The Portland daily press., 1898-09-02
COPPER RIVER A FRAUD.
Conclusion Of Portland Man WHO
Has Been There.
KLONDIKE GOLE SEEKER RETURNS
HOME DISAPPOINTED.
Found Plenty of Hard Work But Little
n o Gold-Same Hard Work Applied at
Home Would be More Productive.

Found Plenty of Hard Work But Little or
No Gold-Same Hard Work Applied at
Home Would be More Productive.
Mr.. J. A. NJ. Varnum, who arrived in
the city Sunday last from trip to the
Klondike region was seen at his home on
Brackett street last evening by repre-
sentative of the PRESS and kindly talked
in very informal, but decidedly interest
ing manner in reference to his experiences
in the gold country. He said:
i "The party, of which 1 was member,
composed of e. Wing, Charles Fuller,
ROBBERY Lothrop, George A. Hatch and
John Stewart, left Portland on the 22d
day of last March and proceeded by the
Canadian Pacific railroad to Seattle,
Washington, thence to Port Valdez,
Alaska, which we reached about A pril 20.
'We landed alongside big mud flat
and from this packed the goods and
carried the same to g. the shore proper,
though the steamship company should
have landed the goods as they were under
contract to do so and were paid to do so.
"After our goods were landed we
plbCuou OuI UOau oA onOW ~ 4OOO ACCps We
had canvas that we laid en- top of the
snow for flooring, and on top of the
canvas we spread our mattresses and
stretched out on them. We used a COM
bination tent, one within the other which
was mosquito proof. For heating the
tent we used 'primas'' lamp which
worked with an air pump similar to that
of plumbers for hsating his irons.
cat Valdez we were detained ten days
because of snow storm during which we
could do no work. TLen we started up
the trail for the glacier. one of the most
difficult to climb over unless he had been
over one before. There were different
places along the trail called benches up,
which we had to use block and tackle
to pull the sleds.
"The first bench at the foot of the
glacier we got the goods over safely, and
our tent was moved between the first and
second benches, about six miles from
Valdez Here we found it very incon-
venient in obtaining wood as we were
obliged to go some two and one-half miles
and pull it up over the bench with block
and tackle. We also found Will, camp
| ing on top of the snow that the heat from
our bodies and the lamp used for heating
unequal that the bumps and the ridges
did not fit our manly forms.
"From this place we started for the
second bench and had the whole of our
outfit carted at the foot, and the mid
night angel of the glacier says what fools
these mortals be- and to teach them a
lesson, Il will cover their goods with
snow which he Immediately proceeded
to do with snow slide. 90 the next
morning as We were about to get ready
to break camp we were informed by some
miners coming down the trail after more
of their own goods that our outfit among
others was covered by about ten to twelve
feet of snow and that now we had a
chance of putting few callous spots on
the inside of our hands and to learn how
to handle shovel, but as luck would
have it, the snow slide had parted some
of our goods up on the side of small
knoll and knowing almost the exact
POostAou III WO IOIu uAC OhoAo We
came across one box which was a key to
those underneath. Thereupon we went to
work shovelling the snow as railroad men
would shovel out a train. This experience
on the first and second benches was but
a forerunner of our subsequent block and
tackle work.
"When we came to what is known az
! the summit of the glacier, we had the
same block and tackle work, covering
somewhat over half a mile. From there
it was down hill on the other side or
| which we had to use breaks to keep the
sleds from running away. Then when
we came to the last hill which went
| down to the Glacier river we had to be
| yery careful no to let our sleds get away
from us and go down into the river,
which had been the experience of good
many.
| "After pitching our tents on top Of the
rocks at the foot of the glacier-which
made anything but feathery beds to lie
on, we unpacked our canvas canoes, but
found it WAS impracticable to use them
so We were obliged to pack the goods on
our backs one mile, or something over.
to got into deeper water in which we
could float our canoes successfully, and
vour humble servants back and shoulders
| were, to say the least, quite sore, but as
| we were going to the land of gold and
future prosperity we thought nothing OF
it.
| "Then we startsd to float our stuff
some miles down the river and we found
sand bars and rocks still to contend with
We had to wade in the water d grea1
portion of the time as the river had many
arms or different channels to it. Some
| times it would be knee deep, at Others
waist deep and on one occasion went II
over my head. 1t being icy water, vol
can imagine what q pleasant sensation i
| uas IF inst then nv monograph coulf