The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-03-09
KL0NDIKE'S FIRST PIANO.
There WAS Great Trouble Ia Getting
IL Acros. the Mountains TO
Dawson oity.

Dawson ,ity.
The first piano in the Klondike dis
trict reached there in the fall Of '07,"
said music house drummer who is on
n periodical visit 20 the New Orleans
trnde. to Timcs= Democrat man.
There Is rather an interesting story
connected with IL, which | happen 10
know. as had something Ia do with
the transaction myself The instru-
mcnt Was ordered from a firm in Nil
waukee by a hotel keeper at Dawson
City. lie paid $3.50 and the house
agreed to defras transportation 20 his
premises and deliver IL by or before
November i. That arrangement Was
based on a contract with the railroad
company, which undertook 10 send
the piano from Milwaukee TO Dawson
within the specified time for SIPS cash.
making the Instrument net the dealers
S525. or the regular list price. So far
everything was all right, but in max
ing his calculations the freight agent
had counted on being able To forward
the piano hy boat from Seattle To 81.
thence up the river 10 Dawson. As bad
luck would have Il. however. the ice
appeared unusually early that Scnr,
and before the consignment reached
Seattle the river was closed 10 naviga-
tion for the winter. The only remain
ing way to get into the country was
by the overland route from Juneau via
Chikoot pass. and the job Of Juggling a
grand piano neross that horrible arc
tic barrier was appalling to think
about.
"At that time neither the railroad
nor the aerial tramway were in exist.
ence and every pound OF freight had te
he packed over the pass on the backs
OF Indians, who charged about what
they pleased. So. even admitting the
undertaking TO be possible. the cost
was certain to be something enormous
The company understood all this, but
aside from its east iron contract with
the piano people It's pride was involved
and IL determined to carry out the
agreement to the letter, regardless of
difficulties aud expense.
"Ihe plane was accordingly sent by
boat from Seattle To Juneau and a
gang of expert packers were engaged
TO carry IL ncross Chilloot. They be.
gan by stripping the body of tho in
strument OF everything possible They
took off the legs and cover, swathed Il
In tarpaulin and mounted IL, litter
fashion, on n couple of stout poles.
Then n dozen or 80 etalwart Indians
laid hold at each side and started up
the isail. Chilkoot pass, as you prob.
ably know, is not pass at all in the
common acceptance of the term, but
is simply shallow gutter on the crezf
of range that lifts itself clear up into
the clouds. The whole ascent is in
describnbly wild and rugged and at
that time of year IL Is storm-swept,
bowling wilderness of ice and snow.
How the piano ever got across Is
past human understanding. A hun
dred times the Indians stopped and
swore they would go no further, and
their worst mutiny occurred at the
very top. While the agent In charge
was cursing and beseeching them by
turns big, hairy prospector came
along, pulled the tarpanlin of the keys.
squatted down In the snow and played
classical music until his fingers got too
stiff to move. They say he was fine
performer and while he played the
struggling procession OF human ants
toiling over the summit came TO a
standstill and formed dense Eemicir-
Gle behind his back. II must have been
weird scene-that concert in the
clouds, with the wind screaming over
the mountain peaks and the arctic
WASTES spread out below them like n
map, but that intermission saved the
| day. The Indians rested and tackled
| the job again, and. TO make long story
short, they finally landed the piano
safe on the other side. From there on
10 Dawson WINS terrible journey, but
the worst was passed and they reached
the town away inside OF the time limit.
| never heard exactly how much the
trip cost the railway company, but IL
Is safe to say IL was far in excess of the
value Of the instrument. When the
party arrived Miller gave big ball at
his hotel and the piano which furnished
the music was the admiration and envy
OF thewhole KlondilSe region. There are
plenty OF others there now, but tbaF
came in tamcly by either the river or
the railroad. Miller's is the only one
with record"