The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-03
HIS FORTUNE FROM EGGS.
"FrOzen Egg Man" Brought Back &c.,
900 from the KIOndike.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Nearly every man who has come out of
nare has had so 1ne bPT Two saV Of tbe
frozen egg man." They met him at various
points between the Chilkoot summit and
the Yukon river, rrudglng along with one
companion and four dogs pulling a cargo
of frozen eggs bound for the KloE dixie. Eggs
at Dawson are worth 81 or more each, and
this high price proved such an incentive to
Portland man that he resolved to
freeze lot of them and take them in.
The egg man has been the source of no
little amusement for the Klondikers who
have come out. They have frequently
laughed at his foolhardy speculation and
often predicted his failure. He has been a
prolific landmark, and one of the stock
questions which Klondikers have asked
each other here has been, Where did you
The egg man is in Seattle. He has sold
his eggs and returned with a sack which
many Klondiker might we'll envy. His
name is Charles Vest. Vest left Portland
last October on the steamer Elder. Before
leaving he obtained LAB dozen eggs. He
broke and packed them in tin cans holding
one gallon each, or six dozen. The cans
were sealed, frozen, and put on ice, They
weighed 22025 pounds in cold storage.
With one man to help him and his dogs,
Vest hurried the eggs up to Sheep Camp
and buried them in the snow. He put four
cans in sack and tied the sack over the
dogs backs. Each dog carried twenty
summit the cans were piled on sleds pull
ed by the dogs, and the journey continued.
several adventures D6I6II vest ana MS
companion on the way. On. Dec. 81 they
stopped at a cabin and bought supper and
lodging They bought some moccasins of
one of their hosts In the morning one can
of eggs, now becoming more and more prec-
ious, was gone. Vest had his suspicious, but
had no evidence. He asked his host about
the missing can, but got no satisfaction,
although his suspicious were confirmed.
There were others camping at the cabin and
from these two three days later Vest
obtained corroborative evidence as to the
SnSnPGf a
toward the coast but Vest followed him
and took him before the police. Confronted
with the evidence of his crime the fellow
confessed. The police decreed that the man
should be punished by giving up his outfit
to the man he had wronged. This was done
ana vest got $ie5 per dozen for the can of
eggs or $1,110 in all.
AT Thirty-mile river an adventure of a
different sort overlook the egg man. A raft
stayed on shore to line the raft down and
his companion was aboard the raft. The
Ice at one place was not strong enough to
support Vests weight and he was forced to
let the line go. The raft was spinning down
the river at a fearful rate, the anxious own
er running along shore to keep up with it.
suddenly rock trimmed with ice appeared
in the track of the raft. In a moment the
raft had dived under the ice, the rider had
Jumped for Or, his life to the rock, and the car
tent of the men sank, but the sacks of egg
cans went floating down the stream.
WAS oit{e as c0 did but the situation
what to do. He plunged into the stream
and pulled out the sacks one at a time
To 90 this he had to run along and into the
stream for mile. and a half. His clothes
froze 10 him, but he saved his eggs. Phen
he went back to his companion and threw
out a. rope and towed him ashore Three
men who happened to be camping near by
gave the two wet men shelter until they
dried and warmed themselves.
Sixty-five miles further down Vest reached
the Big Salmon, where Major Walsh was
camping. Major Walsh wanted supplies
and he bought Vests eggs at IS per dozen
The eggs yielded $5,211, which, added to the
81 ITO, amounted to $6,2H as the total product
of Vests undertaking.