Amador ledger., 1905-09-15
Letter From Alaska.

IHo sun TO put llI6 ana VlROF lnGO
young spring. March, April and May,
are all required to loosen the bands
that have held this region in flint
like rigidity since October. But the
persistent i1fiunce of the suns rays,
at last asserts its power, and with
ever increasing rapidity. April was
more than two-thirds gone before
freighting on runners had to cease.
May 1st the ground was bare and veget-
alton begins to appear, excepting
where drifts and oveIf1owing ice made
greater resistance to warmth. Two
weeks later, everybody was feasting
on green's, the finest ever tasted.
Half a dozen different sorts make
most excellent green's, and salads, or
may be eaten like lettuce. After
living seven months with hardly any
fresh vegetables, it is surprising what
a luxury tender sprouts become.
About the 1st of May the Yukon be :
gins to show signs of life. Water
| appears along the edges OF the ice,
which rises perceptibly day by day
until the river is or 6 feet higher
than during the winter, and a space
on either side betweeen ice and shore,
makes two boats necessary to effect a
crossing. On Thursday, May 18th a
few minutes after u, the ice started,
in front of Rampant, with noise like
that of rusty machinery getting under
way, moved about 200 feet and stopp-
ed, black strip of water appearing
at the bend above town. That was
all for that day. Wednesday morning
the river at the bend was piled about
20 feet high with great blocks of ice
several feet in thickness and rods in
extent, having damned" during the
night, or rather while we were asleep,
for it is light enough for one to read
at midnight from April to August.
Thursday the great show came Oft.
Without any warning tremendous
creaking, crashing and grinding
accompanied the outgoing of the ice
in front of town. 1t moved like a
mighty bridge, the trails, water holes,
piles of refure scraps, etc, making it
seem as if one side of the town were
leaving. Soon the jam" gave way
and the great cakes of ice came
faster and larger, for the river was
rising very rapidly and the huge ice
floats, acres in extent, would be
wedged between others, and split,
ground and dissolved with marvellous
rapidity- In three days the river was
running free from ice and % feet
higher than during the winter. Two
days later small steamer that had
followed the ice from Dawson, landed
with fish supplies that had been sent
over the r. r. to White Horse, hauled
over the ice 80 miles, to the foot of
Lake Lebarge, and floated in scows
to Dawson as soon as the upper river
was OPEN. We we're glad to get fresh
potatoes for 271a cts pound, onions
for 30c, and eggs for 81 so dozen, 1
bought nearly a hatful of provisions
for s5 90. One appreciates luxuries
alter being without them for long
time.
June 18th the "big mail" arrived,
on White Horse. During the winter
most of the mail, except letters, is
held at Skaguay, as our poor old
Uncle Sam can only afford to pay
for hauling 400 pounds a week to
supply the whole interior of Alaska.
The hundreds of thousands wrung
from Alaska pioneers on the principle
of taxation without representation, "
(seems to me | read an expression
like that in history once) are probably
needed to carry on the work of
benevolent assimiIations' in the
Philippines, Excuse the depression
but when one lives in an atmosphere
of tyranny, he fully realizes the
hollowness and hypocrisy of our pre-.
tended free institutions.
Well, the "big mail," at last arriv-
ed, several tons of it, papers, maya
zines merchandise, etc. l received a
file Of ''Ledgers' from Oct. to May,
and what an "orgy" of news hunt
ing we all had, but please consider
what comfort all this mail would
have been, could we have received it
weekly during the six months of
Arctic night. Canadians suffer no
such deprivations and are fond OF
laughing at the pitiful meanness,
shown in different ways, in congress.
ional treatment of Alaska. This is
written in no partisan spirit, it was
just the same name under democratic
rule. Alaska seems to be the Cipder-
lila of the two big bad sister parties,
who abuse her alternately, seemingly
for their own amusement. G. H. Il.
Rampant Alaska. July 1st. 1905.
The Methodist churches, north and
south, have combined on a hymn