The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1898-06-11
FINDLEY HEARD FROM
After Many Days Geo. C.. Find
ley, One of the Gold Seekers
in tho klondike, Pens a
Word HOmeWard.
Some of tho Hardships Ex.
perienced by the Gold
Hunter.

Hunter.
The following letter has been re-
ceived from Geo. G. Findley which will
be of interest to many: -
SCALES, Alaska, April "a, 1898.
Where am I? In little hole in the
mountains. Around me rocks and
snow are piled until there is only about
one third as much sky to be seen as you
can see in Duluth. To get out there
are two ways--one to climb about 1000
feet, about six blocks, up hill that is
sleeper than the roof of house, and
the other is to climb down-not such q
steep hill or SO long a one. but whole
lot of them that are SO steep that one
can't walk up but few hundred feet at
time without sitting down to rest.
Not tree nor bush in sight only
rocks and snow and Klondykers and
their belongings. The Scales is the
place where the packers take the loads
to carry over the summit. It gets it's
name from the scales-long, old-fash-
oned looking steelyards-with which
their loads are weighed. The packers
climb straight trail, steps being cut in
the snow-and I believe there is rope
for them to hold on to. Coming down
they either walk in the common way
down side trail, or having canvass
sown on the stern side of their trousers,
slide down on their sitting down ma
chine. There is another trail little to
tho right of the packers trail which is
usually called the Peterson trail. It is
the one we intend to use. We are going
to.."rope up" In fact we have been rop-
ing up before and this is going to be
our last stretch of it. We have six hun
dred feet of rope. Down below here a
couple of miles" we "roped up Porcu.
pine hill-four rope lengths or 2,40O
feet and that is as long as the stretch
ahead of us. We spent three days
nearly on The 2,400 feet. Then a half
mile back we had about 900 or 1000
feet at what some of them call Squaw
hill, on which we spent nearly day
and half. And what do I mean by
"roping up?' Well, we drive two
stakes in the snow at the upper end Of
our line; then We tie q pulley to the
first stake and run rope through the
pulley. At each end Of the rope is a
sled SO that when one is down below at
the old "cache" or pile, the other end is
above at the new cache. In our case
three men pick up the unloaded sled
above and tramp down the hill, two of
them pulling with a stick run through
the sled sidewise above the runners, the
stick being held across their breasts.
The other fellow usually walks ahead
and pulls with a rope around his chest
over one shoulder and under the other
arm. The fellows on the other sled
load it up with from one to two hun
dred pounds for each man pulling
down-and then walk up the hill to un-
load and pull down in their turn-and
let me tell you l would rather pull
down all the load my weight will
bulge than walk up some of these hills
empty handed. .-5
The snow here is of unknown depth.
We set our stove on poles or logs laid
lengthwise or on stakes driven into the
snow and in q couple Of days there is a
hole under it that makes it dangerous
for one to go near without looking we'll
to their foothold. Until our present
camp we have always slept on ever
green boughs. Here there are none and
our beds are made on the four sleds
placed lergthwise across the back end
of the tent. We have so far always
slept warm-but not always comfort
able for sometimes there are knots in
the boughs or there are knots in the
ropes on the sled stats. Our wood has
to be foraged or packed couple OF
miles, and let me tell you it isn't much
fellow can bring up the two miles be-
low here. We can keep tolerably dry
and comfortable this far up the trail
though below there was about two
weeks that we never went dry to bed.
And what do We eat? Well, we are
lower on the grub line than anything
else. We eat for staples slapjacks,
bacon and beans the white beans
which make respectable grub for q
white man, but the pink" beans that
are big, strong and coarse. I'm going
to get out some OF my own Q wasn't
fool enough to go back on the old
white bean of soldier fame) and have
some soup as soon as our present sup.
ply of cooked beans is exhausted.
We passed the place this week where
SO many peoole were killed in the snow
slide, which suppose you have read