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 .E OF QOLm, 
 
 Sltangp Adventures on the Yukon 1 
 
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 By Wn. M. STANLEY 
 
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 PA9TIMB dasRiss -Issuotl Moutlily. $3-.0U per tfnnum. No. 60. January, ISIih 
 *<. V EnterwJ at Chloago Postoflloe as^eoftnd-olaBs irifctter. > 
 
 Chicajro: LAI^tJM i^BB, Ptiblishers. 363 WabaiJhJip, 
 
 JS-iS«^- 
 
OPIE READ'S 
 
 Great Character Novels 
 
 The growing strength of these fascinating and vivid chantclur' Yomances is such as to insure the 
 
 a permanent place iu Knglish htiirature. 
 
 THE JUCKLINS 
 
 ... AS A PLAT ... ^ 
 
 "Even as the hen 
 gathereth her chickens 
 tinder her wing." — 
 Matt XXIII.. 87. 
 
 Lem Jucklin is a lov- 
 able character who 
 "Believes in the Book 
 from Kiver to Kiver, 
 but can't help fightin' 
 roosters." 
 
 •TheJucklinsisaHit." 
 
 —7be Chicago Trih- 
 utte, February 8th. 
 
 "Mr. Robson's Lem 
 Jucklin is delicious." — 
 Evening Post. 
 
 THE JUCKLINi 
 
 ...AS A BOOK. 
 
 "It is not only a goa 
 story, but a beautifci 
 story." — Kansas Ci& 
 Journal. 
 
 "The characters turt 
 almost personal frieni^ 
 of the reader who (ol| 
 lows their fortunes."- 
 Current Literature. 
 
 "Decidedly the besS 
 of the many good book!| 
 Mr. Read has writtcn.' 
 — Amy Leslib in Wl 
 Chicago Daily flews. 
 
 OLD EBENEZER 
 
 "Mr. Read's new story is fully .is capable of successful dramatization as was 'The Juckl 
 lins.' " — Cliicagt Tribunt. 
 
 MY YOUNG MASTER 
 
 "We fancy this book will become recognized as his masterpiece ; as a classic of th(j 
 ante-bellum iptnoA."— Commercial Travelers' Home Magaiine. 
 
 THE JUCKLINS 
 
 DRAMATIZED — being p-esented by Stuart Robson and his Company. 
 
 ON THE SUWANEE RIVER 
 
 The characters in this story are strongly drawn and full of interest. 
 
 A TENNESSEE JUDGE 
 
 This is a thorough delineation of certain phases of public life. It is a supreme charactet 
 sketch and an unusually interesting story. 
 
 THE COLOSSUS 
 
 Pronounced by an eminent literary critic to be "the most thoughtful romance 
 modern production." 
 
 A KENTUCKY COLONEL 
 
 This is one of '.he most beautifully written and the most striking in character, as weltj 
 as the most thrilling and chaste, pieces of fiction ever written. 
 
 EMMETT BONLORE 
 
 This story combines the strong qualities of Opie Reud's style, and is full of actioii| 
 incident and humor. 
 
 LEN QANSETT 
 
 "No one can read the book without being bettered."— y4m^riV«« Commercial Traveller. 
 
 THE TEAR IN THE CUP aAd Other Stories 
 
 Many of these are wnrld-wide in fame, and every one has some startling denoufr| 
 men^. They are typical American stories. 
 
 THE WIVES OF THE PROPHET 
 
 The theme, the plot, and the style Of this remarklble story has no counterpart io| 
 iia< lituralure. 
 
«Iovels 
 
 is such as to insure tha 
 
 THE JUCKLINi 
 
 ...AS A BOOK... 
 
 "It is not only st go( 
 story, but a beauti 
 story." — Kansas 
 Journal. 
 
 Cm 
 
 "The characters turi 
 almost personal frietiiij 
 of the reader who i4 
 lows their fortunes."- 
 Current Literature. 
 
 "Decidedly the besi 
 
 ol the many good bookii 
 
 Mr. Read has writtenJ 
 
 —Amy Leslie in Th^ 
 
 ^ Chicago Daily fiews. 
 
 atization as was 'The Jtickl 
 
 
 
 "liJ 
 
 irpiece; as a classic of thel 
 
 ompaay. 
 
 rest. 
 
 >. It is a supreme charactei 
 
 ost thoughtful romance dl 
 
 Ttking in character, as wettl 
 
 style, and is full of actioii| 
 
 icon Commercial Traveller. 
 has some startling denoue 
 
 itory has no counterpart iol 
 
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 AMILEOFGOLD 
 
 Strange Adventures on the Yukon 
 
 BY 
 
 William M. Stanley 
 
 Recently returned from the Klondyke with |112,000 in dust and nuggets 
 
 and 116,000,000 in daiftis. Giving best pracUcal 
 
 advice to prospectors. 
 
 Gold! Gold! Gold! 
 
 Bright and yellow^ hard and cold. . 
 
 ■~-th»mat Hmd. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH VIEWS TAKEN ON THE SPOT 
 
 m 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 Laird <k Leb, Publishers 
 
 1898 
 
 
 f6'i» >_^^^_5'' *"«-'^ 
 
 
Copyright, 1898, by 
 
 WM. H. LEE. 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 SIS 
 
To My Wife 
 
 on whom rbstbd thb burdbn op the care of a i,arge 
 
 famii^y during my sojourn in the regions 
 
 op ice and snow ; and v/ho has for 
 
 more than thirty years been 
 
 a hei,pmate indeed, 
 
 This Volume is affectionately Dedicated 
 by the author 
 
 QjU.^n:r^ ^ ^ 
 
 n 
 
 <n3 
 
 ,.^ J 
 
'•.'UP^wip" 
 
 ( 
 
.5# 
 
 ...TABLE OF CONTENTS.., 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 rkoat 
 
 A Little Personal Biography— Leaving Seattle, March 8, 1896— Forming a Partpef 
 ship on Board Ship — We Reach Juneau— On the Ocean on a Fishing Craft- 
 Shipwrecked at Berncr's Bay — A Miraculous Escape • 1 1 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 Dyea, at the Foot of Chilkoot Pass— Packing One's Goods— Sleds and Snow Shoes 
 — Camping in the Snow— From the "Stone House" to "Pleasant Camp"— 
 " Double-tripping "—Climbing to the " Summit"— 700 Feet Up a Wall of Rock 
 ~Ci ater Lake— A Precipitous Dei^cen t -Lake Lindeman at I^t I 2G 
 
 CHAPIER HL 
 Dangei^ and Hardships of "' ilkoot Pass— Graphic Description by T. B. Corey, 
 Who Crossed It, July, idtf7— Exactions of the Indian Carriers— Buying an 
 Indian Maiden for i6(>— Boat-Building on the Lakes— The Plainest Food 
 Tastes Splendid 80 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 "Kid," My First Eskimo Dog— Across Lake Lindeman on a Sled Fitted with a 
 Sail— Over Lakes Bennett and Le Barge— Sledding it on Fifty-Mile River- 
 Avoiding the Treacherous White Horse Rapids — Its Many Victims— 
 "Cacheing" Our Supplies— Nine Days Building Our Own Crafts 80 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Sailing Down Thirty-Mile River— The Perils of "Five-Fingers"— The Funny 
 Adventures of "Blizzard Bill"— Ruins of Old Fort Selkirk— Here the Yukon 
 Assumes its Name— I. F.- Miller's Experiences on the Same Route, June, 1897 — 
 Graveyards by the White Horse Rapids , 44 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 On the Yukon at Last— The Breaking-up of the Ice Jam— Entering the Stewart 
 or "Grub Stake" River— Poling vs. Rowing— The Ferocious Mahoney In- 
 dians — Dutch John's Bar— Jerking Moose Flesh— Digging Gold at Sperry 
 Bank— Prospecting the McQjtiestion River — Looking After Supplies and Winter 
 Quarters , 54 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The First News of the Klordyke " Strike ■'— Old Indian the News-Bearer— 
 Reaching Sixty-Mile Pest— A Storm on the Yukon— Two Claims Staked by 
 My Partners on Bonanza Creek — We Locate TwO'More on the then Unknown 
 El Dorado Creek— Plenty of Gold, but No Supplies— Down the Yukon After 
 Food— A Terrible Jam otIce-Floes 64 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 Was There Gold in Our Claims?— The Placer Miner's Ever Reviving Hopes— Is it 
 Clondyke. Klondyke or Klondike?— The Story of George W. McCormack, 
 the Original Discoverer of this Nature's Treasure House, August 15, 1896. ... 72 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 I The Birth of a New City— Joe Ladue Locates Dawson, September 1, 1896— Grows 
 to 5,000 Inhabitants as if by Ma^ic— What it Costs to Live There— One Thou- 
 sand Precious Dogs— Wages Paid Unskilled Labor— A Boisterous but Orderly 
 Crowd , 82 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ■y Klondyke— Pitching Our Tent on the El Dorado Creek— Building 
 -Putting Ourselvis on Rations— Our First Beefsteak for Months— 
 
 cng Our First Shaft Down to Bed-Rock— Reaching Pay Dirt!— Fitty Pol- ,. 
 
 - • ■ Pan— Working With a Will Tlirough the Dark Winter Days 
 
 0nth2 
 
 a ' 
 
wmmm 
 
 if» 
 
 It- 
 
 CHAPTER XL ,^^^ 
 Watchine the Neighbors' Claims— £1 Dorado Creek, the Richest Placer Mine in 
 the World— Charles Myers' Banner Pan of |800~Great Difficulty to Get Help, 
 Even at |15 Per Day— Our 4,000 Feet of Placer Ground Worth #1(^875,000— 
 Hundreds of Fine Claims Will Show up NextSeason... 90 
 
 CHAPTER XH, 
 
 Inventive Genius Never Had a Better Field— To Extract the Frost From the 
 Ground — Many Grotesque Devices— How They Prospect on the Yukon — 
 Winter and Summer Diggings— A Nuggertof |82K>— Thawing the Pay Streak- 
 Sluicing the Gold 104 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 
 Definitions of the Canadian Mining Laws— " Bar Diggings;" "Dry Digginn;" 
 "Creek and River Claims;" "Beach Clainks"— The "Representative Sea- 
 son" — How to Live There — Dreary Winters — Hungry Summer Pests— The 
 Dog Again: the Most Precious Friend of the Klondyker— Salmon Its Food. . . 114 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Geological Formation of the Gold Bearing District— Where Is the Mother-Lode — 
 
 guartz Croppings — "Quartz Grinding" Glaciers— Antediluvian Skeletons 
 alore— My Theory of the Gold Formation.. 124 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 One Winter's Work: (224,000 in Gold Dust and Nuggets— I Prepare to go Home 
 — " H tel De Bum"— Half a Million Dollars in Buckskin Sacks— Five Gallon 
 Oil C iS Filled WitI i Gold— A Woman Prospector Worth $250,000 129 
 
 CHAPTET» XVI. 
 
 The Yukon Basin— Fish and Feather— All Manner of Game — Indian Way of 
 Hunting Moose— The Settlements on the Great River— Down Stream to St 
 Michaers— On Board the " Portland"— Fair Seattle Again 1 188 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 Fortunes on Board the "Portland"— The Excitement Reaches Its Climax— The 
 Stampede Northward Begins — ^A Graphic Newspaper Description of the Rush 
 —Inquiring Visitors and Correspondents by the Thousand—Off to San Fran- 
 cisco—Five Thousand Six Hundred Shining Double Eagles Stamped Out of 
 MyKlondykeGold 140 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Great Boundary Question— A Possible Quarrel Between Uncle Sam and John 
 Bull— The Anglo-Russian Treaty of 18£&— Russian Rights Transferred to Us 
 in 1867— Possession of the Lynn Canal in Question — It Commands the Over- 
 land Routes From the Coast to the Gold Fields— The Seattle Merchants' 
 Petition 153 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Women Tell of Their Adventures in the Yukon— Mrs. Clarence Berry's Narra- 
 tive—Panning Out $7,000 Pin Money— Mrs. Thomas Lipp^s Letter— A Model 
 Housewife at the Diggings 168 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Routes to Dawson City— The Principal Transportation Companies Over the 
 All-Wate- Route, via St. Michael's— The White Pass Route, from Sksguay 
 Bay— A Simple but Eloquent Letter from a Sturdy Prospector 180 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Earlier Stampedes to the Northern Gold Fields— Famous Australian Discoveries — 
 An Arizona Miner on the Yukon in 1882— The Marvelous Success of Young 
 Henry Dore— From Want to Affluence— A Grateful Heart 188 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Outfit and Supplies Needed for One Man One Year— Outfit for Two Men— Table 
 of Canadian Customs Duties on Goods Needed by the Miners 198 
 
 CHAPTER XXIIL 
 
 Canadian Mining Laws and Regulations 206 
 
 irilHiiMilMi 
 
 mamjuummm^lK^i^ 
 
IIHJ . ,.J J .HUI-j 
 
 
 i'^'J^ 
 
 A MILE OF GOLD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A Little Personal Biography— Leaving Seattle, March 
 8, 1896 — Forming a Partnership on Board Ship— 
 We Beach Juneau — On the Ocean on a Fishing- 
 Craft — Shipwrecked at Berner's Bay— A Miraculous 
 Escape. 
 
 Yes, I am the man who recently returned from 
 the ice-bound regions of the north with $112,000 
 worth of dust and nuggets taken from the frozen 
 earth in less than three months. It is gold. The 
 metal the whole civilized world is courting. The 
 one thing that all men are striving to win ; the deity 
 before which universal man has ever bowed; the 
 material sought alike by the tutored and the un- 
 tutored, the rich and the poor, the righteous and 
 the wicked, the old and the young, the strong and 
 the weak, the Christian and the heathen, aye by all 
 men of whatever nationality, religion cr condition. 
 
 But I wander from my text. I was about to tell 
 you how I came to go. Well it is an old story. 
 In one word I might call it "hardupishness." The 
 striving to earn a maintenance for a large family, 
 while at the same time laying by the requisite store 
 for the proverbial rainy day which is sure to come, 
 became more and more wearying. Work was scarce 
 with many a needy man walking the street not 
 
 (9> 
 
10 
 
 A LITTLE PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY 
 
 
 knowing how to secure a subsistence for his family. 
 While I had always managed to provide for my 
 people, I saw no way whereby I could lay by a 
 sufficiency for my old age, and the dread of getting 
 out of work was at times horrible. 
 
 My attention was first directed to the Yukon 
 gold fields by the reports of rich strikes on Forty 
 Mile, Sixty Mile, Miller, Glacier and Birch Creeks, 
 and along the Thron Duyck river, since named 
 Klondyke. I resolved that since there was gold in the 
 far north I would have some of it, despite the snow, 
 ice, blizzards and mosquitoes. To raise the wherewith 
 to procure an outfit and provide for my family while I 
 was gone, was a problem that must first be solved. 
 Finally with the aid of a son of mine, who, happily, 
 had steady employment I managed to secure an 
 outfit for two, taking one of my boys with me. 
 
 But enough of these hard luck stories. Pass this 
 chapter by ; and let us hasten on to the narration of 
 success, — success beyond the visions of my most 
 ardent dreams. 
 
 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. 
 Weep and you weep alone." 
 
 The first and most important duty to be attended 
 to in making preparations for a trip to the Yukon 
 gold fields is to secure an outfit. This is by no 
 means an easy task. So many Httle things must 
 be remembered, for in those regiohs of perpetual 
 snow there is but little chance to procure tools, 
 food or clothing. One must have plenty of sub- 
 
 im 
 
 mm 
 

 . *.-..■! »Ui;!lflRp|lllJ,f^UM 
 
 A LITTLE PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY 
 
 11 
 
 stantial food, such as beans, bacon and flour; for the 
 climate is so intensely cold that it is absolutely 
 necessary to keep the stomach well filled. Warm 
 clothing too is essential. I believe that 1 spent 
 more time and care in stocking my wardrobe for 
 this trip than the average dandy, who contemplates 
 a few weeks at the seashore, would bestow upon 
 his. Heavy woolen goods had to be selected and 
 oil skins purchased. In the way of tools we needed 
 shovels, picks and pans for mining, and a whipsaw, 
 jack-plane, draw-knife, axe, hatchet, rule, nails, 
 oakum, pitrh, rope and mosquito netting. 
 
 Then came the leave-taking from relatives, friends 
 and neighbors. I realized that I was bidding good- 
 bye to civilization for a long period, perhaps for- 
 ever to brave the dangers of an arctic region, to 
 be menaced by wild beasts and blizzards, climbing 
 rocks and precipices where a single misstep might 
 plunge one into a gorge hundreds of feet below; 
 perhaps to be frozen to death, or worse still to die 
 of starvation; shooting rapids where a misstroke 
 would prove fatal or a hidden rock might send me 
 into eternity. 
 
 But all these dangers were lost sight of in the 
 pain of bidding farewell to a loving wife and fond 
 children. It is this that tries a man's nerve. To 
 keep a smiling face and light heart when you are 
 receiving the good-byes of wife and family is no 
 easy task. But then the hope of an early return 
 loaded with the treasii- ^s of the north was a power- 
 ful solace, and perhaps restrained thetearsthat strong 
 
12 
 
 LEAVING SEATTLE 
 
 men of times find it difficult to controL Finally, 
 
 we had gotten ail on board the boat and waived a 
 last good-bye, from the deck of the steamer "Alki," 
 to family and friends, and found ourselves steaming 
 towards the Mecca of our hopes. We left Seattle 
 March 8, 1896, and as the "Quee.i City" faded 
 from view, I, for my part could not help feeling 
 somewhat homesick. However, my thoughts soon 
 turned to the yellow nuggets in the far north and 
 hope again ran high. 
 
 Seattle is situated on Puget Sound and has a 
 population of about 70,000. It is the largest city 
 in the State of Washington and bids fair to become 
 the metropolis of the Pacific northwest. In 1889, 
 the entire business portion was totally destroyed by 
 fire. This, however, was no drawback, for hardly 
 had the ashes become cold, before men were at 
 work erecting massive stone and brick buildings 
 upon the ruins. This same spirit of enterprise is 
 displayed at all times and no emergency can exist 
 that its business men are not equal to. Surrounded 
 by salt water on the one hand and beautiful fresh 
 water lakes on the other, with snow-capped mot* i- 
 tains in full view on either side. Mt. Rainer (14,444 
 feet in altitude) 60 miles to the southeast; Mt. Baker 
 to tL'j north; the Olympics to the west and the 
 Cascade Range forming the background toward 
 the east, make its scenery perhaps the grandest and 
 most picturesque on earth. Add to this a climate 
 seldom too hot or too cold, and is it a wonder that 
 when I contemplated the radical change I had de- 
 
 mm 
 
 mgMm 
 
LEAVING SEATTLE 
 
 la 
 
 cided upon, hope should for a while be darkened 
 by regret. 
 
 Forty miles down the Sound is Point Townsend, 
 the port of entry for the district comprising the 
 State of Washington. It is a small town of about 
 5,000 inhabitants, picturesquely situated at the con- 
 fluence of the Straits of San Juan de Fuca and 
 Puget Sound. 
 
 Our next stop was at Victoria, across the Straits 
 of San Juan de Fuca. Victoria is the capital city 
 of British Columbia and is the metropolis of a large 
 area of British territory. 
 
 After leaving Victoria, we might be said to be 
 fully started, as no stop was to be made until we 
 had reached far-away Alaska. From here our 
 course was northwest, through the Gulf of Georgia 
 and Queen Charlotte Sound, running between Van- 
 couver Island, the largest island along the Pacific 
 Coast, and the mainland. 
 
 On a voyag- J this character the formalities of 
 society are to a great extent dropped and acquaint- 
 ances are soon formed. In many cases lasting 
 friendships and permanent business connections 
 are the outgrowth of such chance meetings. Thus 
 it was in our case. Among our fellow passengers, 
 all of whom were interesting, were two boys who 
 were natives of New York State. We seemed to 
 fall in with them from the start and before we had 
 been long in their company resolved to pool our 
 issues and succeed or fail together. These men 
 were two brothers, Gage and Charles Worden. 
 
r 
 
 14 
 
 FORMING A PARTNERSHIP 
 
 t(i~ 
 
 From this time on our party consisted of four, and 
 our interests have not been divided since. 
 
 The weather was good, the trip, in the main, 
 pleasant, and we reached Juneau without further in- 
 cident. At Juneau we had to disembark and make 
 as far as Skaguay Bay and Dyea, but at that time 
 there were not many passengers going north of 
 Juneau and the boats therefore did not run farther. 
 
