Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-01-20

was opened on the secretary's table to
receive the names of those intending
to become members Of the expedition
and the following gentlemen signed
the paper:
D. Needham ..........................L Lancaster
Il. l. Patcn. ..-...... .......... Lancaster
Charles Barber Observation-Disclosures Lancaster
G. Geo. Mccarthy .................. Lancaster
John MueSSe. 49,. -. ........... Lancaster
Dustin Pierce ...................... Lancaster
John PendletOn. ............ Lancaster
L. Lewis ................... ..........L Lancaster
F.. Lewis Observation-Disclosures Lancaster
FRANK Markert. .............-....... Lancaster
csu Ottduy Lancaster
Geo. VandeWall ..,................La Lancaster
Quincy williams .....................W Waterloo
Jas. Morkin .....,......... Glen Haven
Geo. Gray ........................G Glen Haven
Ed Carthew Observation-Disclosures. PotOSi
Abe Anderson. Patch Grove
A. ID. Smith. ................... Fenn1more
Nm. OBrlen .........-............-.. = MI LA
Thco. Elwell .........................C assyille
Cornelius DOser Observation-Disclosures. ..PotoSi
jas. A Elwen (of Klondike) 800. Cassville
G observation-disclosures Beetown) Madison
u. V. w walker. .............. Mason city. Iowa
This expedition. now numbering "a,
will probably be much larger at the
starting. The expedition leaves Lam
caster on Feb. 10th, four weeks from
today, Wednesday, without baggage,
except dogs. From Lancaster it goes
by rail to Seattle, $500 miles. At
Seattle the company divides up into
pairs and there they buy their sleds,
provisions, clothing and other things
necessary to complete outfit; or it
may be that they will outfit at Van
Couver's, if prices1are lower there
than at Seattle. Each pair of men
will have two sleds drawn by at least
four dogs, and each pair of dogs will
draw 1000 pounds. They will take
provisions for one year.
From Seattle. Washington. the ex-
petition goes by boat $40 miles to
Tyea (Dyea). At Tyea they hitch up
their dog teams and drive to White
Horse rapids, distance of 225 miles.
AT White Horse rapids they build
boats and row them 362 miles to Daw
son City. their objective point.
The whole distance from Lancaster
to Dawson City is 400 miles.
In Lancaster the large dogs are now
being trained for the great task before
them. They are being worked on
sleds in harness and are fed once a
day, at night on ground cornmeal and
rice cakes baked. All meat is taken
away from them.
1t is surprising that two dogs can
pull 1000 pounds on a sled. 1t is
done in this way: On the level each
pair of dogsShaul their load easily
enough. When hill is reached, the
four dogs are.'put on one sled, and
after that is drawn up the dogs are
brought back after the other sled.
James Elwell takes with him g.
horse power steam pump which
weighs 1000 pounds. He has nine
splendid dogs to pull his outfit. At
one place on the trip they cross Lake
Labarge on the ice which is 35 miles
wide
ALASKA INFORMATION.
Alaska was purchased by the United
States of Russia in June, 1867. We
paid 81, 200, 900 for the country. The
name Alaska was given by the native
islanders and means great country"
Alaska has 81, $50 square miles, and
for comparisons esake we state the
fact that Wisconsin has 81, $50 square
miles of land surface; so that Alaska
is more than ten times as large as the
state of Wisconsin.
1t is only within the past two years
that it has become known to the
world that enormous deposits Of gold
lie along the upper part of the Yukon
river and its tributaries. especially
the River Klondike. Klondike is a
native name and means river of big
fish,
Gold was discovered in 1876 in the
Klondike district by man from Hi
nois named Geo.. Mccormack. He
married squaw and settled there and
his wife's relatives revealed the secret
to him. In that year, 1896, McCor-
mack located rich placer on Bonanza
Greek and in his clumsy way washed
out 81 200 worth OF gold in five days.
This was drawing card and people
began to prospect on other creeks in