The Republican journal., 1898-08-11
The Return of the Klondikers.

McTaggart of Pittsfeld and Burrill of Cor
lima was announced last week Thursday
Ii. E. and E. S. Mcdonald arrived, and Sun
day morning Charles O'Connell came. Mr..
Goodwin, another of the party, remained in
Boston. We had hoped this week to have
| given the experiences Of the party from the
date Of the last letter published, when
they were building their boats at Lake Ben
net for the trip to Dawson, but Fl. E. Nc
! Donald came home with severe cold and
| so hoarse that he did not care to undertake
to tell the whole story. They built lap
| streak open boat about so feet over all and s
feet beam, which they named the Maine,
| and also built tender. The boats had to
| be registered and numbered, and theirs
were Is and a. the larger boat bearing the
| supposed unlucky number 13. In due
time the party arrived at Dawson City,
| where they sold the small boat but retained
| the larger one for the return trip in case
they decided not to remain in the country.
| They did reach that conclusion, for good
and sufficient reasons at least all of the
| party but McTaggart and Burrill, who said
they should stay until September, aud per-
| haps until next spring. They took sor-
| rowful farewell of their late comrades as
they started on their return voyage Of, 800
miles down the Yukon to ST. Michaels, and
when these intrepid voyagers reached home
they were greatly surprised to learn that
| McTaggart and Burrill had preceded them.
The latter had started only day or two af-
ter the others, but came down the river by
steamer. The reason for this move is said
! to have been that they did not care to make
the long and dangerous trip in an open boat,
and when they said goodbye to the McDon-
| aid party they never expected to hear of
them again alive. H. f. Mcdonald says
the navigation is very difficult, the river full
of islands and sand bars, and it is not easy
| to determine which is the channel. Then
the mosquitoes We're troublesome beyond
| description.
| Mr.. Mcdonald brought home some hand
some specimens of gold nuggets. He says
that while some claims fabulously rich
others are paying only day wages, while
many are worthless. He told of one new
conner who spoke TO some men of the diff
Guilty in getting a claim and said he wanted
a chance to dig, They pointed to a hillside
| and suggested his digging there. He set to
| work and at the end of SIX days began to
take out nuggets, and his Lain is said to be
| worth $500 900. The whole hill, clear to the
summit, was at once staked out, but most of
the claims worthless. Mr. Mcdonald
! furnished us with letter written to a West
ern paper which all his party endorse as a
true picture of the situation in Alaska. 1t
was written at Big Salmon, Alaska, and is
| as follows
| AS we gather around Our camp fires in the
| evening, after weary days travel and hard
work. / sometimes read my diary to the
| boys by way of entertainments Here are
few extracts from the pages for the last
| three months they all endorse the sentiment
| expressed and to those who have friends
and relatives in Alaska who went in this
| year, l believe in SO cases out OF every 100
our experience and ideas will be very much
alike. l speak only of the country | have
travelled over. Alaska is a poor country for
business man, because there is no work to
be had and there are thousands of idle men
who would gladly work if they could get it.
A laska is poor country for banker, be-
cause there is no security to loan money on.
A Alaska is poor country for men to settle in,
because there are no industries here TO be
developed except mines and fisheries, and
no market for any product il it could be
| raised. Alaska produces the biggest fish of
all kinds and the largest crop Especially
suckers) of any place on earth the grandest
scenery in the world the largest and deepest
rivers without bridges; J the highest noun
tains without trails, and the longest stretches
of country without fire wood. 1t has nine
months Of the coldest winter and three
months Of the hottest summer. lcebergs and
glaciers are unexceled anywhere, and there
la nipOtV IF ice when don T. il and
not pound when you are feverish and have
parched throat after hard days march to
need it. There is % hours of daylight out
of q in summer and no shade to cool off in
% hours of darkness day in winter and no
sun to get warm in.
1t long time between meals very long
time between drinks; and the longest of all
miles between stopping places. l have
been on the trail four months and it seems
! like IA years. A mile is supposed to be $3.50
feet. Here on level country you think it
| 10000 feet; with pack on your back 10000
| feet; on an uphill pull, 10000. You eat three
| and one half pounds day and at the time
| IL seems like one pound. When you are
| packing it appears to be 10 pounds.
| And this is the so-called land of gold. l
| would like to hang the man who gave it
| that name. Chorus, $50 sayiwe ALL Believe
| it nit, the whole country is snare and a
deusion. A fool learns by experience; that
| is true. A fool and his money are soon
is not true. [ have tried it. All enterprises
| here are referred to as propositions all
! outfits and chattels as the whole cheese,
| have the remnants of valuable outfit that
| cost me good many dollars and
| months of the hardest work | ever did
in my life. l VIII sell ''the whole cheese
| tonight for dill pickle, nice sour pigs
| foot sandwich and big cool glass of Ber-
| liner Werss beer; no Offers
At ght when you are sick you dream of
| home, cozy fire place and warm room
| " hen well you dream of fine home dinner
| with nee pastry and straw berries and
cream. After long walk in the rain or
| sleet ana wet through to the skin, you long
| for a hos rum; and on hot summer day
with parched throat and nothing but
warm. muddy water from the swamp to
! quench IL, you have visions of an ice-cool
| mint lulep or schooner of beer All kinds
| of money goes here, Canadian, United States,
| plugged, counterfeit; anything that looks
| like money goes, and awfully fast, too. But
money is not much account, for there is moth
ing to buy that you want 1 have lots of
| provisions to sell, but the boys have no
money to buy result, business paralysis
and stagnation that would create panic in
Wall street if they should hear of it. If
could only get back to New York and cap
| atallze my experience at a fair valuation |
would give all the boys on the exchange a
dinner at the Waldorf and have enough left
to do the same with all the weary pilgrims
| in Alaska. I still have very flew valuable