The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-01-19
LIFE
ON THE YUKON
A Tacoma Mans Entertaining
Letter From Alaska

lawyer writes 10 The Iacoma News lrom
Eagle City, Alaska, Dec !, 1900.
Following the Wellestabisfed CUSTOM
I shall in my introduct0fyremarks wrlte
about the weather. And particularly
since most Of those who have written to
ns eeem 10 think that, living in the
ety arhest north in America, I'VE
must he bat one degree removed from
those people whom they often see 10
pictures crawling through a small hole
into a hemisphere Of Ice, where they SIT
yalnly trying 10 keep warm by the am
flame Of burning blubber. 10 may sur
pris- yonr readers 10 learn that we have
been many time far colder waiting Tor
the cable cars after the play than at any
time since coming here, even though tbe
mercury did ON one occasion freeze aud
the spirit thermometer told us Il was a
trlne more than 80 degrees below zero.
Il IL strange how quickly the temper
ature changes here, and the cause is
mystery. Although the sky Is rarely
clouded and the nights are brilliant, we
have not seen the sun Tor a week, and
are told Il will not again appear for six
weeks. Still we have evidence Of its ex-
sience, for The distant hills are brilliant
" illuminated every morning about lOI
O'Clock with bright rays and patches Of
deep rcd clouds occasionally overhang
the mountains, behind which Ia the sun,
but il does not rise high enough TO be
visible
For a month the temperature has
not been higher than ~ below. This IL
considered very moderate weather, aud
one can tell Ia the cabin very quickly
the difference between ~ and 40 below
when II Il but 20 people walk around
with coats open fur caps are TOO warm
10 wear iur coats are then tsbooed AZ
inducing perspiration, thing Away
avoided when possible. Then the la
dies 20 out sleigh riding or take a long
walk along the frozen streams or 20 the
Indian village, about three miles away.
Hunting Ia "A pleasure and as game is
plentiful, Il aiiotds good sport. But
you awake In the morning aud lind
what looks like log oyerhanging the
and not very dense, but very general
aud particularly prominent at the few
air holes in the river, then YOU expect To
iee the Thermometer register from 40 Ia
90 below You want 10 step lively nov
aud wear. gloves while working about
Iron burns asii .redhot At times lik'
these, aud man breathing through
his nose upon his mustache will adorr
IL with iclcles an inch long in shoT
time,
Vet, withal, We have not suffered lroI
the cold, merely because We proyid
against L.. And Il has liz uses A
gold IL the poor man metal, 90 is col
/, bis friend, lie waits for cold weath'
Q 10 furnish a smooth surface over whIC
bis dogs can haul his supplies ON sle
ior next summers's digging, lie go
= oul and shoots all kinds of game, al
y nature provide him cold storage un
,s next May llcdrinks Ice water VIII,
- he pleases, without regard 10 the iceml
and burrows down into the bed ot q
= stream 10 locate his pay streak
I" During the snmmer w. drew vat
IL from a we'll about 3i feet deep. the ho
hi tom OF which is frozen stratum OF lc
,a Now We get il out oi the river and il IL
clear a. crystal although in tho SUNNI
" no river Is muddier than the Yukon. n
'n proves l. very simple. have two Il,
Oi gallon OIL cans with handles attached.
To have also yoke such as the Gilman
"A uses. Provided with a. axe, a. do,
20 the river about In the morning, a
" chop hole through the Ice large ouon
~ 10 admit the oaus, an them, and with
Ia pounds or more. climb long light
,y stops, a steep bank, a moderate hin a
A then 10 The cabin about two blocks ava
| may repeat this Il the ladies have he
" eNiTeyagaut In the use OF Walor the 4
holorc, and must Il il is wash day. n
10 chopplng The hole Is no, Away 81 cas-
A. Ahont Two weeks ago I found the b,
-, la use-and everybody uses the "A,
hole ia tho ioe-too small 90 admit
cane, and thai / would havr To do as /
'A itst Nerv doing, us, a small lu can
an the larger one with. I determined
dig . nes ono about 10 iert further ,
la the riyes Ol oourse,tho Yukon
" covered with ioe 90 thick that load
freight uaia oould safely rua over
an did 'he chopping on the ns,allme
\, plan, think ID Is the hardest work q
eAnsdo Chopping woOd l. delsh,I
~oFk compared with this. After soi
down -four ieet through the harivs,
~ | vseE gaW she blade OF MY axe Ne
~ ihroash snddeRly and the water spurr
: ap ~ acyssF, uel,iug me aud 0lnns {,
pn hole 40 ths brim ny the ala oi ero
eaf wsie0sd Il a ,be bottom - a.
" have Il open clear - the sroaad on,
T. wias a eoali itese 10 nlsAt IA,