The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-12-16
The Dalles Daily Chronicle.
HORRORS OF THE sKAGUAY
Hardships of Men Who Have
Gone Over the Trail.
One Man Works Eight Weeks over the
DifRen1t Pass and Is Compelled
to Give 1t Up and
Turn Back.

"a -
The horrors of the Sl1aguay trail have
only half been told. A mum Der of men
have recently returned from the White
pass (Which will hence1orward be
known as the Black pass) with stories
fit to sieken the stoutest heart and SUD-
due the hottest courage One man, l.
J. Richard, of Seattle, i bright and IN
telligent young feiIow, With plenty OF
pluck and perseverance,, used his very
best efforts to get over the trail, but has
returned to a more friendly land fer the
winter and viii make another tTlal in
the spring. He VIII then 50 {! another
route. He has had all Ct lie Sls2guag
trail that he wants. TO begin with, the
trail was never ready fcr t~2vcl. Gnd
the promoters who are responsible
for all the waste of time and money
should be prosecuted. Richard arrived
at Skaguay on the Islander, which de-
posted its passengers on August 1, and
so was among the earliest corners. He
had an ordinary miners outfit, weigh
ing 1900 pounds, two horses and $500.
He considered himself fairly well
equipped. He helped the others cor
duroy the trail and bridge the rivers.
BY the time this necessary work had
been done crowds of wayfarers had
arrived, and soon the trail was worse
than ever.
In eight weeks of the hardest work
he had ever done Rickard managed to
get his goods to the summit of the last
hill. Then his money was gone, his
horses exhausted, and he had the choice
of wintering in the timber by the lakes,
while his food supply diminished, or of
returning to California and earning
more money to again attempt the trip
northward. He figured that if he
ca1nped the winter, as so many are
counting upon doing. he would have an
early start in the spring. but would by
that time have only two months' pro-
visions left at the outside, ard he was
already penniless. Eicl1ard spent his
money for food and shoes for his horses.
He says the difficulty OF feeding horses
on the Skaguay trail is enormous. 1t
was necessary to go all the way back
to Skaguay for hay, ard by the time it
was brought back to the hungry AMI
mails waiting for it the other animals
met on the trail, by each taking pass
ing nip, had reduced the quantity about
so per cent. The horses are fond of
birch leaves, but they soon contract
mud fever, and, as they are insufficient
" fed and not otsheltered at all, theYsoon
bec>rne worthless. Not so many are lost
on the trail as is supposed. They really
die from lack of care. Horses are a
good deal better on the Skaguay trail
than burros. although the best thin g
of all would be an OK, which is very
good for muddy travelling and can carry
a big load. The burros taken up are
almost q failure. They are good over
the rocks, but no good at all in the
swamp, which forms about two-thirda
of the distance.
Richard reports the packers have lost
money on account of the mortality
among the horses. They would start
cut with 20 and return with II. The
most trying place below the ummit has
been fittingly named Dead Horse gulch.
Instead of one short, steep hill, as at
the Chilkat, there are five long hills
and Rickard thinks it is harder than the
Chilllat itself.
Hundreds of disappointed men al
Skaguay in September were making
hercuiean efforts to reach the timber
that lies beyond the summit with their
goods, there to spend the winter and
get very early start down the river
IN the spring. They must make haste
for snow had already fallen on the sum
init, and they must make their camr
and build their log huts before snow
flies. otherwise they cannot procure the
moss with which to wedge the chinks oi
their houses.
1t takes strong back and a veal,
nMnd to become a. successful packer
Riekard says. H. also says that, though
quiet and orderly, the Skaguay country
is the meanest in the world. It rains
there all the time except when it stops
Tong enough to snow.-Mabel C. Craft
in Leslie's Weekly.
4AID TO SUsURBANITE MEMORY,
-na.-rr,..,s..