The Red Cloud chief., 1900-09-28
THE ALASKA WANDERERS.
The Experiences and Troubles Of the Red
Cloud Fortune Hunters In Alaska
As Told bv One OF Them.

NONE, Alaska, sept Time
ago one Of our party wrote of the tun.
dra as a vast area Of dampened sponges
but this description no longer applies.
Il Is now like n vast area OF tar and
dirt mixed up with the stiffest glue,
and 1t apparestly covers a lot Of sue.
ton pumps which are being worked TO
their full capacity by imps below. II
live on IL and | ought to know. Since
the rains set in IL has assumed this
consistency, and II you do not hear
from me again you will know that my
happy home and l have gone under.
We think we know what mud is in the
states, but the mixture we call mud
IT. ere would be humll ated down to the
ground II placed on exhibition beside
the tundra. We all Q rnbber boots
when We 60 out and We think 10 are
lucky 10 We do not 70 in above our
knees. 1t requires . great deal OF
skill and . lot Of asrobatic work TO re.
tain possession OF ones bosts. You
step on Q place that looks "a II II did
not 70 quite so near the lower regions
IS some others, and you go In to your
knees; as one lady remarked rs she
grabbed her skirts-O to be a man just
now!-and pull out one foot and set IL
on another spot; while you are pulling
out this one the other one has gone
deeper in; in extricating it the first
foot sinks In the new spot, and 80 on.
In Alaska when you talk Of walking
you always say "mushing." begin to
realize what an appropriate express
sion this 10.
We have had a furious storm, and
many small vessels were wrecked on
the beach. There has been no loss OF
life, however, which is remarkable un.
der the circumstances as many of the
people had set their tents almsst at
the waters edge.
I"mushed out" to Anvil creek and
saw a pretty cleanup on Mol below
on Anvil, the men taking out some
where like $1,000. This was a
two days cleanup. As it lay in the
big geld. pan nearly filling it, it looked
like nothing so much as %goldenrod
blossoms powdered up quite fine. We
returned TO town on the Wild Goose
railroad. This road Is owned and run
by G. ID. Lane, and rurs to his prop.
erty on Anvil creek, The roadbed is
on the tundra, and is simply q lot Of
planks with the rails on top. The train
is composed Of a peculiar looking en-.
CINE and two flat cars. MIR. Lane had
a sense OF the fitness of things when he
named his road, as Wild Goose is emf.
nently appropriate. The fiat cars have
long benches on which the passengers
sit, and the ride reminds one Of an up
and.down merry.go.round or after hay
ing been over to Johns on his birth,
day.
We DO not have to buy ice here.
That is the reason Geo. Lindsey be
came SO easily discouraged and went
home. He had figured out that il he
did not find gold he would put up ice
in the winter and trade it for gold
when the atmosphere got torrid. car
go out any day a few yards from the
tent and chop out a block of it from
the tundra. BY digging down abouI
two feet one comes to a layer of clear
ice, and 1t is 10 be had for the digging
the restaurants and saloons get it thi'
way. Wouldn't that freeze your feet
Some of us are going to appreciate
doors and windows when we get baci
home. No matter how you pin up thu
flap of your tent, there is always
place where one can Look in. 1t is fire
quently embarrassing. The other da,
Goble was combing his hair in a rathe
negligee costume, whom n voice bacj
u Of me said: I'm lookin' for a big re
headed man tina. lives round back G
here somewhere, and cooks for 81
men. We turned and at the openin
of our tent saw the head Of a bi
blonde headed woman thrust through
}. We denied any knowledge of the re
. headed gentleman's abiding place bl
before departing she looked suspicion
ly at Tomlinson. Walters wasn't
home. Living in a tent is also bad
your neighbors The man wi
has set up his tent back Of us snore
And such a snore, Il begins W,
down deep, and runs up the seal
with an occasional choking sound
|, way of variation, until it terminates
' " clear, piercing whistle, Sometim
it is Il lspg and sometimes it is a she
period of time, but it always arriv
Billy Walters car keep pretty ev
with him but up to date the other I
\ low has the edge.
n nna ~ An. s.d thin6a ahout this RI