The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-01
EXPERIENCES En- ROUTE
Trials and Tribulations of q Trip
to Dawson City.
MANY DAYS AT THE OAR
Extracts From an Interesting Letter
From Dan Harley. of Butte. Now
Searching for Gold in
Aiaska

Ian toAhty
man who left early in the year for the
Klondike, has written to a friend tell
ing of his experiences en- route to Daw-
son City. The letter. which is dated
at Dawson. June 10. relates the Incl
dents of the trip chronologically n is
very interesting. Extracts from it
read:
w arrived here the afternoon of
the Sth, after one of the hardest trips
it has ever been my fortune to make.
OF the sos miles of water travel from
the Alaskan coast. I pulled an oar over
500. There was little of incident up to
Lake Bennett. There they had a great
time on the oath, the queens birthday.
Capt. Jack Crawford acted as master
of ceremonies. On the 25th, Cary, my
partner. and I. got a boat and started
for this place with two passengers and
1000 pounds of freight. On the 26th we
had a hard time breaking the ice. On
the 2Sth We had to put to shore on ac-
count of a terrible storm and came very
near losing the boat. 1 was over an
hour in the water, up to my waist,
httPhh6 hti Oh AZ tc1hCs obh INV
weather was cold and raw. We finally
beached the boat and unloaded her.
Sunday. the 10Th, the wind was still
blowing and we had to lay over. Three
small and one large boat capsized OPP
posite our camp and went down. The
weather was still cold and raw. The
Both we loaded up at Z O'Clock a. m,
and at 4 p. m. we camped at the head
of Lake Tagish. The eathe was
much warmer. but oh, Lord. the mos
quitos. The 31st, at sunrise, we We're
up and had coffee at 3 a. m. At $3.50
o'clock we stopped at the head of Mud
lake for customs inspection. We got
away again at 1880 o'clock, and at
1890 p. m. we camped at the foot of
Marsh lake. June /, at s a. m, we
started down Sixty Mile river. At 8
p. m, we let off our passengers, covered
up our cargo and shot through the can
yon, in five minutes, two miles of rag
ing, roaring water, dashing between
two perpendicular walls. After resting
half an hour, We started again and
shot the White Horse rapids. 1t took
just two minutes, but we We're
drenched to the skin. Carey is, with
out exception, the coolest man I ever
saw. Pen cannot describe the ride
through the canyon and White Horse
rapids, so l won't attempt it. We went
to bed at midnight.
u 2 we were up at 2:30 a. m at
$50 o'clock left camp, and at 1910 p.
m. reached Lake La Barge. Al 2 p. m.
went into camp; weather very stormy.
Left camp the Sd at 3 a. m. AT 3 p. m.
we struck the head of Thirty Mile
river, and at 3 p. m. again went into
camp. On the morning of the 4th we
left camp at $50 o'clock, and at 10
o'clock reached the confluence of the
| THIRTY Mile and ITnnfnIinnIIo rixyaro opI
entered the Lewis river. At 2 p. m. we
stopped at the mouth of the Big Salmon
for lunch. Off again at 3:15 o'clock,
and a few minutes later collided with
a large drift and in the swift current
came near going under. 1t was a hard
fight for life for about three minutes,
but we escaped without serious mis-
hap. At 8 a. m. we camped below the
mouth of the Little Salmon. We were
tired and sore n the mosquitoes were
awful. During the afternoon we passed
several wrecks. Tune 5 we left camp
at $50 a.. m, and at 4 p. m. went
through Ffve Finger rapids. At S D.
m. we went through the RIM rapids
n camped three miles below.
The 9Th was cold and. frosty. Left
camp at 81 5o'clock. Stopped one hour
at the mouth of the Pelly. and at Z
p. m. camped o n the Yukon. The eth
was a fine day. We left camp at $40
IL IN atia stopPto " SoDp-I at u.OV
o'clock at the mouth of the Stewart
river. At 1880 p. m. we camped 10
miles below. The ice played havoc all
along the route this day. Whole isl
ands have been swept clear of their
timber and o o like last years corn
fields. 1t must have been a grand sight
to see the ice going out. The cold had
by this time driven us nearly crazy.
The Sth we left camp at 3 a. m. At
11:20 o'clock we crossed the mouth of
Indian river, at 4 p. m. crossed the
mouth of the Klondike and at 4:i5
o'clock landed in Dawson City, tired,
sore and worn out.
"The 9th we spent fixing camp. I
saw three tons of gold in one place,
and there Is s25, 900, 900 in gold dust,
ready to go out as soon as the steamers
start back. News has Just come in OF
the loss of an old man and his two
sons with their entire outfit, in White
Horse rapids, also of the loss Of one
of jim Wardner's scows in the same
place. / am writing this, lying on the
ground outside my tent at midnight.
light.
THE steamer Weare has arrived
from Circle City, where she has been
locked in the ice all winter. She has
125 passengers on board, who have been
IL months coming from San Francisco
and Seattle. Captain Healy put me to
work checking the cargo, and has since
put me in charge of the warehouse at
a salary of 1926 a month and board and
a place to sleep. Board is $3.50 per iav,
Inc a place to spread your ankets 81
a night. 1t is lying or the ground that
is killing people off. There is II inches