Amador ledger., 1900-09-28
DR.. G. q. and Maud Gibbons
Take a Trip.
t. LOIS" STILL KEEPS WATCH DER AAADOR
Back From Alaska. Another Mar
riage Ceremony Celebrated
In Amador
SkAGwAY, Alaska, Sept. 16, 1900.
Dear LEDGER:

SbdrG6u OA Il plSdoulc OASulolOh w Oic
Yukon Valley thing undreamed Of
three years ago.
When the great rush TO the northern
gold fields began in '97, there were two
chief routes, one, the all waterway, by
St. Michaels and up the river, the
other by steamer to Lynn Canal, trail
to the headwaters of the Yukon thence
by boat, raft or scow to Dawson.
Skagway and Dyea, at the head of the
Canal, are only four miles apart. The
trail to the latter leads over Chilcoot
Pass to the head of Lake Lindermann,
and the trail from Skagway runs over
White Pass to the foot of Lindermann
which is less than half mile from the
head of Lake Bennett. The length of
each of these trails is about thirty
miles but so cents per pound was paid
to have outfits carried over on mems
backs. Then the Pack train" was
started and goods were transported on
the backs of horses. Mr.. Bracket
built wagon road from Skagway and
was doing a great business when a
tramway was built from Dyes which
threatened to take all the travel that
way. Skagway, however, had the
best harbor, and when capitalists saw
that the northern boom had come to
stay, a railroad was started from there
and poor Dyea became die-aisy. The
White Pass and Yukon Railroad was
opened to Bennett, forty-one miles, in
July, 1899, and to White Horse, seventy
miles further, and just below the
famous rapids of the same name, last
June. From White Horse to Dawson,
$50 miles, there is no serious obstruc-
tion to navigation.
"But as 1 was goin to tell" as Widow
Bedott says, we started on trip to the
White Horse. The train had four cars
literally filled with passengers, one car
filed with mail and express, another
with baggage and another with dogs.
The fare for dog is So besides SIS duty,
the passenger fare $40, only Is cents
mile, but if you don't wish to pay it
you are at liberty to walk. At $50
the train started up the whole length
of Broadway, past the railroad shops
and along the beautiful valley for six
miles when another engine was attach
ed and we began to climb the grades.
This is called "The Scenic Railway OF
the World" and doubtless merits the
title. We go up East Fork three
miles, cross, return, always climbing
upwards, until the loop is only half
mile across and the engines are headed
directly towards Skagway, affording a
magnificent view of the town and
harbor with the mountains and glaciers
as the background. Then around
Rocky Point and for several miles the
track is laid along shelf blasted into
the side of the precipice whose lodges
often overhang the train, while hun
dred of feet below dasnes the river
with the old wagon road alongside.
Bracket, by the way, sold his toll
road, at handsome profit, to the r.
r. c., who needed it for construction
purposes. Now another loop, longer,
wilder and grander is one place tunnell-
ed through precipice that could not
be doubled, and the interest is enliven-
ed by sudden stop on account of a
rock which had just rolled down upon
the track bending rail so that long
wait seemed likely. But as soon as
the rock was pried off the track, the
engines started and the mighty wheels
Strengthened the bent rail without ex-
pense or delay. Every half mile or so
had noticed near the track two posts
about feet high with two rails on top
of them. On inquiry my stupidity was
enlightened by learning that was to
save digging in the snow to find a rail
to replace broken one. Now we come
to the ''switch back" raviue too mar
row to be doubled, SO the train runs
into the ravine, the engines are switch
ed, run upon a turn table, changed
ends and attached to the rear OF the
train which is pulled out Of the ravine
but on the other side and proceeds
backward the rest OF the trip. A
cantilever bridge is being built across
the ravine which will avoid this bother
soon. A mile further and we reach the
summit of White Pass, eleven miles in
direct line from Skagway, seventeen
miles by the railroad from where the
grades begin, and 1856 feet higher, the
grade being nearly 200 feet to the mile
Here are two flags, Old Glory and
Union Jack, side by side, with pro-
visional boundary post between them.
The Canadian Custom Officers examine
satchels, lunch boxes, ETC., and we
begin to run down hill again, along
small lakes and rocky ridges, past the
outlet of Lake Lindermann to the head
of Lake Bennett whore last year was
the railroad terminus and a lively town
but is now almost deserted. We get a
fair dinner in tent for rs cents each
and in twenty minutes the train pro-
ceeds. Lake Bennett is twenty eight
miles long and less than two miles wide.
The train runs along its eastern shore,
crossing on a drawback bridge at Carl
bon just beyond the northern outlet.
Here it leaves the stream and strikes
across the country forty miles over