The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-20
HE'S UP At LAKE TAG|SH
The Scenery Is Grand and the
Weather Is Perfect.
TRIALS OF THE TRAILS
William Brabazon Writes an Interesting
Letter to a Missoula Friend Re-
counting the Various Adven-
lures of His Trip to Alaska.

Mlssoula, April 19.-An interesting let
ter from William Brabazon has been
received by a gentleman I'm this city.
The letter was written from the post
of the mounted police at Lake Tagish
and ecounts the trials of the trip from
the coast to the Interior. The following
extracts from the letter will prove of
interest TO Mr.. Brabazon's friends here,
as well as to the general public:
''ragish Post, N. w. r.. March rs.
Sd -: l a got this far in
good shape and have passed thousands
Of people on the trails. SOM of them
have been on the trail since last Au-
gust. i have been on the trail now
four days and have come 100 miles. I
have yet $50 miles to go before L get to
Little Salmon river. but l have seen
some of the mounted police who reached
here from there to-day and they give
such "a poo report that / may go ack
In the morning to Lake Bennett and
from there to Dyea over the Chilcoot
pass. You would not believe me If /
were to describe to you truthfully the
condition of the people on the trails. l
passed 5000 people between here and
Skaguay. l was i'm company with one
of the captains of the mounted police
from Juneau. We started for the Lit
tie Salmon. but the reports from people
who are returning from there are so
very discouraging that l have decided
to return i'm the morning. The captain
will remain here, az he belongs to this
post.
Il expect to have a hard time going
over the pass to Dyea, as they say that
so per cent. of the X are going
over that trail and a fellow has to wait
for his turn going or coming. 1t Is just
one narrow path over the pass.
This is a beautiful place. The river
here Is about 1000 feet wide n is open
in the middle. l uppose that there are
200 ducks in the river to-day. The
scenery is grand and the weather is
perfect. 1t could not be finer. The
days are bright and clear and the
nights are almost as bright as the days.
l was surprised to find 80 little snow
only about IL inches. This was the first
open water that | had seen since / left
the coast, here in Tagish river. The
stream Is only six miles long. Ii runs
between Lake Tagish n Marsh lake
and is the incest stream that l ever
saw. on both sides of the river the
land is as level as "A floor for about a
mile, and the mountain rise almost to
the stars. As ] look out of the door
here / often wish that l had my family
here and could live here for the balance
tl lily lie. i lilltlh, AtO. Tia inns ob''
be a good place for business, as they all
have to stop here going down to show
their papers and pay duties. But L
think that / shall go back in the morn
ing, at least To Bennett. One of the OFF,
GERS. Captain Campbell. is going and
we will see Major Walsh at Lake Ben
nett. He is going To intercede for me
and try and get me a permit to run a
hotel here. If not here | will try it at
White Horse rapids.
As | said before. we left Skaguay
four days ago. We had "A t~hree-dog
team to haul our bedding. etc, but
when We got to White pass Captain
Strickland gave us 500 pounds To bring
down to his wife. This, with our dog
feed, gave me no chance to ride any
more. The dogs had about all that they
could take along. We took a new trail
about six miles above Lake Bennett.
called the Tootchee trail. 1t runs up "a
river of the same name to Tootchee
lake and then across "A low range ID
Windy Arm. Then II is Is miles down
Windy Arm To Lake Tagish. We got
here at . o'cloc last night and l was
so tired that l couldn't step over a
straw. We only travelled about 30 miles
yesterday from Tootchee lake, but that
is a long way to travel when you only
had "A 'dougou' and one piece of bacon
for breakfast, no inner n no supper
Till 3 o'clock at night. | was never 50
tired in my life. The dogs were played
out, too, as there had been "A little fine
snow falling all day that made the tran
heavy. | nae no han to ride and
had To help the dogs pull the sleigh over
the hills from Tootchee to Windy Arm,
about six miles. Oh. IL is nice for a
man TO travel in the Yukon, especially If
he is not used To sleeping in the snow
and living on 'dogous' and bacon ami
beans, with cold water for dinner. But
we were always handy to water, as the
holes in the ice to water their horses
and oxen, and the holes are close to-
gether.
Il cannot see what is bringing so
many people into this country. The
other day, when We We're crossing Lake
Tootchee, We picked up al old woman,
60 years old. walking along with her
husband. She and her had an
old horse, but the animal was played
cut. The trail was good and we picked
up the old woman and CAV her a ride
for six miles TO where they We're tn
camp. cannot see where The boats
are oming from to take all OF the
goods and people on the river in the
spring. There is not much good timber
along the shores AMI there are thou
sands of tons OF goods piled along the
trails. When j got up his morning
there was but one tent here. and to-
night there are 50 tents AMI 800 dogs in
the camp. Some of the men who came
in to-day We passed W. days <
Write To me at Juneau and 1 will get