Amador ledger., 1904-01-01
From Alaska.

0h0 0oHnuouce ol Inc hlODdlke and the
Yukon. There are a great many
elegant business blocks and private
residences, many more in process of
erection, and a general air of hustle
and ''get there pervades the place.
We stayed two days, visiting friends
and seeing the sights. Climbed the
bill north OF town, and had grand
view of the valley of the Klondike and
Bonanza creek. Left Dawson on the
evening of the 9th. During thunder
storm were treated to view of q rain
bow directly overhead, another of the
Northland wonders. About midnight
we stopped at Forty Mile, the last sta
tion OF the North West Mounted Po-
lice, and reported ourselves to be safe.
well, and progressing. The next morn
ing, at O'Clock, we saw a bear as
large as a small COW on the river bank
We ran the barge ashore, and with
rifles tramped over the hills and gulch
es for four hours, but Mr.. Bruin was
not at home. The mosquitoes, how
ever, were, and the worst ever saw or
heard about. They were literally in
clouds, and while not so bad when in
the middle of the stream, whenever we
ventured near the shore we realized
their diabollsm. AS they only last
about two months they seem bound to
make the most of their time Every
body wears net over the head during
the mosquito season. Just before noon
we crossed the 141st meredian, marked
| by two flags on the river bank, and as
we were now in Uncle Sans dominion
we hoisted Old Glory and gave a salute.
Twelve miles further and we came to
Eagle City. Our goods had been seal
ed at White Horse by q Canadian Gus
toms officer and we had paid the duties.
AT Eagle the U. S. customs officers
examined the seals, found them un-
broken, gave US certificate that they
had re-entered U. S. territory, and a
merchant at Eagle refunded the duty
money minus small percentage. Eagle
is 102 miles from Dawson, 665 miles
from Skagway, and is the nearest
American town to the mining camps of
Chicken Creek, Jack Wade and Forty
Mile. Remained here two days, un-
packed and dried our goods, visited
friends and were happy.
Started again June Goth, but soon
met storm which drove us ashore and
did some damage to our rigging, but
we were used to such trides by this
time. This region is full of wonderful
geological formations, and would well
repay careful study, but a few miles
below Eagle the river leaves the noun
| tains and enters the Yukon Flats. For
about 300 miles the river spreads out
from 10 to 80 miles in width, so that
there are often a dozen channels or
more. AS the main channels are con-
stantly shifting, it is no easy matter
for pilot to run a barge boat safely,
but we had no serious trouble as most
of the channels were deep enough to
float our craft. Just above Circle City
we ran on a bar, and were nearly four
hours getting off. This is the place
most dreaded by everyone who is
familiar with the river. We stopped
half day at Circle, and like time at
Fort Yukon, which is miles north Of
| the Arctic Circle. Had we been a few
days earlier we could have seen the sun
at midnight, but the delays of Lake
] Lee Barge cheated us out of this. Still
the midsummer Arctic midnight is the
most wonderful and fascinating of
Yukon sights. AT II p. m. the sun,
like ball of red paint in the N. N. West,
seems so strangely dead and distant
as it slowly moves to the north with a
slightly descending course. Soon the
lower edge dips out of sight, but it is
some time before the last red emblem
sinks from view, and the whole dome
of heaven seems Overspread with a
delicate blue curtain, starless, cloud
less, and pure. Then strange un-
earthly scene follows, light as midday,
with stiffness that is almost .oppress-
i've, and the suns edge re-appears, a
little east of north, and with an east
ward movement much more rapid than
it's rising, circles round the heavens for
% hours more. At Fort Yukon the
river makes bend to the southwest,
and as the wind in summer blows
strongly up stream, boat floating on
the current makes little or no progress.
To remedy this some one devised a
"Yukon sail, !" which is nearly always
used by pilgrims journeying like our
selves. We made ours by taking a
piece of canvas, 4 feet wide and 10 feet
long, fastening one edge to 10 foot
pole and attaching a so pound weight
to each lower corner. and hung it from
the bow of the boat so that nearly all
the canvas was held down in the water
by the weights. The force of the cur
rent against the canvas carried us along
at good rate, no matter how con-
trary the wind might blow.
During the night of July 5th we pass
ed Fort Hamlin, whore the great Flats
end, and on the evening of the 9th ar
rived at Rampant, 977 miles from
White Horse and 2673 miles from San
Francisco. Our actual running Tor
| foating) time down the river averaged
over So miles day. G. H. G.