The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-01-07

w Z lclt Ldkc LiiIuCItId tJOP'' ''
Lake Bennett, Goth; Tagish, 22nd;
Marsh Lake, 23rd; Canyon, 24th,
White Horse Rapids, Goth; Head Lake
LIE Barge, 25th passed the foot OF the
lake, Hootalinqua and Big Salmon, %;
Little Salmon, Goth Five Finger rap
ids, October LIST; Pelly River 2Hd;
White River, 4th; reaching Stewart
River that afternoon, and stayed Il
DAYS. Left Sixty Mile the morning
of the 7th.
Well, it was no pleasure trip from
start to finish,-the cattle fare we had
on the Willamette, boating the Dyea
river, climbing the Chilkoot pass IN
in cold rain, head winds, snow and
bitter north wind on the Lakes, and
last and worst, drift Ice and the river
plum full of it from Pelly to Dawson,
It's miles. Not a loss or the whole
trip but a pot of beans and a Kettle
cover.
Met all the Shelton crowd at the
head of Bennett, they got The start OF
us one day and got in a day ahead.
Billy Ryan joined us at Long Lake,
and IS now Shedding his goods to ~
Bonanza. Doyle has gone to work at
90 above Discovery on Bonanza.
There is strike here at present, the
mine-owners have cut wages from
81. so to 81 an hour, and the old hands
are laying off. 1t will be settled soon.
Four of us have nice little cabin
about mile from town. | saw Nc
Dougall and Jack Price last night,
they have been out hunting moose.
Mac offered to put me on claim on a
branch of Indian River, he to pay all
expenses and 1 to give him half-inter-
est, he has already used his rights.
Hank Pennoyer and Grace have lay
on Hunker Creek, but no grub,
"Black Hank" Villburn, is working
in Pennoyer's place and Jack Morgan
gives his grub to Grace. Morgan and
Pennoyer go to Fort Yukon, where
there is plenty of grub.
Flour is selling at 800 sack, sugar
is the only thing that can be bought
in the stores except some canned goods
It is $50 hundred Lots of those
who have come in are selling out their
outfits and leaving the country. They
get about $3.50 a pound for their out
fits. Meals, such as they are, very
light, are So. About thousand men
have gone to Fort Yukon since we
came. Some are undertaking to put
in the winter here with only two sacks
of flour. Miners candles 81 each, and
can't ne got.
Logs sell at $50 thousand, not
much demand for building lumber
Houses built out of logs; roofs, double
boarded, and dirted about foot deep
Sluice-box lumber was $50 thou.
sand last summer, roof lumber, $50
A little mill came over the Dyea trai
this fall, and is being set up at the
mouth of Bonanza. The best timber
I saw began about II miles above
Five-Finger on Pelly river, but there
is lots of timber within 40 miles from
Dawson, but man would need hors'
or two to draw the logs to the river
The timber is along the river, island
and flats on the side-hills A few
horses are here now, and little wilt
hay is cut near Stewart river and raft
ed down to Dawson. I think tina
wages will be 81 per hour and S-hou
days this winter.
/ think this country is everest
mated. About SO claims on Eldorad
and probably 20 on Bonanza hav
proved very rich, but the rest barrel
pay wages, and lots on Bonanza hay
so far proved blanks, no gold at al
The way that Berry and Lippy got s
much gold in a pan, they scraped tn
e richest spots of bedrock for about
4 month for painful, and one tried t
e beat the other in that way.
Niger jim has an interest i
t Claims 81 and % above discovery O
e Bonanza that are very rich. He an
Berry's are the leaders in the wage
e cut. Billy Bates and Tom Cunning
Il ham gave up the trip at head of nav
n CATION on the Dyea. Herman Hibl
:, ner and Big John, the Dutchman, &C
n in the 18th, but are selling their outf
e and going out right away. 1 will sen
It this letter by them.
e No boats can get up from below b(
Re fore the middle of June. There wi
IS be little freighting up the river wit
It. dogs but not very much. Men &c
is in here as early as the middle of Ma
II last spring, they started in Februar
t. sledded their goods to foot of LeBarg
IN built their boats and started down IL
as river. You see, the river opens
as month before the lakes do.
r. If you see anyone that is coming