Connecticut western news., 1899-02-09
PLEASURES OF ALASKA.


 Gold in the Grass Christmas Tree
 and Dinner in the Snow.
 Haines Mission, Alaska, Jan. 18th, 1899.
 lir Editor:
 I learned on my arrIval in Juneau the last of October that the Atlin country
 was very rich in gold and that 2 good portion of the inhabitants of Juneau were up there stalking claims. also caught on to another find in the U. s. slde. on Jack Dalton's trail to Dawson, only 35 miles from tidewater, entering the country through Haines Mission quIet port on the Lynn canal 80 miles north of Juneau. Of course I have learned to look up all reports and sift them before putting too much credit in them. After visiting a score or more reputable citi- zens who have staked claims in the At lin country l have concluded that 1t IS good prospecting country and easily gotten to as it is only about 50 miles northeast of Scaguay, 12 miles of which Is by railroad, situated in British Co- lumbia. There are less restrictions tha there are in the Northwest Terri tory and therefore more desirable for the miner. The bed rock Is in many places to feet from the surface and gold is found from the surface down. One miner pulled up bunch of grass and shook out the roots and found coarse gold olinging to the roots, and all the way down to bed rock feet down coarse gold was taken out. Some | claims are rich while others are poor. Some fifteen to twenty thousand claims are staked there and there will be rush into that country this spring and summer. The claims are | 100 by 100 feet for river claims and the claims are too small and the country is | in transitive state. No one knows whether the Atlin country will be ab- sorbed by the Northwest Territory and l therefore be governed by it's obnoxious laws. or if it will remain as it is in BIit- ish Columbia. For this reason its un- settled Then again If a miner is away from his claim 72 hours he looses all, to say nothing about the heavy duties he must lay down everytime he puts his toes over the line with his grub-sack; and the police he must tip; the taxes he meets; and heavy percentage he
 
 claim of 100 100 feet in many instances an expensive luxury. While on the other hand the Dalton trail find in U. S. A. territory, Uncle Sam's soil, the poor mans heritage, no duties. DO police tips, no crown taxes, none of these taxes. Uncle Sam says: Boys, help yourself, take 20 acres and work them 20 days at five dollars day IT l. your venture. Get all the gold you can for your wife and little ones. for broth CT and sister and all the folks at home. It will make fathers and mothers last days more cheery." There is Uncle Sam's tax
 We'll this find is all right Porcupine river is a small river entering the Khohena which also enters the Chilcat The Porcupine is about 10 miles long and gold has been found in large quan- titles there and grand stampede has been made for the river and creeks in the vicinity. saw about $500 worth of this gold in Hotel Franklin latter part of November and with others turned my longing eyes toward the spot it came from, but these waters are so rough and dangerous in winter that one shrinks from going up Lynn canal. a very trescl erous body of water which lat time I am writing this letter. is lashed into fury by the gale of wind that sweeps down from the Northeast No vessel could stand this angry sea, or at least no vessel that travels these waters; and the only vessels that ply between Juneau and Haines Mission is the mosquito fleet, the Detroit and the Olympia. The Detroit Is a small double decked steamer about 60 feet long by IA feet beam, an old boat and everyone said some time the Detroit would go to the bottom soon. Novem- Der l9 the Detroit with 20 passengers started from Juneau bound for Haines Mission, being 8 hours run in fair weather. Well, was among the num- ber The discoyerer of this gold-bear- ing stream was the prime mover and organize of the party and go must If l wanted the benefit of his experience, for 10 a total stranger the hooks and crooks of a strange cot ntry are all against him while to be able to go in with a man who is thoroughly familiar with the country you want to locate is to say 1t mildly. great advantage, For this reason l started from Juneau in heavy sea on poor boat. Instead of making Haines Mission in 8 hours we were 96 hours, now hustling for a few miles, then nestling behind some friendly island for day. now lifting anchor and rushing up the canal ard now retreating to our island rock and watching the great swells roll by. A little to our left the Cottage City, which is about 250 feet long by 30 feet beam with double deck, from Seattle to Scaguay. a fine passenger boat, and how hard she is battling with the rough and she leaps forward and is soon lost sight of. At night our captain tells us we will try and make Burners Bay Away we o; supper is ready but the craft is rolling. pitching and diving the 1 plates and dishes from the table and in sn instant not an article Is left to de- note any show that supper was called Talk about rough sea, now she lurches forward. now she stands ou her hind 1 feet and losses her head in the air. now she rolls this side and that and climbs up on tall breakers with leap and a. bound, using up 12 hours to go miles. Were we glad to anchor in quiet har- Dor? I should say so. The captain and all hands agreed it was the rough est sea they had ever encountered and the steward said no one could truthful | ly say be was not frightened. Thnt night the wind ceased and the next morning we made Haines Mission hav- ing been 96 hours making 80 miles, ar irving here at II o'clock on Nov. 23d, and went to Hotel Haines and put up and started up the trail the s4th of Nc vember, Thanksgiving day. How the wind howled; the snow mixed with sleet fell. We travelled drawing our sleds At miles and camped over night in an old rickety building owned by the Indians, and we engaged Indian packers to pull our freight for the next 25 miles We awoke next morning to