The age-herald., 1898-05-15

We arrived at Sheep Camp about il o'clock in the morning, and found the Riddle party, consisting of the five representatives of the Birmingham Gold Mining company, en- camped about a mile above the camp. The sight of familiar faces was to both parties a most pleasant sensation, and the supper we took with them was one thoroughly en- loyed' a-
 One Month Fron, Home
 March 6.-one month from home We go back down to Sheep Camp and got breakfast for 75 cents each. I cook our dinner and we then begin our regular camp life. For dinner we had bacon, coffee and hard-tack. For supper We had bacon, rice, coffee and hard-tack. We win be around here for two or three weeks packing our own stuff to the summit of the chilkoot Pass. We save about S25 a day in doing this. The Riddle party did this. and they are just taking up their last load, while we are just beginning our first.
 March 7-I sprained my ankle and had to lay off a. day or two Jake and Gus work little, but mostly they are practice ing the art of coasting down the trail after a load has been brought up. 1t is wonder full the proficiency some of the Klondikers we see have attained in this time-saving but dangerous method of transportation.
 March and 9-We have put our camp in very good condition and have gotten all our stuff up from Sheep Camp. Our tent lis situated by 8 rock, which protects us from the wind.
 .March 10 to 2s-During this time we have been very busy sleddng and packing our freight from our camp to the summit or Chilkoot Pass. Have had some very pad weather during this tme As the Canadian government will not allow any person to go into the Yukon country without at least 1,095 pounds of provisions, and as we lacked 397 pounds, I had to go back to Dyea to get more Bought 600 pounds for good measure, and that is still to be packed up to ti.e summit. We will get moved over to Lindeman about next Saturday, MaTcn 26 if the weather is good. Most of our hard work is over, and we are in good splrlts. Joe Riddle ate dinner with us on his way hack from Dyea, where he had been. His party moved over to Lindeman last Tnurs- day.
 The Chilkoot Trail
 eve had the advantage of getting over the trail before the snow all melted. As strange as this assertion may seem, snow is of the greatest advantage. With sieds a man can pull over the frozen snow great weights, while after the snow melts ms goods must either be carried on ms pack or QfdWn III WdSOiS ioOth oA 'hSf'c AtAe are very slow and very expensive It IS much warmer here than we expected to find it-from 24 to SO degrees above zero all the time. We often see the aurora borealis in the north and it is very beautiful. We will at least get some very beautiIul seen cry on this trip. But we are not up here for the scenery We meet people coming from the gold regions every day and they say the prospects up there are very bright. Great finds have been made on the Salmon and Stewart rivers, they say.
 The areail tramway Is not working yet, as reported in the United States, nor will it be for two months yet. The company has about four buckets running to the sum- init from about a mile below, but they are not very successful. This company is con tractng in the states to transport stun from Dyea to Lake Lindeman for b cents a pound, and are catching good many suckers. We have succeeded in doing it for about cents a pound.
 '.Al kinds of gambling is going on In all the towns of this region. Nearly all or the Klondikers who turn back are those who have lost their money in these gamb- ling dens, and are thus forced to sell out their goods and go back.
 Chilkoot Mail Service
 ''Diary writing Is very difficult here. am writing this on the top of a rough box. Then we work all day and can't afford to burn, many candles, which cost 20 cents each at night. The Alaskan mail service is very poor. It is much better at Sheep Camp tan it is at Seattle and Dyea. The mail comes here twice a week. We have to pay cents to mail letter and ID cents to receive one At Lindeman the rates ad- vance it costing 10. cents to mail letter and 25 cents to receive one. promised to carry on active correspondence with number of my friends and l take this op- portunity of explaining my necessary si- fence. We don't want to spend all of our money on postal bills
 If increase in weight counts for any thing this is fine climate. We have each gained about twenty pounds since leaving the states. Very respectfully,
 'WILL ANSLEY."