The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
KLONDIKE GOLD FIELDS.
Many Hundreds of Coli Seekers are in the
Muddy Mountainous Passes
LEADING TO THE NEW Ell DORADO.
The Nanderbilts Visited the Country and
Now the GOulds are Taking Hand
in the Fight for the Precious
Yellow Metal.
TACOMA. Sept. Il. 1897

The readers of these letters will
observe, if they read the daily news
papers closely, that hundreds of peo-
pie could have saved themselves
thousands upon thousands of dollars
if they had followed the advice of
those who are in q position to know
and had kept away from Alaska and
the KlOndike this fall
In limited way the mountain pass
es are kept open all winter. The
United States mails have to be car
ried in and, too, the Canadian govern
ment proposes to carry letters in and
out of the country at intervals all
winter. But the men who carry the
mails pack only enough supplies to
sustain them. If they had to carry a
years supply of food they would not
be making trip every three months
to klOndike. Still, as a matter of fact,
the United States does not deliver
mail to "Klondike" or Dawson City.
1t cannot carry mail into foreign
countries. and that is the reason why
the postal authorities of the Uuited
| States and Canada have prepared a
joint delivery for the new gold fields.
At present the United States mail
carriers Of Alaska work under con-
tract. They are paid, as rule, about
$500 for round trip from Juneau to
Circle City. They travel with dogs,
and only the toughest mountaineers
can stand the journey in midwinter
Even among people who live in the
mountains and prospect all the year
around in Alaska the going and com
ing of the mail carriers is looked up
on with wonder and amazement.
And yet, from the bushel of letters
that come to the Klondike Informa-
ton Bureau here one would imagine
some of the wise people Of the East
believe it is only little jaunt from
Tacoma to Dawson City even in mid
winter,
Another thing, these mountain
! passes you hear so much about are
not perpendicular walls a thousand
feet high. They can all be crossed at
/ the proper time. The trouble up
there at present is, however, that four
or five thousand people are trying to
! get over the passes "out of season. =
/ Their motto has been "Klondike, this
fall, right away, quick, or bust" And
without exactly saying Il told you,"
it will be found, by reference to one
of my very first letters, that turned
prophet-a very dangerous business
and said it would be a cause of
bust in most instances so far as
reaching hlondike this fall is con-
/ cerned.
The people who start next February
will have fresh supply provisions,
they will find the passes in good condi-
ton for hauling sleds and they will get
! TO klOndille before half Of those who
, rushed pell-mell up against the noun
/ tain passes this fall and GOT stuck in
the mud of Dyea and Skaguay. For
I the benefit of those who read these
letters | will make trip to the noun
tain passes in few days. The round
/ trip can now be made from Tacoma
to Skaguay, Dyea and Fort Wrangle
in a little over a week. A few weeks
ago party of New York society folk
visited Skaguay and Dyea as one of
( the great sights of their trip around
the world. Among the party were
/ the Twombly and Sloane sons-in-Iaw
of the Vanderbilts. They enjoyed
the trip immensely, and would not
have missed it for anything on their
/ itinerary. One Sunday they were at
! Skaguay among struggling ant-hills
of Klondike miners, and next they
were monarch of all they surveyed in
Yellowstone National Park.
SO, it pays sometimes to be sons-in-
/ law.
! But it is, indeed, remarkable how
peoples heads get turned by gold. A
woman walked here the other day
! from Cape Flattery to go gold hunt
ing. Her husband had deserted her
and their three children, and she pre-
ferred wading streams, sleeping in the
forest primeval and tramping 200
miles to go to Klondike to remaining
/ on the ranch where her imDrOVideut
spouse left her. She hopes to make
money cooking Klondike meals even
if she cannot dig gold with a spade.
Again there is DR.. Depew, president
of the New York Central railroad He
has taken a hand in the KlOndike
game. He will not swing pick OF
shovel out the gold-laden gravel, but
his place as an officer of Klondike
development company will have the