 Juneau was then a town of two thousand inhab- 
 itants and the metropoHs of Alaska. It is situated 
 at the base of a mountain about three thousand 
 feet high, which rises almost perpendicular to its 
 summit. The flat space, between tide water and 
 the base of this mountain, is not very extensive and 
 is already well filled with houses. The citizens 
 seemed to be prosperous and the place in general 
 had the appearance of a live mining town. Water 
 works and an electric light plant are among the 
 modern improvements. It is the outfitting point 
 for resident prospectors starting for the interior, 
 and is the winter headquarters for the miners of the 
 surrounding country. 
 
 It was the most northern station of the "Puget 
 Sound and Alaskan Steamship Company" and 
 therefore a resting place for Alaska tourists. 
 
 When I returned, a little ove* a year later, I 
 learned that a short time had worked a great change 
 in this northern metropolis. Nearly all of its in- 
 habitants had joined the stampede and rushed to 
 the Klondyke, taking with them all the available 
 dogs, for which the city had become so famous. 
 
 ii 
 
 m^lmtkt 
 
mm 
 
 ^jffffg^^fmmFm^fvwm" ' ' 'iwj'i . .. 
 
 "Wr 
 
 ' ■■-^^■f 
 
 A GLIMPSE AT JUNEAU 
 
 15 
 
 four, and 
 
 the main, 
 [urther in- 
 and make 
 
 that time 
 ; north of 
 un farther, 
 and inhab- 
 
 is situated 
 ; thousand 
 :ular to its 
 
 water and 
 tensive and 
 'he citizens 
 : in general 
 wn. Water 
 
 among the 
 itting point 
 the interior, 
 liners of the 
 
 This is the case with nearly all the Alaskan towns. 
 They have become almost deserted on account of 
 the rush to the interior. 
 
 At Juneau we expected to take passage in a small 
 steamboat called the 'Rustler," but, as her boilers 
 had recently been condemned by the government 
 Inspector of Hulls and Boilers, we had to seek other 
 means of transportation. After looking around 
 some time, we found that the best we could do in 
 this line was to charter a small fishing boat that 
 lay in the harbor. The master of this craft assured 
 us that she could ride any sea, and that he would 
 guarantee to land us safely at Dyea in a short time. 
 So, highly elated over our success in securing it, 
 we closed the bargain and soon had our outfits 
 aboard and were again on our way north. 
 
 Dyea is about one hundred miles from Juneau 
 by boat and we should have sailed over the dis- 
 tance in two or three days. But owing to a gale 
 which wrecked us we lost five days on the way. 
 When about fifty miles out from Juneau we en- 
 countered a storm which beat against us from -ea- 
 ward. The wind was violent and the sea ran very 
 high. So strong were the combined forces of these 
 elements that we were driven against the rocks and 
 the boat stove in. When the storm struck us we 
 tried to hold her out at sea, but little by little we 
 were forced landward until we gave up hope and 
 prepared ourselves to bow to the mevitable. This 
 was one of the most exciting moments in my life 
 and was an experience that I do not care to repeat. 
 
^•^ 
 
 16 ON THE OCEAN ON A FISHING CRAFT 
 
 If you have never been shipwrecked, no pen can 
 describe to you the terrible sensation of such a dis- 
 aster. In an awful suspense — worse a thousand 
 times than the most dreadful certainty — ^we were 
 drifting slowly towards certain destruction and 
 expected every minute to be dashed against a rock 
 and called before our Maker. The wind howled 
 through the rigging like a legion of demons let 
 loose from Hades to make our entrance into eter- 
 nity more dreadfil. The waves, mountain high, 
 leaped over each other like Indians after the scalp 
 of a wounded foe, in their mad anxiety to claim 
 another victim for the cruel ocean. The timbers 
 shivered and squeaked as a leafless forest whipped 
 by the hand of a blizzard and threatened every 
 moment to yield to the blows of the mighty waves. 
 The mast was carried away with a report like the 
 electric forerunner of a Kansas shower. Soon the 
 scene was veiled in darkness so dense as to 
 almost defy the piercing shaft of the IC rays. The 
 whole formed a combination of horrors that froze 
 the blood in the veins and the marrow in the bones, 
 and made our past life pass before our mind's eye 
 like lightning. Drifting slowly towards the break- 
 ers, we could hear their deafening roar even above 
 the howling" of the tempest. Closer! Closer! 
 Closer! Ah! Thank Heaven! the clouds had lifted. 
 But, alas ! only to show us the white line that meant 
 certain destruction. Fortunately, however, with the 
 light came a cessation of the storm, and as we drilted 
 nearer, our boat stripped of her rigging and abso- 
 
 H^ 
 
RAFT 
 
 ON THE OCEAN ON A FISHING CRAFT 17 
 
 pen can 
 such a dis- 
 
 thousand 
 — ^we were 
 iction and 
 inst a rock 
 ind howled 
 demons let 
 e into eter- 
 ntain high, 
 er the scalp 
 ty to claim 
 rhe timbers 
 est whipped 
 itened every 
 ighty waves, 
 port like the 
 r. Soon the 
 iense as to 
 
 1 rays. The 
 ►rs that froze 
 in the bones, 
 ir mind's eye 
 ds the break- 
 ir even above 
 )ser! Closer! 
 Ads had lifted, 
 ne that meant 
 rever, with the 
 d as we drifted 
 ing and abso- 
 
 lutely at the mercy of the waves, we found that the 
 line of breakers were close to the shore, and hope 
 again rose in our breasts. Perhaps we could yet 
 get near enough to swim ashore ere we perished in 
 the cold water. Closer! Closer! Closer! Could we 
 ride the swell and pass on the inside? At last we 
 were on the crest and by an extraordinary stroke of 
 luck passed over the outside breakers. O! the joy 
 of being again reasonably safe; perhaps yet would 
 we be saved. Ah! the anticipation. How different 
 from looking forward to a certain death! The 
 blood again tingled in our veins and as we drifted 
 still nearer to the shore we knew we were raved. 
 Suddenly the boat struck a rock with such a mighty 
 crash that it stove her bottom into kindlings. But, 
 as she settled never to rise again, we found that the 
 water was only to our waists. A short wade and 
 we would be on the beach. But now our thoughts 
 turned to rescuing our supplies. We must save 
 them at all hazards, for it would be far worse to ue 
 of hunger than to find agrave in the deep, green sea. 
 We struggled with the waves and after hours of in- 
 cessant toil, soaked and chilled to the bone, we had 
 our belongings all on the beach, out of the reach of 
 the water. Thankful for our lives, we accepted the 
 situation without a murmur and when "We discovered 
 that our stock of food supplies was almost ruined 
 we made no complaint. 
 
 Out of the two tons of provisions but little was 
 saved. The flour and bacon, fortunately, were so 
 securely tight, done up in oilskins, that they were 
 
 ^ 
 
18 
 
 SHIPWRECKED AT BERNER'S BAY 
 
 kept dry. Our coffee, tea, sugar, evaporated fruit, 
 and provisions of a lighter nature were absolutely 
 ruined and while the loss was great, we felt that 
 we had come out of this adventure very fortunately 
 indeed. As we had a waterproof match case well 
 filled with matches we were enabled to build a fire, 
 and we lost no time in doing so. After drying our 
 blankets and eating some of such stuff as we had 
 saved from the wreck we wrapped ourselves up and 
 were soon asleep, leaving the morrow to take care 
 of itself. 
 
 In the morning the question of how to get out 
 of this wilderness was discussed. After talking it 
 over we decided that it would be impossible to 
 continue overland as the surrounding country was 
 nothing but precipices and ravines. We concluded 
 to wait on shore and take the chances of attracting 
 the notice of some passing boat, as we could be 
 distinctly seen from the deck of any vessel sailing or 
 steaming between Juneau and Dyea. 
 
 We immediately set a watch, that no craft could 
 pass unseen, and waited anxiously for the sign of a 
 sail. At last, after five days of weary watching, we 
 sighted a small steamer evidently bound for Dyea 
 and we finally succeeded in attracting the attention 
 of those on board. She put down her helm and 
 steered towards us. When within a quarter of a mile, 
 a boat was lowered and we were soon safely on board 
 with such supplies as had been saved from the 
 wreck. Imagine our surprise when we found that 
 the steamer was the "Rustler" rigged out with new 
 
re 
 
 BAY 
 
 )rated fruit, 
 absolutely 
 we felt that 
 fortunately 
 h case well 
 build a fire, 
 drying our 
 as we had 
 Ives up and 
 to take care 
 
 V to get out 
 er talking it 
 tnpossible to 
 country was 
 Ve concluded 
 of attracting 
 we could be 
 ssel sailing or 
 
 SHIPWRECKED AT BERNER'S BAY 
 
 19 
 
 boilers which gave the craft a general appearance of 
 safety. We could not repress a feeling of chagrin 
 when we thought of how we might have escaped the 
 horrible experience of the last few days, together 
 with the loss attending it, if we had but restrained 
 our impatience and waited until we could have pro- 
 ceeded with safety in the renovated steamer. 
 
 As we steamed out of Bemer's Bay, the scene of 
 our shipwreck and disaster, we felt thankful that we 
 had escaped with our lives, having, however, learned 
 a lesson of patience that was of service to us during 
 the rest of the trip. March 27, we landed at Dyea, 
 having been nineteen days enroute from Seattle. 
 
 10 craft could 
 the sign of a 
 watching, we 
 md for Dyea 
 the attention 
 ler helm and 
 irter of a mile, 
 afely on board 
 led from the 
 ve found that 
 out with new 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 Dyea, at the foot of Chilkoot Pass — ^Packing One's 
 Goods — Sleds and Snow Shoes — Camping in the 
 Snow — From the **Stone House" to "Pleasure 
 Camp" — "Double-tripping" — Climbing to the "Sum- 
 mit"— 700 Feet up a Wall of Rock— Crater Lake 
 —A Precipitous Descent — ^Lake Lindeman at Last! 
 
 Dyea is situated at the head of steamboat naviga- 
 tion at the extreme northern end of the Chilkoot 
 inlet, a branch of the Lynn Canal. It is one thou- 
 sand and seventy-six nautical miles from Seattle and 
 about seven hundred miles by the lake and river 
 route from Dawson city. 
 
 At Dyea we had an opportunity to replenish our 
 stock, which we readily embraced, although the 
 prices were quite high. There is a small store here, 
 owned by Healy & Wilson, and managed by S. 
 Ripinski, who is also postmaster, and a very 
 affable and accommodating business man. Dyea can- 
 not be called a town, though a United States post 
 office has been established here. Aside from this 
 store, which is a sort of hotel also, there are but few 
 buildings. A short distance up the Creek is Haines* 
 Presbyterian Mission, which is the home of the 
 Chilkat Indians. These Indians are civiHzed and 
 are taught the English language in the mission 
 school. It is upon them that the traveler has to 
 depend to have his supplies transported Qver the 
 
 (20) 
 
1 
 
 king One's 
 ing in the 
 "Pleasure 
 the ''Sum- 
 
 Crater Lake 
 Lan at Last! 
 
 ^B ^ 
 
 )oat naviga- 
 le Chilkoot 
 
 
 s one Ihou- 
 
 ^H ° 
 
 i Seattle and 
 
 i^H S 
 
 :e and river 
 
 H; 
 
 eplenish our 
 though the 
 11 store here, 
 
 ^H ^ 
 
 laged by S. 
 md a very 
 ti. Dyea can- 
 
 WW H 
 
 P '4 * 
 
 States post 
 de from this 
 
 hb ^ 
 
 I are but few 
 
 
 ;k is Haines' 
 
 ^K ^ 
 
 lome of the 
 
 t^H 
 
 civilized and 
 
 Hb 
 
 the mission 
 
 ^B 
 
 veler has to 
 
 ^B 
 
 ted over the 
 
 I^B 
 
" 1 
 
 m 
 
mmm 
 
 m«''\Uymm> 
 
 ^m^m^fmifl'W 
 
 WHAT DYEA LOOKED LIKE 
 
 Chilkoot Pass. Half a mile below the store and 
 post office is a wharf, though only a temporary 
 affair, and here is where our goods were landed. 
 The large steamers cannot make a landing here, as 
 the channel is shallow, and cargoes are therefore 
 discharged on lighters, which are towed alongside 
 the wharf and unloaded. 
 
 From Dyea it is twenty-seven miles in a northerly 
 direction to Lake Lindeman. It is, however, the 
 most difficult road that I have ever traveled. I 
 doubt if there is another such trail on the American 
 continent. It is by far the roughest part of the 
 journey. A canoe or boat may be used for a dis- 
 tance of about six miles from Dyea, which reduces the 
 distanceoverwhichsuppliesmustotherwisebe hauled 
 or packed to twenty-one miles.. These twenty-one 
 miles, however, are in places almost perpendicular 
 and the trail resembles an immense, disorderly stone 
 quarry set on edge. We did most of our packing 
 ourselves, but employed the natives to pack some of 
 our stuff for a distance of about seven hundred feet 
 for which we paid $1.50 per hundred. This heavy 
 expense acted as a sort of inducement to rid our- 
 selves of everything that we could not put to good 
 use in the interior. The spiing season, before the 
 snow mehs, is the most favorable time to make the 
 trip. Supplies may then be hauled on sleds and a 
 man or dog can easily haul several times as much 
 as one can pack. About the middle of April the 
 thaw begins, when the snow becomes soft and \t is 
 almost impossible to make the trip at all. A sled 
 
32 PACKING GOODS ACROSS THE PASS 
 
 should be made from strong tough wood, but 
 should be as light as possible. If shod with brass, 
 it wfU draw much easier than if shod with steel, as 
 in extremely cold weather, when steel is full of frost, 
 it is gritty and adheres to the now and ice. A little 
 water sprayed from the mouth on the shoe of the 
 sled will instantly congeal and form a surface of ice 
 thai will wear quite a long time; when it is worn 
 oflf the process can be repeated and by keeping the 
 runners well iced in this way the haul is made less 
 burdensome. The latives do not use nails or bolts, 
 but bind the joints with thongi, so that in case the 
 sled is capsized the strain will not be so positive and 
 intense, the joints giving rather than breaking. An 
 ideal sled is a little over seven feet long, seven 
 inches high and about sixteen inches wide; if too 
 high it will capsize more easily, and if too wide dif- 
 ficulty will be encountered in passing narrow places 
 in the trail. Besides this, it is the proper width to 
 track behind snow shoes. 
 
 Supplies may be packed on the back, hauled oa 
 sleds or carried over on horses, mules, dogs or 
 burros. If a bundle or package is to be carried any 
 distance it is more easily conveyed by the use of 
 pack straps. This is a familiar article in the west, 
 but in the east it is not so well known. It is made 
 from leather or other vStrong material and consists of 
 a wide strap to run over each shoulder passing un- 
 der the arms and fastened to cross straps by means 
 of rivets. The package is then fastened to this con- 
 trivance and the arms slipped through the loops. 
 
T'm 
 
 ss 
 
 )od, but 
 th brass, 
 steel, as 
 of frost, 
 A little 
 DC of the 
 ice of ice 
 : is worn 
 Bping the 
 ■nade less 
 i or bolts, 
 I case the 
 sitive and 
 iing. An 
 ng, seven 
 de; if too 
 > wide dif- 
 row places 
 r width to 
 
 hauled ou 
 ;, dogs or 
 carried any 
 the use of 
 1 the west, 
 It is made 
 
 consists of 
 )assing un- 
 s by means 
 to this con- 
 
 the loops. 
 
 SLEDS AND SNOW SHOES 
 
 23 
 
 The weight is thereby transferred to the shoulders 
 and back and it leaves the arms and hands free to aid 
 in walking and climbing. Another method is to take 
 a common gunny sack and tie a piece of strong 
 cloth about two feet long to the opposite corners, 
 lengthwise. By this means, sixty po-mds may be 
 carried quite comfortably by an ordinary man, 
 though some carry as much as one hundred. 
 
 We started from Dyea immediately upon our 
 arrival, not caring to contemplate the mountains 
 that rose in our front Uke immense snow-banks 
 until we had lost heart. About five miles up the 
 Chilkat River, we first went into camp in a sheltered, 
 well timbered spot. After pitching our tent on the 
 snow we brought out such things as we would need 
 for immediate use, stove, blankets, food, etc., and 
 prepared to make ourselves comfortable until our 
 goods were packed ahead. We set our stove, which 
 was made from sheet iron, on a gridiron. This is 
 made by placing three poles about eight feet long on 
 the snow. The stove is then arranged on them in 
 such a manner that, when the snow melts from un- 
 derneath it, the poles form a support; 
 
 Next we cut boughs from the surrounding hem- 
 locks and piled them on the snow, until we had a 
 bed of them about eighteen mches deep. We had 
 a canvas spread, which we placed over this to 
 protect us from the dampness, and found that we 
 had a bed that was positively luxurious to «^.^^gry 
 man. The "springs" were very sensitive, shaptig 
 themselvec readily to the form of the body and the 
 
24 
 
 CAMPING IN THE SNOW 
 
 "mattress" was as soft as wool. After preparing 
 supper we wrapped ourselves in our blankets and 
 slept as only those with a clear conscience and ex- 
 hausted bodies can. We awoke, the next morning, 
 very much refreshed and went at our outfit with 
 such vim that we had a large portion of it up to 
 camp ere the shades of night again fell around us. 
 
 From the landing to our camp at the head of 
 Dyea canyon, we were enabled to haul our goods 
 on sleds over the Chilkat river, which at this time 
 of year is frozen up, thus making an easy, level 
 route. This camp is known as "Stone House," be- 
 cause of a rock which nature has carved to resemble 
 such a structure. It is the first camp out from Dyea. 
 When we returned after the final load, we left the 
 last vestige of civilization behind us and turned our 
 backs to the outside world. We could not repress 
 some feeling of regret at being thus cut off entirely 
 from any source of communication with those we 
 loved who would not know for months, and even 
 years perhaps, whether we were still in this world or 
 not. 
 
 When we had brought the last of our outfits 
 forward to "Stone House," we commenced to put it 
 ahead through Dyea Canyon and on to Pleasant 
 Camp, a strip of woods about three miles long, and 
 cached them here. This we did by sections as be- 
 fore, which in miner's parlance is called "double- 
 trippi'^'^." Here the incline was too steep for the 
 use oi sleds and we had to pack everything on our 
 backs. Each of us took but 50 pounds at a time; 
 
"STONE HOUSE" TO "PLEASANT CAMP" 25 
 
 we could go right along with this and were enabled 
 to make four trips a day. We met others on the 
 trail, however, who carried one hundred pounds, 
 but they had to rest every few minutes and were 
 a great annoyance to those who were packing 
 lighter loads but making better time, as the trail 
 is narrow and a great deal of trouble is experienced 
 in getting around the stragglers. They would at 
 times block up the trail for a long distance and, 
 though it is a free highway, we could not but feel 
 that they did not have a proper regard for the rights 
 of others. 
 
 It is here where many people give up the struggle 
 and turn back. At times, the trail is full of men, 
 with sore backs and feet, lying on the snow in utter 
 despair. Many even weep with disappointment. As 
 a rule, however, after they have become hardened 
 and have learned the lesson of patience, they con- 
 tinue forward and by the time they have pitched 
 their tents at "Sheep's Camp" they are as hardened 
 as a mule and as patient as an ox under their heavy 
 burdens. As soon as we had everything cached 
 at "Pleasant Camp," we struck camp at "Stone 
 House" and moved our stove, tent, ett., forward to 
 "Sheep's Camp," so called on account of the wild 
 sheep that congregate there among the trees in win- 
 ter, where the Indians hunt and slay them. It Is 
 located on the timber line and near the base of a 
 steep incline the top of which is called the "Sum- 
 mit." After getting our tent, stove, and bedding 
 arranged comfortably as before, we started back and 
 

 ^'4 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 26 
 
 "DOUBLETRIPPING" 
 
 worked our outfit up, pushing it ahead and caching 
 it at the base of a steep approach to the summit, 
 about seven miles beyond "Sheep's Camp." 
 
 From this camping ground no progress can be 
 made except on days when the wind is still and the 
 sky "clear. Many times we started out in the morn- 
 ing but had to return. The cold, bleak wind at 
 times would sweep doavn from the summit, driv- 
 ing the newly fallen snow with such force that 
 it would cut like powdered glass from a blow 
 pipe. There is a raise here of three thousand 
 feet in a distance of seven miles, and hardy indeed 
 is he who does not drop by the wayside. Often 
 an avalanche or snow-slide coming over the preci- 
 pices above will cover the goods cached here, scat- 
 tering them to the four winds or burying them 
 many feet under snow and ice. Then Indians have 
 to be employed who prod around with long hooked 
 poles and fish them out. We, however, escaped 
 this misfortune. It may be that the god of the 
 Yukon deemed our shipwreck sufficient chastise- 
 ment for daring to pry into the secrets of his do- 
 mains. 
 
