The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-05-25
LETTER FROM KLONDIKE.
W. s. Culver of This City Writes On
der Date of May 5.

| AS2 law "a AAAo$y 90
The Topeka party who went to the
| Klondike q few months ago are now
camped on the shore of Lake Bennett
and are making preparations TO go far
| Their.
! Mr.. W. S. Culver wrote the following
| letter to his daughter, Mrs. L. s. Wool
| verton, of this city:
Lake Linderman, May 5, 189S-We are
at the lake with our goods all in good
| shape. We are two miles down the lake
and have four miles to go yet to Lake
Bennett. We will be there Saturday and
then we will make our boats; we have
our logs cut and ready to whip saw. 1t
will take six days to saw out what lum-
Der we need. You ought to see the men
at work whip saving and making their
boats; they make as much noise as the
Santa F'e shops when they are all at
work. We will be all ready as soon as
the lake breaks up. 1t is getting warm
er here and the snow is melting around
the edges of the lake. Ice is very thick,
so it will be some time before it breaks
up. The snow on Crater lake is ten feet
by actual measurement; here it is only
one foot thick. When we reach Lake
Bennett our shedding will be done with
We have had no accident so far. Com
ing down the pass we put ropes on our
sled runners, tied two sacks on behind,
jumped on, and let it go. We went like
streak. Two men got their legs bro
ken, one got the rope around his neck
and hung himself. His sled got away.
When they picked him up his neck was
broken. The Cascade mountains are
not as high as the Rockies. They are
composed of granite. There is nice fish
here. Oxen is killed here and beef is
sold for 25 to 35 cents per pound. They
can bring cattle and horses over the
Peterson trail by putting a harness on
and pulling them up with a rope and
tackle. We have seen mum Der of
snOwslides from nearly the top to the
bottom of the mountains. You ought
to see the scattering they make. No one
has gotten hnrf nv them This lake is
five miles long and half mile wide.
Many men are going home all the time.
They get homeSick. The class of men
who are leaving have done more hard
work in coming over here than they
ever did in their whole lives. The north
ern lights are the grandest sight any
one ever saw.
It gets dark here at 10 a. m. and day
light at 2 p. m.-four hours of night
You can read print then. The sun
shines here and on the summit it is
showing ana blowing a hurricane. Sup
per is almost ready. Mr.. NeWland is |
getting it, 1t would do you good to see
us eat, and we are getting fat. L was |
weighed yesterday on the summit, and |
I weigh 222 pounds and feel very we'll |
I haven't even had a cold.
Lake Bennett, May Eve are feel |
ing good to think we have gotten
through packing our goods over the |
route. We are two and half miles |
down the lake in a cave, have good wa
ter and a good place to camp. The ice
is three feet thick yet, but as it is get
ting warm, it will go fast. We will build
two boats-one in which to carry our
goods and a smaller one to go up the
streams to prospect with. We will build
scow % feet long, s foot bottom, and
foot beam and side 8 feet high. This
Is a rough country; no good if there is
no gold. We have been very lucky,
have not lost a thing. There have been
lutte a number of men, horses and dogs
drowned lately on Lake Bennett-tWo
his afternoon. We are through travel
ng on ice and we are glad. The Cana
liam government has just established a
0ostoffce here and will deliver all let
.ers from here to Dawson City. The
postmaster says we will be sure to get
our mail and no extra charges. There
s a blockade at Dyea; no telling when
We will get any mail fro mthere. Write
about the war. We cannot hear any
hing here only through the police. One
old me today that Uncle Sam had
hrashed the devil out of Spain. L hope
t is true Mr. Murbarger, who was in
Topeka last winter about the time we
eft, is here in camp. He is our next
loor neighbor. He tells about the same
story now as then about the golden
ields He is all right for he is willing
o undergo the hardships to get back to