The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-12
THE KL6ND1KE TRAIL.
An Omaha Missionary Tells of
Its Dangers.

Its Dangers.
getting to his field of work, and Incl
dentally a description of the trail of
the Klondikers, are set forth in a let
ter received in this city from A. A.
Selden, who left Omaha last March as
a missionary to Alaska. 1t is presum-
able that he has by this time reached
the field Of his labors, Fort Adams,
on the Yukon river, as the letter was
dated at Circle City a mont ago. Mr..
Selden was chosen by the Brotherhood
Of st. Andrew in response to an APP
peal from Bishop Rowe for a lay mis-
sionary, OF his trip across the noun
tains he writes:
w left Dyea April 26, and this is
June Is. Our party Of three consisted
Of Bishop Rowe, a man named Palmer,
whom the bishop wished to assist to
Dawson, and myself. Our outfit of
some 1900 pounds had been sent on
ahead to Sheep camp, we retaining
emily our personal baggage. Having
no better conveyance we travelled on
foot, ascending from the valley of
Chilcoot river, a small stream flowing
from Chilcoot pass into the Dyea
branch of the Linn canal. To Canyon
City the way vas quite good walking,
the valley being broad and level.
F~reighting is done from this point by
wagon. Just above this place, which
consists Of a score or more of log
houses, we entered the canyon, which
is five miles long. 1t was a hard
climb. Through the canyon dashed
the stream of water, sometimes open,
this canyon, with this noisy stream at
our feet, crossing, r%ecrossing time and
again with noise and bubble and froth
INC foam. Between the high walls of
logs, now dashing against the rocky
walls on either side, now against a
huge boulder trying to stop it's way,
now spreading itself out as if tired, in
some ain pool, only to break forth
again. now on the frail bridges of ice
sometimes under bridges Of ice or
now crossing on some slender fallen
tree, we made our way upward toward
Sheep camp.
or logs, now clinging close to the sides,
THE ice in the canyon had, up to a
few days before our passage, formed
a good trail for pack horses, but now
the tramWay company had succeeded
in getting their line through n we
sent our personal baggage over it. We
arrived at Sheep camp very tired and
put up at a log bunk house. I dom
suppose you know what that is like.
This one was better than the average.
1t was w stories high and built of
square logs. On the ground floor, in
one room, were a saloon, a supply
store, a chop house counter n a
kitchen. On the second floor were the
hunks, built in tiers, three high, just
a frame work covered with canvas.
Each man was expected to furnish his
own blankets. The cost of a bunk was
SO cents. Meals also were SO cents. The
building would hold upwards of fifty
people. 1 cannot say accommodate
them.
1--WE remained there two days, hop
ing that the tramway would be finished
to the summit, but getting impatient
at the many delays we ordered our
stuff forward and 1 went ahead to look
after it.
II suppose there is only one
worse trail in the world than this
and that is the SkagWay, where
the mules committed suicide by jump
ing over the cliffs rather than be forced
over the road a second time. This trail
is passable for pack animals as far as
the scales, which are at the foot of the
last climb to the summit.
T climb up the scales, one goes up
an incline as steep as a three-fourths
pitch roof, in which steps are cut in the
snow. A rope tied to stakes is used as
an aid to climbing. A misstep or a slip
out of this improvised stairway means
almost certain death, especially if bur-
dened with a pack. Often the thousand
or more steps are filled with men pass
ing upward. That was the case when I
went up, and slow work I found it. On
the summit was one of the s%trangest
sights to be found anywhere in the
world. There was n narrow passage
between goods piled high, cache after
cache, as close as could be together;
men, sleds AND dogs with now and then
a horse or an OK; all jumbled together
seemingly in awful confusion, the men
trying to get their sleds loaded and
away to Lake Bennett. Among them,
now and then, one of Queen Vic's
mounted inspecting outfits, etc. And
above all there was a bowling wind and
a binding blizzard.
Having completed the object of my