Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-11-26

In company with Two other boats, the
"White Horse" and Dawson both
fine boats. We do this for protection
In case Of accident from ice
October %: We are having blind
ing snow storm to-day and is very
dark. AS matter of safety soundings
are being continually made. We can
hear the men with the lead singing
out In deep bass tones the depth Of
water something like this: feet, hol
half 4, no! by the mark 81 quarter B.
hu! &c. You can understand this bet
ter II you've read the life Of Mark
Twain We are now just above Sell
kirk, near Mlnt0 Landing, where, in
1901, man named Bryan built de-
COY cabin and murdered three men for
their money, for which crime he was
captured by the Canadian mounted
police with the aid Of Pinkerton de-
tectlve and was hanged in the police
yard at Dawson 6 months later. Yes
terday we met the steamer, Terrill,
coming down The river With load OF
cattle, the boat got stuck in "Hell
Gate" and had a distressing time Of
IT. A part Of the cattle we're turned
loose; they swan and waded ashore.
Afterwards man was sent in search
OF them aud he came upon huge
black bear, which was endeavoring to
catch one OF the cattle that had be-
come lame. With his well trained
COW pony and two 6-shooters the man
succeeded in soaring away old bruno,
although he was loath to leave the
prospective feast of beefsteak.
Our boat is quite comfortable and
there is plenty to eat. The three
boats have altogether 400 passengers.
A large part of them are men who
have worked hard to make stake,
and gamblers who are always watch
ing for "Klondykers," !" trying to beat
them out of their hard-earned money.
October %: Last night we passed
through five finger rapids, so called
because there are five sharp rocks
about go feet high in the channel OF
the river Our large steamer had
barely room to squeeze between them.
The rocks were covered with ice and
it was a pretty sight, as the pilot
threw the search light first on
one side, then the other The icy
walls Of the canyon sparkled like great
diamonds. We passed through safely,
though many lives baye been lost here.
Our own little boat came near capsiz-
ing at this spot when we came through
in '9S. When / look back and think
OF the hair-breadth escapes from
drowning and snowslides and other
dangerous places I've passed through
where had the least thing give away,
llt would have been instant death; It
seems a miracle that | am still alive
to tell OF 1t. But with all this have
had good health, most OF the time,
and am not sorry / came north. 1t is
the best country l know, of for a poor
man to get a start and l firmly be-
lleve Alaska will in time become one
OF the richest countries on the globe
But none only the young and robust
should come here and IL they have a
good, strong will and plentiful sup
ply OF the article commonly called
"nerve," they are bound TO succeed.
Tonight we pass through Lake Lee
barge, a beautiful sheet of water "a
miles long, by six miles wide, with an
island and mountain In the center Of
it, making the view quite picturesque.
WHITE HORSE, Oct. 2S-We ar
rived here last night, thankful enough
that VT are to part company with the
| icy Yukon. The fuel gave out on our
steamer and both crew and passengers
went ashore and cut and carried wood
and hauled 1t in with ropes over the
shore-ice 10 the boat, so anxious were
we all TO reach this point, for 1t is not
| a pleasant thought to be frozen In the
Ice several hundred miles inland, with
an arctic winter coming on. | cannot
explain 10 you my feelings on landing
| in this place when l saw the passen-
ger train that was waiting TO take US
over the White Pass to tide-water and
heard the shrill whistle OF the locomo-
tive, the first for nearly six years:
these reminded me OF home. -Four
hundred people are lying over here for
Sunday and our train will be greatly
crowded. We will start tomorrow
for Skagway, 100 miles distant. Police
search persons here and examine bag
gage for gold dust, as there is tax
on dust and nuggets. | obtained a
certl ficate at Dawson, so wi | have no
trouble. / have just wired 70 Skag-
way TO have a stateroon reserved, as
this Is a necessity on ocean steamers
as we have much rough water and are
liable to become sea-sick, and l am
not anxious for a repitition Of our ex-
perlcnce on the river steamer where
we were 50 crowded that some Of us
had TO spread our blankets and sleep
ON the dining room floor; 70 be sure,