihe existence OF the placer mine merel
shows that not far away the mother roc
must be found. IL looks as II the gold I
fhe loose dirt about the creeks had bcs
brought down from the mountains by SON
great glacier
Then mon who have gone I'm and are z,
'rE 81 have 10 capital for machinery an
The placer mining b. the only- Rnd they ca
undertake. The late eoneTs and the me