The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-03-16
TO THE GOLD FIELDS.
A Former wellington Boy will Hunt for
the Yellow Metal.

A Former Wellington Boy Will HUM Ior
the Yellow Metal.
As far as the KIOndike excitement Is
concerned, we notice no particular
change, az the streets are still thronged
with those who are waiting their turn to
move north. There arrived yesterday
from Skagiway and Dyea, four steamers
all Of which reported very rough weather
going up. but exceptionally good on the
return trip, making it in about four
days and 10 hours met a gentlemen
who came down on the steamer Rosalle
from Skagiway, who related some rather
pathetic incidents that occurred in that
vicinity recently. He had been IN
charge of portion of the wagon ROAD
which is being built over the White Pass,
and says that while in one of the COM
missionary tents on the road aparty OF SIX
returning from Dawson City stopped to
rest. They claimed to have made the
journey out OF Dawson City in l9 days
and half, and had with them an Eskimo
baby, whom they had found coming out
According to their story the father and
mother had frozen to death on the trail
and the little one had been discovered by
them, bundled up warm and nice in the
clothing its parents had taken Off to
save their child. He said he did not ask
the names of the parties, as there are too
many persons on the trail for such con-
ventiOnalities, but he states that they
had quite quantity Of gold with them,
and took a great deal of pride in the
Eskimo child, which they said they ln-
tended to educate and raise. Their
plans, however we'll laid, will never be
carried cut, for the entire party boarded
the Clara Nevada and are supposed to
have perished in the terrible catastrophe
which befeIl that vessel 1t seems like
the irony of fate that the poor helpless llt-
tie orphan should have been rescued
from the wintery blasts of Artic bound
Alaska only to perish in the heat or d
burning vessel. IL is rumOred about
the city now that the cause OF the Clara
Nevada disaster was caused by the ex-
plosion of dynamite, which was taken on
at Seattle for the Treadwell mines at
juneau
The stuff, it is alleged, was placed in
the bottom of the boat and on ton OF 1t
was piled the Skagiway freight. After
unloading the latter at Skagiway warf
the boat took on passengers and started
for Juneau, where the dynamite was to
be unloaded. Such a crime is to horri-
BILE to lay at the door Of any human be-
ing, and yet the positive manner In
which the local inspectors and the man
aging owner assert that the boilers did
not explode, leads to the terrible fate
that they knew what did.
It is said that people are dying in
: Skagiway like sheep, as many as fifteen
in day from cerebrO-spinal-meningitfs.
The disease seems to be prevalent among
those, mainly, who go up there with in
sufficient food and clothing and with nc
means to purchase proper lodging. II
is the direct result Of exposure and wan1
and is proving terribly fatal.
My partner and / have changed
our plans on going to Copper River, Alas
ka, as was stated in my previous letter
We were offered more for our transpOr
tation than we paid for them, and w
learned recently that Copper River woul'
be over run by the thousands that ar
going up nearly every day almost equa
. to the Klondike region. We now hav
= formed party OF fifteen and purchases
a schooner of about twenty-five tons. an
will leave for Kalzebur Sound some tim
- this month. We are in no particula
ho rush about getting away as we woul
~ have to wait at Dutch HarbOr, in Alaska
until June, for the ice to break up in tn
Behring sea, 50 that we could complel
our Journey. We intend to take the IL
n side passage, so as to evade the roug
n seas, so common at the North Pole,
this time of the year.
We will stop along the route on IL
numerous islands tO hunt and fish as
will have to kill time somewhere. VI
party is very peculiar one, being mat
up Of people who are from the eastel
n states, all being strangers to each Othe
, except my partner and myself, althOut
there are five including ourselves frJ
Ohio, SO of course we do not exactly ct
i them strangers, at least We place
greater amount Of confidence in the
- than any of the others. We feel qul
ina sure that we will know each other
AXE great deal better before we return
hty civilization again, as we go prepared
ngs be- gone two years, and it will almost
The compulsory, as no QUE can return un
and the majority OF the party is willing a
: of there are some Old miners amO
us, who spt ak Of two years as only 4
lird weeks, ana Of course the older ones
nee likely To have their way, and as |
e III about eight years younger than any
re- of the party, suppose that | Will be
i IA a ,Nl 81, ga, Ia