 Our next move was an ascent of seven hundred 
 feet that is almost perpendicular. We looked at 
 our burdens and then at the obstacles beyond and 
 grew faint-hearted. Steps had to be cut into the 
 snow and ice all the way to the top and the obstruc- 
 tions mounted as by a ladder. Seven hundred feet 
 of actual climbing with only ice and snow to grasp 
 and with a pack of fifty pounds dragging us back, 
 
 ml 
 
'.« 'mm 
 
 CLIMBING TO THE SUMMIT 
 
 S7 
 
 seemingly determined to plunge us to the bottom, 
 was a task that we could not accomplish. We made 
 a contract with the Indians to have our outfit taken 
 from here to the summit for $1.50 per hundred. In 
 making this contract we dealt with the chief alone. 
 The Indians look to him in all matters of business 
 and carry out his contracts without a murmur. The 
 chief of the Chilkats is known by the Biblical cog- 
 nomen of Chief Isaac. How he obtained this an- 
 cip-'t appellation is not known. But in him the 
 tribe have a bright intelligent ruler and one who 
 conducts the affairs of their nation with profit, credit 
 and horior to them, and to himself as well. 
 
 A man by the name of Peterson, a native of 
 King Oscar's domains, has since invented a con- 
 trivance for lifting burdens up this steep incline. 
 He anchors a pulley at the top through which he 
 passes a rope, to which is attached a box, rigged on 
 runners. A loaded sled is made fast to the rope at 
 the bottom, the box is then filled with snow, to 
 which is added the weight of the inventor and such 
 other men as may be at hand. When this loaded 
 box descends it pulls the sled up, where it is de- 
 tached. The box is th -^n unloaded and drawn back 
 to the top when the operation is repeated as before. 
 
 As soon as the Indians had finished carrying our 
 supplies to the top of the summit we bound the 
 goods solidly to the sleds and started them down 
 the mountain on the other side. Here the pass is 
 so steep that we could not hold them back, so we 
 were obliged to turn them loose and let them go. 
 
CRATER LAKE 
 
 They sped down the decline like a ball from a can- 
 non and in an instant, almost as fast" as the eye could 
 follow, had reached the bottom and shot out on 
 Crater Lake a distance of a half a mile. Of course 
 the lake was solidly frozen at the time. 
 
 Crater Lake, so called because it resembles a 
 basin set in the summit of a mountain peak, was at 
 one time the crater of a huge living volcano; it is 
 about a mile across each way. A perpendicular 
 bank of some six feet in height confines the lake at 
 this point and as the sled clears this at a bound it 
 lands more than thirty feet out on the ice and then 
 continues, slowly loosing its speed until the center 
 of the lake is reached, where it comes to a standstill. 
 
 Some prospectors prefer riding their loads down 
 this precipitous path but we did not care' to take the 
 chances, as we considered this as recklessly endan- 
 gering life, and amounting almost to premeditated 
 suicide. We cached our first loads here on the lake 
 and returned drawing our sleds up the steep ascent. 
 This we repeated until we had transferred our entire 
 supplies. After strapping on our last loads we 
 looked back from the summit upon the broad Paci- 
 fic, twenty miles away. A boundless ocean of green, 
 stretching out to the south as far as the eye could 
 reach until it formed the horizon with the blue 
 canopy overhead. Pacific? Ah! did we not remem- 
 ber how but a few weeks ago, it had almost closed 
 around us its cold embrace of death? Surely it was 
 wild enough then and, as our thoughts went back 
 to those awful moments, we turned away with a 
 
CRATER LAKE 
 
 S9 
 
 shudder and refused to look longer upon a scene 
 that might otherwise have entranced us with its 
 beauty. 
 
 From Crater Lake, we pushed on with our tent, 
 stove, blankets and sufficient provisions to last us 
 several days until Lake Lindeman was reached. 
 Here we went into camp for the third time after 
 leaving Dyea. Then we turned back and brought 
 the balance of our outfit forward until we had it all 
 cached on the shore of Lake Lindeman. The 
 trail from Crater Lake is down grade all tli.e way 
 and at this time the sleighing was good, though the 
 route is very rocky when the snow is oflf the ground. 
 It had taken us about three weeks to move from 
 Dyea and we were glad that we were at last safely 
 camped along the headwaters of the Yukon. 
 
 Such were the conditions and surroundings at 
 Dyea, on the trail, and at Lake Lindeman, when we 
 crossed the pass in 1896. The recent news of our 
 success, and that of many other fortunate ones, has 
 created such a stampede that the pass to-day is re- 
 ported blocked with gold-seekers. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Dangers and Hardships of Chllkoot Pass — Graphic 
 Description by T. B. Corey, Who Crossed it, July, 
 1897 — Exactions of the Indian Carriers — Buying 
 an Indian Maiden for $50 — Boat Building on the 
 Lakes — The Plainest Pood Tastes Splendid. 
 
 By the courtesy of Mrs. T. B. Corey, I will repro- 
 duce a letter that was written her by her husband, 
 in the summer of 1897. Mr. Corey is well known in 
 the State of Washington as having been superin- 
 tendent of the coal mines owned and operated by 
 the Oregon Improvement Company, and I believe 
 his letter correctly describes the situation and con- 
 ditions existing on the trail to-day. 
 
 "Head of Lake Bennett, July 31, 1897. 
 
 "Here I am at Lake Bennett. We were landed 
 at Dyea Sunday evening about 6 o'clock on a scow, 
 and worked till 1 o'clock A. M., Monday, getting 
 our things oflf the scow and putting them upon the 
 land above high water mark. I rolled into a blank- 
 et on the ground, but was too tired to sleep. Got 
 up at 5 o'clock and got our things up a mile more 
 and re-arranged them. Tuesday morning, we hired 
 thirty-one Indians to pack our stuflf over the moun- 
 tains to Lake Lindeman; had to pay them 17 cents 
 per pound. Then we packed our own packs and 
 started over the trail. Went as far as Sheep's Camp, 
 nine miles, and arrived at 3 P. M., wet through to 
 
 (80) 
 
T. B. COREY'S EXPERIENCES 
 
 81 
 
 the skin, as it rained all day. Sheep's Camp is at 
 the foot of the mountain. Soon dried out before a 
 camp-fire and at once went to bed. We were on 
 the trail at 5 o'clock next morning, and began our 
 ascent at once. A harder, rougher and more dif- 
 ficult climb I never saw. It was raining harder, the 
 trail was very slippery and the wind was blowing 
 like a hurricane. It was a 'holy terror.' But we 
 got to Lake Lindemann at 7 o'clock that night, a 
 tired, sore lot. We passed over about a mile of 
 snow, but that was preferable to the slippery rock. 
 We sent to Lake Bennett and engaged our boat, 
 paying $100 for it, and we are to get it Monday noon, 
 August 2. We expect to get started down the 
 river by Wednesday, sometime. I am now here 
 hurrying them up. 
 
 "Got here at 12 o'clock last night and was up at 5 
 A. M. Tea and hardtack constituted our breakfast. 
 We then struck out for the saw mill, which is about 
 one mile from here, and while I am waiting for a 
 boat to take me back to Lake Lindeman I am writ- 
 ing this letter, the only spare time since I left the 
 Al-Ki. I am feeling good, only sore and stiff, which 
 will wear oflf in a few days. I find that some Seattle 
 people have been between Dyea and Lake Linde- 
 man two months packing their stuff over. It is the 
 hardest work I ever saw. Some of the Indians carry 
 as much as 150 pounds, but 100 pounds is consid- 
 ered a good pack. Our boys carried on an aver- 
 age 50 pounds each, which is a good load for one 
 not used to it. The dogs carry 35 to 40 pounds 
 
88 EXACTIONS OF INDIAN CARRIERS 
 
 each and seeni* to enjoy it. They are all Indian 
 dogs. The Indians are not like the Siwashes at 
 Seattle, but all of them are good stout fellows. The 
 Indian women pack too, carrying from 50 to 75 
 pounds. One of the boys was making a bargain 
 for a young Indian v/oman for his wife (just for 
 fun). The father of the girl agreed to take $50 for 
 her. She was quite pleased over the idea and sat up 
 alongside of him and wanted to go. So we had the 
 laugh on him. She is quite an mtelligent girl, just 
 out of the Indian Mission, which is supported by 
 the United States Government. You can give them 
 all the education they want, but they will be In- 
 dians still. Gilmore and Son, of Seattle, are still 
 at Lake Lindeman. They have bought in with an- 
 other party who had their boat almost completed. 
 They will get away Monday or Tuesday. The In- 
 dians have raised the price of packing to ty/ertty 
 cents per pound, which makes it quite eyp^'^sive. 
 Our outfit weighed 3,000 pounds. We were the 
 first on the Al-Ki to engage the Indians, so you 
 see we saved $90 by pushing things. I can tell 
 you right now that I would not pack my stuff over 
 that trail myself for all the gold on the Yukon. I 
 ju >t could not do it. I see lots of men laid up with 
 sore feet and lame backs who will be of no account 
 when they get there. Some of the younger boys 
 will see a little of hard life on this trip. I have not 
 changed my clothes since I left Seattle. Everything 
 goes, in your food, dirt and all. Things that would 
 turn my stomach at home I eat with a relish. I 
 
 is'-; 
 
^^fomv^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 INDIAN WAYS AND MANNERS 88 
 
 have a splendid appetite. Mr. Raymond is one of 
 my party. He packed my pack the first day about a 
 mile over the hardest part of the trail. I carried 
 about 30 pounds the first day. The second day I 
 carried nothing but my mackintosh, which was all 
 I wanted. 
 
 "There is bound to be a hard time or the Yukon 
 this winter. Lots of them will be stuck for the win- 
 ter at Lake Lindeman. They are going to pack 
 their own stuflf and that means the river will be 
 frozen up. Last night there was considerable frost, 
 
 "It is anmsing to see the funny outfits that are 
 brought here. Some with two-wheel hand carts, 
 some with wheelbarrows, etc. Why, some of them 
 will do well if they just get themselves over the 
 trail. I am writing now only a few yards from 
 where that fellow committed suicide last year when 
 he lost his boat and provisions. I find not a few 
 graves along the trail, of Indians and whites. 
 
 "I found a Mr. Mills and his wife, of Seattle, at 
 Lake Lindeman and he will get started Monday. 
 He packed his own provisions and built his own 
 boat. I find Mrs. Mills quite an estimable lady. 
 She has her husband's trousers on, but that is all 
 right. Everything goes. She is quite a brave wo- 
 man, and they desire to get lots of gold. Mills used 
 to be Col. Green's partner in Seattle. I never saw 
 such a good lot of men. There are no loafers, all 
 good, honest, hard-working men, and on the whole 
 quite accommodating. They don't seem to be jealous 
 or engaged in strife. We hear nothing here at all 
 
34 
 
 BOAT BUILDING ON THE LAKES 
 
 from the Yukon. Nobody comes out this way. 
 You get news from the gold fields in Seattle before 
 we do; so we had just as well be out of the world 
 as far as news is concerned. People who come in 
 say there are thousands more coming in. If they 
 do, and they do not bring money and "grub," they 
 will stay at Lake Lindemai^ all winter. Lots of 
 people are securing their own lumber and making 
 their own boats, but timber is getting very scarce 
 and you can hardly get a board over six inches 
 wide. Lumber at the sawmill is worth $100 per 
 thousand. The sawmill has hard work to get logs. 
 Not one of the mill hands will stay ; all have gone to 
 the Klondyke. So they will give anyone $5 per 
 thousand for getting logs and rafting them down 
 to the mill. They have to go four or five miles for 
 the timber. The sawmill is on the shore of Lake 
 Bennett. We expect to reach Dawson about the 
 12th or 14tb of August. We are going to sail night 
 and day, one shift on day and the other on night. 
 These boys — three of them — understand the hand- 
 ling of the boat well. The boys are all aware that 
 their pluck and patience will be tried. Yet our 
 hardest part of the trip is now over. None but 
 hard-working or strong-muscled men should try to 
 cross the mountain. Tell the outfitters to put all 
 the godds in waterproof sacks. Also tell them they 
 do not figure enough suppHes to the man. T hear 
 lots of complaints in regard to the matter and a 
 great many will run out of provisions on account 
 of this. The merchants cannot be oo careful in re- 
 
:es 
 
 It this way. 
 eattle before 
 
 lof the world 
 ho come in 
 in. If they 
 
 "grub," they 
 
 er. Lots of 
 and making 
 very scarce 
 
 sr six inches 
 
 rth $100 per 
 
 V to get logs. 
 
 have gone to 
 nyone $5 per 
 ^ them down 
 
 five miles for 
 ihorc of Lake 
 son about the 
 g to sail night 
 :her on night, 
 md the hand- 
 all aware that 
 ed. Yet our 
 r. None but 
 
 should try to 
 ers to put all 
 tell them they 
 
 man. T hear 
 matter and a 
 is on account 
 » careful in re- 
 
p>?»ip 
 
 i, I ] 
 
 I' 
 
 
SOME SOUND ADVICE 
 
 35 
 
 gard to the Yukon orders the, send out. The men 
 get short and have to take what comes. If every- 
 thing is short, whether by their fault or not, it 
 causes lots of trouble and hardship, I came across 
 a party (.f three men who had been packing for 
 sixty rj,?", ^hey had packed over 4,600 pounds 
 and nov, t;'ey must build a boat. This will take 
 them two weeks longer. With all their work they 
 are not discouraged. 
 
 "You would laugh to see mc tackle the fat bacon 
 and beans. They taste as good out here as cake and 
 pie. We are close to the timber line. The moun- 
 tains are bare of any vegetable growth, all rocks 
 and many covered with snow. Lots of what I have 
 written will probabh not interest you, but I keep 
 scratching at wha* Lciues into my mind regardless 
 of the connect!: l W'^) try and write once more 
 before leaving the idl e 
 
 *T must tell you aboai the Indian graves. They 
 cremate their dead here and get an expensive c'lcst 
 about the size of a tool chest to put the ashes in. 
 Nearly every grave has a United States flag on a 
 pole above it. Some of them build a house rbout 
 6x6 ^ -< lave ,.' .o3t one side of glass, so you can 
 , see in them. Thct: yoi.' will find in the chest an 
 old hat, a lamp and other things belonging to the 
 
 W-^! 
 
 d.^ccased. 
 
 T, B. Corey." 
 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 n. 
 
 "Kid," My First Eskimo Dog — Aci., ke Lindeman 
 
 on a Sled Fitted With a Sail — Ovv akes Bennett 
 and Le Barge — Sledding it on Fift^-Mile B-iver — 
 Avoiding the Treacherous White Horse Rapids — Its 
 Many Victims — ''Caching" Our Supplies — ^Nine 
 Days Building Our Own Crafts. 
 
 Lake Lindeman is one of the chain of lakes that 
 form the headwaters of the Yukon. The Canadian 
 officials speak of them as the head waters of the 
 Lewis river. However this may be, we had reached 
 the head of fresh water navigation. Had we ar- 
 rived a few weeks later in the season we could have 
 drifted a distance of seven hundred miles down the 
 lakes, Lewis river and the Yukon, with the excep- 
 tion of a few short portages. But the lakes were 
 still covered with ice and sno\v, as they do not 
 break up for several weeks after the river opens. 
 The current in the river seems to aid in breaking 
 the ice and carries it down the Yukon into the 
 Behring Sea. On the lakes it must melt and be 
 transformed into water by the heat of the sun as it 
 does not break up small enough to pass through the 
 outlets. 
 
 We, however, did not have to double-trip, as 
 we had two sleds and I had fortunately picked up 
 a stray dog that was lost from its master. I never 
 could find the owner of this animal, so kept him until 
 he was killed by'some rascal at the mines. I called 
 
 (86) 
 
'KID," MY FIRST ESKIMO DOG 
 
 37 
 
 him "Kid" and would not have taken five hundred 
 dollars for him. He was a perfect lead-dog and I 
 became so much attached to him that I would have 
 brought him home to spend the remainder of his 
 days in comfort and luxury had he not become the 
 victim of some cruel scoundrel. I use very strong 
 teriiis in speaking of this individual; but as I never 
 had a beast in my life before that I thought so much 
 of, I am perhaps excusable. To return to our trip. 
 We loaded our entire outfit on these two sleds and 
 started across Lake Lindeman. We did not have 
 to cache our supplies again ; by simply pitching our 
 tent at night and building a fire in our stove, we 
 could make a bed of boughs and rest very com- 
 fortably. 
 
 We had a large sail with us which we used to 
 great advantage. When the wind blew from a fav- 
 orable quarter, we could fasten one sled behind the 
 other and setting the sail on the head one we were 
 off. It was necessary to erect an improvised mast 
 on which to stretch the canvas but this we did 
 without much trouble by simply binding a pole to 
 the front knee of the sled. So, aided by a favorable 
 wind, we could make good time, in fact it was im- 
 possible for us lo keep ahead of the sleds. In order 
 to steer them we cut long poles and taking a posi- 
 tion on the back part of the sleds used them as a 
 sort of rudder. These poles, trailing along over the 
 ice did keep the sleds in the proper course, though 
 at times our arms became weary from the effort 
 necessary to effect this result. 
 
 mil 
 
 V'i 
 
 .jSi > ' 
 
 Solium I 
 
 lm3 j 
 
 ifi-f. 
 
 : m'i 
 
i^ 
 
 38 
 
 ON A SLED FITTED WITH A SAIL 
 
 Over Lake Bennett, a distance of thirty miles, we 
 crossed in a single day. On Lake Le Barge also 
 the breeze aided us and we reached the head of 
 Thirty Mile River about the first of June. 
 
 Some, however, could not convey their outfits in 
 one trip; they had to convey their suppHes a dis- 
 tance of about twenty miles, to cache them and then 
 return, in the face of the wind, after more. They 
 could not make as good time and therefore we had 
 distanced most of them before we embarked on 
 Fifty Mile River. 
 
 Though Fifty Mile River was covered with ice, 
 the White Horse Canyon and the rapMs of the same 
 name were not frozen over, and it gave us an 
 ui-^jortunity to view them as we hauled our outfits 
 along shore. This is a box canyon about three hun- 
 dred feet long and half ^"hat distance in width. The 
 river immediately above is more than twice as wide 
 and the water rushes down as through a chute. It is 
 a very dangerous place and a great many have lost 
 their lives in attempting to run it. Some, however, 
 do succeed in doing so but it requires a steady 
 head and strong hand. The water runs so swiftly 
 that one is no sooner in than he is out and should 
 his boat strike the side, in passing through, it 
 would be dashed into pieces in an instant. The 
 water in entermg the canyon rolls from both sides 
 and forms a crest m the centre which is caused by 
 the funnel-shaped approach. If the boat is rowed 
 in with speed enough to give it steerage-way a good 
 steersman can keep it headed on this crest without 
 
 ";%-Ss\ 
 
THROUGH THE WHITE HORSE CANYON 39 
 
 much effort. If, however, it gets to swinging, it 
 js likely to be rolled against the side and smashed 
 into atoms. 
 
 The water dashing over the boulders in the White 
 Horse Rapids throws up a white spray which re- 
 sembles the flying manes of a regiment of white 
 horses making a charge; from this fact it surely 
 takes its name. ' * 
 
 When we had arrived at the foot of Lake Le 
 Barge we cached our supplies, located our tent as 
 comfortably as possible and immediately set about 
 building boats. As timber is quite large here we 
 were enabled to make fairly respectable crafts. They 
 each measured eighteen feet in length with a four 
 foot beam and were two feet deep. It took us nine 
 days to build them. We, however, did not hurry 
 as we had to wait for the clearing of the ice which 
 had not yet started out of Fifty Mile River. The 
 first thing necessary in building a boat is to secure 
 suitable timber. It should be large enough to square 
 twelve inches at the small end of the log; if this 
 cannot be obtained, such as will square six inches 
 at the small end will answer, though a greater 
 amount of caulking is required to make it water 
 tight. After cutting the timber, we erected a saw- 
 pit and rolled our logs upon it. This is done by 
 building a platform at a sufficient height from the 
 ground to enable a man to stand erect while work- 
 ing at the lower end of the whip-saw. The next 
 move is to square the timber by sawing a slab from 
 each side, then the log is laid out into boards one 
 
 I 
 
 4 , 
 
 wl 
 
 ' ' 5 'Site h 
 
 o\ 
 
 it .1 ' 
 ''it 
 
 h 1 ,3 4 si iF' '^ 
 
 
46 
 
 BUILDING OUR BOATS 
 
 inch thick, •one-fourth of an inch being allowed for 
 the running of the saw. This process is slow even 
 when the saw is sharp and the men experienced. 
 After sawing sufficient lumber to make two boats 
 we commenced putting them together. We used 
 great care in constructing them, as at times the 
 safety of our supplies and our Hves even, would 
 depend on the endurance of our little crafts. We 
 nailed them together carefully and caulked the 
 seams with oakum; then gave them a thorough 
 saturation of boiling pitch. The edges of the 
 boards should always have a bevel which should 
 be placed with the bevel side out so that the pres- 
 sure of the water on the outside of the boat will aid 
 in holding the oakum in place, and the greater the 
 pressure the more securely will this preparation ad- 
 here to the seams. We built our boats sharp at 
 both ends, fiat bottomed and with a level keel; this 
 model is considered best in those northern waters; 
 the draught being light, they will float in shallow 
 water and will pass safely over the rocks unless the 
 latter are almost exposed. If the keel is level, they 
 will hold a straight course when poUng up stream, 
 which a boat with a crescent-shaped keel will not 
 do, as they keep swinging from side to side. If 
 sharp at both ends two men can stand near the 
 stern and pole on either side, and the stern, in this 
 way, acts as a stationary rudder. 
 
