Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-30
Speaks Before the Brotherhood OF
tho Methodist Church.
EXPERIENCES OF A SEEKER OF COLD
Trip From Seattle TO Dawson City Via
the White Pass, Lake Linderman
and White Horse Rapids In
Company with Others.
From Wednesdays Daily.

The Brotherhood of the Methodist
Episcopal church held meeting at the
home of DIR. and Mrs. D. A. LaForce,
No. 427 West Fourth street, last even
ing, where Hon. Chas. A. Walsh deliv-
cred an address on "Obseryations and
Experiences in the Klondike." Mr..
Walsh's address was interesting aud in,
structive and showed that the point OF
view of the speaker was that of man
who went underneath the surface of
things.
The routine business of the meeting
was taken up and the report of the
executive committee appointed at the
last meeting to report on nominations
for the standing committees for the
ensuing. term was read and adopted.
1t was not decided just when the Bro
therhood will hold the next meeting
that having been left in the hands OF
the entertainment and program COM
mittees.
The meeting was called to order by
the president, Geo. Haw, and was OPEN
ed by prayer by Rev. U. b, Smith, after
which the secretary read the minutes
of the previous meeting showing the
election of officers at last meeting as
follows: President, Geo. Haw;t first
vice president, J. T. Haclworth; Sec
ond vice president, NJ. A. Roberts; sec
retary,I. N. Mast; treasurer, III. p. Key
hoe. The report of the executive COM
mittee was then read showing the fol-
lowing nominations for standing COM
mittees for the ensuing term:
Ways and means-D. Fl. Emery, S.
T.. Vest and i r. Mowrey y,
Entertainmeut-H.C c. Smith, w. w.
Epps, H. p. Keyhoe, L.'W. Clark and
Geo. Haw Jr.
Reception-M. A. Roberts, j. II.
Hackworth, Geo. Haw,i j. A. Hammond,
d. H. Emery and 7. P. Spilman.
Strangers-J. w. Neasham, S. L.
Vest and ]. n. Haclxworth.
+ SentinelsLW. A. Work, Dr. 3. +.
Brush and A. r.. McCue. sfa
Program and music--C. g. r. Allen, j.
%. Hacltworth. DIR. Il. E.7Brush, In.
Mast,i G. @. Mc1nfire, DIR. D. A. La Force
and George F. Heindel.
Invitation-A. z. McCue, j. T. Smith
son, L.. W. Clark, Pearl Duffield, Fl. O..
Bowen and w. A. Work.
The report of the executive commit
tee was adopted and the nominations
therein made We're concurred in by the
meeting.
The time atwhieh, the next meeting
was to have been held was changed
from December 25 to some time in
January and was left in the hands of
the entertainment and program COM
mittee to fix time and place.
MIR. Walsh,s Address.
The Hon. Chas. A. Walsh was intro
duced and spoke for nearly two hours
OF his Klondike experiences and was
listened TO with deep attention. Mr..
Walsh said in part: i3ff RI, 81 5aSJ
b i will have TO presume that many
OF you iShaye, forgotten your geogra-
ply, as he hung up a, map of Alaska
from which he showed. the route taken
by himself and party when going into
the gold fields. Sin July; 1887, a trea-
sure boat came down to Portland. laden
with a treasure estimated at from. two
million to two and one-half million
dollars in gold. This was the first in
timation the people of the interior had
of the immense riches of this frozen
country, although the people along the
coast had had inklings Of it long be-
fore. The Starbnck party was organs
lied and consisted of thirty-siN or thir-
ty-seven men and one woman. The
particular object of the party was to
reach the Koykut. river, where, accord
ing to infomatio contained in a letter
in possession of Starbuck, was rich
strike of gold; this letter was from a
man by the name of Davis, who knew
Starbuck in Cherokee, according to the
story of Starbuck, and on the strength
of it the party was organized. Part
of us became suspicious of the genu-
ineness of the letter and before leaving
Seattle satisfied ourselves that it was a
forgery. Prior to this time portion
OF the party had sailed for Skaguay
and we who were left behind had
probed the matter and upon our arrival
at Skaguay the whole party had con-
ference. A number of the party be-
lieyed the letter to be forgery and
part did not. Those of lis who did not
want to stake our fortunes on forged
document separated, but those who
went on to the. Koykuk river district
had it thoroughly demonstrated that
the document was not what it purport-
ed TO be-!
The trail was very much different
then. Now there is a. railway to help
the weary gold seeker along but then
there We're no conveniences of this
kind. At that time the Klondlker out
fitted at Seattle and his outfit cost
from $3.50 to $500 and consisted OF
Hour, bacon, beans, rice, graham
Hour, corn meal, dried fruits of all
kinds and some knicknacks which were
always thrown away before getting oy-
er the trail. From Seattle to Skaguay
Is from 1000 to- 1900 miles. The
White Pass trail, the one we took,
passes over the highest point around
there, this point being $500 feet above
the sea level, but Notwithstanding the
altitude it is the safer trail. The Chill
koot, trail is dangerous and, at one
time an avalanche buried siSty-seven
people. The White Pass trail is broad
and easy. One horse can pull 1000
pounds to the summit and can make
two trips per day, thus transporting
one ton to the summit. From here til
is eighteen miles to Log Cabin, the
next station, and remember OF one
horse pulling 2,7OO pounds to this
point, but from this point TO Lake Lin
derman the trail got very soft and we
We're compelled to carry the major