Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-13
Graphic Description Of It's Perils by
a Washingtonian.
RUNNING WHITE HORSE RAPIDS
Dangers of Miles Canyon and
Thrty-MiIe River.
D e. EPTIONS AT DAWSON

| went to the. klondike to make a fortune
| and smooth the future for his dear ones
has written a most interesting letter to his
| wife and children, who reside at 425 nth
| street northwest. 1t was dated July TO- at
| Dawson City.
| "At last he writes, II have got time to
| write and tell you all l have gone through
and what 1 have accomplished SO far. 1
| wrote you short letter from Fort Selx;rk
| about fifteen days ago, which was Sent out
| over the Dalton trail. / have had success
| from the start, from Lindclman, where l
| built my boat. Boats were selling all the
! way from 500 to $3.50 I got job building
| cabin twenty-siX feet long for the owner
OF the saw mill. | worked only tn-ee and
| half days and was told to take what
| lumber L needed for my beat.
| A Sweet Touch of Sentiment.
| 1t took me four and a half days to build
| and launch her, and 1 tell you felt proud.
| She sat as trim and pretty as the little wo-
| man L named her after I called her Sadie
because 1 love you, and 1 felt sure size
would carry me safely through the dangers
| l knew We're to be encountered between
| Linderman and Dawson and L found ii no
| chlld's play by any means. We left Lake
| Llnderman on Sunday, June r. al 1 O'Clock
"a Mr. Craig and family left Monday
| We're wrecked and lost everything. We
| sailed the whole length of Lakes Under
man, Bennett and Taggish in three days
and We're two days on Lake Marsh. We
| caught a big salmon and it was unite a
| treat.
| Running the Rapids.
| June IL we passed through Miles Canyon
| and White Horse Rapids Here the water
runs so wifi that from the entrance to the
| outlet a vast white-crested wave runs
| through the center. This crest is what you
| must keep your boat on or be dashed to
| pieces against the rocky sides of the can
yon. We ran the canyon, distance of FOUR
| miles, In eight minutes. My partner had in
| CURED how far it was to White Horse
| Rapids and was told four miles. Well,
| after emerging from the canyon he said:
| NOW, boys, watch yourselves, here is an
! other little place and before we knew it
we were tossed high in the air two or three
| times and all was smooth again. We had
| made the famous jump of the White Horse
| Rapids! We learned next day that eight
| scows and three boats were lost and two
| men drowned near those same rocks We
mad gone about two miles from the rapids
| ana inquired OF a man on shore how far it
was to White Horse Rapids. and he said
we had already passed through them You
| may be sure we felt thankful. because
| nearly all boats had to be brought through
| light everything taken out and packed
across the trail five miles but we went
through o. X with everything we owned
A More Dangerous Place,
In my estimation, don't think the
White Horse Rapids are in IT with the
Ihlrty-m1le rtver-swift, hidden rocks sand
bars, sunken snags of trees and treacher-
GUS shoais- We had only gone five miles
down this river when we saw lust ahead
OF us a man clinging to a rock with mart
OF ms BOAT stuck fast, the other part gone
TO pieces and his outfit floating swiftly
down stream. We could not do a thing to
help him, but steered clear of that rock
Ihere must be fifty Just such dangerous
ht~t,-
and fifty boats have gone to pieces and
four lives been lost in that river in the
past two weeks.
A Victim of Indians
AT Taggish House saw and spoke with
the gentleman who was shot by the In
dams The ball entered near the spine
and came out near the shoulder. His left
arm is paralyzed. His partner was shot
through the heart and died instantly. The
wounded man crawled out of the boat and
hid in the woods. The Indians, four in
number, crossed the river in their canoe
ana searched for him, but without success
Next they rified the dead mans pockets
ana threw him overheard, transferred the
Outnt to their boat and recrossed the river
me wounded man walked and crawled
twenty miles to Taggish House and gave
the alarm. Fifteen mounted police well
armed, crossed the river and captured the
lnoians. There came near being a lynch
ing, but cooler heads prevailed and they
are sui at 1aSSlSn awaiting trial. The
youngest looked to be not over eighteen
years, the oldest about TWENTY-FIVE and
only one in the lot looked like he'd kill
white man. The others We're singing and
laughing, but the saying in this country
Is when an Indian sings he is most sad
"Five-finger Rapids was the next place to
go through, and We went through June il.
Arrived in Dawson on Saturday, June %,
and on Thursday, June 80, / got a Job on
the Klondike Nugget, the best little news
paper in the Yukon district. / have made
so far one ounce of gold a day. That is
s16 a day. I have my gold sack with gold
in it, too. On the 9Th 1 purchased claim
No. 80, above Discovery, on Ophir creek
The creek is directly south Of Eldorado
creek, over the divide. and empties into the
Indian river paid $500 for the claim 1t
Is clear. no incumbrance and fully regis
tered at the gold commissioners office.
My two partners start Tuesday to sink a
shaft to bed rock and find out what there
is in it, while remain at work here, and
II anything good turns up will give up
my Job here and go up to the dlggings.
Dawson is a Deceptive Town.
There are about 1900 idle men here at
present, and more coming. The output of
gold is very much exaggerated. think
from what I hear from reliable sources
that $1,000, 600 In gold will cover the en-
tire amount that will go out instead of
SO, 600 600; but this is town of lies and
fraud from beginning to end
Day All Night in Dawson
In postscript written July u al IL O'Clock
pm. Mr.. Matchett, among other things,
says: Just as light as in the daytime. l
write this part Of my letter above the
Sadie and under our tent Lights are not
| used in Dawson now the whole twenty
four hours. - Meals are from 81 to
$3.50; flour, 81 for so pounds; bacon, %
cents per pound beef and moose meat II so
per pound; eggs, $3.50 per Dozen A great
many people are going out. They have not
backbone enough to stay awhile and see
what's in the country. The diggings are
| from fifteen to fifty miles up the Klondike
river and over very rough country Only
a very few claims have been opened IN
although thousands have been staked out"
Decision.
The commissioner of internal reyenua
| has informed the District Commissioners in
reply to their inquiry that the war revenue
| bill does not require stamps to be affixed to