 Later in the season, in traversing this route, from 
 the head of Lake Lindeman to the foot of Lake Le 
 Barge, it could be made by water most of the way. 
 
"RAFTING IT" 
 
 41 
 
 At the head of Lake Lindeman a raft is built from 
 such timber as may be found. The trees here do 
 not grow large enough to make lumber for the pur- 
 pose of boat building, therefore the voyage must be 
 made on a raft until suitable timber for building a 
 more comfortable craft can be obtained. A raft 
 should be built so that the deck or surface is at 
 least a foot above the surface of the water; this pre- 
 caution will insure safety to the supplies when the 
 lake is rough. This raft can be used all the way 
 down the river but ordinarily a boat is constructed 
 in a creek, near the head of Lake Bennett, a dis- 
 tance of about seven miles from the head of Lake 
 Lindeman. When arriving at the foot of Lake 
 Lindeman, a portage of about two hundred feet in 
 One Mile River is necessary as the river is very 
 crooked and rocky. 
 
 At the head of Lake Bennett the mountains are 
 high and abrupt but a creek enters from the west 
 where a saw mill is now located. When a boat is 
 finished and all is placed on board, the course lies 
 down the lake, keeping well to the right hand side 
 until Carriboo Crossing, twenty-four miles distant, 
 is reached. From here to the foot of Lake Tagish, 
 a distance of twenty-one miles, the opposite side 
 should be followed. 
 
 A broad river, six miles long, with a slow current 
 connects Lake Tagish with Mud Lake, or as it is 
 also called Lake Marsh. The banks of this river are 
 low and the slopes are covered with a thick growth 
 of cotton wood and spruce. The left bank of Mud 
 
 m 
 
 H ilM 
 
 »ft, 
 
 'j^'i; 
 
 '4.IJ' 
 
 'If I il 
 
 !'}■ 
 
 I 
 
 n 1^ 
 
 m^i 
 
 if ! ..Ill 
 
 * ' • ,t 
 
 J, -yiH 
 
 urn 
 
42 
 
 OVER THE CHAIN OF LAKES 
 
 Lake should be followed up to the river connecting 
 it with Lake Le Barge, where the right hand bank 
 should be pursued until the head of the canyon, 
 twenty-five miles below, is reached. Unless one is 
 a skilfull navigator, it is best not to run this can- 
 yon, as it is very dangerous, to say the least. A port- 
 age can be made which will insure safety to lives and 
 outfits. After passing the canyon, the left hand 
 side of the river should be followed for a distance 
 of two miles which brings one to the head of the 
 White Horse Rapids. Approaching the Rapids, the 
 river and its surroundings are so commonplace that 
 one is almost upon them before becoming aware 
 of their nearness. Great caution should be exer- 
 cised and a sharp lookout kept on reaching the 
 place where the landing is to be made. These rapids 
 are about half a mile in length and are caused by 
 innumerable, immense boulders lying in the river 
 bed. When the water is very high these rapids 
 may be run in safety but when the depth is only 
 average, one is obliged to make a portage of about 
 two hundred feet at the head of the Rapids and 
 another of about five hundred feet near the foot, but 
 when the water is low so as to give a pathway on the 
 bank, the boat may be lined down. From the foot 
 of White Horse Rapids, to the head of Lake Le 
 Barge the water way is clear and the distance about 
 thirty miles. 
 
 Lake Le Barge is between four and five miles 
 wide and about thirty miles in length. In crossing 
 it, it is well to steer for an island located near the 
 
LAKE LE BARGE 
 
 48 
 
 center. If the wind is very high, it is better to 
 cross to the left hand side and keep close to the 
 shore. In Thirty Mile River the current is very 
 swift and the water much sprinkled with rocks. 
 This lasts until the Hootalinqua River is reached; 
 from there on the sailing is smooth for a distance 
 of one hundred and thirty-six miles. 
 
 lU 
 
 (4 in 
 
 I 
 
 1* 
 
 
 i ' .Mill 
 
 '■»' 1 
 
 ,i 
 
 m 
 
 i\i] 
 
"-V.W'.f'il^i^iV' 
 
 vnmW' ■■■■■^f^^P^P[«BP«B^>| 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 
 Sailing Down Thirty Mile Blver— The Perils of "Five 
 Fingers" — The Funny Adventures of "Blizzard 
 Bill"— Buins of Old Fort Selkirk— Here the Yukoa 
 Assumes Its Name— J. F. Miller's Experiences on 
 the Same Route, June, 1897 — Graveyards by the 
 White Horse Bapids. 
 
 We embarked on Thirty Mile River the first of 
 June and followed the ice down to the Yukon, 
 passing the mouths of the Big and Little Salmon 
 Rivers. 
 
 Five Fingers, the next dangerous spot, is so called 
 on account of five rocks that project out of the water 
 and resemble the fingers of a person's hand. We 
 had ample warning of our approaching this place by 
 the increased speed of the current and the rugged 
 appearance of the shores ; so we kept our boats well 
 to the right and thus were enabled to steer into the 
 right hand passage when we rounded a turn so 
 sharp as to almost form a right angle. A landing 
 may be made about one hundred feet from Five 
 Fingers in order to lighten the boat, which may be 
 swamped if too heavily loaded. However, we con- 
 sidered ours light enough and did not make this 
 landing. 
 
 The water here is very swift and like that of the 
 canyonhas a rolling motion from both sides and from 
 the right hand Finger, or rock. If the boat is kept well 
 on this crest, all will be well, but if allowed to strike 
 
 (44) 
 

 ^^ 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 t/i 
 
 c1 
 
 o 
 n 
 
 a 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
- '". \ 
 
THE "FIVE FINGERS" 
 
 45 
 
 either side, it is doubtful if a piece large enough to 
 be identified would ever be found. 
 
 Just before entering the Fingers, a little to the 
 left, is a whirlpool which it is well to avoid. Here 
 we underwent a strange exptrienr e, at times ludic- 
 rous, but which had also its serious side, as it kept 
 us quite anxious for several hours. 
 
 Accompanying us, in ? boat of his own, was a 
 man from Seattle, whom the boys on the trail had 
 dubbed ''BHzzard Bill." He was a long, gaunt in- 
 dividual, and would I ive been about nine feet tall 
 
 if ther e had not been sq mu ch of hini _turn£djlp 
 fonloun dation ; one of those fellows, you know, who 
 can always do a little more than any one else. Ac- 
 cording, to him, a giant could not have performed 
 the feats c' strength that he had accomplisheo 
 with ease. He had beer through more adventures 
 than any other man, living or dead he was afraid 
 of nothing short of the "Old Boy*' and from his gen- 
 eral conversation one v/ould gather that 'he wouldn't 
 give even him more'n naif the road.' In short, he 
 was such an earnest, persistent and voluminous 
 blow-hard that he had become known, all thtough 
 that country, by the above nick-name. Like all of 
 his kind, he was too wise to follow the lead of his 
 fellow men and was therefore alv/ays getting intc 
 some diffictilty. 
 
 In this particular instance, notwithstanding our 
 caution, he was caughc in 'his whirlpool and half 
 a day elapsed ere he succeeded i*i getting out. The 
 last W2 saw of him, before we passed through the 
 
 r! ''ii 
 
 \ '1 
 
 
:v* 
 
 "BLIZZARD BILL'S" ADVENTURES 
 
 Fingers, he was drifting up stream at a rapid rate. 
 When we got through, we went ashore and waited 
 for him but he did not come. At first the thought 
 of "BHzzard Bill" floating around in this v/hirlpool 
 brought smiles to our faces; we could imagine him 
 sitting in his boat with his legs stretched out in 
 front, pulling 'v^ith all his might but being carried 
 up stream for a quarter of a mile and then back in 
 spite of all that he could do. Round and round 
 he went like a merry-go-round, the merry being 
 absent, however. Every time he would come down, 
 he would seem to be heading for the rocks; so with 
 hair on end, whiskers flying and eyes glassy with 
 fright he would struggle at the oars but to no effect. 
 The waters played with this wonderful man as with 
 a toy and when they got tired of their sport, and 
 released him, he came drifting through broadside 
 on, threatened every instant with being dashed 
 against the rock. What a sight he was, pale as 
 death and so weak from fright and exhaustion that 
 he could hardly make a landing in the placid waters 
 below. As soon as we had assured ourselves that 
 he would not die of fright we felt very much re- 
 lieved indeed. After this, he never blowed of his 
 prowess and skill as a river man, in our presence, 
 and it is safe to assume that if ever "Blizzard Bill" 
 traverses this route again he will hug the right hand 
 bank when about to pass through Five Fingers. 
 , We got aboard again and had been drifting close 
 to the shore for a distance of about three miles, when 
 we heard the roar of Rink Rapids. These Rapids 
 
 
 TSisms 
 
THE ROAR OF THE RINK RAPIDS 
 
 are formed by a line of rocks which almost crosses 
 the river at this point ; for one and one-quarter miles 
 the water goes down boiling and seething, making 
 a noise which re-echoes through the hills like a 
 thunder-bolt. By keeping close to the right hand 
 shore, however, we floated through without acci- 
 dent. 
 
 Between fifty and sixty miles farther down, run 
 over a smooth water course, stand the ruins of Old 
 Fort Selkirk. This fort was burned by marauding 
 Indians in 1853, and has never been re-built. The 
 chimneys of stone are still standing as a sentinel in 
 the wilderness to mark the lapse of time. Here we 
 got the first view of civilization since we turned our 
 backs on Dyea. We had "bucked" the ice all the 
 way down the river. That is, we had followed it 
 closely. Sometimes it would jam and the water 
 would back up and overflow the banks. At one 
 time we had to row back more than half a mile to 
 find room to pitch our tent. Such blockades end 
 by the water backing up until the volume is ro-great 
 that the ice gives way ; then with a roar the current 
 rushes on until another jam is formed, which hap- 
 pens at intervals all the way down the river. Care 
 should be taken not to be too close when one of 
 these blockades break up, or the boat will be sucked 
 in among the cakes of ice and stove to pieces. 
 
 At Fort Selkirk, Mr. Harper, who for many years 
 has been an outside landmark in Alaska and the 
 Yukon district, runs a trading post, where supplies 
 may be purchased. This place is so important in 
 
 i 
 
18 
 
 OLD FORT SELKIRK 
 
 this section that some of the river boats lie in winter 
 quarters here. At this point the Pell}^ and Lewis 
 Rivers run together and from here to the Behring 
 Sea the River is called Yukon. As we were first on 
 the trail in the spring, we saw but little of other 
 parties going over the same route. We had lost 
 half of our supplies by being shipwrecked on the 
 Pacific. This lightened our outfit to such an extent 
 that we kept well ahead, so we saw but little of the 
 disasters of others. 
 
 And yet the route that we had traversed from 
 Dyea to the Hootalinqua River is dotted w ui 
 graves. Indians and white men alike have suc- 
 cumbed to the relentless elements and have been 
 laid away in the mountain sides. A party of four 
 men who followed us were, as we learned afterwards, 
 drowned in the waters of the canyon, and their bod- 
 ies discovered by strangers and buried in the bank 
 below. One man was seen to dash against a rock, at 
 Five Fingers, and nothing but his roll of blankets 
 was ever found. Such was the fate of others and we 
 were happy indeed to be among the fortunate ones. 
 We, however, had used caution, and our experience 
 before we reached Dyea had taught us a lesson of 
 patience that was of advantage to us. Such were 
 the conditions surrounding this trail when we trav- 
 ersed it in the spring of '96. 
 
 As the reader would perhaps be interested in 
 the experience of another prospector who passed 
 over the same route a year later I will quote from a 
 letter written by John F. Miller, who was a prom- 
 

 i 
 
 THE TALE OF JOHN F. MILLER 
 
 49 
 
 inent man in Washington State affairs before he left 
 for the gold fields. 
 
 The letter was addressed to his wife, to whom the 
 public is indebted for the pleasure of perusing it. 
 
 Dawson City, June 17, 1897. 
 
 "Well, we arrived at the end of our long journey, 
 Saturday, 12, at two o'clock, We arrived safe and 
 sound, without having a pound of goods wet or hav- 
 ing been wet ourselves, without an accident or un- 
 usual experience of any kind. 
 
 "The boat was a perfect little hero, and if I was 
 to come again, I would, under the same circum- 
 stances, make my own boat, just as was done this 
 trip. It was light, strong, comparatively easy to 
 handle and almost perfectly dry. It is indeed a 
 very pleasant adventure for us to do so much better, 
 to make quicker time and to have so much greater 
 luck with our outfit than has been the case with old, 
 experienced Yukoners. The only places on the trip 
 that are worthy of being called "hair-raising" are 
 the Summit, Windy Arm, Lake Le Barge, the Can- 
 yon, White Horse, Five Fingers and Rink Rapids. 
 Of all these the White Horse is, of course, the most 
 formidabh,', next the Five Fingers, next the Can- 
 yon, etc. At the Canyon we took out about one 
 thousand pounds, carried it over the hills and then 
 went through wlih the boat. It is a bad place, to 
 be sure, but not dangerous if one only exercises 
 common sense. The White Horse was impassible. 
 We took out our goods, lined the boat down as far 
 as possible, then made a portage and carried it in 
 
 «;. 
 
50 
 
 THE TALE OF JOHN F. MILLER 
 
 below the Rapids, so that no danger or possible 
 loss could occur. What is known as Thirty Mile 
 . River, between Lake Le Barge and the mouth of 
 the Hootalinqua River, is the worst water on the 
 trip; not dangerous to life, but to goods; so many 
 boats are wrecked on the rocks. We were fortunate 
 enough to escape without hitting a rock or getting 
 fast on a sandbar. 
 
 "But, at best, it is a long, long trip. We left Lake 
 Bennett the 31st of May at 2 o'clock P. M. We 
 were delayed nearly two days at Windy Arm and 
 one day at the Canyon and Rapids. They are three 
 miles apart and a troubled water they are. It is the 
 trip of a life time, and with a variety of experi- 
 ences, from sliding over sixty feet of snow to breath- 
 ing incense among the songbirds and flowers — to say 
 nothing of the boiling hot sun. My birthday was 
 passed on Thirty Mile River — that dangerous water 
 I spoke of — and the only feature we had worthy of 
 calHng a celebration was that we had some fresh 
 moose meat, the first fresh meat we ate since we 
 struck the trail. O, my, we had a fine meal! After 
 we left the Hootalinqua, we sailed day and night. 
 The nights are as light as day here. One would 
 not know the difiference, save that the sun is not 
 shining for about two hours. We are both feeling 
 well; not quite tired out with the long run. 
 
 "The Yukon is a broad, majestic river, and dis- 
 plays some of the grandest views I ever beheld. It 
 has a terribly swift current, but the water is as 
 muddy as that of the Missouri. All day long and all 
 
^•^I"-' 
 
 «nPVi>a«i 
 
 iPH 
 
 IMHH 
 
 m 
 
 A BIRTHDAY IN THE YUKON DISTRICT 51 
 
 night too, one could hear the song birds singing 
 their pleasing little notes and apparently mocking 
 the trials of mankind — at least it seemed a mockery 
 to me. We saw no game except goose and duck. 
 If we had only brought a shot gun we could have 
 had game almost the entire way. We bought moose 
 and carriboo meat from the Indians, trading some 
 raisins for it. Just think of the distance we have 
 come in that little boat. O, yes; I said the Five 
 Fingers was a piece of water to be dreaded. Well, 
 it is worse than the Canyon, and the bad feature is 
 that it is in a place where it is impossible to take 
 out any goods. There were some boats there when 
 we came along. They had inspected it and told us 
 the rocks to avoid. We followed the course and the 
 little boat came through like a swan. The river 
 below the Hootalinqua, for perhaps two hundred 
 miles, is a well defined channel without islands or 
 §and bars; then all sorts of obstructions bob up 
 except rocks ; then more islands, bars and cross cur- 
 rents until Sixty Mile; a comparatively good chan- 
 nel the remainder of the way. Some parties met 
 with losses, most of them in Thirty Mile River. A 
 Mr. Petv^rs, with several tons of merchandise, such 
 as clocks, knives, silver ware, dress goods, grocer- 
 ies, blankets — in fact a general merchandising out- 
 fit, was wrecked in the canyon. He managed to ^et 
 his boat through, but all his goods were wet and 
 greatly damaged. While lying above the White 
 Horse, I helped to secure an outfit which came 
 floating down. A couple of fellows were wrecked 
 
 It 
 
 
 •(■?* 
 
 m 
 
62 DANGERS OF THIRTY MILE RIVER 
 
 and lost most of their possessions and wearing ap- 
 parel, boat, etc. But in all these cases of loss, the 
 disaster can be traced to awkwardness or neglect. 
 As I said before we had no trouble in the least. 
 There was no need whatever of our carrying our 
 goods around the Canyon, but we took no chances ; 
 we did it as a precautionary measure. 
 
 "The little boat is now tied up here at our jour- 
 ney's end. It seems a shame to destroy her §ince 
 she has been such a faithful little craft. Still, her 
 days of usefulness are passed, and she, like all the 
 world, must again return to Mother Earth and 
 mingle with the rocks. I thank God she has 
 brought us safely, for she has been tried, at times 
 severely. A thousand miles is no child's wandering 
 for even so staunch a boat. All sorts of gloomy 
 possibilities were pictured to us by those who had 
 been over the river before, but we paid no attention 
 to them, and came along, arriving a week ahead of 
 many of those who criticised the craft. The weather 
 has been very warm during the day, but at night it 
 is very cold. There is no heat whatever in the earth, 
 so as soon as the sun goes down the frost in the 
 ground fills the air with moisture and cold. My 
 whiskers stand me in. good stead against the mos- 
 quitoes. I had my hair cut at Windy Arm by a 
 "barber" who said he had never cut a man's hair, 
 but had clipped a horse about eight years ago. You 
 can imagine the cut! 
 
 "For the last day and night, we floated down the 
 river in company with a couple of Juneau acquaint- 
 
INDIAN GRAVES 
 
 63 
 
 .nces of Harry's, We just \ shed the boats together 
 and floated. The rest of the way we were alone, not 
 a boat in sight in many days. Some families came 
 in, some with small children. There was a sad sight 
 at the head of Lake Lindeman, where a poor baby 
 was laid to rest upon a little hill just before enter- 
 ing the Canyon. Another sad incident took place 
 at the foot of Lake Marsh, where a man was acci- 
 dentally shot and killed. He, too, was placed to rest 
 upon the bank of the river. The only graveyard or 
 graves to be seen are at the foot of the White Horse. 
 Indian graves are very frequent, and some of them 
 are located in commanding and romantic places. 
 Among all the people who have come in this season, 
 I have not heard of a drowning or any very narrow 
 escape. The water was very low at the White 
 Horse, but high farther down. 
 
 *T have now written quite at length regarding the 
 trip and its features, and, by the way, I must say 
 that no one has any right, or ought, to undertake 
 it unless he is ready and willing to put up with any- 
 thing at all times and to undergo any and all kinds 
 of hardships, privations and exposure." 
 
 M 
 
J/l ■-' 
 
 ■nj 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 On the Yukon at Last — ^The Breaking*up of the Tje 
 Jam — Entering the Stewart, or "Grub Stake" River 
 Poling vs. Bowing — The Ferocious Mahoney In- 
 dians — Dutch John's Bar — Jerking Moose Flesh — 
 Digging Gold at Sperry Bank — Prospecting the Mc- 
 Question Biver — ^Looking After Supplies and Win- 
 ter Quarters. 
 
 We arrived in the evening and pitched our tent 
 for the first time on the banks of the Yukon. The 
 trail that we had traversed was indeed rough and 
 the hardships endured by us must be experienced 
 in order to be thoroughly understood. 
 
