Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-04-13


init restaurant. On our arrival at
Stone House we found that all suita-
BILE right of ways had been staked of,
all machines and engines shut out.
A man by the name of Christopherson
had the best and straightest route.
We gave $1,000 for the right of way.
The right of way is worth $1,000. 1t
is the best place or. the pass for my
business. l broke my engine and
went to Sheep Camp. bought bolt,
and II inches long which cost me
81, There are three blacksmith shops
and more work than six shops could
do with two men to each shop. They
have very few tools and small stocks of
iron. Well Started my engine up
the mountain. A storm arose and
became a blizzard. My outfit was
showed under. / located it from the
anchor, following down the line to my
engine, which was six feet under
snow. We could spade the snow like
sod. Our horse could walk on the
SHOW without a track. The telephone
line wires were covered. They had
to splice the poles. The snow was 80
feet deep.
If you were tere l could give you
good wages, but by the time you get
here it would be too late. There are
hundreds of men here making very
far wages, Eight dollars per day,
but they average not much more than
expenses, considering the bad weather.
A gasoline expert came from Frisco
aud SAID that it was TO cold here for
gasolene the air was to light.I told him
l knew thing or two, too, l started
my gasoline engine while the themon-
ator was % below zero. We got near
|
the summit, 1 got my left ear froze
and quit. proved to them that cold
did not effect the gasoline, When we
started the engine it went right up
the steepest places where horse could
not go, in fact, 1 believe it would
climb tree. At the foot of the
summit there are several engines,
waiting for someone to pull them over,
The Alaskan Transportation Co. (The
Oregon improvement Co.. has a gas
cline engine forty-fve h. p.
There were 1000 people at the foot
of the summit to see me and my
engine start up the mountain. The
mountain is about so degrees. When
l started they jerred and sneered.
Soon their sneers turned to cheers.
The other day in going up the noun
tain with a trail of sleds, the strong
south wind blew my coat tail in to
govener cogs and bent the rod. /
dared not let go the lever every
second was drawn farther into the
wheels. / was not in position to shut
down. l yelled TO Jim to cut me
loose. He came with his big knife
and made my coat tailess. 1t was all
done In few seconds. l hired some
men to cut new trail near by ours
aud took about twelve hundred feet
Of three quarter inch line and stretched
it on steep place so the packers
could help themselves along, So we
have our trail clear of footmen. 1t
stormed today very hard. We could
not work till 3 p M. We worked till
6 O'Clock and took in $40 with $40 eX-
penses. We will do fine here if the
rush continues. The tramways have
only just got their lines laid. They
will be able to carry any freight be-
fore June /. We only pull freight
to the summit.
Yesterday 1 went over to Crater
Lake. There are many beople camp
ing on the Ice. The Lake is said to be
bottomless. The Skagway trail is in
bad condition now, most of the travel