The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-03
ALASKA'S WOES.
Hamlin Garland Describes His
Northern Trip.
Novelist JOurneyed 200 Miles
Through Sticky Mud.
MATERIAL FOR BOOKS
Secured at Great Discomfort
Plague of Mosquitoes.
Rain Fell Nearly Every Day of
the Trip.
MATERIAL FOR BOOKS

chicago, NOV. 3.-Hanlin Garland, poet,
novelist, and since April last a KlondiIke
gold hunter, who braved the horrors of
both the "back-door route to Alaska and
the Chtlkoot pass, has reached Chicago
and is reaccustoming himself to civiliza-
ton at his house, 474 Elm street, while he
is waiting for news of strikes on his Atlin
lake claims and preparing to complete the
American novel and the book of verse in
terrupted by his journey after gold and
new literary material. His faithful brOn-
cho that carried his camp outfit through
a frightful journey of l, 900 miles, has been
brought back to Craze in the peaceful
meadows at West Salem, Wis, where oats
are 20 cents a bushel instead of 20 cents a
pound.
Mr.. Garland reached Chicago three days
ago from Seattle, but few of his friends
know of his arrival Last night he
a guest at dinner with Israel Zangwill at
the residence of Israel Cowen, 3216 South
Park avenue, and it was to the Jewish
writer, and afterwards to a reporter, that
Mr.. Garland wildly described his expert
ences, which he means to turn into
sketches and stories.
Il took the trip a vacation. want
ed to see the widest part of North Amer
ex6ec ctt Mr. Garland said. ~ ~
Il left West Salem, where my parents
live, early last April with a college chum,
Burton Babcock. Both of us had 1roughed
it in the Rockies every summer and we
thought we knew what there was of bad
I'VE went from West Salem to Ash
croft. B. G., where We QUILTED and pre-
SSfilSine river intending to go to Lake
Teslin- We took five horses and all the
4Htfit that our experience in the m0T W.
calculated on finding an arid country, but
1T didn't rain for the first few days of
the 1000 miles, but when it began to come
down it poured steadily. There was no
bottom to the trail. There were streams
where the maps said there Were none and
no streams where there should nave 6een.
The country has never been surveyed eX-
cept by guess. The rivers were swollen,
and 1t was constant risk or our lives to
bound, like US, for Lake Teslin. Some were
without provisions. One of our five brOn-
fR9s o fled fT gT d R9iIe eaed 81 one
man who started out with % horses and
Nobody knew where we were. It was
impossible to tell from the maps. It was
miner to keep the trail. but there were
scores. of men who lost it. The trail trail
sent out to survey it got lost
I'VE were on short rations for about six
We fed some of the poor fellows along
the trail, but one had to look out for him.
days on the trail, which we had expected
to cover IN IN So frequently It took took day
was where we had expected to find an arid
streams, but they We're swollen By the
time we reached them, and we had to
chop down trees and get across in that
''The skaguay trail was nothing COM
pared with 1t. The whole Skaguay trail
is an easier task than one days tramp
through that pouring rain and bottomless
mud. If it was bad Tor US, what must it
have been for men who knew nothing of
such a life? The flies and other insects
made life a torture. We had the best
protection obtainable in the way of nets,
but there We're hundreds of men who were
without any protection at all.
Those fellows had to live ground
hogs and anything they could find 1t
was horrible. over our heads were the
snow peaks, and the glaciers all along the
trail helped make a torrent of every small
stream. 1t isn't much wonder that when
we reached the Stikine at Telegraph
creek we were about tired out.
him and started him into the country.
Then 1 proceeded to Fort Wrangel,
was just in time for the news of the Atlin
lake excitement and the country was full
of miners. I believe that it is good
mining country, but don't want anyone
to go there on what I say. secured what
I think are a number of good claims and
then started back.
yes, came over the Chilkoot pass and
| in one day It was one of the worst Of
the season. It was like walking on the
tops of church steeples: No one could a see
thick. We waded through water most of
the way and finally got through alive. But
/ it was frightful.'