Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1906-11-02
Travels in
Alaska.

AAboI d ROOu IcSI Ill d Uou Iudb Wdo
soft and "skeeter tight" and eating
with appetites that horseback riding
usually gives, we II spected the coal
fields. A flat half mile wide, lies
between the Chicaloon river and a
bluff some 800 feet high, where coal
groupings first attracted the notice of
pIospectors. About s25, 600 has been
spent in development work here.
Good log houses have been built for
bunk, eating house, blacksmith shop,
stable and commissnry. Fourteen
tunnels have been run into the bluf
along a distance of two miles, and all
show the same formation. A short
distance from the face of the bluff a
fourteen foot vein of coal Is struck,
then comes seventy feet of slate and
then twenty six feet of coal. At In
tervals for ten miles, exploration has
shown the coal to be equally abund-
ant and 1t has been traced for seventy
miles. Tests show the quality to be
better than any yet found on the
Pacific coast. and 400, 600 tons are
ordered as soon as it can be laid down
at Seward. The railroad will run
down bill most of the distance, and
the few miles of up grade are In no
place heavier than one per cent.
We left Chicaloon on the morning
of July 4tb, and arrived in Kinik the
following afternoon. | had engaged
an Indian to take me to Sunrise in
his boat. sIoop about 80 feet long
with a msInsaiI and Jib. He now told
me his boy was as good. or better
boatman than himself. Just as We
we're ready to start be told me it
would take three boys to manage the
boat. Il furnished provisions. At
eight in the evening we started with
the tide. The first time it was necess-
airy to tack the captain turned the
boat completely around to do so. lie
said the sail was so big he was obliged
to. Seeing that be knew less about
boat than | did, | went to sleep:
July 9Th. ! awoke at six and the
boat was anchored in front of small
Indian village at the point of the
mainland nearest Fire Island. A light
breeze blew from the north and the
tide was running out, 1 walked the
skipper, and told him it was time to
start. He grunted and said, "Too
much wind" The boys all wanted to
visit their claims ip the village, and
for twelve hours / had to lag around
that dirty camp in a drizzlipg rain,
while the lazy, trifling imps frolieed,
gambIed and had good time. The
evening tide was half out before we
started, still there was plenty of time
to reach the point OF Fire Island be-
tore the tide ebbed, and then the
dood tide would carry US into Turn-
agains Arm. The wind was blowing
quite bit and kept getting worse,
and when we we're near the point OF
Fire Island it was almost a gale.
The fool Injups ran so close to the
point that We grounded in shoal.
We got off by the biggest kind of
luck, but on the Kinik side of the
point, so we tried to beat into
small bay for safety. The umbskuIls
missed the bay by not knowing how
to handle the boat, and we anchored
near the Island, on the west side.
The wind soon died away and we all
went to sleep. Soon after 2 Oh the
morning of the 7th, we awoke with
a jirk. a tirece squall was blowing
from the north, our cable had broken,
leaving the anchor in the bottom of
the inlet. We managed to keep the
boat from upsetting and finally got
up the jib sail. The red idiots were
ratified, and scared silly, and kept
exclaiming, "Oh we all die," and
were trying to head for the village.
frightened into assuming command,
made them run before the wind
until the squall was over. Then we
put about and at seven in the morning
we were at the Indian village, anchor
ing with sack of rocks, taken from
our ballast, but did not dare try to
proceed without an anchor. That
afternoon we started with wind and
tide in our favor, and fairly blew up
the Arm and reached kinik in time
for supper. Not caring for any more
experiences with Indian sailors, |
must wait until some steamer, motor
launch, or sail boat happens along,
to continue my journey. c. Ii. q.
Ito be continued
Wanted Some of the Same.
A little boy was taken by his father
into a cafe for dinner. AS they were