 As we were the first to arrive from the outside 
 world we were besieged for news on every hand. 
 We had no newspapers with us, so related the more 
 important happenings of the past year, which were 
 listened to with a relish and which were again "told 
 by one to another, being handed around like the 
 traditions of old. 
 
 The ice was still jammed in the river and we 
 were delayed until the blockade broke. This oc- 
 curred in the afternoon of the next day when we 
 took to our boat and proceeded down the stream. 
 The country here is well timbered and many islands 
 dot the river, which is smooth and very wide for 
 about 90 miles. 
 
 At last we were on the Yukon and in the country 
 of gold. Just where to locate and begin work wag 
 
 (M) 
 
^ 
 
 ..LU II.IIHI 
 
 n 
 
 53 
 n 
 r 
 w 
 
 n 
 
 o 
 
 w 
 
 o 
 
 
 J?- 
 
 ^ii 
 
W'W' 
 
 
 ..•■iii.jijt.»j^j]ijnii.i^v;' 
 
ON THE YUKON AT LASTI 
 
 66 
 
 ^i 
 
 a problem. After turning the matter over in our 
 minds, we decided that perhaps we might as well 
 work our way up the Stewart River. We continued 
 on, down the "^ukon, meeting with no incidents or 
 accidents of importance and the scenery varying 
 but little, until we reached the White River. It 
 flows in from the west and is a broad, rapid stream. 
 The current runs about sixteen miles per hour and 
 the waters are muddy white in color. Its name 
 is perhaps derived from this fact. This river, has 
 been but littl^ r>t >spected on account of the rapid 
 current which makes it almost impossible to get 
 supplies up the stream. It is supposed to rise near 
 the base of an active volcano, though the only 
 authority for this supposition is the traditions of the 
 natives. Here the Yukon broadens to a mile- in 
 width but the valley maintains its general appear- 
 ance for some miles further, though the islands 
 become more numerous and in some instances lar- 
 ger. Ten miles farther down the Yukon, the Stew- 
 art River joins it from the east. As we had elected 
 to try our fortune in this valley we swung our boat 
 into this deep, dark stream and bade good-bye to 
 the Yukon. The banks of this river are very rug- 
 ged, rising in many places in a perpendicular bluff 
 for hundreds of feet. At this time the water was 
 high and we had great difficulty in poling our boat 
 up the stream. At intervals, we had to go into 
 camp for several days, waiting for the water to fall. 
 The currents in all of these rivers are so strong that 
 it is impossible to row a boat against them; there- 
 
 mi 
 
M- 
 
 fore \'he traveler must resort to p-Dling. Two good 
 men \\'ho are used to this kind of work can pole a 
 boat about fifteen miles a day. For poling, a boat 
 should be flat-bottomed and level on the keel. 
 
 The Stewart River is supposed to be about five 
 hundred and fifty miles in length, though white men 
 have never reached its source. A man by the name 
 of Johnson and Bis son have followed it up to about 
 four hundred and fifty miles from its mouth but were 
 run out by the Indians before they could note many 
 of thf; land marks. It took them all their time to 
 sa^/e tlieir rcalps from the ferocious Mahoneys, a 
 tribe of northern Indians that inhabit the upper 
 Stewart. At the Falls, al-out: one hundred and 
 seven. y-five miles .iiom the river's mout',., is the 
 SQ-calhi'd ''dead line/ and even the ?+ewart River 
 Indians never cross thi". The Mahoneys are at war 
 wit'a everv other tribe, and with the world in gen- 
 eral; and no one who has had the hardihood to 
 trespass on their domains has ever returned to tell 
 the tale. 
 
 This tribe lives almost entirely by h^inting and 
 fishing. Occasionall^y , hov/ever, they will doage out 
 to the "Harper House" at Fort Selkirk and trade 
 furs for ammunition, tea and tobacco. At one time, 
 Mr. Harper traded them one thousand dollars worth 
 of these articles for furs. Usrially a small detach- 
 ment, consisting of about half a dozen suddenly 
 appear at the trading post and as soon as their trad- 
 ing is completed as Zucdenly disappear. Between 
 them and the Stewart River Indians in part'citlii, 
 
 ''' 
 
 
wm^fm^mfiimm 
 
 ^wpi^B»""Ppi 
 
 mmi'i^'mmmimm 
 
 ^mmr^fmmnmr^ 
 
 li- .*m 
 
 I 
 
 THF FEROCIOUS MAHONEY INDIANS 57 
 
 tHere exists a bitter feud and they will kill each 
 other on sight. They are armed with the old rifles 
 of the Hudson Bay Company pattern which they 
 obtained years ago from a post of that company 
 then established on the Mackenzie River, a branch 
 of which also flows through their country. The 
 price of one of these rifles, when bought by the 
 Mahoney tribe, was a stack of furs which when piled 
 on the floor beside the rifle would reach to the 
 muzzle. For some reason they have never yet ob- 
 tained the modern pattern of breech loaders and re- 
 peaters. These Indians, thus far, have rejected all 
 civilizing influences and as they occupy one of na- 
 ture's staunchest strongholds, located in a wilder- 
 nesii of frost and barricaded with ice and snow, they 
 will probably defy the intrusion of the white man 
 for years to come, unless subdued by the arts of 
 some venturesome missionary. 
 
 The Mahoney Mount ins form the watershed be- 
 tween the Stewart and Mackenzie Rivers. The 
 north side of thes^ mour tains is drained by the 
 last named nd its branches, v/hich find their outlet 
 in the Arctic Ocean, while the waters of the south 
 side flow over the Stf v/ar*^^ and Pelly River beds into 
 the Yukon, 
 
 The Stewart River is also called "Grub Stake 
 River," for it is here that the mmer returns after 
 a season of unprofitable prospecting. There is gold 
 on all its bars, and a prospector never fails to take 
 out a grub stake in a short time. The river bottom 
 IS covered wit" grass and, unlike the soil that is 
 
 .M 
 
 '9n9iv 
 
 '^.U 
 
 ;**^i 
 
 ♦^h 
 
 ■ 1 
 
 Mi 
 
 i it 
 
 1 -i- 
 
#? 
 
 protected with moss, thaws out in summer. In all 
 our prospecting on this river we did not strike frost 
 but found that the gravel fell from it. 
 
 We had worked our way up the Stewart, for a 
 distance of twenty-five miles, when we were ob- 
 liged to go into camp on account of the water being 
 so high that we could not reach bottom with our 
 implements. 
 
 We called this "High Water Camp," and while 
 waiting here for the water to fall, we spent the 
 time in hunting and fishing. We killed three moose 
 and two bears and caught any quantity of fish. Thus 
 we were provided with fresh meat which was very 
 palatable indeed after living on bacon for so many 
 weeks. The fish were of the variety called white 
 fish by the miners on account of the color of their 
 flesh which is of a clear white. The flesh is solid 
 and very sweet. They are a fresh water fish with 
 scales and resemble the salmon in shape ancl size; 
 they are as sportive as bass and are taken with a 
 trolling hook. 
 
 At the end of three weeks, however, the water 
 had fallen so that we could proceed farther up the 
 stream. After a hard push of about five miles we 
 reached "Dutch John's Bar," so-called because it 
 had been discovered by an individual who in that 
 cf antry was known by that sobriquet. We staid 
 here for a few days, having in the meantime taken 
 out eleven ounces of the precious metal and then 
 pushed on for a richer find. One mile further up 
 we landed on Lac De Bar, but as the prospects 
 
« WORKING A RICH BAR 
 
 were not very encouraging we did not tarry long. 
 Two miles further we went into camp on the Half 
 Moon Bar, so named on account of its crescent 
 form. Here we killed two more moose, the flesh of 
 which we jerked and then cached. This is done by 
 cutting the flesh into strips and spreading these out 
 on a sort of gridiron platform built on poles high 
 enough to be secure from the attacks of r^nimals of 
 prey. The heat of the sun soon forms a crust which 
 protects it from the flies. After caching our jerked 
 moose we struck camp and three miles further up 
 found a slough that we thought inviting. In four 
 days we had taken out twenty-one ounces, or about 
 $22.00 per day to the man, which was very satis- 
 factory. The water, however, drove us out of here 
 as ic kept rising all the time and finally raised us 
 entirely out of the pay dirt. Porcupine Bar, three 
 miles further up, was our next stop ; there we found 
 two men named respectively Raymond and White. 
 This bar was discovered about fifteen years ago and 
 was very rich, paying from seventy-five to one hun- 
 dred dollars per day when worked with a rocker. 
 The Stewart River is Raymond's favorite diggings, 
 and he is found here year after year. He had been 
 three years on this bar. He left it when the Klon- 
 dyke strike was made, but arrived on the scene too 
 late to get a choice claim, so returned again to 
 the Stewart. The pay here was not rich enough for 
 us; so in the morning, we moved on, and after poling 
 for 14 miles against a rapid current, we reached 
 Chapman Bar. This we prospected but found that 
 
do MEETING PROSPECTORS ALONG RIVER 
 
 the pay dirt, though quite rich, was covered with 
 so much barren sand that it was not profitable to 
 strip it. We passed up to Joe Jay Bar, a distance of 
 about twenty miles. Here we found Stallers and 
 Peterson, who had come up the winter before on the 
 ice hauling their provisions on sleds and had com- 
 menced work as soon as the thaw set in. They had 
 bought the bar from Joe Jay who had located it. 
 Like many transactions of this nature in this coun- 
 try they were to pay for it when they had taken the 
 money out of the ground. They were getting along 
 nicely, however, and would probably be able to 
 settle with Joe the following winter and have a snug 
 sum left. We dropped back about two miles and 
 a half to Sperry Bank. Here we found the old dig- 
 gings quite good. Further down the stream, how- 
 ever, I noticed a bar lying low in the water and de- 
 cided to prospect it. When I did so I found it 
 paid about twenty dollars per day. This was con- 
 sidered fair, but after working a few days, we con- 
 cluded to push up the river again and if we found 
 nothing better we could return and work it out. 
 We named this Low Water Bar. Forty miles 
 brought us to the McQuestion River, which joins 
 the Stewart from the west. It heads on the oppo- 
 site side of the mountains in which the wonderful 
 Klondyke finds its source. We continued on, how- 
 ever, and prospected a bar about two miles further 
 up. Not satisfied with this, we went three niles 
 further to a place called "Black Mike's Bar'' be- 
 cause of the color of the man who located it, but 
 
■ ' '^■'. "^^^H 
 
 DIVIDING OUR FORCES 
 
 d^ 
 
 
 were not yet satisfied that we had found the best 
 in the country. 
 
 I, for my part, was contented to turn back and 
 finish the season on the bar which I had discovered 
 near Sperry Bank. The boys, however, wanted to 
 find something richer. Finally we decided to re- 
 turn to the mouth of the McQuestion and there 
 separate. We concluded that it would be better for 
 two of us to drop back to Low Water Bar and put 
 in the balance of the season working it, while the 
 others continued prospecting. This method would 
 insure us a steady income of about forty dollars per 
 day which would keep us well supplied with "grub" 
 besides giving us a nice margin for the folks at 
 home. At the mouth of the McQuestion, we sepa- 
 rated. Gage Warden and myself dropped down the 
 Stewart while the other boys went up the Mc- 
 Question. Bidding the boys God speed we shoved 
 off and in a few days were again encamped on Low 
 Water Bar. About the 10th of September, while at 
 work here, we were signaled from a raft that was 
 floating by. We immediately shoved our boat in 
 the stream and rowed towards it and were indeed 
 pleased to learn that it was manned by our partners. 
 They had their boat aboard, in which their outfit 
 was snugly stored. An improvised canopy of the 
 ever useful canvas was stretched over this, which 
 protected them from the sun but did not ward off 
 the refreshing breeze. We went aboard rind drifted 
 down the river with them. They had prospected 
 the McQuestion for a distance of 100 miles and 
 
 • ,f,.i.iis,. 
 
62 
 
 THE BOYS COME BACK 
 
 though they brought back considerable gold they 
 had found nothing that was an improvement on our 
 present location. At the mouth of the river, how- 
 ever, they had cut about two hundred logs, which 
 they were now rafting down to Sixty Mile, where 
 they hoped to exchange them for provisions. We 
 concluded that it would be best for them to continue 
 with the raft, while we work*^d a iiitie longer, and 
 then follow and meet them later a^. the trading post. 
 
 After drifting with them for about two miles we 
 embarked in our boat and made our way back to 
 our camp where we continued at work until Septem- 
 ber 19th, when we struck camp and joined them. 
 
 Our stock of provisions was exhausted. Our 
 larder contained nothing but jerked moose and co- 
 coa. We had been out of flour for two weeks and 
 as we had no condensed milk or sugar we could not 
 use the cocoa. We traded this to the Indians for 
 moose flesh and they in turn, having no more use 
 for it than we had, traded it to some miners for 
 tobacco. 
 
 It had now been about seven months since we left 
 Seattle. We had gone through a great deal of hard- 
 ship but had found a little gold; in fact we were 
 satisfied with our success and well content with our 
 journey thus far. 
 
 It was our intention to return as soon as we could, 
 as the cold weather might set in at any time. When 
 we returned v/e had calculated to erect a cabin and 
 prepare our quarters for the winter season that 
 would soon be upon us. We could also arrange to 
 
'I "!m 
 
 SUMMER DRIFTING DOWN THE YUKON 63 
 
 strip some of the barren sand from the bar. In fact 
 we had put in many an idle moment in planning 
 for our comfort and had even calculated the exact 
 time when we would return to the States with ample 
 means to keep us in comfort the balance of our 
 days. Not in luxury — we did not aim as high as 
 that — for our little bar was limited and we did not 
 care to spend our lives in this region. 
 
 We drifted down the river in comfort, laying 
 aside the poles that had been our mainstay and 
 props in our journey up. When we reached Por- 
 cupine Bar, we tied up long enough to load the 
 jerked moose we had cached there early in the 
 season. We found it in good condition and it had 
 not been molested, though undoubtedly seen by 
 others passing along the river. It is the custom, in 
 this country, to leave everything that belongs to you 
 where you please, even in the most exposed places. 
 It is seldom that you will find on your return that 
 it has been molested, no matter how valuable it may 
 be. The miners have a law, though an unwritten 
 one, that is very severe toward any one who takes 
 what does not belong to him. Woe betide him who 
 IS caught in the act or who is even strongly sus- 
 pected of being light-fiiigered. The least punish- 
 ment that such can expect is to be ordered out of 
 the country with instructions not to return on pain 
 of death. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 .■m^^W 
 
 The First News of the Klondike "Strike"— Old Indian 
 the News-Bearer— 'Beaching Sixty-Mile Post — ^A 
 Storm on the Yukon— Two Claims Staked by My 
 Partners on Bonanza Creek— We Locate Two More 
 on the Hardly Known Eldorado Creek— Plenty of 
 Gold, but no Supplies — ^Down the Yukon After 
 Food— A Terrible Jam of Ice-Floes. 
 
 When we had picked up our jerked moose we 
 continued on down the river without incident of 
 any kind until we met an Indian about 30 miles 
 from the Yukon. This was "Old Chief Joseph" 
 who had been down to Sixty Mile after tea and 
 tobacco for his people, one of the Stewart River 
 J:ribes. As he was on his way up stream he was 
 "hugging the shore" so as to avoid the current. 
 We steered towards him, and after the habit of that 
 country, both parties made fast in order to "swap" 
 such news as we had in stock. Here we first heard 
 of the great "strike" in the Klondyke district. We 
 could not talk his language but he could make him- 
 self understood. "White man find heap gold on 
 Klondyke," said he, and he related in his best Eng- 
 lish, some of which we understood, all the partic- 
 ulars of the rich strike and the stampede from all 
 parts of the Yukon that followed. We lost no time 
 in starting for this wonderful country where, the 
 bed rock i^ lined with gold. Not content with the 
 now too slow current, we got out our oars and 
 
 (M) 
 
PS 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 C/l E 
 
 
••<MP<MM<«»<M#MM 
 
 FIRST NEWS OF THE GREAT STRIKE 65 
 
 rowed. The days were getting much shorter and 
 in consequence the weather much colder. We, 
 however, were well protected, having with us the 
 furs taken from the moose and bear that we had 
 been fortunate enough to kill. 
 
 We reached Sixty Mile in good time and halted 
 there for supplies. Here we met a number of miners 
 who confirmed the Indian's statement as to the 
 riches of the Klondyke district. They had just 
 come up after locating claims on Bonanza Creek. 
 We bought from Mr. Haley, agent for the North 
 American Transportation Company, at Sixty Mile 
 Post, a sack of flour, some salt and some tobacco. 
 This was all he would let us have, as provisions were 
 short with him, but he told us we could get all we 
 wanted at Dawson City as he expected the "Arctic" 
 would leave at least forty tons there. I can't de- 
 scribe how we appreciated this little stock. We had 
 had nothing to eat but jerked moose without salt or 
 pepper to season it witTi, for. more than two weeks. 
 We had some baking powder and made some bread 
 which tasted better to me than any other I had 
 ever eaten. As I was eating or rather devouring 
 it, the familiar phrase "Bread is the staff of life," 
 occurred to me, and I wondered if the author ever 
 had a similar experience before he penned those 
 words. The salt gave the jerked moose a flavor 
 that made it very palatable indeed, after having 
 eaten so much of it without seasoning. The flesh 
 of the moose is very much like venison. This and 
 bear meat were the only fresh meat we had in that 
 
 I 
 
ee THE BEST BREAD I EVER ATE 
 
 country, until later when some steers were driven 
 into the district, and beef was a pleasing variation 
 from the usual bill of fare. 
 
 We lost no time in continuing down the Yukon. 
 Soon after we started, however, a snow storm arose 
 and compelled us to go into camp. It lasted for a 
 day and a half when it ceased as suddenly as it had 
 commenced. The cold was very penetrating and, 
 though we had no way to ascertain the temperature, 
 I have no doubt the thermometer would have regis- 
 tered at least twenty degrees below zero. The wind 
 was strong and the sharp particles of snow cut like 
 a knife. We covered our tent with about two feet 
 of spruce branches, kept the stove well filled with 
 wood and wrapping our blankets around us were 
 well protected from the storm and quite comfort- 
 able. We chafed under the delay as we thought the 
 creek might all be staked out before we could arrive 
 on the ground. What we thought to be our mis- 
 fortune, however, turned out to be our good fortune, 
 as will appear later in this narrative. Finally the 
 storm ceased, the sun shone as before, and we, grat- 
 ified at our release, again set out for the Eldorado 
 of the world. 
 
 Four and a half days after we left Low Water 
 Bar, we arrived at the mouth of the Klondyke. Here 
 we found our partners waiting for us as they ex- 
 pected we would join the stampede. They had lost 
 their raft on the Stewart river, having run on a 
 rock and the strong current had torn it to pieces 
 before they could get it adrift. They had, however. 
 
 1^^ 
 
■WIPinWIllllBBB^Bi 
 
 REACHING THE KLONDYKE 
 
 tl 
 
 gone on down the river and had each staked a 
 claim on Bonanza Creek. We lost no time here but 
 started immediately for the Bonanza which is about 
 28 miles from the confluence of the Klondyke 
 and Yukon. We went overland following an old 
 Indian trail which had been used for many years by 
 the natives in getting to their hunting grounds in 
 the mountains. This tr'^il is the hypothenuse, as it 
 were, of the angle formed by the Klondyke River 
 and Bonanza Creek which it crosses near Discovery, 
 about twenty-five miles up the stream. We found 
 this creek staked from its mouth to its source which 
 was a bitter disappointment to us. However, we 
 did not sit down and waste our time in regrets but 
 pushed on until we had reached the Eldorado. This 
 looked inviting but at that time gold had not been 
 found in the Gulch. We were determined to drive 
 our stakes somewhere in this district and concluded 
 that this would perhaps do as well as any other 
 place. We hurried out to Dawson City and made 
 our applications for which we paid $15.00 each in 
 dust. We now had four claims but did not know 
 that they were worth the sixty dollars we had paid for 
 filing them, nor could we tell until the ground froze 
 up, as we could not sink a shaft on account of the 
 high water which covered them at this season. But 
 little time was left for us to look up a supply of pro- 
 visions for the winter as it was now the 39th day of 
 September, and the river might freeze over any time. 
 In fact we had taken a desperate risk in not looking 
 after this important matter earlier. Neither had 
 
 r 
 
 ;k 
 
 iMlii 
 
 ft 
 
08 STAKING OUR CLAIMS 
 
 we erected a cabin, and if the winter should set in 
 
 before we had comfortable quarters we might sufler 
 severely from the cold. As soon as we had secured our 
 claims we started down the Yukon, havini^f failed to 
 get provisionr. at Dawson City. Such as we had 
 procur*"d at Sixty Mile Post were now nearly gone. 
 We had plenty of gold but we could not tat it. For 
 a time I wondered if this metal was such valuable 
 stuff aft-^r all. It seemed that the whole world was 
 striving to obtain it, myself among the rest, and yet, 
 now that it could not be exchanged for food, I did 
 not appreciate it as formerly. Still, we might ob- 
 tain such supplies as we needed ai Forty Mile or 
 Fort Cuda^'" • or even if we were obliq:ed to go down 
 the Yukon ior a distance of two hi;ndred and sev- 
 enty-five miles to Circle City, we would have been 
 satisfied if we were r-u: v to get them. We must 
 have provisions and i\s th"re were none up the 
 river we must p^'oceed with the current until we had 
 obtained at l^ast enough to keep us froiu starving 
 during the long cold winter. 
 
