The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-25

Meats" Co the Yukon on Dog Sleds and
Brought Back s6.3sI-His Several AID
ventures-Msjor walsh's Purchase.
Nearly every man who has come out of
Dawson during the past two months or
more has had something to say OF the
''frozen egg man." They met him at va
rious points between the Chilkoot summit
and the Yukon river, trudging along with
one companion and four dogs, pulling q
cargo Of frozen eggs bound for the Klon-
dixie. Eggs at Dawson are worth 81 or
more each, and this high price proved such
an incentive TO a 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 frequent
ly laughed at his foolhardy speculation
and often predicted his failure. He has
been prolific landmark, and one OF the
stock questions which Klondikers have
asked each other here has been, Where
did you meet the egg manf"
The egg man is In Seattle. He has sold
his eggs and returned with a sack which
many Klondiker might well envy. His
name is Charles Vest Vest left Portland
last October on the steamer Elder. Before
leaving he obtained ,743 dozen eggs He
broke and packed them in tin cans hold
ing one gallon each, or six dozen. The
cans were sealed, frozen and put on ice.
They weighed 2,025 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 a sack and tied the sack over the
dogs backs Each dog carried 2S pounds
in this way. Once over the summit the
cans were piled on sleds, pulled by the
dogs, and the journey continued.
Several adventures befell Vest and his
companion on the way. On Dec. 81 they
stopped at cabin and bought supper and
lodging. They bought some moccasins Of
one OF their hosts. In the morning one
can of the eggs, now becoming more and
more precious, 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 camp |
ing at the cabin, and from these, two or |
three days later, Vest obtained corrobora- |
tive evidence as to the guilt of the suspect |
The thief had gone 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 pun
ished by giving up his outfit TO the man
he had wronged. This was done, and Vest
got SlS5 per dozen for the can of eggs, or
s1,ll0 in all.
AT Thirty Mile river an adventure of a
different sort overlook the egg man.
Eaft was built 10 float down the river
Vest staid on shore 10 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
went spinning down the river at a fearful
rate, the anxious owner running along
shore TO keep up with it. Suddenly rock
trimmed with ice appeared in the track of
the raft. In moment the raft had dived |
under the ice, the rider had jumped for
his life 10 the rock, and the cargo had
spilled into the swift stream. The stove
and tent of the men sank, but the sacks of |
egg cans went floating down stream.
1t was bitter cold, but the situation was
desperate. Vest did not ponder long upon
what TO do. He plunged into the stream
and pulled out the sacks one at a time
To do this he had TO run along and into
the stream for mile and half. His
clothes froze to him, but he saved his eggs.
Then he went back to his companion and
threw out n rope and towed him ashore.
Three men, who happened to be camping
near by, gave the two wet men shelter I'M
til they had dried and warmed themselves
Sixty-five miles farther down Vest |
reached the Big Salmon, where Major
Walsh was camping. Major Walsh wanted
supplies, and he bought Vests eggs at SO
per dozen. The eggs yielded 1921, |
which, added to the Sl,1lO amounted to
S6, 32l as the total product of Vests I'M
dertaking. Seattle Post-Intelligencer