Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-02-04
Frank Thomas Writes Home.
SkACUAY, ALASKA, Jan. =, '9S

4
ana | am $500 miles from home and
my people and friends at Plymouth
Though that does not count much in 3
fast going age as this. Everything
Just as it did at home perhaps, only
that outside appearances here recognizes
no holidays or Sunday, all days are alike
TO this surging throDg, everybody hurry
Ing hither and thiiher as If they had
lost something and were trying TO find
1t, possibly lost dog; as there are so
many dogs here it would be hard to find
one unless he had special mark and
they all have SPECIAL marks. There are
dogs everywhere here and l never
| thought that deg was as useful an ami
nal for drafting as they are. Dogs are
worth money here now: good dog can
I pull from 100 to 800 pounds on sled
depending on the condition of the roads
and the dog of course. They usually
work them six IN team single file, they
| go on trOt most of the time, they are
using all kinds of dogs but the big long
haired fellows are the best, except per-
haps the native dog, Frlskies IS they
call them are the best of all as they can
staud more hard knocks and go longer
without feed. They look just like a
gray wolf and are fighting half their
time work or play.
The weather is fine here: there is just
2 little snow hardly enough for good
Shedding but | see they are using bob
sieds instead of wagons. They are now
shedding up along the river with small
hand sleds and are using the ever in
dispensible and useful dog as well as
! horses TO sled over the summit People
are coming IN on every boat there has
been a number of boat loads landed
here within the last two or three weeks.
| Three, the Elder, the Seattle and
Topeka boats brought over fifteen hun
dred people for Skaguay and Dyea and
the rush has not commenced either.
Two more steamers are now due and
! .ney Will be crowded to full capacity.
They say that nearly all the boats on
Pacific coast are going to run up here
next summer and number are coming
around Cape Horn and some from
Europe. Ii there are 100000 people com
ing to Alaska and the Northwest Ter
ritory this next summer and four out of
| five Will land at Skaguay, which is an
assured fact according TO estimates
made here and If that does not mean
a boom for Skaguay then 1t does for
Alaska There are number of people
coming out from Dawson every few
| DAYS. | have seen men who knew on
the trail this fall; most of them give
very tlattering reports about the wealth
er down the lakes and river. They say
ii IS very cold but dry. not very much
wind especially where they are shelter
ed by the mountains. They report also
that provisions are very scarce and that
many more will have To come out OF the
country before spring These men
came all the way on Ice Some of them
have dogs to pull their grub and
blankets and have to pull enough to
last them out; they all agree that it is a
tough proposition and further say that
it is an absolute impOsslbllltv for any
one to move an outfit down nn the ice
AS it is all one can do to move as
much as 1t takes to last them while
they are coming out. 30 lhlnk the
bes. and safest thing anyone can do is
TO walt until the Ice breakes up IN April
or May aud go down in a boat which
will be much the qulkesG and the cheap
est You wrote me that there were a
number of people coming from Ply
mouth and vicinity. ! shall be ever 81
glad to give them all the information
concerning the trail and country that
can. Many will go via ST. Michaels
that is much the easiest way, but 1t is
much the costliest as we'll as much The
longest. Those who go down by the
lakes as soon as the ice breakeS up VIII
| ItdCu tIlt gOlu utluS lulIg hiouti
earlier that any steamers can get uT
from st. MIchaels. In the spring 1T will
be comparatively easy to reach the lakes
with an outfit from here (Skaguay) as
the wagon road will be completed tC
the summit and from there one can sled
for IL miles on Summit Middle and
Shallow Lakes and from there to Lake
Bennett. There is row no good SLED
trail.
They are now moving goods over al
one tenth the expense that 1t cost us
last fall to say nothing of the labor and
exposure, as well as the risk of life
tina; we were subjected to-. No doubt
we ought to be whipped for being SC
crazy and foolish TO attempt to cross d
trail as this Skaguay trial when we went
In, but how could we know until WE
had gone beyond return limit.
wonder now that men could endure The
bardahins we were cOmDelled To under