The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-11

town. had settled down 10 a slow bu
steady producing proposition, the
would come news Of a big strike some
whore down the river and the miner
would stampede for IL like flock o
sheep-grabbing anything that woul
float and rushing to the new diggings
| ] learned that the husband Of tn
lady WIS foreman Of dredge outfi
that an English company had loni
been operating on the Forty Mile riv
er. but that one dredge Was abandoncl
and the other would soon be, as tn
river had been worked out.
And as We sat on the bank watching
the deck hands load the store fixtures
| the radio man rushed down, very muel
excited. and handed us bulletin. Tn,
passengers on deck called to US Il
know what it was, so | mounted tht
store steps. summoned up my oratory
and said:
Amsterdam dispatch says Kai-
ser has abdicated in favor of
Prince Joachim. Great stress in
imperial circles.
This was wonderful news in news
paperless COUNTRY, and it was the only
news We heard from the outside for
thousand miles further down the
river So while we fought mosquitoes
We discussed it, argued it, doubted it,
dissected il and made il last.
The entire length of the Yukon has
Indian villages scattered along, and
between them are scattered cabins
where one or two Indian families live
alone. And for hundreds of miles
along the river runs the trail, over
which travellers, miners and prospect
ors mush in and out during the long
winter months.
The upper river Indians live today
as they lived before the first Russian
ever came up the Yukon--they exist.
They care nothing for the white mans
gold-salmon is what they want, fish
for their bellies and the dogs before
the long artic night sets in. So they
build fish wheels of logs and poles,
anchor them near the shore at point
where the fish are likely to run" and
the wheel never stops turning while
the summer lasts.
The fish are dressed and dried. You
will see hundreds of the red salmon
hanging from poles. When thorough
~ dried they are stored in caches on
the top Of framework of poles, six
or eight feet from the ground, where
the dogs and bears cannot get to them.
The Indians trap some in the winter
and if they can catch more fish than
they need, they sell the fish and furs
to the river town stores, or rather
trade them for the few supplies they
need.
The most of the Indian villages are
very old. The log cabins are rotting
Town and vegetation grows a foot
nigh from the dirt roofs. They live in
horribly filthy conditions. The boats
lever stop at the Indian towns.
The purser told me that the boat
would go through Five Finger Rapids
md Hell's Pass at about 2 o'clock in
he morning, so ! set my mental alarm
lock for that hour and was on deck.
wanted to see these two dreadful
pots where so many men lost their
utiits and lives during the mad rush
own the river to Nome, when news
f the big strike came up.
1t was light at 2 o'clock--in fact it
5 always light above Dawson in mid
| stood at the head of
he steamer 1--WE were pushing a scow)
nd had a fine view of the rapids
eforo we reached them.
They are rightly named, for they
pread out like the fingers of hand.
our of the channels mean rocks and