The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-30
A TRIP TO DAWSON CITY
P. e. Thurman Describes Expe-
riences on the Way.
THEY KILLED NINE HORSES
Hard Work Getting the Outfits Over
the Pass-Taking Chances In Rum
ming White Horse Rapids.
Privations at Dawson.

81 a. TNiies Oh butte yesterday re-
ceived a letter from p. F.. Thurman.
written at Dawson City. Dec. 6. In
giving an account Of his trip and ex-
periences. Thurman says:
Il left Seattle Aug. 4. on an old side
wheel tub. the George +. Starr, and
was IL days getting to Skaguay. We
started from there Aug. IL, over a little
the worst trail that a horse ever pack
ed. Ii is so miles long. and one-half Of
~ is the worst Dogs you ever saw. IL
took us % days to get our outfit over
and we killed nine of our IL horses in
doing II. At one time there were 1000
horses on the trail. Skaguay is a hard
proposition. N Dyea is not much bet
ter. blu is lots shorter. We got to Lake
Benne Sept. IL and. il being late and
not knowing anything of boat building.
we passage with a Canadian
Irishman named Sullivan, to come down
the river on his scows. We paid $3.50
and worked all the way as the scows
were hard TO handle. He should have
paid us, but the ways of the tenderfoot
are hard. We left Bennett on Sept. Ia,
and sailed the length of the lax that
day, and pulled the boats against a
head win through Cariboo. crossing
on the 18th. and sailed down Lake Ia
gish on the 10th. Here is where we
encountered Windy Arm and windy
indeed II is. The waves ran as high as
those of the Pacific ocean.
at the foot of the lake the Canuck
custom house Is located. The officers
all had on their big mits' and gave us
the Fitz knockout for $50. God save
theQ Queen That about broke us. After
a few days more of hard work we tied
up half a mile above the canyon and
the White Horse rapids, and concluded
10 run the who'll thing and tab
chances. which we did the next day be-
fore a large audience who We're pack
ing around. i tell you IL was worth
while to u the rapids. but don't
want to do IL again. The canyon is
about three-quarters of a mile long and
about 40 feet wide with straight walls
of rock 10 feet high. Ii only takes
about two minues to run through. so
you can imagine how fast the water
runs. The White Horse is three miles
below and is only bad for about so feet,
but that so feet is enough-I can't de-
scribe IL.
w had no further trouble. although
Lake LeBarge was rough. The Five
Fingers and Rink Rapids are about four
miles apart, but they don't amount to
much. We got to Pelly river about the
18th, and the ice was running pretty
thick. stopped off there to help bring
down a raft OF beef that had been
driven in owe the Dalton trail and
killed there. We left Pelly on the 18th
and made a landing 30 miles down the
river at 3 O'Clock that night. The ice
was getting worse. The next day we
started at 3 O'clock and did not stop
until we got here at 10 o'clock the next
day. oct. i. running all day and all
night with the river so fun of ice that
we could not reach either bank. 1t took
about 100 men 10 land us here. I got
$40 for bringing the raft down and about
$500 worth of experience. If experience
were convertible into money | would
rave a roll after this year.
went in with two men and built
a cabin about a mile from Dawson. as
1t was necessary to have a %stopping
place near town to cache our outfits.
As 1t had already showed and winter
had set in, and il being too late to pros
pect, j took a lease, for halves, on 100
feet or ground on Bear creek, about
nine miles from town. We have to drag
wood down from the hillside and burn
the ground over night and work IL out
during the day. 1t is about 30 feet TO
bedrock and we are not down yet. On
two claims about 1000 feet above us
they are getting 81 to the PAN. which
will satisfy me if we do as well.
never knew what hard work was until
/ came i'm here.
The only way to get grub up the
creeks is.to pull IL on a sled over rough
ice, gravel bars, boys. and so forth. and
the colder II gets the harder the sled
pulls, and the smaller the load. In
moving up here 1t was so degrees below
zero. and all | could pull was $50
pounds, and | took bigger loads than
any of the others. Ii took all the flesh
off me, until my ribs stick out like those
of a Skaguay horse. This last month I
have been eating three times "A day
from s TO 4 o'clock. IL does not get light
in the morning until o o'clock and gets
dark again at $3.50 i'm the afternoon. !
Talk about our S-hour shifts: they are
not in IL with US. We are not over
stocked with grub. but think we viii
pull through all right. The trouble Is
have not enough of variety. our
present bill Of fare is beans, rice, oat-
meal, SOW bosom coffee, tea. sugar
and sour dough bread. | hold the bel
on the creek for making bread. but my
mouth waters every time ] think Of the
dinner Mrs. Boyle gave us last Christ
mas. Grub is scarce here this winter
and we can't buy anything from the
Lots Of men are starting to go ou'
or the ice. hut lots will perish In the
attempt. The country would be al
IL grub were plenty and the Law
were different. ! am going down on ~
side in the spring unless
have something very good here. arf
Of others will DO the same. The
are a number Of Butte people here. BIZ
! don't know their names. Fitzsir-
mons. who used to work i'm the Noun
ain Con. and Martin Gilmore. Da-
Drew and his brother and Little Burn
are a few Of them.
Il won't advise anyone TO come o.
away. bu; the chance are yerv
good here for a man who can turn his
hand to almost anything. but to offset