The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-16
BEYOND REACH OF WARNEws.
Klondikers Who Haven't Heard That
the war Is On.

| tuC VI 80 ~
Extracts from an Interesting Letter
Written bv a Portland Adventurer-
Unlimited Hardships Encountered in
the Pluclzy Quest for Gold.
Three letters have been received, SINCE
Monday, from Mr.. W. S. Jones Dy MS
family at Bowery Beach. The f1rst t"o'
dated April IS and April 81, were irolh
Peace River Landing and the later one
was dated May Is, from Dunnegan, BTU
lsh Columbia. The party are all ia eA-
cellent health and are getting along Wen
but slowly. While most of them have mad
| more or less severe colds, there has Deeh
no serious illness among them and tae
hardshlps OF the trip have been no greater
than anticipated. The worst feature OF
the case is the entire lack of mail facili-
ties, as it is only when some one is met
homeward bound that letters can DO sent
out, and the members of the company
have received no news from their homes,
or even from the United States, since
leaving Edmonton. March 90
| Mr.. Jones writes: "We are In bliss
full uncertainty as to whether Unols Sam
is giving Spain needed pounding OF
not.''
The company of five that left Portland
(Messrs. Nevens and Brewster of Wood
fords, Morrill, Of Harpswell, Phillips and
Jones Of Cape ElizaBeth) have joined
forces with two other companies and their
combined number is now IS. The other
two companies were composed mainly Of
Germans. Speaking of these companions,
| Mr.. Jones says:
Ihe Germans are all finely educated
ana one OF them is mining engineer,
which makes our chances better, but
there is one little ont about them. They
can none OF them baild a boat or manage
one and that is where your downeast
Yankees come In SO very handily. When
IL comes to cutting down spruce trees and
rashioning large boats 80 by 2 10 feet
We are just the boys that can teach them
something. -Four Of our party have gone
on with Neyens in charge of our remain
ing horses, and the rest of us will COM
plete two large boats Of the size given
and start down the river to meet them"
In his May letter Mr.. Jones announced
that the boats we're completed and further
said: "We left Peace river landing in
our boats last week, May s. and have had
very hard time getting through. The
river is very swift and high and as most
of our crowd are decidedly green in river
navigation, it has been slow work. We
have hauled our boats most of the way,
by main strength, run
ming line ahead of us and hauling up
to it. Fort ST. John is $50 miles from
here and Hudson's Hope so mora. I think
we shall have to make the whole Journey
in this manner. The river is too deep
and the banks too high to do any track
ing or towing.
I'VE are all well and if we can get
thr ough shall undoubtedly make enough
to repay us. as there are being rich finds
made all the time. But if I was at home
should stay there. should not advise
anyone to try this route. Nixon (their
guide whom they left at Slave lake) was
the worst liar in the United States. Not
one single thing that he told us has been
found to be true. We are constantly
Meeting parties coming back, broken in
health and purse, who were unable to
stand the strain of getting there. We
shall keep right on, however, as Yankee
boys are not easily conquered by difficult
ties or hardships, and If we all continue
as well and in as good spirits as now we
shall come back with something to show
for or perseverance,.
1--WE are having fine, hot weather-not
a cloudy or stormy day since We left
Maine. This is the only delightful thing
about this country. Our trip has heen
hard and Of many different Finds of hard
ships. From Edmonton to Peace river
we came on our slsas. with the horses.
For the last eight miles the ground was
entirely bare, and for the preceding 30
miles nearly SO. We get through thus ,far
with IA horses and sold three of them here
for s45. Two men ana six hopses we're
drowned here at the landing yesterday,
by breaking through the ice. Neither ,of
the men had families, we were told. we
are not in any danger Of starving. AZ
we find plenty Of food all along the route
beside saving our immens supplies for
future use.
"The two companies that We have
joined are as well outfitted as ourselves.
SO all will be we'll III that respect. Pota-
toes are cheap here-h0 cents a h,Ihhel
and fine ones Phillips has his barda
full cooking for the crowd. Six quarts
of beans will barely furnish enough.
baked, for supper and breakfast. and vi
eat eight large loavss Of yeast bread at a
meal, We bought 400, ponnas Il good
beef for $50 and eSfdinner have roast
beef ana potatoes. lot yeasa biscuit, tsa
AND coffee, and Panaowdy. We have had
no occasion to COMPLAIN of our food, even
in the Klondike. From here We shall go
to Hudson's HOPE which is 10 m lies from
fhe mountains. Shall probably get