The Dickinson press., 1898-04-30
SHEEP CAMP, ALASKA.

SAAAIAI1 MANI AA&A01AAs .r
for their outfits there and occasionally a
body is still found. The death-list mum
bered ffty-nine at last report. Just as
we reached the Scales the wind changed
directly in our backs and the snow be-
gan falling in floods. Noother word will
describe the way the snow falls on Chill
coot. We staggered blindly along in
the gale until we found the gasoline
tramway by which We had intended hav-
ing our goods put to the summit, and 10,
it was not running. The packers were
packing for one and a quarter cents that
day, and they "sized up" our baggage
and decided they didn't want it. Bag
gage is bulky stuff, being in such large
sacks and boxes and makes a much
Harder pack than the same weight put
up in small sacks. We began to grow
desperate, as we we're anxious to 60 on
if possible, so Willis told MI. Lane, (who
was with us and intended to accompany
us to Lindeman with his dog-team) to
call for packers at a cent and a half. He
did SO and instantly the packers swarmed
around us, and in less than twenty min
utes our stuff was travelling up the
pass on their backs and we began the
ascent in their wake.
1t may be we'll to state here that at the
Chilcoot there are two passes leading di-
rectly up from the Scales. At the right
is the Peterson Pass, used for lining up
outfits, and for horses, cattle and dog
teams. 1t is not quite as steep as the
Chilcoot, is a little longer and more wind
ing. At the left, az you stand at the
Scales, is the far-famed Chilcoot pass; up
the center is a wide smooth expanse,
used for the tramway sleds. At the left
is the staircase-steps cut in the ice and
snow for the convenience of the packers.
A rope has been stretched at the right
of this stair case, from the foot to the
summit, and comes in very handy to
cling to as you go up. On either side of
the tramway track are deepgrooves worn
in the snow by packers sliding down. On
the occasion of our first visit to the Scales,
the staircase (said to be thirty-seven hun
dred feet long, with a rise of about six
hundred feet was a solid line of men,
from the foot to the summit. Each man
bore a heavy pack upon his back and
the sight was enough to inspire one
afresh with reverence for the courage,
daring and endurance of men. On the
fated day we came over, however, we
couldn't see the next man ahead of us. I
thought, as we climbed slowly on, how
exactly like VI to choose such a day as
this to go over. There was n redeem
ing feature about it, however. The wind
caught my heavy skirt and made a sail
of it and literally lifted me to the sum-
nit. All l had to do was to keep on
from step to step almost without any ef-
fort on my part. About half way up we
met a packer sliding down in the deep
groove beside us and he yelled, "you
! can't live a minute in this storm on the
summit! Go back! Go back! But we
didn't come up there to Ego back" so we
went on. When we reached the summit
the wind blew us on a run until we took
shelter behind a friendly cache. Talk
about a North Dakota blizzard, the hard
est one that ever blew! 1t would sneak
off somewhere and die if it ever encoun-
tered a robust Chilcoot storm. 1t was
not at all cold. In fact we have not ex-
perienced any cold weather since start
ing on our trip. The boys took me to
the custom house and bade me 60 in