 On our way down, we met the rear guard of stam- 
 peding Forty Mile bound for the Klondyke. It was 
 a motley procession. On rafts and in boats of every 
 description were all sorts of people taking with 
 ti:em everything movable. Foity Mile was literally 
 moving for tho Yukon. Nearly every living thing 
 that h?,d previously called Forty Mile "home" was 
 in line. Men who had been in a drunken stupor 
 for weeks were stowed in the bottom of boats and 
 taken along to locate claims. All classes of human- 
 
DOWN THE YUKON AFTER FOOD 
 
 69 
 
 ity wfre there. Honest, hard-working miners, sa- 
 loon keepers and their attaches and hangers-on, the 
 female followers of mining camps, and, in fact, evcr> 
 human being save the attendants of the trading 
 post. Indeed it was a wild, mad rush, each striving 
 to reach the golden land before the other. It was a 
 sight to look upon, and I could thoroughly enjoy 
 it, as I had been in many stampedes myself. In 
 fact we had just experienced the same feeling, 
 though we had but little company, as the region 
 above was sparsely populated. The symptom con- 
 sists of a grasping, feverish, impatient anxiety that 
 can be relieved only by reaching the destination 
 sought; it matters not if the pursuit be swift, the pace 
 seems always slow. All human feeling, pity, gen- 
 erosity, sympathy and even conimon sense are, for 
 the time, overpowered by the animal nature, and, 
 like a pack of starving wolves in pursuit of prey, 
 they push wildly on. 
 
 When we were about twenty-five miles above 
 Forty Mile we were overtaken by a storm. The 
 weather became suddenly very cold, so cold in fact 
 that a coating of ice formed on the river. We at 
 first thought that winter had set in and that we 
 would have to forsake our boats and make our way 
 with sleds. It was a dreary prospect. With noth- 
 ing but a tent for shelter and but a small supply of 
 provisions, we felt far from comfortable. The 
 freeze, however, proved to be but a warning, evi- 
 dently sent out to notify us that winter was hard by. 
 The weather moderated and at the end of four days 
 
 II H 
 
 
 ■■MB 
 
70 
 
 A STORM ON THE BIG RIVER 
 
 il: 
 
 : ;. 
 
 hi 
 
 the ice broke up. We dragged our boat upon a 
 large cake of this slush Ice and taking our places 
 inside floated down with it. This we did in order 
 to keep our boats from being jammed. It was a 
 happy thought, but even then we had all we could 
 do to keep them from being sto v'e in, as large cakes 
 of ice continually mounted that on which we were 
 drifting and we were kept constantly at work push- 
 ing it away with our poles. At one time, the field 
 of ice of which the cake we were on formed a part, 
 became jammed between two small islands, and 
 the grating noise of the crushing ice made us shiver 
 as it crept closer and closer. The front of the floe, 
 wedged in between these islands, would not yield to 
 the pressure oi the current and as the frigid mass 
 swayed and trembled huge pieces were pushed out 
 of the river and shot upon the shore. 
 
 The cakes of ice coming down from behind piled 
 one upon another and cut oflf our retreat. It was a 
 close pinch, and, for a few moments, alarming, but 
 an angle seemed to fonii around us and we were 
 safe unless this gave way. We could do nothing to 
 strengthen it and, with bated breath, we watched the 
 outcome. Would the pressure grow too great and 
 our protecting wall be forced in? Soon> however, 
 much to our relief, the field separated, dividing 
 both ways, and left us on the outside. The mass 
 became, as it were, top-heavy on both sides at once, 
 and when it separated one-half of it went around 
 either island. 
 
 We continued on down the river, occsisionally 
 
 f 
 
 r 
 
IN THE CLUTCHES OF AN ICE JAM 71 
 
 spying an opening where we could row and gain a 
 little on the current. At times, we were forced to 
 take refuge on some friendly cake of ice and wait 
 another chance to proceed without danger. It was 
 a perilous journey, but we were driven on by neces- 
 sity. We must have a stock of provisions or we 
 would surely die from starvation ere the winter 
 passed. We had learned from those we met on the 
 way that re were provisions at Foffy Mile but 
 that the stock was rapidly decreasing, and our only 
 hope was to arrive there ere it had entirely disap- 
 peared. Finally we reached the trading post in 
 safety, though we had a number of narrow escapes 
 from being crushed in the ice. 
 
 Fortunately the provisions were not all gone, 
 though we could only purchase our allowance. The 
 trading companies had estimated the number of men 
 that were depending on them for supplies and also 
 the amount of provisions they had on the river and 
 had concluded to pro-rate their stock among them. 
 We could get but one hundred pounds of flour to the 
 man and other provisions handled by the companies 
 in proportion. This forethought on the part of the 
 traders proved to be a timely precaution against 
 famine and much credit is due them for thus look- 
 ing after the prospectors who depend on them for 
 their winter supplies when they return to these 
 oases of civilization after a summer spent in the hills. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Was There Qold in Otir Claims P— The Placer Miner's 
 Ever Beviving Hopes— Is it Clondyke, Klondyke or 
 KlondikeP— The Story of George W. McCormack, 
 the original Disorder of this Nature's Treasure 
 House, August 16, 1896. 
 
 The ice had now run down and we conld return 
 in safety to the Klondyke. We were anxious to 
 return before the winter set in, as we could make 
 our way by boat much easier than by sled. Then, 
 too, we wanted to know whether our claims were 
 on the pay streaks or not and v/e could tell only by 
 driving a shaft to bed rock. 
 
 The life of a placer miner is one of constant hope. 
 If a man is not endowed with a most sanguine dis- 
 position he will never be a successful prospector. 
 The same fascination that leads men to wager hard- 
 earned money on the high card, enters into this oc- 
 cupation. The hope of obtaining a promising loca- 
 tion is so fascinating that it leads one on through 
 months of hardships that could not be endured for 
 a week by a pessimistic or morose nature. Then 
 comes the task of sinking a shaft through ten to 
 thirty feet of frozen ground, literally burning one's 
 way through, working almost day and night, sus- 
 tained by the hope that one will be rewarded with 
 yellow nuggets ere bed rock is reached. How eager- 
 ly the miner watches the test pans from time to time, 
 
 (78) 
 
 ! 
 
iV'^ '£r^~ *" ■ "nTT""*^'- 
 
 UNDYING HOPES OF THE MINER 
 
 73 
 
 and when the first color is obtained how his face 
 Hirhts up with satisfaction. If he finds that he lias 
 "struck pay dirt" he feels that, at last, his efforts 
 have been rewarded. After staking a discovery 
 claim he hastens out to tell his good fortune to all 
 he meets. He advises them to locate on the same 
 creek, for a prospector is generous and v/ould share 
 with friend or stranger. A dwarfed heart cannot re- 
 main long such in the outskirts of civilization ; it will 
 soon be expanded by the surrounding warmth o! 
 good fellowship, or else be frozen to death by the 
 chilly neglect. The miner is loyal to his friends and 
 honorable in all h dealings ; he is the Solon, and in 
 many cases the executor of his laws, which are 
 founded on the text "Do unto others as you would 
 have them do unto you." As civilization advances, 
 his eyes will wander toward the wilderness and wist- 
 fully scan the horizon; and when the pressure be- 
 comes too great he will set out and, accompanied 
 by his dogs as his sole companions will push be- 
 yond its borders to return with the news of another 
 strike; or, if unsuccessful, he will come back for 
 more provisions to sustain him while he continues 
 the search. Such are the characteristics of the 
 typical prospector. 
 
 But to return to our trip. We started back, up 
 the river, feeling well satisfied with our success in 
 having obtained this meager supply. To be sure, 
 we must have more ere the winter had passed; but 
 we had learned that the " \lice" was expected at 
 Dawson City before the freeze set in for good and 
 
 m 
 
ajr 5 i)m ' , • 
 
 74 WAITING FOR THE KLONDYKE TO FREEZE 
 
 we hoped to be able to procure an additional supply 
 from her cargo. 
 
 On our way up, we overtook several men who 
 had met with accidents by the ice. In some in- 
 stances, their boats had been crushed and their out- 
 fits partly ruined. As a rule, however, they had 
 saved some portion of it and were not sufTering, 
 though they were delayed until they had built rafts 
 on which to proceed. 
 
 In this country where flour and bacon are so 
 precious, a man will take great risk of life in order 
 to protect hiG supplies. He will even use his body, 
 as one ordinarily uses one's hands, to ward off 
 blows from ice or rock that might endanger the 
 cargo of his frail craft as the loss of it might result 
 in hi? starving in the wilderness. 
 
 After five days' poling, we reached the mouth 
 of the Klondyke River with our supplies in good 
 conditions, and pitched our tents on ground now 
 occupied by Dawson City. 
 
 At this time, there were but a few tents here and 
 only two or three cabirs, Joe Ladue had already 
 made application to locate the ground and had 
 erected a sawmill here which he had moved down 
 the Yukon from Sixty Mile. 
 
 We went into camp with the intention of walthig 
 until the Klondyke should freeze over so that v/e 
 could convey our provisions, by sled, to our claims 
 on the Eldorado. This was necessary as our claims 
 were about twenty-eight miles away over a rough 
 
 I. 
 
"•■P'' 
 
 FROM "THORN DUYCK" TO "KLONDYKE" 76 
 
 and mountainous trail, which was covered with soft, 
 flufty moss about a foot deep. 
 
 There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the 
 correct way to spell this word. Some spell it 
 K-1-o-n-d-y-k-e while others, of as good authority, 
 persist in spelling it with a "C." Klondyke is prob- 
 ably correct as the Canadian officials spell it in this 
 way and so does the mining Commissioner for the 
 Klondyke district. On the Canadian maps, where 
 the river is noted at all, it is spelled with a "K." 
 The Commissioner is perhaps the best authority 
 and, in writing this volume, his orthography will 
 be accepted. 
 
 The Indians call it "Thron Duyck," which sig- 
 nifies in their language "plenty of fish." However 
 the authorities differ as to the proper spelling of the 
 name, there is one thing on which all agree, that is, 
 that the branches of this river, notably Bonanza and 
 Eldorado Creeks, mark the richest placer mines 
 that the world has record of. 
 
 The mines of California, in her balmiest days, 
 were not to be compared with these. Those of Aus- 
 tralia, South Africa and New Zealand pale into in- 
 significance when compared with those of the El- 
 dorado and Bonanza. Tt has been said that truth 
 is stranger than fiction; here indeed is this saying 
 justified, for tlie tales that have been, and that will 
 be told of what has transpired in this strange land 
 will surpass the imaginings of a Haggard or a 
 Jules Verne. 
 
 Discovered by accident, prospected with fire, lo- 
 
98 
 
 McCORMACK, THE DISCOVERER 
 
 cated when the mercury was frozen solid in the 
 thermometer and worked by men who had little 
 else to eat but gold — in those few words the tale 
 might be accurately told. 
 
 This store of treasure was discovered in August, 
 1896, by George W. McCormack, a native of Il- 
 linois, who, with his family, lived near the mouth 
 of the Klondyke River. He has been living on the 
 Yukon for a number of years and has an Indian 
 wife and two half breed children. 
 
 He, with two Indians, was fishing at the mouth 
 of the Klondyke, but as the salmon did not run up 
 the Yukon in 1896 his fishing was unsuccessful, and 
 in disgust he went up the stream prospecting^. There 
 were no indications on the Klondyke that its 
 branches held gold in paying quantities, still, urged 
 to do so by the Indians, he determined to inves- 
 tigate. They, it seems, knew of the existence of 
 gold here, and guided him to the spot where it was 
 found. In all probabilit\ , had the salmon been run- 
 ning up the Yukon in the summer of 1896 as usual, 
 the Klondyke would still be an insignificant little 
 stream up near the Arctic Circle that few had ever 
 seen or even heard of. Striking camp, McCormack 
 started out into the howling wilderness; with but 
 little food, and that of the coarsest kind, he strug- 
 gled on, and finally, aflir days of agonizing toil, 
 reached the region that will give to the world per- 
 haps a billion in gold. Arriving at the mouth of 
 the Bonanza Creek he turned up and continued on- 
 ward a distance of about twenty-five miles. Poling 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
McCORMACK, THE DISCOVERER 
 
 77 
 
 a boat against a rapid current was no easy task, 
 but by constant work, stopping occasionally to pros- 
 pect some point or bar that looked inviting, he, with 
 his two native companions, reached the goal of their 
 ambition. 
 
 The surface prospect was encouraging; in fact, 
 rich. The first pan washed out about two bits 
 (twenty-five cents) worth of gold. A fire was built, 
 and the earth thawed out for a depth of three feet. 
 Here a test gave one dollar and seventy-five cents to 
 the pan. Deeper they went and the value per pan 
 increased with every inch until bed rock was 
 reached, then he knew that he had struck a bo- 
 nanza. The pay streak proved wide, deep and rich. 
 In two weeks they had taken out fourteen thousand 
 dollars. 
 
 Provisions ran short, and a messenger had to be 
 dispatched to the great highway of that part of the 
 world, the Yukon, for an additional supply. Thus 
 the news of the great strike was heralded to the 
 world. The Indian messenger joined, at this point, 
 other prospectors who were at the river on the 
 same mission. Once, each year, a river steamer 
 passed this point on its way to Sixty Mile and Fort 
 Belkirk where it went annually with supplies. It 
 was llie liulill nf proHpertorB to gather on the bank 
 of the river al llil« lliiic to purchase provisions from 
 the captain and incidynlally learn what they could 
 from the outside world. 
 
 As I sat there in my tent I could imagine the 
 news first told in the most picturesquely romantic 
 
 i 
 
78 
 
 THE NEV:S SPREAD 
 
 spot on earth. Weirdness, solemnity and vastness, 
 the elements of grandeur entered into the scenery 
 from all sides, relieved, as it were, by dainty shrub- 
 bery and plants and flowers even, that seemed 
 to dance in the embrace of the gentle breezes of a 
 Yukon summer, and lend to the scene a sub- 
 dued beauty that cannot be reproduced by brush or 
 pen. 
 
 The Yukon, at this point, grand, majestic, sol- 
 emn, stretching as it does, far to the west, fills its 
 canyon-like channel and goes rolling on toward the 
 briny deep. A mile and a quarter wide of cold, muddy 
 water hurrying past, seemingly bound for the north 
 pole, or may be, anxious to lap the sides of an ice- 
 berg in the Behring Sea. Kissed by the sun at 
 midnight, it seems to mock less fortunate waters 
 that must travel in the dark; laughingly it gathers 
 up little streams that plunge in on either side and, 
 filled with satisfaction it flows on. The Klondyke, 
 soon to electrify the world, coming down from the 
 east with a roar that seems to defy the intrusion 
 of man, and to frighten prospective invaders away 
 from the treasure hidden in its branches above, 
 lends a dashing, boisterous presence to the scene 
 which contrasts well with the solemn, majestic flow 
 of the Yukon. The mountains arising almost per- 
 pendicular from the running water, massive, bare 
 and hoary with age, snow-capped perpetually, 
 looming up toward the heavens in an attitude of 
 pride, one solid mass of quartz and marble, ochre- 
 colored and in places streaked with gray with an 
 
THE MAJESTIC YUKON 
 
 79 
 
 occasional patch of green, reflecting the sun's rays 
 hither and thither, and creating tints and shades 
 that Raphael never dreamed of. Trees on every 
 hand, not magnificent, but beautiful when con- 
 trasted with the surrounding grandeur; they have a 
 hard time to live in this region of ice and snow, 
 seemingly discouraged at the vastness on every 
 hand, sighing with satisfaction at the warm embrace 
 of the midnight sun, and whispering their secrets 
 to the birds and flowers. Yes, flowers, blooming 
 on the river bank beside cakes of ice, smiling and 
 nodding to the trees and birds and even to the 
 haughty mountains, gladdening the landscape and 
 giving forth a sweet perfume that fills the air with 
 fragrance. 
 
 In the midst of this wonderful and boundless 
 beauty, set upon a ground work of green, resting 
 on a background of blue, and framed in the golden 
 rays of the setting sun, was told for the first time 
 the tale of the fabulous wealth of the Klondyke. 
 
 The little birds twittered in the tree tops. Can it 
 be that they were discussing tt: ;i»auties of this pan- 
 orama, or were they disturbe-l by iitrudcrs? It must 
 be the latter, for human being arc about. A camp- 
 fire is burning, and there, under the tices, are men 
 with hair unkempt and shaggy beards, dressed in 
 mackinaws and high top boots, and bronzed by ex- 
 posure to the weather. It is time that they were 
 wrapped in their blankets and asleep though the 
 sun is not yet set; dogs are with them but unlike 
 their masters, are asleep. 
 
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 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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30 NATURE'S TREASURE HOUSE REVEALED 
 
 Listen ! the youngest Is expatiating on the loveli- 
 ness and goodness of a bonny blue-eyed lass wait- 
 ing for him in the East, six thousand miles away. 
 Telling how he promised to win wealth and fame 
 and return to her. He little dreams that in a few 
 short days he will be a millionaire. Look! the -dogs 
 are aroused and are standing with heads erect and 
 ears pointed forward. Do they scent something? 
 Listen — a noise, a canoe floating down the Klon- 
 dyke with an Indian occupant. He is paddling for 
 this bank, and, swinging the canoe gracefully in, is 
 soon landed. He is greeted by the miners with a 
 hearty "Come along, stranger!" and is soon seated 
 beside the camp-fire, frying a piece of bacon 
 which he eats with a hunk of sour dough 
 bread, washing both down with water. Hav- 
 ing finisheu, he gives a grunt of satisfaction, 
 and after lighting his pipe with a coal from 
 the fire, is ready for conversation. "Where from, 
 stranger?" This by a middle-aged man whose ap- 
 pearance would seem to stamp him as the leader of 
 the small party and who evidently is more at home 
 in the wilderness than his companions. The Indian, 
 in the deliberate, methodical manner peculiar to his 
 race, points to the east. "How far?" The Indian 
 again signified his answer by a wave of the hand, 
 which however, is well understood by the olcl miner. 
 "Who is with you?" 
 
 "George McCormack." 
 
 "What is he doing, prospecting?" 
 
 "Digging gold, digging gold!" 
 
THE INDIAN TELLS THE TALE 
 
 81 
 
 «, 
 
 'Ah! has he found gold in that country?" 
 
 All Nature is hushed, appearing to stand still and 
 listen. "What! Has man again delved into our 
 archives and discovered another of our secrets?" 
 * The answer comes: "Yes." 
 
 And then, in the poetic language of the northern 
 Indian, he relates the wonderful story of boundless 
 wealth, the story that was ere long to set the civil- 
 ized world agog and be the talk of a universe ; caus- 
 ing thousands to leave comfortable homes and 
 happy families to worship at the shrine of this 
 golden god. 
 
 Seated by the camp-fire, wrapped in a blanket of 
 many colors, this red man of the Yukon told a tale 
 of riches galore. His little audience, uncouth, 
 weather-beaten, hungry, listened, spellbound with 
 wonder, eyes widened with astonishment, and, 
 thrilled to the marrow, they drank in this strange 
 revelation, while the mountains near by, basking in 
 the midnight sun, seemed to blush (as a maiden, 
 surprised with her first love letter), that their secret 
 guarded so well for thousands of years, had at last 
 been discovered. Thus was the news of the Klon- 
 dyke Eldorado first revealed to the world. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The Birth of a New City— Joe Ladue Locates Dawson, 
 September 1, 1896 — Grows to 5,000 Inhabitants as 
 if by Magic— What it Costs to Live There— One 
 Thousand Fjecious Dogs — ^Wages Paid Unskilled 
 Labor— A Boisterous but Orderly Crowd. 
 
 
 We were delayed longer than we had expected 
 when we pitched our tents. Though we were anx- 
 ious to get to work on our claims, we had to make 
 the best of it and wait. 
 
