The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-01-24
ChaS. |. Helm Writes From the
Golden North.
HE HAS HAD ADVENTURES
Some Cold Weather - Sickness.
Prices for Produce Search
for the IN other Lode"

VINO VIII be remem bered by many as
a visitor in Honolulu during the win
ter of 1898, has written a long letter
from Dawson City, n. w. T, to his
son, c. D. Helm, of this city.
Mr.. Helm left here the last of March
and made Immediately for the KIon-
dyke, going over the Chilcoot pass, and
shooting the rapids between Lakes
Lindermann and Bennett, a trip full of
wild experiences and excitement. How
ever, Mr.. Helm claims that the adven-
lures were insignificant compared With
early life in the West handling cattle
on the plains and tracking Indian war
rlors. There was one and-to-hand en-
counter, for in that way questions of
dispute are settled in a new country.
in which Mr. Helm came out best man.
The wealth of the Klondyke. Mr..
Helm says, has been greatly exagger-
ated and misrepresented However. he
has visited many mining regions and
believes that this is the richest mineral
belt yet discovered. Soon after his ar
rival there, he began studying the riv-
ers with the purpose of tracing the
/ placer gold to it's source, arguing that
the loose gold must be washed from
some ledge rich with. the metal. With
this in view, he started for the head of
the McQuestion river the first of last
August. His friends advised him not
to make the attempt as no one had
ever made the journey. There was
no trail whatever. About one hundred
miles from Dawson he would have to
cross the Big Flats" covered with an
almost impenetrable growth of under
brush. However" he writes, 81 hired
with me and We started Three days
after reaching the Flats we had cut
our way through twenty-five miles of
brush as thick as brush can grow, and
We're walking most of the time in water
above our knees. After crossing the
flats, We began the ascent of the Rocky |
mountains. Most of the time we were |
above the timber line and were with |
out any protection from the cold winds !
There was plenty of grass for our two
pack horses and we had no difficulty
in killing bear and caribou. took my
kodak along and secured some fine
hunting pictures. One of them shows
a hard fight which one of my men had
with big bear.
Well, after having Travelled 225 miles
from Dawson, climbing mountains and
wading through swamps, a heavy fog
settled around us and we were unable
to go any further farming back. we
got within $50 miles of Dawson when
a heavy snow-storm began. [ have
never seen anything like it, We were ,
at the time above timber line and
pushed our horses as fast as we could ,
that we might have the protection of !
The trees and keep from freezing. We G
set camp in some scrubby timber. G
There was not blade of grass for the
horses to eat, and yet for two days we
could not move on, the storm was so +
heavy. At last, the storm abating, we
struck camp and finally reached good .
wood and some grass. My, but it was
'old that night. When we got up the {
leXt morning one OF the horses was
near the tent. We put our ,,
combined weight against him but he c
lidnt move. He was freezing to death >,
10 we had to shoot him. l went below >,
amp about one hundred yards to see r
he other horse. The poor little fellow r
started toward us and fell to the !.
ground. We couldn't get him onto his =
eet again and 1 told one Of the boys p
o shoot him. Then we put fifty pounds .
lpiece on our backs and started for
Dawson. The tents we left where they -
we're, still standing. I tell you it was
he trip of my life. Fifty pounds on :,
ny back, heavy hip rubber boots on, -
raveling through snow in the noun -
aims and wading through swamps in #
he low country. For three days we -
wed on nothing but beans straight.
ot even anything to season them with o.
Sut, finally we reached our destination, =
II we'll, but completely exhausted. I 7
ave been rustling ever since looking
fter mines. Haven't made a fortune .
ct, but will before leave the coun-
~.
Dawson is quite city. I have to
lbow my way along the streets, they
re so crowded with fortune hunters.
he streets are very interesting now as
hey are filed with dog-teams running
n every direction. The drivers wear
eavy furs which are white with frost.
hey yell at and beat their dogs brut-