Amador ledger., 1900-11-30

try 1T. We were not quite so close to
the shore and they did not wait to put
out gang plank but, like the Swede
at the ferry he ''madei it in two yumps"
ran to tree that was strong and firm
ly rooted. made the rope secure, and
was feeling happy over his success
when the other end of the rope slipped
from the snubbing post on the scow.
Down the stream they went spinning
round like drunken top, leaving two
shipwrecked mariners on shore with
no provisions but big rope and
pockets full of water. We started
down the bank and in few rods came
upon fresh bear track that the hand
outstretched would hardly cover. This
made us little nervous for we had no
weapons and it did not occur to us that
having rope we might hang the bear
if we met him.
About 2 miles down the river we
found our companions in misery they
having succeeded in getting the scows
into an eddy. The wrecked scow
which carried the tents and outfit had
sunk to the waters edge. We moved
the stove and provisions to the other
scow, put up the tent in the woods,
carried the uninjured hay and grain on
shore, covered it with canvas marked
G. D. Co. At bedtime the rest of our
comrades came up the river hunting
for us. Two scows were stranded four
miles below and the mate of the steam
er Clifford Sifton had been drowned in
an attempt to pull others off. His foot
caught in a rope and he was drawn
under the water. This was to have
been his last trip and his young wife
was expecting him in Seattle when his
body arrived. Sunday morning We
came with one scow to Hootalinoua
where the river of the same name Joins
the Thirty Mile, forming the Lewes.
Here is city consisting of saloon,
hotel, store, all under one roof, North
West Mounted Police Station, tele-
graph Office, and one dwelling where
miner and his family, from Michigan,
are spending the winter. They have
claim up the 'sHootalink" and expect
to be rich next year. 1t was Monday
evening before we had the stranded
scow unloaded, foated to deeper water,
reloaded and were ready to start, hav-
ing made ninety miles in "a week. Moth
l inrr 0f IVA. o,to g..
days except few ''hangups, as
grounding on bars is called. We pass
ed along region varied in appearance
generally plains and low hills always
with layer of white lava ashes few
inches below the surface of the soil.
Our crew was a strange mixture.
There were men from ''the States"
Canada, Scotland, England, Ireland,
New Zealand, Australia, Russia and
Sweden. We had lawyer, an assayer
and gambler. The latter was the
only one who felt that he had lowered
his dignity by doing useful labor. We
started the scows at daylight and
''snubbed up" just before dark.
Indians were very common, often COM
ing out in canoes and wishing to trade
furs for flour. They are of the Siwash
nation, ruddy checked and heavier
than the Indians in California. One of
our crew shot an otter large enough to
make two caps. One day we caught q
mess of grayling, most delicious fish.
Friday we passed the first coal mines,
in the morning, and soon after ran
Five Finger Rapids in beautiful style.
These are named from five pillar like
rocks standing in the stream. Boats
can barely ascend with a full head of
steam and scows are drenehed with
spray as they go down. Five miles
further we came to Rink Rapids, not so
dangerous as Five Finger, but our
captain became s'rattled" at the last
moment and tried to change his course
with the result he smashed one scow
upon rock in the worst part of the
rapids making hopeless wreck. We
saved not even the ropes. Monday,
Oct. Is, we reached Fort Selkirk where
Pelly joins the Lewes and forms the
mighty Yukon nearly two miles wide
at this point, which is 27O miles from
White Horse and 180 from Dawson.
Our captain reported his losses and OBJ
tanned provisions from the Company's
store. The Pelly was half filed with
floating ice, the mercury had already
been below zero several times and a
cold snap was liable to close the river
for the season att any time. AS the
captain had plenty of hands now, one
fourthlof his scows lost, I asked and
obtained my discharge, received my
time check and pass good on any
Canadian Development steamer. That
very evening the last C. D. boat for the
season reached Selkirk. Had a fine
trip up the river, learned that thirty
one scows out of 240 had been wrecked
this fall. Being one of the hospital
surgeons have pass over the rail-
road SO that 1 returned to Sksgway
richer by seventy-one dollars than
when l left and an experience worth at
least ten times as much but which,
alas, is not convertible into currency.
Yours as ever,
G. II. G.