The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-07
WITH HIS LIFE
ONE FOOLISH kLONDIKER TELLS
A THRILLING STORY
George AchOrn, Just Returned From
the Gold Fields, In a Frank State
ment, Acknowledges That the
Vast Majority VIII Find Disap-
pOintment in Alaska.

Correspondence The st. Paul Globe.
EASTON, Pa, March 3.-"Out Of the
darkness and desolation of Dawson
City have just escaped with my life,
and count myself fortunate in having
done so.
Necessity compelled me to leave,
and necessity was good friend.
after telling you how 1 escaped, I
will describe the situation Of those 1
left behind Slush Ice was already
running in the Yukon river when we
started in boat. When 1 say 1--WE"
I mean myself and two men, who had
attempted to make the trip to Seattle,
but had been forced to turn back, after
struggling for siXty-five days, on &C
count Of their provisions giving out.
Il had only a slender stock of provis-
ions myself, as little or nothing could
Over 1000 had left that place to spend
the winter at Circle City.
ION the 18th of November three Of
us started on our way to Dyea, where
we arrived on the LIST day of January.
During our journey the temperature
often ranged from 40 to so degrees be-
low zero, but the cold was not felt any
more than 1t is here when the mercury
Is 10 or Is degrees below zero.
II left my home at Easton on the 9th
of last August for Seattle. On my way
West 1 met young man with whom
was Henry G. Ash, of Philadelphia, son
Of Samuel c. Ash, of that city. He.
too, was on his way to Alaska, and
quite naturally we were soon on the
best Of terms.
ash and I reached Seattle on the 14th
of August, where each of us purchased
an outfit, which included heavy wooden
clothing, furs, sleeping bag, a tent,
small sheet iron stove, a whip-saw,
pick, ak and other articles necessary
for a camp life and for mining, and
each bought provisions enough to last
him a year, consisting mainly of wheat
flour, corn meal, beans and bacon. My
outfit. which weighed about 1,500
pounds, was then sewed up in canvas
sacks containing about so pounds each,
that it might be easily handled.
1T was on the 18th of August that
Ash and myself. with about 300 other
men travelling in the same direction,
sailed from Seattle on the steamship
Alk for Skaguay, Alaska, reaching
that place six days later, on the 25th.
Ash and / also took with us to Skag-
udy Three horses, WHICH we udu puI-
chased at Seattle for $40 apiece The
freight on each of the horses to Alaska
was $25, and it cost S. to feed each of
the animals while they were on the
boat. Our plan was to use the horses
to carry our outfits over White Pass,
a distance of about thirty-fve miles, to
Lake Bennett. That pass was found to
be in such a terrible condition. owing
to the rains, that it could not be
q hn Inc ont ira lie
lance was said to be strewn with
horses that had fallen exhausted in
the mud and had to be killed. We were
compelled to abandon the White pass,
and that ended all use for the horses
but we had no trouble in disposing of
them for $50 each.
cat Skaguay we found at least 1000
people tenting in the locality, waiting a
more favorable opportunity to travel
the White pass towards Klondike The
other route left was over the dangerous
Chilkoot pass, and very few of the men
were willing to attempt it. 1t was here
that Ash and 1 parted company. He
decided to remain at Skaguay, where
1 have since learned, he became inter-
ested in the Skaguay e Lake Bennett
Tramway company, and is now treas
urer of that organization.
while at Skaguay 1 met three Colo
RADIO men who were experienced in
mining for gold and silver, and the
four Of us determined to cross the Chill
koot pass. My new companions were
Edward Hearn, James McSkimming
and Willis Mead. We took a boat to
Dyea, where we employed Chief Isaacs,
of the Chilkoot tribe of Indians, to
transport our outfits, in all about $500
pounds, over the pass. 1t was the larg-
est outfit ever taken over the Chilkoot
pass up to that time. Fifty-two In
dams carried 1t on their backs and
were paid 38 cents a pound fer their
services. The weighing of the pack
ages at Dyea cost us 20 cents per hun
bred.
"A squaw, who was carrying about
100 pounds on her back up the steep
mountain side, fell over the edge of a
rock near the summit and broke one of
her legs. She was carried back to
Sheep camp, about five miles down the
mountain. "a.
I'VE paid one cent a pound to have our