CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1898-01-20
HORRORS OF THE sKAuUAY.
Hardships Of Mem who Have
Gone Over the Trail
One Aan Works Eight weeks Over the
DfAeslt Pass and'1s Compelled
to Give II Up and
Turn Back

The horrors of the Skaguay trail have
only half been told. A number of men
have recently returned from the White
pass (Which will hence1orward be
known as the Black pass with stories
ft to sicken the stoutest heart and SUBJ
due the hottest courage. One man, Z.
j. Rickard, of Seattle, bright and IN
teiligent young fellow, with plenty of
pluck and perseverance, used his very
best efforts TO get over the trail, but has
returned to more friendly land for the
winter, and will make another trial in
the spring. He will then go by another
route. He has had all of the Skaguay
trail that he wants. To begin with. the
trail was never ready for travel, and
the ''promoters~ who are responsible
for all the waste of time and money
should be prosecuted. Richard arrived
At Seaguay on the Islander, which de-
posited its passengers on August l, and
so was among the earliest corners. He
had an ordinary miners outfit. weigh
ing 1 200 pounds. two horses and 800.
he considered himself fairly well
equipped. He helped the others cor
duroy the trail and bridge the rivers.
By the time this necessary work had
been done crowds of wayfarers had
arrived, and soon the trail was worse
than ever.
In eight weeks of the hardest work
he had ever done Richard managed to
get his goods to the summit of the last
hill. Then his money was gone, his
horses exhausted. and he had the choice
of wintering in the timber by the lakes.
while his food supply diminished, or of
returning to California and earning
more money to again attempt the trip
northward- He figured that if he
camped the winter, as so many are
counting upon doing. he would have IN
early start in the spring, but would by
that time have only two months pro-
visions left at the outside. and he xas
already penniless. Eickard spent his
money for food and shoes for his horses
He says the difficulty of feeding horses
on the Skaguay trail is enormous. 1t
was necessary 10 go all the way back
to SlaRuay for hay. and by the time ii
was brought back to the hungry ami
mails waiting for it the other animals
met on the trail. by each taking pass
ing nip. had reduced the quantity about
SO per cent. The horses are fond of
birch leaves. but they soon contract
mud fever, and. as they are einsufficient-
~ fed and not sheltered at all, theysoon
brecofne worthless Not so many are lost
ON the trail as is supposed. They really
die from lack of care. Horses are a
good deal better on the Skaguay trail
than burros. although the best thing
of ali would be an or. which is very
,sood for muddy travelling and can carry
< big load. The ourros taken up are
afnoet . failure. They are good over
the rocks. but no good at all IN the
ewamp. which forms about two-thiris
Of the distance.
Rickard reports the packers hare lost
money on account of the mortality
among the horses They would start
cut with 20 and return with IL. The
most trying place below the summit has
been 6ttingly named Dead Horse guIch.
Instead of one short. steep hill. as at
the Chilkat. there are FIVE long hills.
and Rickard thinks it is harder than the
Chilkat itself
Hundreds of disappointed men at
Skaguay in September were making
herculean efforts to reach the timber
that les beyond the summit with their
goods. there to spend the winter and
get a very early start down the river
in the spring. They must make haste.
for snow bad already fallen on the sum-
NIT. and they must make their camp
and build their log huts before snow
hies, otherwise they cannot procure the
moss with which to wedge the chinks of
their houses.
II takes strong back and weak
minh to become successful packer,
Richard says. He also says that. though
quiet and orderly. the Skaruay country
is the meanest in the world 1t rains
there all the time except when 1t stops
long enough to snow.-Mabel C. Craft.
In Leslie's Weekly.