The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-02-10
IN SEATTLE.
Klondike Scenes at the Dock and a
Trip to Bennett.

narrative of my trip and say some
thing of this much talked of city, but
on reflection I have decided to devote
this letter to the questions of how to
reach the Klondike. l feel sure that
your readers are already satisfied that
there is gold in plenty there but how
to reach it is the question. AS rule
speaker is accorded the closest at
tention and sympathy when he has a
message on subject on which the
audience is seeking information.
In the streets, hotels, steamship Of
fees, stores and almost anywhere here
you meet men going to Dawson and
other parts of the new Eldorado, the
greatest activity being shown at the
docks, where are supplies of every kind
needed or supposed to be necessary
in a country where absolutely nothing
is grown or can be procured. Picks,
shovels, pans, rockers, dog sleds. dogs,
dog harness, all kinds of food supplies,
to say nothing of all kinds of heavy
clothing, rubber boots and shoes, with
lime juice and many other specifics for
scurvy, are almost legal tender, and
the merchants who have them for sale
have a big mine right here that is
panning out rich every day. I heard
a man yesterday, with new kind of
dog sled, which had two runners in
stead of one, on the principle of the
bob sled, calling to the crowd around
him that the supply was just about
exhausted, and it might be their last
chance to put in orders at rs to-day
did not know what the price would be
tomorrow.
Ships are leaving about every other
day for Skaguay and Dyea, taking
about 200 passengers each. Yesterday
was the banner day thus far. Three
steamers left with over 500 aboard
from this port alone with the proba-
bility of taking on 200 or 800 more at
other points on the sound.
There was great activity on the wa
ter front coming and going, hurry
in loading of freight, and among it all
a mingling of the figures of mon about
to depart for the mines easily dis
tinguishable by their uncouth cos
tunes and the obvious air of newness
which characterized their cothes. They
hoyered anxiously over piles of sleds.
canvas bags, teams of dogs and the
odds and ends which mark the pres
ence of o prospective Klondiker.
Well, l started in to give your read
ers some idea of how to reach Daw-
son, and find myself at Seattle yet.
With your permission we will begin
the trip right at Redwood Falls and
in starting out we have in round num-
bers $500 miles before us if we go to
Dawson. It is 1900 miles to this place
which we will make in four days on a
second class tourist ticket taking g
tourist car at total cost for passage
and car of $45. The second stop is
Dyea or Skaguay, by steamer, which
we make in four days more with as
much comfort as we can go from St
Paul to St. Louis in summer by river
No sea-sickness and no chance to see
the Pacific as the route lies always in
what is known as the inland passage
At the straits of St. Juan de Fuca and
again at Queen Charlotte Sound if GU,
eyes are good by drawing largely or
the imagination we will seq a dark
strip of blue that they will tell us is
the ocean.
On our trip we will land at Fl. Wan
gel, Juneau, and Skaguay, arriving al
Dyea on the fourth day. We have
now taken the second step on the way
to our destination and left behind us
1890 miles of the distance and we
have yet 600 miles to travel over a diff
fcult and treacherous route. Our to
tai expense for transportation from St
Paul, including meals on the steamer
has been $50. We have been undecid
ed up to this point at which place tc
land but have finally decided to try
Skaguay. On this point there is nc
positive information. The men who
represent Dyea will tell you if you &C
by Skaguay you run the risk of falling
off the trail and being killed on the
rocks, 1000 feet below, while the
Skaguay man tells us that if you &c
by Dyea and over the Chilkott pass
which is 1000 feet higher than the
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