The daily morning Alaskan., 1900-05-02
Florence s. Steams From HoOtalinqua to LaBarge.
MILES OF RIVER OPEN
Unobstructed Stream From Lakes to Selkirk--Supt. Campbell Tells of the Loss of the Flyer Lines Freight on Bennett.


 wheel on the Yukon is the Florence g. She got under way and steamed from Hootalinqua to Lower LaBarge, passing up through the Thirty Mile river. This marks the beginning of navigation on the Yukon for the season of 1900.
 The news of the performance Of the Florence s. was brought to the city by Superintendent Campbell, of the Yukon Flyer line, who has returned from Caribou to Skagway. MT. Campbell says the river is now practically open from Lower LaBarge to Selkirk; that the Fifty Mile river betWer Marsh lake and LaBarge is also open, and that Scows are running through the canyon at White Horse. Ten or twelve scows have already passed through.
 He predicts, however, the river will not be open more than ten days earlier than last year, and puts the date for the free opening of the stream about May IS. He says that the lakes are not so near the breaking point now as they were at this time last year.
 It was part of the Yukon Flyer expe> dition, in charge of MT. Campbell, that went through Lake Bennett last Saturday and was os.. In regard to the manner in which the accident occurred, and as to the true circumstances MT. Campbell said ves> terday at the Golden North:
 "The team that went down with mater ial belonging to us was lost last Saturday. Our team was following in the very tracks taken by much heavier load, that of the large boiler belonging to Mike King, which passed along only an hour before. It was without moments warning that the ice gave way beneath our sled at the rear end. The sled went down rear end first, and drew the horses after it as though they were mere toys attached to an anchor. The sled, load, horses and all, strange to say, went through a place in the ice not more than eight feet square. The driver leaped as the rig started downward, and he landed on the ice at the edge of the hole. So quickly had his team and sled disappeared that when he gathered him self from his sprawlng attitude and looked about nothing was to be seen where moment before he was driving along se- renely but the gaping hole in the ice. It was transformation scene in the twink ling of an eye.
 1.-The ice where the load and team dis appeared was two feet thick, and the water beneath it g fathoms, or I4o feet deep.
 Although two feet of ice were on the lake where the team was lost, it was sim ply nothing but icioles beneath the surface. 1t appears the bottom of the ice area had begun to decay, leaving only the icicles in their weak and rotten state to support whatever was above.
 We had four loads of material for La Barge. where we have the steamers Eldo> rado and Bonanza King.
 "Three of the sleds went over Lake Bennett in safety. We lost none of our machinery in the load that went down, but we did lose lot of special repair parts for the engines of the steamers, together with tools, oil, packing, hardware and other stock. With the exception of the special repair parts, shall be able to re- place the lost goods right here in Skagwav and in Bennett. The repair parts will have to be duplicated below. However, our steamers are in running condition and will not have to be laid up because of the accident. We shall send them out soon. They were in running condition when laid up last fall, and no doubt are yet as good
 "Besdes our steamers the Ora and Flora are at LaBarge.
 "lt appears river navigation will open about May I5 Although the lakes have held out long, they cannot last long under this warm weather, To show how rapid lv the condition on Lake Bennett is chang ing, may say that last Saturday we passed over the ice with sled and did not make an impression scarcely with the run ners, whereas. on the following day the sled, then empty, cut two to six inches deep."