Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-02-16
FOR THE KLONDIkE.
Transportation Companies Preparing
for the Rush.

transportation Companies Preparing
for the Rush.
The literature published and other ef-
forts made BY the different railroad lines
to secu e business to the klondike gold
fields STOW tho advancement made in the
past t.,s years Ii this line OF work.
The simple fact that tourist sleeping
car Iihe, with cars leaving Portland every
Tuesday commencing February Is has
been inaugurated to span the continent
from the Atlantic ocean at Portland,
Ma he, to the Pacific ocean, at Nancou-
Yer, making II run OF 3, 1S3 miles without
change, is something never before
heard of, and few years ago would have
seemed as much a dream as Jules Nerne's
"Around the World in Eighty Days,
which time has not only been made but
shortened by the modern methods OF
passenger transportation.
Another feature has been the organiza-
ton OF Cobb's ktoniike psrtle-, being
personally conducted tours similar to
those made famous by Raymond K Whit :
comb which RrraHge4 for transportation,
furnishing of supplies for eighteen
mont MS from Portland to Dawson City,
Copper river, Skag way. Dyea, Wrsngel,
juneau, and all the iandIn5 points for II
lump sum, TO relieve the peoSpector of all
trouble en- route.
One railroad folder reads "tiold, gold +;
yellow cleaning god everywhere, plenty
as mosquitoes, ii III aud tilln; and this Is
bat the beginning. Fne ktoudike is only
one small creek IN over 10 600 miles of
y1t din ing .flFN IlN Inns hp.aIa
found on every river and creek that flows
into the YUKON, where the sound OF Il
prospector's puck ana pan has ever been
heard. The vast quartz lodges from
which all tniI gold CONES are still to be
discovered. The worlds greatest gold
mines are PROBABLY yet to be found in
this land OF aurora borealis and the
midnight sum
Previous to the present year, travellers
to Dawson City could reach that place
only after several months of travel via t he
St. Michael route and up the Yukon
river, distance OF almost 1000 miles; or
across the dreaded Chilcoot, Chilcat and
White passes where the hardships were
SO severe that even il man did reach
Dawson City alive, his health was more or
less shattered.
All this is now changed as much work
has been done on these different lines of
travel, lines OF pack horses established
for the carrying of freight, and various
transportation teams incorporated. A
tramway will soon be in operation over
the Chilcoot pass, steam railroad is
talked OF from the head of Copper Reg ion
to Port Seikirk on the Yukon, only a
short distance from Dawson City, and
work on the overland wagon road from
Ashcroft route from Edm onstoD, b. c.,
has been pushed forward by the Canadian
government, so that travel via that route
is comparatively easy.
Another route which is just now claim
ing attention is that via the Stikine
river and Lake Teslin, which promises to
bring anyone within forth ght journey
of Dawson City. The Canadian govern.
ment has contracted for the construction
OF a railway from the Stikine river to
Teslin lake, which is to be completed by
first OF September next, i'll conjunction
with a line Of steamers down the Yukon
water stretches to Dawson City.
One OF the provisions OF the contract is
that a snow road shall be built at once
from the mouth OF the Stikine opposite
Wrangel to Teslin lake, and be ready for
operation by March 10 next, with de-
pots and sheltering stations at intervals OF
twenty miles, so that the route
can be utilized by those going in early
this spring. The railway Is to be oper-
ated as it advances toward Lake Teslin.
Realizing the advantages offered by the
United States mining laws, and on
account of rich gold fields now being
opened in the Copper river region, W hich
is in the United States district, the
Canadian government has made i'm
portant changes in the Yukon mining
regulations as follows:
The size of the claims have been
increased to $50 feet, and the royalty col
lected by the government reduced to 10
per cent. on the annual output over 81 500
Eno royalty being charged on that
<amount The system of issuing "free
e miners certificates has been adopted.
.These certificates, the possession OF
which conters upon the miner the right
to enter, locate, prospect and mine, for
any minerals, except coal, ana also other
valuab BILE privileges, are issued by the
collectors of customs at Montreal, 10
= ronto, Vancouver and Victoria, ""I hv
. other officers OF the government at
y Winnipeg and other western Canadian
stowns They must be applied for per-
sonally and wittoat one, no right or
interes. ~ 7nr person or company III a
mining claim wI1l be recognized by the
<goyeri,ment. These certificates are valid
Tor one year only, when they must be
renewed They cost 80 per year for an
Z irdivldua. who must be eighteen years
Fl o.. aye or over and from $50 to FOO lor a
ee company, according to the amount OF Its
4 capital stock,
Nj All this shows what tremendous ad-
y yancement IS being made in transportation