The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-22

PUSHING ON DESPITE PERIL.


sKAGwAY. April 1.-the ice On Lake
Bennett. over which hundreds Of thou
sands Of men with outfits are passing
daily on their way to the Klondike. Is CIV
ing way. and animals. outfits and men are
going through Into the water. In their
mad haste 10 reach the gold fields men
are taking desperate risks. So far -
known there have been no lives lost ~
yet by breaking through the rotten ice,
but ~ there are Thousands more men
to 20 over yet. and they are not supplied
with boats. they win certainly push on
and attempt tho dangerous Ice. Having
escaped the terrible slide on the Chilkoot.
they feel that they bear charmed lives
w. H. Hyde. who came through from
the lake today. says that he saw man
With an OK team and 500 pounds OF sup
plies break through the Ice Ct the lower
end Of Bennett yesterday. The team and
outfit were lost. but the man managed to
get hold Of the edge Of the thin ice and
held himself above water until nelp came.
which was only few moments. for the
trail along the lake Is black with travellers.
The unfortunate mans name was Carr.
but his home In the states was not learned.
Many others have broken through the Ice.
but have escaped without serious loss.
The other lakes. with the exception Of
Leberge. are also reported to bs In .
dangerous condition. but the travellers are
pushing over. needless OF the peril and
anxious to b among the first 70 start
out when the big river commences to
move
There will be ample boat facilities on
the hikes NJ soon as navigation opens. but
the prospectOrs who are trudging over the
trails now are mostly poor men, who are
doing all their own work and who avoid
all the expense they can This is one rea-
son they wish TO get o.e- the Ice. An
other Is that there is better timber for
boat building down below.
r. A. Thorp. who came out from Daw-
son few days ago with q party OF FIVE
or six. but stopped at Lake Bennett to
visit his father. has arrived In Skagway
on his way to Seattle. Mr.. Thorp tells the
last chapter In the famous speculation
which he and his father and brothers un-
dertook last fall II wiz be remembered
that the Thorps bought about hundred
attic to Haines' Mission and undertook to
reach Dawson over the Dalton trail.
Meeting with much greater difficulties
than they had anticipated, and finally be-
ing compelled TO turn back. after losing
many horses and suffering great hardships
and pecuniary loss themselves. they
brought the cattle 10 Skagway and took
them to Bennett over the White pass. This
Is all matter az history. but the public
has not been informed as to how the
venture finally turned out. The eighty
head Of cattle were killed at the lake. and
the quarters. with the hide on, were taken
up Into the hills where the snow was deep
and the climate colder than on the level
OF the lake. There an immense cache was
made. Thorp. the elder. opened . hotel
and has been selling the meat wherever ne
could ever since. The snow - going rap
Idly now. ard the Thorps believe that the
meat win not keep more than q week or
two more. They have twenty-three car
casses left. and they think that they win
have 10 throw a greater part CT them
away. The speculation. they say, has been
a losing one.
A fresh meat famine has been prevailing
here for week or more The arrival of
the Ai-ki today with meat broke the
famine.
Cant. Jack Crawford. the "poe. scout
''Swiftwaier Biz and several other celeb
rites OF the grand stand order. are In the
city. on their way TO the interior