Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-13
ON A YUKON BOAT
Interesting Account Of a Voyage
Down the River.
EXCITING DASH PAST FIVE FINGERS
Travelling is Not as Expensive as It
Used to Be.
- G. + n ES n n IN & ID T Y II
SCENES AND INCIDENTS


Copyright 1900. by Cy. WarnanI
Written for The Evening Star.
\ stout steel cable, made fast to the
stump Of a tree. holds a big river steamers
nose upstream while she loads.
When she lets go. backs out into the river
turns and heads for the north. We fix our
selves for Il i:st-nliIe river ride, in which
prepared to he interested because 1t
begins ~ White Horse rapids and ends at
Dawson. Twenty-Five miles below White
Horse enter Lake Iabarge the last of
the hahn of beautiful little inland seas
through which you pass on he way down
from Alaska. Labarge. thirty-three miles
long. tumbleS her surplus energy into a
deep, swift stream, really the Yukon. but
here idioticalIy called Thirty Mile river
Mite" that ii is all down hill to Dawson.
When are about half way across Lake
Laharg- tn whistle begins below
wildly: tn" stewards tumble out and up the
narrow stair a man grabs coil of hose
near thu pilot house. gives it a roll and it
races along the level roof of the boat and
lies. 4 hundred feet away, at the feet of
man who at that moment arrives with a
nozzle III about Il minute from the first
blast TWO or three streams of water are
Spruting from as many nozzles The pas
Sengers. who have rushed out pale and
frightened since fire in the middle of the
lax" would oe disastrous, look foolish a
on" another now. for there is no fire: only
u nre drill to train the men to use the ap-
I"trdtuS should ii become necessary.
Every thirty miles we come to a station
OF the. northwest mounted police. and at all
thfSe stations We stop and register, take
and leave mail They are dreary little
camps for the most part. but here and there
IN picture sque spot. The homes of the
faithful. patient soldiers are very pretty
The post 1T Srlwyn you will remember and
Tas'Sh H"uS, You will never forget. The
latter stands IN the shore of Lake Marsh
III The midst of pretty grove Jf pine or
Spfu't' fe frmrr is at the mouth of the
S"lWy1 river and is remembered sadly by
MANY - disappointed stampeder
Thirty miles below Labarge the Hoota-
H"gut flows into the Yukon. Here. for some
'ird"c"untdble reason. they begin calling If
lewis river. hut it is the Yukon as plain as
your nose l. your nose below its bridge
Shooting Five Fingers.
about noon on the second dav the can
tain said We were turning into Five Fin
gers Here. on Il previous trip this very
boat had six feet sliced from her upper
"eck. a stairway and the captains cabin
carried away by the sharp rock that rises
sheer nut OF the middle of the river
u seems that at one time natural
mFidse Spaan"d the river here. and that
These great rocks only the remnants
thereof Naturally you begin to guess
hiCh finger" the boat will take Now
Shr drifts toward the left-hand channel
q
swirl. The boat trei9bies. quivers as a horse
VIII when crossing strange bridge-or is
II my nerve? Now she seems to be goiue.
Straight for the middle chute Tho cantain
StaiiiS with fe-;. wide arart. gripping the
I'Err that works the steam steering gear
am 81 I'd of this steam steering gear and
glad To learn that this same Captain Turner
Is tn" inventor. for with a hand rig in water
like this tn pilot goes over the wheel and
out through the side of the pilot hons.
every little while. When this happens the
Loaf IS at the mt roy of the waters and goes
duck
The captain has stopped talking He does
NOT even reply t" my questions. He is all
hlSli-'~S now. There GO the bells The on
Slne[ stop: reverse and the wheel begins
revolving backward. He puts her over"
"a they d" q locomotive on a hill eau
IL Usiy he points her nos. into tn. narrow
stream. h"lIS her for Il moment and then
the swift water sucks her through 50 sud
My that You catch Your breath
II seems that We are going to touch the
rocks on III" starbOard side. though when
glance across think the port will catch
II But We clear and <" sailing merrily on
-roughing it down to Dawson
Scenery and other Matters.
There IS certain sameness about this
Yukon scenery. and vet if YOU are obsarv-
ing You will note that no two sandbars are
The Sstne. no two hills alike The log RATS
break differently on the different bars
'tt'"SA tAe unfortunate rafters, standing
amid the ruin. make the same pathetic sig
HaIS- 1ut We are deaf to their appeals
Perhaps they are left on little island that
l. only big and high enough TO hold their
broken raft. the wide river sweeping by ON
either side. But they usually have plenty
To eat and any amount of good water 50
w" steam past them. leaving them to take
Their raft 10 pieces. log by log, and re-
build it
All along the Yukon are scattered small
tribes Of Indians and here and there high
anu dry. are the little cities of the dead
There" the worldly captain remarks as
one Of those silent burghs slip by, there
= whole town OF good Indians"
Here In a sheltered nook is a fleet Of
Sc0NS loaded with lumber and cedar shin
ses. They are waiting in a little harbor
for the river is crooked and very swift
here. and strong wind is blowing I'D
stream, TWO men are standing scow
made fast to the shore. One halls ms
wants Us to take his cargo to Dawson
That being the business of a steamboat
W. go about. head up stream, make fast
gust below the Scow and relieve it of some
ions Of potatoes. salt. sugar bacon and
helps load, the other standing on the bow
"f the scow. stares at the big steamer with
angry eyes that look like blurred windows
IN u <noty wall The man who has hailed
u comes off with the freight. The other
SttreS at us without moving a muscle
This one, standing the deck of the
steamer. watches his late COMPANION until
We turn a bend in the river. Then letting
<" sigh of relief. he says laconicaily:
Il believe that feller's crazy"
Every day. sometimes two or three times
a day. We meet a boat coming out, and
D most every hour We pass some sort of a
a"thiug to float. a man takes a scow at
the head Of Lake Bennett builds little