 I cannot say that time hung heavily on our hands 
 for here we were present at a scene, the like of 
 which it had never been my lot to witness, and I 
 doubt if those who were with me will ever again be 
 so fortunate. 
 
 In the six weeks that we were waiting a city 
 sprung up around this sawmill. Men came from 
 all directions and in every conceivable way, except 
 on bicycles. Many of them, like ourselves, had 
 located claims and then gone down the river after 
 supplies!^ Others were just returning from up the 
 Stewart, Indian and other rivers where they had 
 been mining and prospecting. 
 
 Others came over the trail from Juneau bound 
 for Forty Mile and Circle City, but when they 
 learned that both these mining towns were moving 
 up the Yukon they halted just long enough to get 
 
 (82) 
 
THE BIRTH OF A NEW CITY tt 
 
 their bearings and then rushed for the hills to stake 
 out claims. 
 
 Dawson City has become a city of about five 
 thousand inhabitants. In fact within a radius of 
 forty miles are located nearly the entire population 
 of Alaska. If the thousands who started over the 
 pass this fall, get through, this population will be 
 nearly doubled. 
 
 All the "tin horn" gamblers, saloon keepers, and 
 scarlet women of the whole territory have ^entered 
 here, and every crooked device known has found its 
 way over the ice and snow to attach itself to this 
 town and fleece the dust from the miners. 
 
 Every place of vice is wide open, running day 
 and night alike, and the Sabbath is kept only by 
 a few stray almanacs and calendars, which have 
 found their way into this isolated spot. 
 
 Town lots have been sold for as high as ten thou- 
 sand dollars and the price is still increasing. 
 
 While we were in camp here the "Alice" arrived 
 with a load of provisions f^nd was loaded to her 
 utmost capacity with miners from Forty Mile. 
 Later the "Arctic" came in, bringing a portion of 
 Circle City. She had been chartered at that place 
 by forty-five miners who paid two thousand dollars 
 to be landed with their goods at Dawson City. 
 This was the last trip the "Arctic" was to make; 
 she was anchored into a sluice to winter and was 
 blown up the next summer in an attempt to ex- 
 tricate her from the ice. 
 
 Circle City, Forty Mile, and in fact the entire pop- 
 
 t'i 
 
84 
 
 THE RUSH TO THE GOLD FIELDS 
 
 ulation of the Yukon River basin moved to Daw- 
 son City with a rush and left all the other towns 
 depopulated. 
 
 The rear guard did not arrive until well into 
 the winter, coming up the Yukon over the ice and 
 snow. This trip of two hundred and seventy-five 
 miles in the heart of winter was a hard one, but 
 everyone got through, and not a life was lost on 
 the trail, though many had their feet and other 
 extremities frozen so badly that fingers and toes 
 had to be amputated. 
 
 At Dawson City there are two stores. One be- 
 longs to the Alaska Commercial Company^ the 
 other to the North American Transportation and 
 Trading Company. On these two establishments, 
 every one who goes to Dawson without provisions 
 must mainly rely. Even those who have a good out* 
 fit will find it often necessary to patronize one or 
 the other of the stores. Prices are on an average 
 three times as high as at Juneau or St. Michael's 
 and four or five as steep as in the States. When the 
 winter is nearly over and supplies begin to run 
 short prices are, as a consequence, raised. To- 
 ward the close of last winter, before the new sup- 
 plies came up the river, everything was hard to 
 obtain at any price. 
 
 At times, through the winter, men arrived at 
 Dawson City, bringing with them from one to two 
 tons of food and clothing. They had come up the 
 streams, carrying their goods on their backs, taking 
 care to lose nothing for their time and trouble. 
 
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF DAWSON CITY 85 
 
 There was only one blacksmith shop. To this 
 place miners must all go or send when they have 
 tools to be repaired, or when they need anything 
 made to order which the stores cannot supply. 
 
 Dawson City could boast of two practicing phy- 
 sicians, Police Surgeon Wills and another doctor 
 who came from Circle City to Dawson last year. 
 They carry theij* own supplies of staple drugs and 
 medicines, so as to be able to compound their pre- 
 scriptions. Ordinary remedies are to be obtained 
 at the two trading stores. 
 
 There was but one lodging-house in Dawson last 
 winter, though the name of lodging-house is a cour- 
 tesy in this case. It was a low log house, and has 
 been replaced by a better one. 
 
 Laborers in the mines and handcraftsmen fare 
 about the same, though carpenters last winter ob- 
 tained $30 a day, whereas miners got $15. There is 
 great difficulty in finding men willing to work at 
 their trades. 
 
 The cost of living for a single man without sup- 
 plies varied from $5 to $7.50 or more a day. Single 
 meals cost $1.50 each. 
 
 There were two assayers in Dawson City, Messrs. 
 Jaynes and Cornell. 
 
 I insert herein a list of necessaries and the prices 
 they called for at the time of my stay in Dawson 
 City: 
 
 Overalls $1.50 to $3.50. 
 
 Short coats , . . . 8.00. 
 
 Trousers 6.00. 
 
 mi 
 
 I IMM 
 
 ■'." t 
 
86 PRICES OF SUPPLIES 
 
 Socks $ 1.00. 
 
 Leather shoes 5.00. 
 
 Gum boots 12.00. 
 
 Moccasins 1.50 to $2.50. 
 
 Shirts 5.00. 
 
 Bacon $0,35 per pound. 
 
 Flour $12.00 for 100 pounds. 
 
 Beans $0.12^ per pound. 
 
 Coflfee 50 " 
 
 Tea 1.25 " 
 
 Pans $2.50 apiece. 
 
 Picks 7.00 " 
 
 Shovels 2.50 " 
 
 These were the lowest figures of the winter 1896- 
 97. 
 
 A part of Dawson's population which is always 
 in evidence is fully 1,000 dogs. These welcome the 
 arrival of every steamer with howls that would make 
 a hundred calliopes seem tame. Every known 
 breed of canine is represented, and there is a con- 
 tinuous fight going on from 1 o'clock in the morn- 
 ing until 1 o'clock the next morning. They are 
 everywhere. Constantinople with its myriads of 
 curs is not to be compared with Dawson in this 
 respect. 
 
 They are sold by weight. The ruling price is 
 $1 a pound up to seventy-five pounds. On every- 
 thing over seventy-five pounds the price is raised to 
 $1.50 per pound. These were the prevailing prices 
 for live dogs for freighting purposes last winter. 
 
THE PRECIOUS DOGS 
 
 87 
 
 There is no telling what dogs dead or alive will be 
 worth this winter. 
 
 The nearest diggings to Dawson are eight miles 
 distant, on Bear Creek. All the other diggings 
 are within twenty miles of the town. 
 
 Dawson is an all-night town. The restaurants, 
 saloons, gambling dens, the sawmill, and many 
 stores are open night and day and everything goes 
 with a rush. 
 
 Hundreds are making good money building 
 cabins, clearing ground, getting out logs and moss 
 (for chinking the cabins), hunting and fishing, etc. 
 Moose meat was seUing at 50 cents a pound in 
 July, and the first King salmon caught this season 
 sold for $20. 
 
 Common laborers get $10 to $15 a day, and car- 
 penters from $18 to $20 a day. These wages will 
 undoubtedly rapidly decrease with the increase of 
 population. 
 
 The miners, during the summer, pay 25 cents a 
 pound for packing freight into the mines. For the 
 same work in winter the price falls to 6 to 10 cents 
 per pound. 
 
 Living is proportionately high. Board at res- 
 taurants will average $5 a day, the lowest price be- 
 ing $1.50 a day. Lodging could be had only by 
 putting up your own tent. Two hotels are now 
 being built. 
 
 On September 1, 1896, Joe Ladue, the founder 
 of Dawson City was selling his best lots at from 
 
'//'CTTV.yf^';, 1*^^' 
 
 I 
 
 88 JOE LADUE'S LOTS JUMP IN PRICE 
 
 $5 to $50 each and the prices were considered none 
 too low. These same lots in July, 1897, were sell- 
 ing at $1,000 each, with the prospect of going still 
 higher. Some sold as high as $10,000. 
 
 In July, 1897, Dawson City's population had 
 grown to 6,000 and every day people were pouring 
 in. Log cabins, 16x18, were renting from $40 to 
 $75 per month, and none to be had at these prices. 
 
 On every hand, cabins and tents were being set 
 up. It costs a small fortune to build cabins at 
 Dawson City. One, of an average size, costs about 
 $1,000. Building lumber is scarce in the neighbor- 
 hood of the town, logs being brought down the 
 Yukon from ten to fifteen miles. 
 
 The question of shelter will be a hard problem 
 for this winter, as enough cabins cannot possibly 
 be built to accommodate the people already there. 
 Living in tents with the thermometer ranging from 
 40 to 60 degrees below zero is almost an utter im- 
 possibility. There is no such thing as keeping 
 warm in a tent when the weather is so frigid. 
 
 Furs and moccasins, an absolute necessity for 
 winter wear, are now very scarce at Dawson. 
 
 The principal street is the front street, facing the 
 river. The main portion of this is occupied by 
 stores, saloons, warehouses, dance halls, etc. One 
 block is given over entirely to saloons and dance 
 halls. 
 
 In spite of these bad elements, the town is a very 
 orderly one. Brawls are very infrequent and no 
 
THE NETHER SIDE OF A NEW CITY 89 
 
 serious crimes have yet been committed. The Can- 
 adian mounted police still represent the law dis- 
 pensing powers of the town. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 On the Frozen Klondyke — ^Pitching Our Tent en the 
 El Dorado Creek— Building a House — Putting Our- 
 selves on Bationa — Our Pirst Beefsteak for MontJis 
 --Starting Our First Shaft Sown to Bed-Bock— 
 Beaching Pay Dirt!— Fifty Dollars to the Paiv— 
 Working With a Will Through the Dark Winter 
 Days. 
 
 Finally the Klondyke froze over and we struck 
 camp and loading our sleds started up the river. 
 The surface of the ice in these rivers is very rough, 
 as when the freeze begins there is strong objection 
 made by the current to being frozen in. The ice 
 breaks loose and drifts down until it lodges against 
 a bank, bar, or q,ther ice, when the freeze continues. 
 It freezes out from the banks and obstructions and 
 finally spans the whole river. This ice is dislodged 
 and is then called "slush ice," and in breaking up 
 at the jams forms a very rough surface. 
 
 We managed, however, to wend our way up the 
 Klondyke, then along Bonanza Creek until we 
 reached Eldorado Creek. 
 
 At this time, gold had not been found in any 
 quantity on the Eldorado. Here we pitched our 
 tent and commenced work on a house for winter 
 quarters. The season v/as late and we must br ", 
 it as much as possible. We got logs and j lacea 
 them, one upon another, putting a thick layer o^ 
 
 (90) 
 

 "A :'1!iBKM'*' 
 
 fiUILDING US A CABIN 
 
 M 
 
 moss between, and covered the roof with moss and 
 dirt to the depth of a foot. 
 
 Fortunately, we had b'^'^'^ able to procure a sash 
 and a pair of hinges at Dav jon City, so we had a 
 window and a swinging aoor as luxuries. We 
 called this cabin "Mo&i House" and it was here 
 that we remained during the long, cold, dark winter. 
 Of course we made some furniture, which was more 
 useful than elegant. 
 
 We had now secured a roof over our heads (so 
 to speak), ,:nd as our larder was reasonably well 
 stocked we felt relieved and quite comfortable. We 
 had traded some of our jerked moose with the 
 mounted police for flour and bacon, and had bought 
 a side of beef from a man called Bond, who had 
 driven a band of beef cattle over the pass from 
 Juneau. We felt that by using economy we could 
 get through the winter without starving, though 
 we knew that we would be obliged to put ourselves 
 on rations before spring. & 
 
 Bond had driven the cattle over the Dalton pass, 
 which starts in at Dyea and strikes the Yukon at 
 Sixty Mile. They were the first cattle ever brought 
 into that section of the Yukon valley and supplied 
 the first fresh beef that the miners at the Yukon had 
 ever been able to procure. Bond had intended to 
 drive them to Forty Mile and Circle City, but when 
 he reached the river at Sixty Mile the season was 
 so far advanced that feed was getting scarce and 
 the cattle, though in good condition, were getting 
 poorer each day. In order to avoid a total loss, he 
 
 'I 
 
 iff' 
 
 m 
 
 
 M 
 
 \'i\ 
 
m^ 
 
 9S 
 
 FIRST BEEFSTEAK IN MONTHS 
 
 slaughtered them here and loading their carcasses 
 on rafts floated down to Dawson City. He sold 
 them there for fifty cents per pound straight 
 through. Most of the miners had neither dust nor 
 money, having expended their summer earnings in 
 outfitting for the winter. Bond trusted them, and, 
 the next spring when he started out, collected every 
 cent of it without a bit of trouble. * 
 
 The cattle, in addition to bringing themselves as 
 beef, brought a stock of other provisions. Each 
 animal brought a pack which Bond had na difficulty 
 in disposing of at very satisfactory figures. An- 
 other band of cattle left Seattle about the middle of 
 August this year, the owners intending to follow the 
 example set by the "pioneer butcher of the Yukon." 
 
 We had now gotten comfortably settled for the 
 winter; but, as yet, we did not know if our claims 
 would prove of value. 
 
 We had settled well up into the mountains and 
 could at lea^t put in our time prospecting the 
 country immediately surrounding, if our claims 
 should prove barren. 
 
 The boys were eager to get to work prospecting 
 our claims, so we cleaned the snow from the space 
 and commenced work. It was no easy task, but 
 spurred on by the hope of striking something rich, 
 we did not mind the arduous labor. 
 
 We started a shaft eight feet square, so as to have 
 room to work in case we had to go deeper than we 
 expected. The ground was now frozen solid and 
 we had to bum our way. We would build a lirfi 
 
m 
 
 •w 
 
 SINKING OUR FIRST SHAFT 
 
 93 
 
 which would extract the frost from a few inches 
 when we would shovel that out and start another 
 fire. 
 
 Day after day, as we drew nearer to bed rock, 
 we did a little panning to test the dirt and as I 
 would shake the pan the boys would stand about 
 watching eagerly for colors. At last we found 
 some, but our anxiety was not relieved as even that 
 did not indicate that pay dirt was beneath. 
 
 As we went deeper, however, the colors increased 
 and at last I was enabled to announce that we had 
 struck pay dirt. We weighed the dust from one 
 pan and found 25 cents worth of gold in it. Hov^ 
 the boys did work now in their eagerness to reach 
 bed rock! The dirt kept getting richer and richer 
 as we worked our way down. Some pans would 
 contain even as high as ten dollars worth of the 
 precious metal. Before we reached bed-rock we 
 had taken out as much as fifty dollars to the pan. 
 
 We felt now that we were in comfortable circum- 
 stances and our diggings on the Stewart River no 
 longer held an inducement, and, as far as we were 
 concerned, were deserted forever. Finally one of 
 the boys found a good sized nugget and went viid 
 with excitem.ent. Ah! what a magician is gold! 
 A small nugget will almost turn a man's head, 
 when picked up in the wilderness. Stand on a 
 street comer and draw out of your pocket a lump 
 of virgin gold and immediately you will be sur- 
 rounded by a crowd, each one eager to hold it in his 
 hand for an instant, and looking it over as critically 
 
mmvv'" 
 
 H 
 
 A GLORIOUS SURPRISE 
 
 as though it were some valuable article which he 
 were about to purchase. 
 
 I could hardly realize my great, good luck! 
 Here, only from sixteen Lo twenty feet beneath the 
 surface of the earth, was a fortune for each of us. 
 Nor would we be obliged to part with most of it 
 in order to get "capital" to develop it. The brawn 
 and sinew of our own persons were sufficient capital, 
 and all we had to do was to apply them in order 
 to reap a fortune. 
 
 For thirty years I had wandered over the placer 
 fields of the United States and Canada. Twice be- 
 fore had I struck it rich; but each time, I had lost 
 again my little whole by buying property that did 
 not "pan out." I cannot describe how we felt when 
 at last we realized that we were the possessors of a 
 wealth how great we could not tell. 
 
 It would hardly entertain the reader to follow us 
 through the long winter. It was, however, far from 
 monotonous to us, being in many cases novel. 
 Placer miining is never monotonous, as there is 
 always an expectancy of larger nuggets and bigger 
 pans. Our greatest difficulty and one that gave us 
 a great deal of anxiety was the provision question. 
 While we were never in actual want, we had a num- 
 ber oi narrow escapes. The jerked moose, that we 
 had prepared while up the Stewart River, came in 
 very handy, as vre were enabled to trade a portion 
 of it to the mounted police for flour and bacon. 
 Once, during the winter, we paid one hundred and 
 ten dollars per hundred, for flour. It was hauled 
 
 <].'i^§!IX»^m^H; 
 
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 ■mi 
 
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 mmmmmm 
 
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 1-4 
 
 n 
 
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 ■P^PW^iW55PR!r!lJiJH|4i!JJllf ij-i :,-.,l» 
 
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 SiS 'm.'l.: li':,.^ 
 
 
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 WW«""PPi»!iHiPPi 
 
 wmmnmm 
 
 
 WORKING WITH A WILL 
 
 95 
 
 on dog sleds from Fort Yukon, over six hundred 
 miles down the river. 
 
 We had no time for amusement. Our routine 
 was to work a great deal, sleep a little and eat when 
 we had the stuff. Of course we would visit around 
 somewhat in order to see how our neighbors were 
 getting along, but, as a rule, nearly every one stuck 
 pretty close to his work. In the spring, before the 
 snow melted, we got out logs enough to build cabins 
 on all our claims and also enough to whipsaw for 
 sluice boxes. 
 
 ■■■MMMMMMMlil 
 
T"^»in!»', jjswi'*'.* ; 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Watching the Neighbors' Claims — El Dorado Creek, 
 the Richest Placer Mine in the World— Charles 
 Myers' Banner Pan of $800— Great Difficulty to Get 
 Help, Even at $15 Per Day— Our 4,000 feet of 
 Placer Ground Worth $16,875,000— Hundreds of 
 Fine Claims Will Show up Next Season. 
 
 Last winter while I was at the mines I kept a con- 
 stant look-out over the different clain?s that were 
 being worked. Of course development work was 
 slow, as the season was so late when the Eldorado 
 Creek, in particular, was staked, that the winter 
 caught many before they could get their cabins up 
 and provisions in for a winter's supply. 
 
 On account of this drawback, many who had 
 staked claims worked for others who had been more 
 fortunate, and the season was far spent before they 
 could commence development work on their own 
 claims. From my observations, however, I drew 
 the conclusion that the Eldorado Creek was richer 
 even than the Bonanza. In fact, so far as I have 
 ever heard or read, the Eldorado Creek is by far 
 the richest placer mining district that has ever been 
 discovered. Its vealth is fabulous and had I not 
 seen the gold taken from the ground in such quan- 
 tities, I would have been loath to believe it, and 
 would have looked upon these great stories of riches 
 as being only the fruits of some imaginative brain. 
 
 Clarence Berry, who has- a half interest in Num- 
 
 (86) 
 
■P!" 
 
 THE BIGGEST PANS OF GOLD 
 
 M 
 
 ber Six below Discovery on Eldorado Creek has 
 the best developed claim in the gulch. He em- 
 ployed twelve men during the winter in taking out 
 the pay dirt. 
 
 From a record which I kept of the panning re- 
 results of each claim, I deducted the following con- 
 clusions. On Eldorado Creek, No. 3, paid three-fifty 
 to the pan ; No. 4, paid four-fifty ; No. 5, nine-fifty ; No. 
 6, as high as one hundred and fifty dollars to the pan, 
 thoughthe average was much less; No. 7, about eight 
 dollars and so on. No. 16, washed as high as two 
 hundred and twenty dollars to the pan, and from 
 there to our claims, Nos. 25 and 36, very Httle pan- 
 ning was done. 
 
 A great deal of good-natured rivalry existed be- 
 tween the miners of Bonanza and Eldorado Creeks. 
 The first rich strike was made by Louis Rhodes, 
 who had No. 21 above Discovery on Bonanza. He 
 got sixty-five dollars and thirty cents from one pan. 
 Clarence Berry's No. 6, below Discovery, on El- 
 dorado, was the first Eldorado mine to beat this 
 record. He took out one hundred dollars from one 
 pan, and from that time Eldorado held the record. 
 On March 20, Berry took out one pan with three 
 hundred dollars in it. Jimmy McLane took out 
 over two hundred. Frank Piscator took out one 
 hundred and thirty-six dollars to the pan. The 
 four Nanaimo boys got as high as one hundred and 
 twenty-five dollars to the pan. In fact big pans were 
 SO common on Eldorado that the Bonanza boys 
 
mm !W!J'».ii 
 
 98 
 
 A PAN OF 800 DOLLARS 
 
 gave up the contest and conceded the honors to 
 Eldorado. 
 
