The herald., 1898-03-06
FOOLISH pR0sPEcTORS
sHoULD HEED GEO. AcHoRN's
WARMING
THE BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT
That Awaits the Majority Of Those
Who Are Starting for the
Klondike

just escaped with my life, and count my
self fortunate in having 80 DONE
Necessity compelled me to leave, and ne
oessity was good friend.
After telling you how l escaped, 1 will
describe the situation of those left behind.
6lush ice was already running in the Yukon
river when we started in boat. When
say, "we," l mean myself and two men,
who had attempted to make the trip to
Seattle, but had been forced to turn back.
after struggling for sixty-five days, on ac-
count OF their provisions giving out.
had only a slender stock Of provisions
myself as little or nothing could be bought
In that line at Dawson City. Over 1000 had
left that place to spend the winter al Circle
City.
On the 18th of November three of us
started on our way to Dyea, where we
arrived on the 1st day of January. During
our journey the temperature often ranged
from 40 to so degrees below zero, but the
cold was not felt any more than 1t Is here
when the mercury is 10 or Is degrees below
zero.
This brings me to saying that no one
should go to the Klondike without taking
sufficient money with which to get back.
1t Is a truth that Is being learned by the
hardest kind Of experience that not more
than one in 500 Of those who go into the
Ixlondike brings back as much as he takes
with him to the gold field. The one comes
back to civilization and plenty, after hav-
Ing made the richest kind OF n strike, and
Immediately the story flames across the
continent, setting the people wild to join In
tho supposed picking UP of wealth by mere
" STOPPING down for 1t. Besides the one
whose lucky strike we hear about. there
are 400 In every 500 Klondikers who are
praying for Just enough money to take
them away from that land OF golden
mirnges.
! left my home at Easton on the 9th Of
last August for Seattle. On my way west
] met a young man. with whom / soon be-
came we'll acquainted. He was Henry c.
Ash of Philadelphia. son of Samuel C. Ash
OF that city. He, too. was on his way to
Alaska, and quite naturally, we were soon
on the best of terms.
Ash and l reached Seattle on the 14th
OF August, where each of us purchased an
outfit, which included heavy woollen cloth
Ing furs. sleeping bag. tent. small
sheet-iron stove, n whipsaw. pick. ak and
other articles necessary for a camp life
and for mining. and each bought provisions
enough to last him year. consisting MAIN
ly OF wheat -four, cornmeal. beans and ba-
con. My outfit. which weighed about 1900
pounds, was then sewed up in canvas sacks
containing about 80 pounds each, that 1t
might be easily handled.
1t was on the 10th Of August that Ash and
myself. with about 800 other men travelling
IN the same direction, sailed from Seattle
on the ocean steamship Al-Ki for Ekaguay.
Alaska. reaching that place six days later,
on the &th. Ash and also took out with
Us to Skaguay three horses which we had
purchased at Seattle for $40 apiece. The
freight on each Of the horses to Alaska was
Sa6 and 1t cost s5 to feed each Of the ami
mails while they were on the boat. Our
plan was to use the horses to carry our
outfits over the White Pass a distance of
about thirty-five miles to Lake Bennett.
That pass was found to be in such terri
Die condition, owing to the rains. that It
could not be crossed at the time. The en-
tire distance was said to be strewn with
horses that had fallen exhausted in the
mud and had to be killed. We.were COM
PEELED to abandon the White Pass and that
ended all usc for the horses, but we had
no trouble in disposing of them for $50
each.
At skaguay we found at least 1000 people
tenting in the locality. waiting more ia
Sorable opportunity to travel the White
Pass towards Klondike. The other route
left was over the dangerous Chilkoot Pass
and very few Of the men were willing to at
tempt It. 1t was here that Ash and /
parted company. He decided to remain at
ekaguay, where. have since learned, he
became interested in the skaguay and
Lake Bennett Tramway company, and is
now treasurer of that organization
While at Skaguay I met three Colorado
men who were experienced in mining for
gold and silver. and the four of us deter
mined to cross the Chilkoot Pass My new
companions were Edward Hearn, James
Ac6kimming and Willis Mead. We took
boat to Dyea, where we employed Chief
1saacs Of the Chilkoot tribe Of Indians to
transport our outfits, in all about 6600
pounds over the pass. It was the largest
outfit ever taken over the Chilkoot Pass
up to that time Fifty-two Indians carried |
1t on their backs and were paid 38 cents
= pound for their services. The weigh |
ing OF the packages at Dyea cost us 20
cents per hundred.
A squaw who was carrying about 100 |
pounds on her back up the steep mountai I'm
side fell over the edge Of a rock near the
summit and broke one of her legs. She
was carried back to Sheep Camp, about |
nve miles down the mountain.
we paid cent pound to have our goods |
taken across Lake Linderman and from
there to Lake Bennett, q distance of nearly
. mile, we had to do our own carting. It |
TOOK us O day and half to drag our goods
from one lake to the other. At Lake Ben |
nett we bought an old scow. It wouldn't |
zen ior 70 mere, but 1t cost us $500. On this |
1rail craft we shipped for Dawson City.
On our way, after leaving Lake Bennett, |
we were stopped by English officers who
demanded and collected of us 25 per cent
on the value of our outfit. 1t was nothing
less than a legalized holdup.
IN passing down the Fifty-mile river we |
went through the Miles canyon where the
stream, three-quarters of q mile wide
aDove' goes shooting through deep, dark
'1v,ne' ,v not more than fifty feet in width.
me canyon is mile and a half long and |
: taxes minute and a half to 60 through
~, altnough one lives an age before getting
OUT OF its shadows We paid $40 for a pilot |
20 guide our boat through the canyon. and
gave the same individual $25 to pilot our
oIo scow through the rapid q short dis
tance further down the stream. This ia an
otner extremely dangerous place to nnv-
ssate. only half our goods were taken
througn on the boat; the remainder rvo
carried, distance Of about half a r,;,a
DeIow tne rapids we began prosnecting
1or goid Numbers Of holes were dun a ,n,,e,
streams and the dirt carefully wa shsd az
inspected. We found color" IN ,,an.,
cases. but not In quantities that womb nn,,
eor the digging. "'0'u pay
Dawson City was reached on tba o,s
september. at about o'clock IN the go.
noon Our arrival was greeted bv tba h.r,.
Ing of dogs. There are hundreds ~ -.
Drutes at the camp. and they cause M
small amount Of trouble. Numbers NJ rar.
ties who failed to keep close watch m tha,,
outnts after reaching Dawson Citv lost
most OF their provisions, carried away hi,
the dogs. The only way to keen catahIa.
secure Is to build q small hut. ton or tweivo
rect above the ground, In the trees. Thai
g the plan the miners have adoptcd. Ths
dogs are held al s16l a, ri, NV AAAS