The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-02-17
THE REDWOOD GAZETTE.
BY AIKEN E. SCHMAHL.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY II, 1895
. NOT so BAD.
k1ondike SCOtChmdn Tells Mr.
Turrell About Alaska.

Turrell About Alaska.
To THE EDITOR: stream of in
tending Klondike gold seekers broad
end and deepens at this point, as the
days draw nearer, when all expecting
to reach the headwaters of the
Yukon must make a personal inspec
ton of the White Horse and Chilkoot
passes.
About 800 men came in by the diff
ferent railroads yesterday, who will
begin this morning to outfit them
selves with food and other supplies
sufficient for an indefinite residence in
country in which practically they
can buy nothing except at such prices
as a man only pays when it is ques-
ton of life or death. I happened at
the Great Northern depot yesterday
on arrival of the overland train and
found two carloads of gold hunters.
One car had on either side huge ban
ner inscribed "This Car Loaded With
Hustlers from Kalamazoo, Mich,
bound for the Klondike," and surely
they had every appearance of hustlers.
I am afraid [ failed to meet the
want of definite information that may
have been in the mind of your many
readers by hurrying them over the
White Pass and down the lakes and
rivers without going into the details
as how to do it. With your permission
then we will go over the ground again.
There is, say party OF four, and as
the U. S. Relief expedition is to take
the Dyea route we will let the party
go that way too. The goods are land
ed on the street in Dyea by the con-
tract with the steamer, and on getting
all together, as the supplies are for
eighteen months, it makes formii-
able pile. All are put together as COM
pactly as possible, however, and the
party decide to take day to get their
land legs again, and then decide that
they will do their own hauling and
packing. AS rule, find parties who
go in now and for the next six weeks
will make large saying by doing
their own work. The cost of packing
by contract now is Is cents a pound
from Dyea to the head of Lake Lind
erman. At this rate the cost to four
persons with 5000 pounds of supplies
would be $500 and to save this is in
part the motive that is sending so
many into the country SO early. No
horses can be used on this trail and
the party of four with each dog sled
makes up his load and all move out
say six miles and unload, repeating
the trip until all is moved the six
miles, Then the same is gone over
again usually making two more hauls
to reach the foot of the pass, II miles
from Dyea. Here the difficult and
hard work comes in-each taking what
he can carry to the summit, say SO to
100 pounds, until the goods are all at
the summit. From this point to Lake
Linderman, eight miles, is all down
grade and a much better trail than the
other side of the mountain. The time
necessary for four men to move 5000
pounds from Dyea to the lake is from
IS to As days, owing to the conditions
of the trail and the billiards. at the
summit. Having reached the lake
they will first build log house and
then proceed to make scow or boat,
flat on the bottom and the cheapest
craft possible that will float their
freight.
Then there is nothing to do until the
ice moves-from the 9TH to the 25th
of May. Lake Linderman Is only
eight miles long, and at its foot the
boat must be unloaded and the goods
packed around nearly mile to the
head of Lake Bennett and then there
is fair sailing or floating to White
Horse Rapids, where most voyagers
will, at the least, unload and pack a
large part of their goods for about
two miles, running the boat through
light. Some will take the risk of hay
ing the boat run through the rapids
by pilot, who will charge five dollars
for his service. From this point, ex-
cept at one place, the trip is safe and
easy. Five Finger Rapids are little