The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-05-24
10 Tho Editor Of Inc Intelllsenccr.

Sdhe DcuhelNf AVN uuu tnht ~ Will
make asgood sized book. So I will re-
serve most OF It for future genera
lions and give your readers q plain,
truthful. u%nvarnished, brief statement
that will benefit anyone who may con-
template a trip to tho Yukon.
In the first place I refused to act as
special correspondent OF half dozen
Journals who offered to pay me. for x
elusive letters simply because there are
aSdozen or more editors who are my
personal friends. This letter goes to
them without Compensation except us
has already been given In kindly tavors
and spure friendship. Then there arc
over two hundred personal friends who
deserve letters, but who will read this
and know II must take the place OF
such; letters; for II is n fact that outside
offtwo short letters to my wife and our
president, Mr.. Frank B. ;NTooman. II
have had no time to write, and scarcely
tipe 10 jot down notes in my diary.
while in Seattle 1 consulted people
from Juneau and Dyea regarding sup-
plles,and their cost In these places, and
was satisfied that I could purchase here
sorS at Juneau, at as reasonable prices,
as could at Seattle: and outside OF
bacon, crystallized egg, some other con-
densed food and hardware I was per-
United &c. try experiments. I have pur-.
CHASED $500 worth In this place cheaper
than could have done In Seattle, San
Francisco. Portland or Victoria and !
had complete lists from each Of these
= f1o nae - nni,. ,r.hot 1ttt1a h. r1 ra ~, 7
Lacked was q little higher. I left Seat
stle April ii, with six men and about
four tons OF provisions and machinery.
being compelled to leave our dredge On
account OF reports which stated that
st would be impossible to get pieces
Weighing as much as five hundred or
soneithousand pounds. over either one OF
the passes. This report'1 found to be
incorrect, as two weeks ago pieces
weighing more than n thousand
pounds were taken over without much
trouble:
On leaving Seattle !. was handed a,
letter by our president containing seal
ed orders to be opened at sea; at frstI ],
thought that he expected us to meet
and a~nnihilate the Spanish feet and on
\ opening these orders the first line read:
avoid the Chllcoot Pass II possible" i
II knew the presidents motive for this,
which was not \ selfish one. but because
of the slide which had Just occurred he
g wished me to avoid the reported dan
ger from other slides. We were bound
for Skaguay, where we landed on the
morning of the 18TH. 1 requested Cap
tain James. Dtrie Of the good ship Brix-
ham, To. hold my goods until I went up
town to investigate.
I had letters to the leading Transport
tation company at S%kaguay, and on
gpresenting them was informed that 10
cents per pound was the very lowest
that they could put my freight to Ben
nett for and that in a day or two the
rate would probably be eighteen or
twenty cents. I tried several other
companies, and the best I could do with
II responsible parties and everything at
my own risk, was thirteen cents. I re.
turned to the Brixham. Captain Durie
{&agreed TO take my stuff To- Dgea, give
me an opportunity to go up town, see
what I could do, and Il not satisfied,
take me and my outfit back to Skasuay.
& But few gold seekers have this privi-
lege. Landing at the D. X. 7. Co.'S
o." udll dlsS.i p.H He, l .Slulltu- luz pONll
3Soyer one OF the worst roads ]. have ever
seen, up and down hill. through mud,
L stush, rocks and corduroy. We reached
Dyea three miles distant. about 10 p.
M, made a hastv investigation and re-
. turning over the same road reached the
ship at midnight.
sWhile In the Office OF the D. K. r. Co,
4 ontthelr wha-f, I was talking OF return
ing to iSkaguay, when a young man in
$Sthe office informed me that he repre-.
scented the above company, n would
make contract to take my stuff from
1.-THE wharf 20 Lake Bennett for, ten cents
n per pound, and guarantee 1t. This q
rather a surprise, as I was told at Skag-
uay that the freight was higher at
:&Dyea, and that they would guarantee
e nothing; that other destructive slideo
might come at any moment. I then Of
fered the DIX. T. representative nine
cents per pound II he would guarantee
TO land my freight within ten days. He
a immediately went to the telephone,c call
led! UP Superintendent Hammond at
Canyon City. made known my offer
and asked him what he would do about
u It. How much freight has he cot"
asked Mr. Hammond. About twelve
TO fourteen thousand" I replied: and
III after a moment the man at the phone
informed me that Mr.. Hammond would
contract at that price and guarantee to
land my freight at Bennett within
eight days, barring storm or accident.
AN right" said l; make out your
contract, while I tell the supcrinten-
81 dent OF the ship 10 unload" !,
At nearly / o'clock In the morning tho
good captain had my stun landed on
the wharf, while I sought my state
Il room after having saved to my COM
pany between six and seven hundred
b dollars in freight alone. We stayed In.
Dyea nearly a week, purchasing gro
cerles and many other things that had
Il been overlooked, and leaving Canyon
q, City on Sunday morning. April a. with
tWofoE our boys. DR.. Wllcoxen and J..
Il Crook we reached Sheep Camp Mt about
10 O'clock In . blizzard and snow storm.
Leaving the boys In q store in Sheep
sRCampato follow on foot, l rode horse
t1)ack over the snow, the trail being
fairly good; but owing to the fresh fall
IN OF snow, md on turning out for pack
ers,s who had warned me that It was
i dangerous to go on, my horse broke
Ihrough tho soft snow twice, and rolled
over with me. the second time his head
and; mine coming together, but outside
of a small spot above my left eye like
a bump on a LOG, ] arrived at tho Scales
vs. o.. X.
1T wns fcarfillv cold: not n man could
Il be seen on the pass. and the men on
top who worked for the tram compan-
Ies had been compelled TO stop, owing
TO tho severity OF the storm. Here l
learned that all my freight except the
personal baggage, was on top Of the