The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-11-05

iamOunt In store WINDOW. Pe0pI
!, were further inflamed on the follow
ing day when news reached Sal
Francisco that another steamer hat
locked at Seattle, bringing with he
another group of miners with a still
larger fortune, 100000.
/ The Last Straw
''That was the last straw for those
who had been in doubt. Withou1
waiting to ascertain the best route
to pursue or prepare for the journey
they took passage on every steamer
going north, trusting in their luck tt
get there somehow. 1t was this wild
desire to be there first that afterward
caused much suffering and hardship
among the stampeders.
| Needless to say" he continued
''my partner, Bob, and were among
the first to pull stakes. We had at
that time rambled pretty well all
over the country and an adventure
of this character just suited US.
''The latter part of July found us
at Skagway, Alaska, a typical from
| tier village, consisting of tents and
few log cabins. With pack horses,
ouPPllCo anu SiOIhlA6 oulllClcut "
last us year, we set out ON the last
stage of our journey. The trail
across the ice-capped mountains with
glistening glaciers on every side ap-
peared almost hopeless undertaking
and for many it later proved to be.
Horses Hard to Handle
Horses unused to following a mar
row trail with towering granite boul-
cation. One miner returning with
upwards of $4,000 in nuggets and
gold dust displayed the entire
ders on one side and sheer drop
of hundreds of feet on the other were
hard to handle. In their scramble
to retain footing on the narrow
leg while others, becoming unman-
ageable, would rear, lose their foot
ing and plunge to the rocks below
By late fall, according to those fol-
lowing us, the trail was literally
strewn with the carcasses of horses
which had been killed along the
route.
"Once across the mountains, the
remainder of our journey was made
in canoes. Even then our Difficult
ties had only fairly begun. With an
early winter coming on, many of
those poorly equipped for the journey
were running shor, of food.
Flour and bacon were precious
articles to be purchased at no price. |
Two men were shot in one day when |
caught breaking into a cache. 1t |
was also necessary to be on the alert |
for prowling bands of Indians, who
had only to be given an opportunity
TO steal our grub.
Difficulty in Ice
'Ice floes were by this time be-
ginning to gather in the streams and
We had difficulty in preventing our
BOAT from being crushed or, worse
ret, upturned and all our stores lost.
1.-THE last two days of our journey
vas through a binding snowstorm
With a sharp wind that penetrated
O the skin despite our warm cloth
ng. Mittens were frozen to our
lands while we had to rub our
heeks and chins constantly to keep {
hem from turning white. The last {
light out we spent under huge pine
rec with bonfire at the door of 4
ur tent to keep out the cold. II
Next morning upon visiting our /
anoe it was to find it frozen fast in l
bout four inches of ice and it was
ecessary to chop a passage before /
re could reach midstream and con- I
nue. on our way The oars served U
9th as paddles and poles for ward v
lg off the tumbling blocks of ice. 2
Progress was necessarily slow
- L l.
amped less than IL miles upstream, b
was nearly nightfall when, stiff c
nd sore from more than three a
Ionths of constant travelling, we
,epped from our boat at Dawsonl
amp and beheld the land whose
ches had prompted thousands to
ave their homes and families and
D on a wild stampede half the
myth of the continent"
Prepare for the Cold
The next two days, according to
r. Hampton's story, were spent in
tting up camp and preparing fol
Ie still colder weather to come when
e mercury would drop to 40 and SO :
agrees below zero. Rations were
.ched high from the reach of prowl-j
g dogs, while the tent was banked
it'll earth and snow. Z
Having heard that the diggings on
onanza creek were frozen up, they
,cided to winter at Dawson, after r
sitting the scene of the strike and r
around bit to stake out :,
cir claims and wait until spring .
avs before doing other than the +
cessary development work.
"To describe the camp of Dawson 4
all its Details" Hampton contin- "
d, would be like counting the
ulders on the side of the noun
In. Saloons, hotels, gambling
uses, dance halls and stores we're
mbled along the banks of the Yu-
n river for distance of two miles
tn the precipitous walls of Moose
de mountain for background.
All Gold Dust
Currency and silver were seldom
IN, except when brought in by the
wcomers from the outside. Gold
st was the medium of exchange
d 1t changed hands almost as freely