The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-07
Klondike is Not Such
An Eldorado as
Thought.
MANY HARDSHlPS.
Frank Phillips of Worcester
Writes Interesting Letter
to His Father.

Frank Phillips of Worcester, who was
one of the members of the Worcester
and Northwestern Mining and Trading
! Co., who left Worcester early in 1898
to seek fortune in the Klondike, has
written to his father, J. H. Phillips of
40 Central street. Mr.. Phillips, who is
about &c years old, has experienced
many hardships since he left Worces-
ter with j. H. Macklin a year ago last
January, a month in advance of the 40
members of the company. Messrs. Phil
lips and Macklin went ahead of the
company as agents, and Joined the par
ty at Seattle.
His letter to his father is dated
Alseck River, Alaska Feb IA. and is
recital of difficulties and hardships
such as few men survive and none care
to encounter, even for the expectation
of acquiring a great fortune in gold
nuggets. The letter was dated Feb. Ii,
but did not receive the first canceliza-
ton stamp at Yakatat post office until
April I. April 2S. it was received at
Seattle post Office and reached W"rces-
ter yesterday.
The young man writes that the party
has encountered many hardships, and
in speaking of the company that LEFT
| Worcester Feb. 2, 1898, says the 10
| Worcester men are as good as ever
started on any enterprise IN the world.
| He has nothing derogat0Cy to say of
the men who returned to the states
soon after entering Alaska, but instead,
| speaks in praise of their display of
good sense. He says thai about one
half returned to the country, not
through any lack of courage, but be-
cause they had more sense.
Mr.. Phillips writes that two men Of
the party are lost, but does not Civ {
any Names. One of the men belonged
| in St Paul Mimi, and the other was
| a Worcester man. The portion nf the
letter dealing with this matter is
blurred and indistinguishable, probablJ
through contact with snow or rain.
The main party started up North
Glacier Dec. l with outfit for five days.
A fearful storm overlook the party and
blew its tent to atoms. the men being
forced to burrow into the snow where
they lived for 13 days in the fury Of
the storm. The trip that was planned
for five days took IS days and was IN
| successful. While the main party was
with two days food and a dog, started
to join the party and nothing has
! been seen or heard of them since. Mr..
Phillips says that as soon as weather
viii permit, a search will be >ma1e for
them.
The party has struck no gold and has
no prospects. The membership is made
up of men from Worcester. Connect
cut. New York and Minnesota. Sour
in
some mer will meet their death in Al
aska One man has already died of the
pestlience. Before he died all his teeth
fell out Two others of the party are
down with scurvy, and the teeth of one
of them has fallen out. As soon as
permissible the members of the party
intend to sled the men to the coast for
treatment.
The enterprise, so far, is failure,
and in the midst of all, Mr.. Phillips
writes, he is well and strong, and as
far as he can judge his teeth shine yet
Jack Harmon of St Paul and he are
going to take the Dalton trail, new
| trail that was opened last year by a
man named Dalton. He expects to
zgke the Yukon river this spring, and
says he does not intend to return to
| Worcester before Christmas. He says
| that if his luck doesn't turn he'll like
| " come home in mOccaSins. His time
and money are gone, and the fare
home is twice as much as coming out.
! The maps and charts which compan-
| les and corporations carry for guild
ance through the country, are all
wrong and look as much like the cOun-
| try as the fourteenth century maps of
Africa resembles that continent. Men
have been lost all through the coun-
try on account of these false maps and
have died by the hundreds. They have
not taken one-half the amount of gold
from the country that they borught in
to it.
Ten men of the party were planning
to leave at the time of writing. 1t is
thei" intention to get out as soon as
the weather permits and strike out for
home. George Jenkins of Worcester is
one of the party.
Speaking of the temperatures of the
country, Mr.. Phillips says In Deem
Der it is as cold as hades; in January
it is as cold as Tartarus; in February
it is as cold as Gehenna. ] am not just
sure of the spelling, but l am of the
! temperature" In conclusion he writes.
IF 1 strike no luck I will start for
home in the autumn"