The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-19
on THE COPPER RIVER
A Letter Received From j. 8.
Gordon in Alaska.
PLENTY OF HARD WORK
Forty Miles OF Glaciers to Be Covered.
The Penalty for Theft Il Death.
It Costs Fifty Gents to
Mail o Letter.

Great Falls. April 1s.-James s. Cor
don. brother of DIR. r. p. Gordon Of this
city, writes a letter from Port Valdez,
Alaska. where he now is en- route to the
Copper river country. Mr.. Gordon has
had considerable experience in prospect
ing throughout Montana and other
Western states and has friends here
who have confidence that he will ulti-
mately make a strike. He writes to a
friend:
A this Is the last chance to mail let
tiers for some time to come. / will write
you a few lines as to the movement of
the forces towards the Copper river.
As it is impossible to go up the Copper
river from its mouth. one has to come
here to Valdez. which is at the head of
Prince William sound. and portage the
outfit on sleds yer the glaciers. 40
miles long. n down the other side.
making in all about so miles. At pres
ent there are about three to four thou-
sand men here. all camped on the o
which is over eight feet deep. Every
morning at 6 o'clock the procession
forms. each n having as much as he
can pull on his sled, which is about $50
pounds. Horses, dogs. burros, men and
a few women all with their harness on,
Juggling away. II anything goes wrong
with your load or yourself you have
got to switch out OF the track. for 1t is
considered a serious offense to hinder
the march.
Five miles from the the
glaciers begin and so does the heavy
work. There are five steep benches near
the foot of 1t and the heavy Dads are
hauled up on a block and tackle. every
n lending a hand. 1t is hard work
and II is impossible to get more han a
few hundred pounds over in a day. At
least six weeks must be spent on the
glaciers before a man can get his outfit
over. There is no fuel except wha he
hauls up. We have 5000 pounds over
the first two benches and will move our
camp there tomorrow. 1t needs no
Charlie Russell to paint the scene here.
merely a white background and a row
OF black dots reaching up to the top
corner n down the back.
The camp is very peaceable AMI
quiet, as every one is working hard and
true n there are no saloons. There is
a code of laws made by ourselves and II
is well observed. The punishment for
stealing over 800 worth of grub is
death; under that, the culprit is
whipped and sent out of the country.
Everything is perfectly safe. and II you
hould drop you pipe or knife you can
NC sur NV ~ hohe uP III ~
spicuous place. 1t costs so cents to
mail a letter and so cents to receive one.
This amount is charged by a man who
travels over the trail one a week deliv-
ering and collecting mail.
Many faint-hearted people have
given up the idea of crossing the glacier
and have sold out at enormou prices.
The weather has been very warm, hard
ly freezing at night, but showing every
day. Nothing is known about the Cop
per river country and no gold has ever
come out of 1t, for the reason no one
has ever been able to get in there with
a supply of grub sufficient to let him
stay long enough to prospect, but every
one is brought up with hope and be-
lieve they will strike it rich. All pro-
LESSONS are represented here. but no
distinctions are made, and each one has
10 handle his own. There have been
two deaths caused by o~verheating and
getting chilled, and two others who were
killed some months ago by the Montana
cowboy, whose body still swings in the
breeze. Tomorrow WI expect the first
shipment of reindeer. Any mail con
signed to the care of the Pacific Steam
Whaling company will some time reach
us. My next letter will In all probable
ity contain the news Of a great strike on
the Copper river"