The evening times., 1898-02-25
ON THE WAY TO kIONDIkE.
One Train That Contained 200 Men
and 100 Dogs.

|
There is now trailing across the State
| from east TO west some OF the motliest
I crowds of men that ever crossed a con-
tinent. 1t is the crusade to the Klou-
dixie that is now on in earnest. In a
few months the movement will be re
/ versed, and the thousands of crusaders
! who now have money will be working
! their way back home again. without any
but rich in experience.
Every west-Dound Northern Pacific eN-
} press that passes through Helena Is
( loaded down with KIondikers. Yester-
: day there Were fourteen coaches on No
I l. the west-bound train, which pulled In
! about on time. Nine coaches make
/ an ordinary and heavy train. but the
rush was so great the five additional
! coaches had been attached 10 the train.
The through Pacific express WAS not eX-
! ceptionally heavy yesterday. for every
! day there are from three 10 six addi-
! tional coaches to each westward-bound
! train. The passenger list Of Yesterday 5
( through train included about 2Go men
| bound for the gold fields and 100 dogs.
Most OF those bound for the kiondike
| are young men. but there are a few gray
headed enthusiasts among them. Many
| of them are from the far East. and there
are delegations from Iowa. Illinois. and
other Middle States. 4 railroad man.
who came into Helena yesterday ON the
Pacific express, said that % per cent OF
the Klondikerss travel armed. and many
of them exhibited their weapons in true
Buffalo Bill STYLE They seemed TO
think that as they were in the Wild West
il would be advisable To have their trusty
six-shooters at hand. ready on the instant
TO repel the attack of train robbers.
"In one car alone said the railroad
man. there were about thirty men. who
wore big Colt revolvers in scabbards at
tachfd to harness Un -er their arm Near
ly every one of them also had big hunt
ing knives stuck in their belts. The wea-
pons were all bright and shiny. and made
an imposing array. If the train had been
going the other way. one would easily
have imagined a tilibustering expedition
on the way To liberate Cuba. ! think
from the way some of them talked they
rather looked for the train TO he held up
and were almost looking for the adven-
ture. These men exhibited their weapons
in the way that might be expected of
Wild Bill the King OF the Plains. They
would get off when the train stopped and
walk up and down the platform. with
their big guns and knives in plain view
They were on parade. and 1t did them
good to walk through large crowds at the
more important stations These fellows
and their arsenals We're never parted
They actually slept with their pistols and
their knives strapped TO them.
Now, | suppose that the armament C1
those men must have cost each of thea,
in the neighborhood of $50 Some of them
had rifles as we'll as revolvers and | saw
one man with q shotgun. Although they
had expended so much for guns they did
not waste any money on the dining car.
Nearly every klondiker or the train
either brought his provisions with him or
ate at stations along the line. And they
had no money TO spend for sleeping
berths. either. Perhaps they were only
inuring themselves to the hardships they
propose to subject themselves to on their
way TO the gold fields