The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-27
Il Il Pronounced Utterly 1mprac-
t;cable by Old Miners.
George j. Hunter, an Experiences
Miner and Frospeefor, describes
His Adventures fn the Wtids OF
British Celumbia-six Miles an
Average Days travel Through
the Forests-fiundreds VIII f1ii.

None o. the hard luck stories told By
disappointed gold seekers wao sought 20
reach the Yux1E gold fleiGs ~ the COAST
PASSES last spring ard failed can conpare
with the narrative told of the Edmonton
route By GeorgsJ. Hunter. Mr. Hunter -
In no sense . 'tenaerfoot." with Harry
MoDona.d. q veteran OF tns camp IRE and
~o,d paa. he mace a brave attempt TO
rsrs,rass the wilderness lying north Of Ed
mention, and stretching away In countless
mile OF unlahahited territory toward the
Peiiy EVER and the Yukon valley. lie was
lead 20 believe, by the advertisements in
esrted In various Western papers by III
4arested corporations and communities
THAI there was q feas.bis pacx train from
Edmonton TO tia goo fields. He and MS
companion found tina experience In trying
90 Ieoats that trail a ve.y costly one Dur
Tar two months hard travelling they man
sxsd to go about ITO miles in straight
fine or 800 miles following the trail and
than they realized tho utter hope.essness
Of their task and the compete failure OK
tbs alleged route.
Hunter ana Mcdonald winiered on the
banks OF the Little Smoky river. triou-
szry Of tho Peace river. They were In the
heart Of dense wilderness. The much
vaunted trail had ''pstered o9-' into
narrow bride or foo. path used at In
frequent intervals by nomad.c tribes OF
Indiana They could not 60 forward
neither could thsy 20 back, and cooped up
In a cabin all winter. they saw their TWEEN
sy-two head OF pack horses die one by ono
OF the cold. which waS terrible. and the
lack OF food
FILLED with .Tenderfect.v
Afs. Hunter has just arrived from Ed
noEton. He maes his way painfully and
sabosaously this spring to the point from
which ne had started six months before.
bei.eviag that he could follow q trail into
the gosd nsids. He reports that Edmonton
Il filed with ",enderfeeL' who are ignor-
ant Of the hardships in store for them
ana who ere almost positively certain TO
fall rs utterly as he did IN trying 10 get
within sIghs Of the gold fields Of the Yu-
kon.
1T Is tina that tho people Of this coun-
try who are thinking Of making tho trip
into this Yulson country should he In
formed OF tho utterly false and mis.ead-
Ing statements that have been scattered
broadcast over thu West, concerning the
so-caIied route into the mines by way OF
Edmonton. Il. G. ] am not new In the
wsyk Of hunting out trails through forests
and over thinly settled Districts. There
u no purpose OF revenge and no grudse
ts sRtssfy when ] say thar hundreds of
good nnsn have o<sn iured by faiss
promises 70 undertake an impossible jour
nSf FROG Edmonton to the klondike gold
hA6h nearly i.4o miles away. The So
called Edmovton route IL no route at all.
Tns alleged roads ara mere Indian trails.
wtrd;rS In a sig-zag course over mountain
std through canyon walls. through dense
tdrUtA where the Eses have been burned
OF and broken d3yn ty Winds until they
make <rAvc1irg through the country Well
pSkA tmHpsushie On foot and out of the
(Ue6taon ~ pack train. 1t is a wonder
that thl Word has notiveaahed thu outside
eefcyp CONCERNING the absolute uselessness
& IA route to the m'ne' in tho Yukon
MY Attention was first attracted 70 he
claims OF this routs by reading various
articles and advertisements IN the papers
u Utah. These were glowing accounts OF
The country, and contained statements that
fhsre existed Al, open way into the eaun-
try around tho klondike, by which miners
and prespectoFs could make their way with
pack trains from Edmonton, carrying
enough supplies with them TO last them
Through season.
Descriptions Of the Routr,
THE Brltish Columbia papers printed
descriptions or tbs route and the Canadian
Pacific advertised ~ Folders and mavs
we're also distributed giving an account Of
the trails. which We found existed on
tie mays alone. ard not on the solid earth
last fall, ief, my home In Cedar City.
Utah, and went 20 Edmonton With ths
purpose % securing an outfit and travel
tag irtc'tAs said fields ~ TIA Northwes.
territory. With me was Harry Mcdonald
. man who has Lived on tho Western from
ter Ter many years and who = a r,raetics,
yrospscter ard miner. Injured 10 hardship
and exposure II every Kind. We speat a
week c- n2nt- az Edmonton, whera vs
were told by the residents that /. was per-
xsctir feasible IL mako the tourney -
Dawson overland with pack train ~
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