Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1899-06-20
THE QUEENS BIRTHDAY.
Celebrated IN the Fsstnesses of the
cassair Mining District, Alaska.


The following letter was written by
former Salemite to friends in this ci
and we are permitted to nse son
pages from it, telling of the celebrate
of Memorial day and the queens brit
day at Bennett City, b. c.:
LAKE BENNETT, CANADA,
CAssMR DIsTRICT, May 2S, 1899.
81 left Skagway, Tuesday, of las
week expecting to reach the Atlin cour
try by what is known as the "Fan
tail cutoff, crossing three lakes on tn
ice, besides streams and portages, bu
on reaching "Log Cabin" eight mile
from here and at the junction of tn
Fan-tail and Bennett trails, | learne,
that all the streams were high and tn,
ice giving way so that travellers coulC
only proceed by swimming and wadinl
to the waist in the ice-water, so / de.
cided that even greed for gold would
not warrant such perilous trip
At Log Cabin | was told that carpent.
ers were in demond at Bennett so ]
came here and expect to go on to my
claim, No. II, on Musket creek about
the middle of June.
On reaching here, the first acquaint-
ances ! met was Canadian Presbyter-
ian missionary who was in Skagway
during the past year. He took me up
to slightly place in the center of town,
just an ideal building place, and there
he had the foundation laid for Presby-
terian church, overlooking lake Bennett
with the mountains on either side, a
view grand and picturesque.
| told him as / must wait few days
before commencing the work promised
me would gladly lend hand on the
church rs am accustomed to "church
work"
He said ii | wanted to help on the
the volunteer force he would see that
had plenty to eat and good bed.
said to myself, "This is all right for
board. Costs 81 per day at Bennett.
When Sunday came we had the frame
up, floor laid and borrowed tent 24x90
feet, stretched upon it, bell ,hung and
fully equipped religious services with
our tent full TO over flowing, and best of
all the presence of the master manifest
We have small portable organ, which
the men here who are used to living
upon dried fruit and evaporated vege-
tables, call an "evaporated organ" We
made the air ring with such hymns as
Nearer my God to Thee" "Blest BE
the Tie that Binds" and "Stand ,up for
Jesus"
After helping few days upon the
church the building committee found l
was familiar with construction and
handy with tools 30 they pnt me in
charge of the building and give me the
ruling wages now for carpenters, $3.50
and board and lodging.
sleep in one of Queen Victoria's beds
and board at a methodist hotel.
Last Wednesday was British Ma
tional Holiday May "a, the Queens
birthday, which was celebrated with yari-
Gus sports and great display of the Bri'-
ish ensign. When the festivities OF the
day were over we held the laying of the
corner stone of the Presbyterian church.
Officials of the White Pass and Yukon
ID u aud ,rn,sarnp,o,,f nfItaaro took mn ~
in the ceremony. The fact that Queen
Victoria has all her life been faithful
and ardent exponant of the Christian
religion was thoughtfully dwelt upon
by one of the speakers.
A wedding took place here the other
evening. The groom was a Klondiker
and gave the clergymen Si5 as a fee.
There are now four or five steam boats
under construction here besides many
smaller boats and scows, The ice is
breaking up rapidly.
Four men have been drowned at Lake
Linderman since | came here and three
on the "Fan-tail" route and am very
thankful did not undertake 10 go on.
rode upon the White Pass railroad
when | came over from skaguayi il is a
wonderful trip. The road is chiseled
into the rocky cliffs almost all the way.
Thousands Of tons OF freight have
already passed over theline.
May 3l.-Last Sunday we had called
meeting to make arrangements for the
proper Observance OF Decoration Day,
which resulted in the appointment OF a
splendid committee of Americans and
Canadians TO arrange program. Speak
ers were selected and the ladies deco
rated our tent profusely with evergreen
and draped and intertwined the "star'
and Stripes" and "Union Jack" The
altar OF our tent was pronounced all thaI
available material and pains could
make il. At the close OF the exerciseI
we took the evergreens and small flag
and marched through the main stree
to the most lonely grave yard ever saw
ten graves side by side and upon th'
head board of one was writtens LEI
wife and children in Richmond, Can
ada"
These ten are only a small part OF th'
lives that have been sacrificed whil'
trying TO get some OF the gold OF th'
frozen north.
Our exercises were all over by II p. m
and il was still very light.