The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-07


in the Klondke. Mr.. Egerter was for
several years the representative of
prominent Western firm, and is we'll
known to a number of our local mer-
chants. His letter. which follows, will
doubtless prove interesting:
In Camp on Klutna River,
Via Port Valdes, Alaska.
January 20, 1899.
My dear Gene and all the kind friends
who remembered me:
Your letters came to hand yesterday,
! and if ] am expected to be candid |
must say that they caused several
| drops of moisture to appear on my
we'll hardened check. don't know how
to thank you | must not forget you
| but in return I'll do what l can to in
| terest you in the brief time at my dis
| posal | am now preparing to start
| across the mountains to the Kousina
| river, description of which | will give
| later.
At present l am nurse to Bart Het-
| Ter, of Michigan, who has been very
sick all winter Scurvy is his trouble.
He is falling every day, and besides
| taking care of my own camp, which is
| by no means a small job when one con-
siders the wood necessary to keep Mr..
| Frost at a distance. / am acting to Mr..
| Heller in the capacity of woodchopper,
| hre-maker, keeper-up, water-carrier,
| cook, chamber maid and performer of
any other jobs that may turn up. His
appetite is not good. OF the twenty
one who are camped in this neighbor-
| think l have touch of it. but | won't
give in unless it gets much worse than
it is now. My partner, Bob Hawkins,
! of Iowa. has it and started a few days
ago to try to reach the coast in com
pany with some others, so | am
bachelor now and will continue my
weary way alone.
PLANS FOR THE SPRING.
The route we make this spring is first
across a flat for two miles to a high
! ridge perhaps 1000 feet high: over this
| into what we call Independence VAL
icy (over this hog-back is perhaps
seven or eight miles). After reaching
the valley, we keep up steam for five
or six miles, when we again start up
the next mountain toward a divide.
The distance is about ten miles to the
summit and is $500 to 1900 feet high.
| Then we go down to Mauker Creek
| Valley, five miles from the summit,
then down Mauker Creek to the foot
of Kousina lake. At this point We
cache our stuff. My outfit is not near
as heavy as when l started from VAL
des last spring. Then it weighed near
Every inch of this trail must be made
over eighteen to twenty feet of snow,
and packed so sled can be run over
it, We cover the ground with snow
shoes and shovels after a trail has been
decided on. Then to reach the TOP or
the hog-back a block and tackle is
used There will be five or six OF US
to try to reach the Kousina by TINS
route Our greatest danger will be
snowsides, as we pass through sew
eral bad canons. ] am perfectly ac-
quainted with the route, as have Deen
over it nc less than a dozen times, my
last and most dangerous trip being
made in November last, having had a
close shave from falling down a cliff
! into Mauker Creek. Again in return
ing / left ak, provisions and blanket
on Mauler, thinking to reach camr
that evening. but the snow was over
| two feet deep on the mountains ana
played out after crossing the summit.
MY boots were frozen to my feet and
flap jack I had brought for lunch
was so hard / couldn't bite it. There
is no wood from Mauker to Independ-
ence. l managed to pull myself to-
gether after a time and reach timber
where ! lighted some brush thaWed
my lunch and continued on my way
to camp, reaching here about midnight
nearly played out
MUST PACK EVERYTHING.
In making these trips one must pack
everything from a frying-pan to a
shovel and from a gold-pan (Which
does service to mix pancakes, when not
being engaged in the more dignified
occupation of panning dirD to a piece
of bacon. A pack weighs from thirty
to forty pounds and usually four or five
men go together but not over eight
or nine days grub can be carried.
Now that / am acquainted with the
country l do not hesitate to say that
} know where there is gold, and if you
would find the right place YOU might
notice a stick or two of wood ftatteneo
on one side, and on closer examination
writing would be visible. Read this
and you will not fail to recognize the
signature of yours truly"
This is a good place to undeceivt
some of my friends, for verify l sa!
unto you that l have not tasted liquor
, but once since last April, when | sue
ceeded in doing it right and makins
a proper nuisance of myself The sam'
number of times did | smoke cigar.
A word about my winter quarter
| will perhaps interest you. My home Il
4, | built on the antique plan of lumbe
, with the bark on and is quite cosy. |
is eight feet high in the front and sil
feet behind, and 10Xl2 feet inside.
' only wish | We're artist enough to Civ
I you an idea how it looks. 1T has on
l door. no rear entrance at all and m
=. windows except two SXl0 panes in tn
| door.
There is an addition on the outside
, | sort of a dug-out in the snow, wher
| my dog STAYS. He does not seem t
feel the cold and so degrees below zer
does not affect him, as he is Siwasl
Husky, or native dog He Is small am
q quite intelligent He is beginning T.
q understand some English, too, som
sentences being quite sufficient to caus
. change in his appearance. For in
! stance, oh you" will cause his tai
= to drop at once At present l hav
= hanging in front of the door a porcu
e pine and several ptarmagan. The lat
t ter are a species of grouse.
I MANY BEAUTIFUL BIRDS,
. They are beautiful birds but Yer
hard to see in the snow, as they ar
perfectly white except two or thre
l. feathers in their tail, which are black
S or in summer partly brown.
5 | can't tell yet when / Will get to tn
states, and while l am satisfied wit