The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-07
E,astus Brainerd Tells Of Their
Adventuresome Trip.
SIXTY DAYS OF HARDSHlPS.
r..Aers Of the Yukon Yet Untola
Not Only Gold, hut Coal, Tinber
apA AgFfeultePal Land Within
the Reach of AlI-With Better
Can Live in the Yakoa Country.

wEARE. Alaska, Sept s.--When / closed
my last letter / was on the steamer Rein
dser making good time as far as Holy
cross mission. When We left there our
troubles began. When / get home I may
.eg rny troubles TO policeman. Suffice /;
"a say they would form a good basis for
.Arce-comedy. /; one Will look at troubles
avmorousiy, and an appropriate title would
Re Hell oa the Yukon" But nay troubles
ars ar nothing in this land where every
IS your arm / might perhaps be pardoned
for saying that ! am open 10 engagement
As wood-chopper ia a Puget SOUND logging
camp waen / get back and further. /
King George Ill OF England, who would
90, eat oysters unless they were spoiled,
tainted as a steady diet for some time
yast Last Monday. when the Victoria, OF
TIE Empire Line, Moran boat, came along
wah Mr. G. D: Fahnes'ock aboard !
which never expec; 10 see again. on the
Rs!ndeer and took passage on the Victoria
20 Rampant.
Weare. where ] write. il the place pro-
posed as the capital Of the suggested ter
Titor Of Seward. or Lincoln. as divided
Alaska was TO be called. Weare is. be-
site is owned by the North American Trans
portation and Trading Company and its
wide streets are occupied by just one
weals ms met Mr. r. f Mas,On q seas, 20
brother OF Prof. HestoD. He Is one of a
party-the first-which arrived on the Yu-
kon alive after trip from Copper river.
Mr. Heston left Seattle on the second trip
OF the Alliance. They crossed the Valdes
glacier and cut trail to the Taslina river
keeping some thirty miles from Copper
river. Crossing Tasiina they struck north
until they struck two lakes. not on the
maps. and crossed to the Susbitna. The
lakes were from twenty 10 forty miles long
and near where Lake Tingis Is supposed 20
be. though they could not find Lake Tin
gle From these lakes they crossed an
easy portage OF about FIVE miles - the
headwaters of a river which Is rot on the
nap but which the Indians called Anana.
empiyfng into the Tanana. about two days
up-river canoeing from Bates rapids, on
the Tanana. Heston and his mates were
headed for what appears as Healy. or Fort
Healy. on the maps. and although they
were above Its location on the Tanana,
they could not find It. Nor had the In
aans ever heard OF II. On the Anana the
Heston party was wrecked seven times
and lost everything they had. living on
berries and dried fish procured from In
aians- They arrived here last week after
sixty days Journey. and are cutting wood.
for sale TO the steamers They expect to
winter here. prospecting in the vicinity.
We have with Us a Walla Walla pioneer
named James ODonnell who has been In
the state OF Washington since 1889 At any
wood station Jim is out with shovel and
pan trying the Yukon beach. In any case,
ne has found colors. In one hastily wash
ed pan from the surface counted twenty
nine colors all -four gold OF course. but
showing that this surely is a country full
OF gold. The gravel on the beach itself is
Indicative OF gold. 1 have picked up good
live quartz. granite. porphyry. slate. and
nnd on breaking up pebbles minerals Of
several kinds.
II Is my belief that the wonders of the
Yukon are yet untold Seeing gold with
your own eyes washed from every pan
all along the river. seeing outcroppingS OF
good Ignite coal. quantities OF timber and
many spots OF available agricultural land.
lead one 10 the conclusion that long after
the klondike boom Is over emigration from
the states tn the Yukon will be steady and
that what Seattle has received is not a
drop in the bucket TO what the next ten
or twenty years will yield tributary 10 her
enterprise. IL IL continues I'm the same spirit
1t has shown.
The extent OF timber alone Is surprising
had an idea that timber was sparse and
struggling. On Puget sound IL would be
so considered. In Pennsylvania the Yu-
Ron, from Its mouth to Rampant at least,
would oe considered one long forest OF
good wood. Much OF II runs as thick as
two feet and the greater part appears to
be about eighteen inches thick.
systematized freight and passenger
steam transportation Is most needed. This
sending of steamers UP the river with lack
OF fuel. provisions and crew depending on
eaance 10 secure them all. is almost GRIM
tnal and can hardly be too bitterly de-
nounced. As the case Is this season. the
river steamers lose time and their rssssen-
gers lose opportunity by failure to provide
iuf1 at regular stations. Not even the
two old companies. which carry only pas
sengets outside Of their own freight. do
TINS as vet and every boat which goes vi,
The river this year does not know from one,
SIN hours to another whether or no she can
get fuel without cutting IL herself Yet
every company on the river advertises that
u has regular wood stations. Up TO date
wood Is cut by Indians or stranded pros
pectoFs. The current price In $40 card on
The lower river and 81 from Nulato TO
Fort Yukon. Above the latter place the
a t.R1,, H. 4.
runs as high as So a cord. rilotage too
- expensive and unsatisfactory. The
phoi Is what nearly every Indian says.
ana that Is about the extent OF his Eng
lsh and knowledge of plotting. or course
There are some good pilots. but there Is no
Test OF means Of knowing who Is good and
Who bad As Capt. Jorg.son put IL 10 me:
Nith god pilot YOU may &c; on bar.
"ith poor one Won are sure To do So
steamer 81 ANY size will burn not less
than hfteen cords a day. This. with pilot
OUTSIDE or all fixed charges hut fuel
f'l'her Cheaper fuel and more accurate pi-
so's must he had car the rapid development
1f me Yukon country Will stay WHERE IL
mas been, II the hands OF the two old cern-
pauies However there is good reason TO
nope that with companies entering the
he!a wlih such ample capital as the En-
pre- Tine. Of Seattle. and the Alaska Tx
pioFai!on Company, Of San Francisco mo-
hoao'y VIII be broken. rates regulated by
competition. and TRANSFORMATION for pas
snsers ana freight will become more eer-
AN sNd more reasonable Certainly with
az the boats HOW on the river II will be-
.S'ssiole 10 reorsanlze and systema.sze the
transportation problem that men can
'ph~ mere and i've and prosper they can
'.SeNb"te The present condition Is an
Sshtf Illustration Of the fast that Dame
nature resents intrusion on her secllsson
afu fAaf 20 master her obstinate opposition
man 5 most determined efforts are ncces-
sary.
Again. can not cleSe without sillSlon
- tae surprising scenic heauties OF the
Yukon. SBeh glorious effects OF color,
stoIi ami especially atmosphere | have
N.FeT Seen esiualesi. As devoted aRueir.r
q No varied beauties OF raxet sound |
must say That the Yukon suv}ssSses Puget
Sour as the latter does the Atlantic cas<t
: Ns'nk most people 81 home fhink ~ the
NaAon AS Aa.n An.i hleak. Il--lhLl.Sa 4 Is