The daily sentinel., 1898-12-27

Turn Back.
Tho horrors of the Skaguay trail have
only half been told. A nun ber of men
have recently returned from the White
pass (Which will henceIorward be
known as the Black pass with stories
fit to sicken the stoutest heart and sub
due the hottest courage. One man, I.
j. Richard, of Seattle, a bright and IN
telligent young fellow, with plenty of
pluck AID perseverance, used his very
best efforts to get over the trail, but has
returned to more friendly land for the
winter, and VIII make another trial in
the spring He will then go b, another
route. He has had all of the Skaguay
trail that ne wants. To begin with, the
trail was never ready for travel, and
the "promoters" who are responsible
for all the waste of time and money
should be prosecuted. Richard arrived
at Skaguay on the Islander, which de-
posted its passengers on August 1, and
SO was among the earliest comers. He
had an ordinary miners outfit, weign-
ing ZOO pounds, two horses and $500.
He considered himself fairly we'll
equipped. He helped the others cor
duroy the trail and bridge the rivers.
By the. time this necessary work had
been done crowds of wayfarers had
arrived, and soon the trail was worse
than ever.
In eight weeks of the hardest work
he had ever done Rickard managed to
get his goods to the summit of the last
h;
horses exhausted, and he had the choice
Of wintering in the timber by the lakes.
while his food supply diminished. or of
returning to California and earning
more money to again attempt the trip
northward. He figured that if he
camped the winter, as so many are
counting upon doing. he would have an
early start in the spring. but would by
that time have only two months pro-
visions left at the outside. and he vas
already penniless. Rickard spent his
money for food and shoes for his horses.
F1e says the difficulty of feeding horses
on the Skaguay trail is enormous. 1t
was necessary 10 go all the way back
to Skaguay for hay, and by the time it
was brought back to the hungry an
mails waiting for it the other animals
met on the trail, by each taking pass
ing nip, had reduced the quantity abou,
so per cent The horses are fond of
birch leaves, but they soon contract
mud fever, and. as they are insuffcient-
lv fed and not sheltered a t all, they,soon
becofne worthless. Not so many ire lost
on the trail as is supposed. They really
die from lack of care. Horses are a
good deal better on the Skaguay trail
than burros. although the best thing
of all would be an OK. which is very
good for muddy travelling and can carry
big load. The burros taken up are
almost failure. They are good over
the rocks, but no good at all in the
swamp. which forms about two-thirds
of the distance.
Riekard reports the packers have lost
money on account of the mortality
among the horses. They would start
cut with 90 and return with II. The
most trying place below the summit has
been fittingly named Dead Horse gulch.
instead of one short, steep hill, as at
'he Chilkat, there are five long hills,
and Richard thinks it is harder than the
Chilkat itself
iiohoreos OF disappointed men at
skaguay in September We're making
herculean efforts to reach the timbe,
that lies beyond the summit with their
goods, there to spend the winter and
get very early starI down the river
IN the spring. They must make haste
Tor snow had already fallen on the sum.
mt, and they must make their camn
ana build their log huts before snow
flies, otherwise they cannot procure the
moss with which to wedge the chinks of
their houses.
1t takes strong back and a veal
mnd' to become successful packer
hckard says. r. also saws that thouoh
iuiet and orderly. the skaguay country
IS the meanest in the world. II rains
mere all the time except when 1t stop.
,ohe enough 10 snow.-Mabel C, Craft
In Leslie's Weekly ',->.''