 The banner pan was taken out April 14, from No. 
 30, Eldorado, and contained eight hundred dollars. 
 It was panned by Charles Myers and though I heard 
 of other pans that reached one thousand, I do not 
 know that the reports were verified, although one 
 need not be surpirsed at anything in that wonder- 
 f il country. 
 
 In the winter, the lower portion of Bonanza 
 Creek averaged all the way from twelve to thirty 
 dollars to the pan. From Discovery to No. 12 
 above, the value was from five to forty dollars. 
 From 13 up the value ranged from fifty cents to 
 ten dollars per pan. 
 
 From the work that has been done, it is evident 
 that production there is proportionate to develop- 
 ment. The yield in gold is only limited by the 
 amount of work done on a claim. When the entire 
 district is open and the mines all working at once 
 with all the help that is required, the production 
 will be fabulously large, so large in fact that I hes- 
 itate to give any estimate on the yearly out-put. 
 The district is large and should some ingenious 
 American invent a machine or method that would 
 prove an eflfective aid in mining, the production 
 would reach a point even beyond my imagination. 
 
 I have no doubt but that the creeks in this dis- 
 trict will all yield immense quantities of gold, 
 though where a pocket is found, the yield will be 
 almost beyond belief. Only a few of the claims were 
 
www 
 
 ILLIMITED GOLD IN THE DISTRICT 
 
 99 
 
 worked last winter to any great extent, and naturally 
 the stories that have reached the outside world cluster 
 around these producers. Of the sales made, only 
 those involving large sums are spoken of; thas 
 properties that would attract a large amount of at- 
 tention in any other part of the world are entirely 
 lost sight of here. The reason why they have 
 yielded but five thousand, ten thousand, and fifteen 
 thousand dollars, is because they have not been 
 worked any length of time. V 'hen the season opens 
 this winter it will be found that they will hold their 
 own with those that have been so extensively 
 talked and written about. 
 
 I believe that these gulches are rich from source 
 to mouth, though no doubt, they will vary some- 
 what, as it is hardly probable that when the deposit 
 was made by nature, she distributed the wealth with 
 an even hand. The wages paid in this section last 
 winter were fully equal to the production of or- 
 dinary placer claims in any other part of the world. 
 The standard wages were fifteen dollars a day, and 
 a great deal of the help thus employed had had but 
 little experience in work of the nature required in 
 this region. To pay a man who had never swung 
 an ax, wielded a pick, used a gold pan, or handled 
 a shovel a dollar and a half an hour was at least 
 equal to paying an experienced miner double that 
 amount. Therefore the expense of mining in that 
 country last winter was at least three times the 
 total production of placer mines anywhere else on 
 earth. 
 
 H A 
 
100 ENORMOUS WAGES PAID FOR HELP 
 
 There is no doubt but that every man who reaches 
 the Klondyke district this fall will be able to obtain 
 work at a very high rate of pay. The standard of 
 wages will at least be maintained, as there are very 
 few people who desire to remain there for any 
 length of time, and they all want to develop their 
 claims as rapidly as possible, so that they can return 
 to civilization and enjoy the fruits of their labor, 
 won through hardships, privations and severe toil. 
 
 We had great difficulty in procuring help at all. 
 We offered at different times as high as four dollars 
 an hour for the services of experienced men, but, 
 as a rule, old miners would not work at any figure. 
 We could occasionally get an inexperienced man to 
 work a few days at fifteen dollars per day. We 
 gave a "lay" to eight men who worked for six 
 weeks, and when we settled it came out that they 
 had earned in that length of time forty-t\70 thou- 
 sand four hundred dollars, or five thousand and 
 three hundred dollars each. A great deal of labor 
 thus far has been expended on what is called "dead 
 work." By "dead work" is meant work for which 
 there is no immediate return, such as sinking shafts 
 to bed rock at a distance of about twenty feet 
 through the frozen ground, building cabins, sluice- 
 boxes, furniture, etc.; and in building dams across 
 the stream in order to raise the water into the sluice- 
 boxes. As most of the lumber used was cut by the 
 whip-saw, it can be seen tHat this "dead work" oc- 
 cupied a great deal of time. The greatest part of 
 this work, however, in this district, has been done 
 
""W-l^^^ 
 
 OTHER RICH CREEKS AND GULCHES 101 
 
 and the coming winter will be entirely spent in 
 taking out the pay-dirt, getting it ready to sluice in 
 the sjM-ing; so the out-put next year will be very 
 large. 
 
 In my opinion, Bear Gulch is almost another 
 Eldorado. There are two supperposed bed-rocks in 
 Bear Gulch, which are three feet apart. The gold 
 in the upper bed-rock is bright and resembles that 
 found in Eldorado, while on the lower bed-rock 
 it is very black. Last Chance Creek is also very 
 rich. We prospected it for three miles, intending 
 to locate a discovery claim, but we could not tell 
 the best place to locate. Finally, we staked Nos. 20 
 and 21 above. 
 
 Much is expected of Hunker Gulch, and I think 
 it will prove another great distiiv-t. The prospects 
 made on Dominion Creek are also very favorable, 
 and Indian Creek will yield a large amount of gold. 
 Our pans will average three dollars throughout all 
 the Eldorado claims and I think we will find our 
 claims on Bear Gulch and Last Chance equally as 
 rich. I took from five pans seven hundred and fifty 
 dollars in gold and did not pick the pans either, 
 but simply scooped them off the bed-rock. 
 
 We have four thousand feet in the Klondyke and 
 Hunker districts. We have never cross-cut the 
 pay-streak on any of our claims. In Eldorado, we 
 hold Nos. 25 and 26, 53 and 54, and a half interest 
 in Nos. 24 and 32, all being above Discovery. We 
 also own No. 10 below Discovery on Bear Gulch 
 
 
102 
 
 OUR CLAIMS WORTH $16,875,000 
 
 ': 
 
 ■ i- 
 
 and Nos. 20 and 21 above Discovery on Last 
 Chance. We have prospected all these claims and 
 believe them to be just as rich as Nos. 25 and 26, 
 Eldorado, from which we took fifteen hundred dol- 
 lars to the lineal foot, eight feet wide. The width 
 of the pay streak on our claims will average a little 
 more than three hundred feet, and if they all main- 
 tain the richness shown by the work we did, and 
 the prospects made, they will pay out sixteen mil- 
 lions, eight hundred and seventy-five thousand 
 dollars . 
 
 A great deal of this gold when taken out will 
 remain in circulation in the district, and but little 
 will be sent out. When it does make its appearance 
 in the States it will probably be accompanied by 
 its owners. A medium of exchange is necessary on 
 the Klondyke; so far, as nearly all transactions are 
 cash transactions, it has been found much cheaper to 
 weigh out the dust than to ship the gold to the 
 mint and have the coin returned. Then, besides, 
 nearly everyone who goes in, will need a little money 
 after he arrives which he may procure by buying 
 exchange from the trading companies in Seattle or 
 San Francisco, and when he reaches Dawson City 
 he will receive the amount of the bills of exchange 
 in gold-dust. Thus a great deal of the dust taken 
 from the ground will remain in the Yukon country, 
 as t^e circulating medium, while the coin and 
 currency of the United States will remain in the 
 States; though credits will be transferred by bills 
 
*' 
 
 TRANSFER OF GOLD DUST AND NUGGETS103 
 
 of exchange, the cost of v;hich will vary according 
 to the balance of trade. Of coUrse dust and money 
 will sometimes be transported to even up the 
 balances. 
 
 
 '"'J 
 
mm^ 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 Inventive Genius Never Had a Better Field— To Ex- 
 tract the Frost From the Ground — Many Grotesque 
 Devices — How They Prospect on the Yakon — 
 Winter and Summer Diggings — A Nugget of $o20 
 —Thawing the Fay-Streak--Sluicing the Gold. 
 
 
 It has been said that necessity is the mother of 
 invention. Truly the field is wide enough here to 
 give full scope to the ingenuity for which the Amer- 
 icans are famed throughout the length and breadth 
 of the world. To increase the comforts of life in this 
 frozen land, affords, in itself, a subject that will not 
 be disregarded by inventive mmds; to invent a 
 building material that would be proof against the 
 penetrating cold would be to confer a blessing upon 
 the residents of this isolated spot. This might seem 
 at first glance to be impossible, and for aught we 
 know, may never be realized, but the field of inves- 
 tigation is certainly as great and the prospect of 
 remuneration as good, in fact the inducement is 
 greater to invent a material of. this kind, than to 
 perfect cloth that bullets will not pierce. 
 
 Again, there is an unlimited field for some mechan- 
 ical genius to bring forth a machine or appUance 
 that will extract the frost from the earth with less 
 cost and labor than is necessary at the present time. 
 The man who succeeds in doing this will own a 
 mine of wealth, greater than the entire Eldorado 
 
 . (104) 
 
MECHANICAL GENIUS WANTED 
 
 105 
 
 Creek ; as the field for the use of such a contrivance 
 is limited only by the North Pole. A number of 
 devices have been invented, within the last two 
 months, for the purpose of doing this. Two in par- 
 ticular have attracted attention, though the general 
 verdict of Yukoners is that they are not practical 
 and will be worse than useless. One of these is an 
 ordinary upright boiler with a steam jet that is 
 inserted in the ground and the escaping steam is 
 supposed to melt the frost from the earth. A hole 
 is first drilled and the jet inserted, the steam is then 
 turned on and is supposed to thaw the earth for a 
 number of feet around, providing, however, that 
 the frost in the earth does not freeze the steam. 
 Another is by means of a hot air jet. The air is 
 heated and then blown against the frozen ground 
 which it is supposed to thaw. It is generally 
 thought that this machine will prove quite a money- 
 maker, if an exception is made of it by the climate, 
 and it is not frozen up while in operation. 
 
 None of these devices have been tested, and the 
 chances are that they are not suited to the work it 
 is proposed they should perform. However, if one 
 of them should prove a success it will cheapen min- 
 ing to such an extent that most of the mines that 
 have been abandoned can be taken up again and 
 worked at a profit. 
 
 Several companies have been incorporated who 
 propose to operate dredgers in the Yukon and its 
 tributaries. It is intended to build them on the 
 Yukon as it is impossible to tow them north. They 
 
 MS- 'I 
 
 
'^ipl* 
 
 106 
 
 DREDGING THE YUKON 
 
 will be constructed with considerable freighting 
 capacity so that an abundance of provisions may be 
 taken along wherever they go. Quarters for the 
 crew will also be erected aboard, and the whole wHl 
 form a massive workshop and home. They will be 
 put to work there in the streams, dredging the 
 gravel from the banks, bars and bottoms, and hav- 
 ing sluiced the gold from it, will drop the tailings 
 back into the water. 
 
 The rigorous climate will be a great difficulty to 
 overcome as it will be impossible to work more 
 than \hree or four months .n the year; for the 
 rivers are frozen over, in many cases solid, during 
 eight or nine months out of the twelve. All this 
 time the crew will probably be idle, and of course 
 must necessarily be under pay. If the dirt is rich, 
 however, even these expenses may be met and a 
 rich harvest left for the investors. Practical men 
 seem to think that this plan will be a success. 
 
 Another invention, that would bring its author 
 a fortune, is a contrivance that could be used in 
 prospecting. This would have to be very light, so 
 light in fact that a prospector could take it with 
 him wherever he went. Prospecting is very dif- 
 ficult in this country, since to discover the nature 
 of the ground, one must sink a hole to bed-rock, 
 and the operation usually takes from two to six 
 weeks according to the depth of the gravel. As 
 there Is but little surface indications to show the 
 nature of the gravel beneath, it must all be removed 
 and tested every little way by panning. Frequently 
 
THE DIFFICULTIES OF PROSPECTING 107 
 
 it occurs that the deposits of gold-bearing- gravel 
 are entirely cover ";d with water during the summer 
 season, so that it is impossible to prospect it, even 
 though the ground is not frozen. In fact pr-^spect- 
 ing along che rivers must be done when the ground 
 is frozen, as, before bed-rock is reached, the water, in 
 the summer time, will soak in from the sides, and 
 the gold, if there be any in the gravel, will be 
 washed to the bottom, and keep beyond reach, when 
 the gravel is disturbed, until stopped by bed-rock. 
 
 In prospecting this country, the only practical 
 method is to select the ground you desire to pros- 
 pect during the summer months, then, in winter, 
 to follow up your summer's work by sinking shafts. 
 This is done by building fires on the ground and 
 melting the frost from it. The Bonanza Creek 
 placers were struck in the summer time, but the 
 prospect hole was sunk so far away from the water 
 that it was only by chance that the pay-streak was 
 found. The pay-streak at times is found a great dis- 
 tance from the bed of the stream, and to make a 
 thorough, systematic prospect of a section entails 
 much arduous labor. Another great draw-back is 
 the fact that the trading posts are so few that the 
 prospector does not dare to get far into the inter- 
 ior. He is obliged to remain near the larger rivers, 
 where, when winter approaches, he can drift down 
 to some trading post where he can procure supplies. 
 For this reason most of the diggings that have beeii 
 worked thus far are summer diggings. By summer 
 diggings, we mean diggings where the surface 
 
108 
 
 WINTER DIGGINGS 
 
 gravel is removed and pay-streak then washed out 
 by pans, rockers, or sluices. 
 
 But few winter diggings have yet been discovered, 
 but where they have been found they proved richer 
 than the summer diggings. A machine of the char- 
 acter above mentioned would be a blessing to the 
 prospectors and would aid them greatly in bringing 
 to light the hidden wealth of the frozen north. 
 
 The first gold in what has sirje become known as 
 the Klondyke gold fields was discovered, as stated 
 above, by George W. McCormack, August 15, 1896. 
 It is what is known in miner's parlance as coarse 
 gold. That is, it is in nuggets and is therefore easily 
 separated from the dirt. These nuggets range in 
 size from a pin point to those weighing several 
 ounces, The largest of those nuggets that had 
 been reported found when I left the district, June 
 19, 1897, was worth, ac seventeen dollars per ounce, 
 three hundred and twenty dollars. It was found by 
 a Frenchman known as Antoine. 
 
 The gold is found in what is called pay streak, or 
 in a streak of gravel about three feet thick, lying 
 immediately above bed-rock, which is located about 
 twenty feet beneath the surface of the earth. This 
 gold is obtained by thawing the frost from the 
 ground. A fire is built on top, and when the earth 
 has been thawed for a few inches, it is taken om and 
 another built. This is continued until bed-rock is 
 reached which usually takes 'eight days. Then drift- 
 ing is commenced by means of fires built around 
 the bottom of the hole thus made. When the fires 
 
THAWING THE GROUND 
 
 loe 
 
 have burned out, the dirt is taken to the surface and 
 deposited on a "dump," from where it is taken into 
 the cabin and panned out or is left until the sun 
 in summer thaws it out again, when it is sluiced. 
 Each night a fire is set, and the following day is 
 occupied by removing the dirt that has become 
 loosened and in preparing wood for another fire. 
 The pay streak only is thawed out and removed to 
 the surface, When the drifts have been run so far 
 back from the shafts that the air is dead and there 
 is not sufficient draught to keep the fires going, 
 another shaft must be sunk and so, day after day 
 the process continues. Wood, happily, is quite plen- 
 tiful here, though the timber is not very large. A 
 tree that will cut a board twelve inches wide is con- 
 sidered a large one. 
 
 In the winter all the tributaries of the Klondyke 
 are frozen solid, but in summer they thaw out and 
 then water miy be had for sluicing. Water may 
 be taken from the upper side of the claim but must 
 be turned in again before it reaches the lower side, 
 so that those who are working below may have the 
 use of it. It is usually raised to the bank of the 
 stream by building a dam and is then led by sluice 
 boxes wherever desired. These boxes are made by 
 fitting boards together. One end is generally two 
 inches wider and one inch higher than the other 
 so that the small end of one will fit into the large 
 end of the other. They are made of lumber one 
 inch in thickness and twelve inches in width, and 
 are arranged on a grade ranging from eight inches 
 
 "^f" 
 
no 
 
 THE SLUICING FROCESS 
 
 ■• 
 
 to the box, to ten inches to the box, according to the 
 size of the gold. If the gold is either very fine or 
 very coarse, the grade must be steeper than where 
 the size is ordinary. In these sluices are arranged 
 rififles which are for the purpose of arresting the 
 precious metal while the dirt and gravel is carried 
 on to the end of the sluice by the water and is then 
 called "tailings." These rififles are made by fasten- 
 ing three cross pieces together by rods of wood, 
 which are passed through these cross piece ^ about 
 an inch apart and are made to prevent large stones 
 from dropping through with the gold, the latter 
 being so heavy that it will sink to the bottom even 
 in the swiftest current. Water is turned into the 
 sluice box and the pay dirt shoveled in; the dirt 
 mixes with the water and is carried on while the 
 gold settles into these riffles. Every few days the 
 sluices are cleaned up; that is, the gold is taken 
 from the riffles and panned out, as some dirt will 
 lodge with it. The sluices at some of the claims of 
 the Klondyke district have to be cleaned two and 
 even three times a day, as there is so much gold in 
 the dirt that the riffles fill very rapidly. 
 
 Last winter, owing to the necessities of the miners 
 and the desire of the mine ov/ners to pay cash for 
 all work done, a gjeat deal of gold was panned out. 
 We would take a bucket of pay-dirt into the cabin 
 every night, and after thawing enough ice to give 
 us the amount of water needed, we would spend 
 the evenings in panning. This was also the only 
 
PANNING GOLD TO PAY WAGES 
 
 111 
 
 means of testing the nature of the gravel, so that we 
 should know that the dirt we were bringing out and 
 depositing on the dump was really pay-dirt ; for we 
 could not afford, when sluicing it the next summer, 
 to find out that it did not contain gold. 
 
 These river-claim diggings in the Klondyke district 
 are essentially winter diggings, as the pay-streak is 
 from sixteen to twenty-five feet beneath the surface 
 of the earth, and therefore, it is much easier to mine 
 it from beneath, than it would be to remove the 
 barren gravel. 
 
 A fire properly built against the face of the drift 
 will penetrate from eight to twelve inches. The 
 wood is cut about four feet long and under each 
 tier two sticks are placed, the ends butting up 
 against the face of the drift, and thus answer the 
 purpose of andirons such as are used in an old- 
 fashioned fireplace. The wood is placed on these 
 sticks lengthwise of the face of the drift. Then 
 green wood, called "lagging," is set on end to cover 
 the fuel underneath; the fire is started, the heat and 
 flame coming out between the upper ends of this 
 lagging, and the face of the drift thaws* the earth 
 above this pay-streak for a distance of about a foot, 
 when it falls down ovc- the lagging burying it en- 
 tirely, and gives the fire the nature of a pit fire. 
 When the fire is burned out, this barren gravel is 
 shoveled back and the pay-dirt lifted to the top in 
 buckets. 
 
 In summer diggings, the method is entirely differ- 
 
 m 
 
 M- a 
 
PP"ili!PW*W^ 
 
 113 
 
 SUMMER DIGGINGS 
 
 cnt, as no fire is used, but the pay-dirt is sluiced, 
 rocked or panned after being loosened by the rays 
 of the sun. In ground sluicing, a dam is built in 
 the stream and the water raised to the bar, which is 
 led on to the ground by small ditches dug about 
 ten feet apart. The heat of the sun warms this 
 water and the action of the warm water and sun 
 combined dissolves the black muck, which is nearly 
 all frost, and will even work its way down seven 
 or eight feet, the muck disappearing all the time, 
 though it does not run off. When this muck has 
 become dissolved, the barren gravel on the top of 
 the pay-dirt is taken off. Then a drain is sunk to 
 bed-rock, it being sometimes necessary to com- 
 mence a long distance down the stream, in order to 
 get fall enough to drain the water from the bed-rock 
 of the section which is being ground-sluiced. It is 
 necessary to have the bottom well drained, or the 
 gold will settle through the pay-streak and lodge 
 into the crevices of the bed-rock where it could not 
 be reached by a shovel. When this is done, a sluice 
 is put in, and the pay-dirt shoveled into this sluice 
 wiicre the gold is washed out, lodging in the rififles 
 to be gathered up at the convenience of the miner. 
 Sometimes these sluices are erected very high and 
 frequently it is necessary to build a platform under- 
 neath to shovel the dirt upon, and then shovel it up 
 into the sluice. Where the bank or bar is so high 
 that water cannot be led on, the barren ground is 
 wheeled off, the pay-dirt carried to the stream and. 
 
SUMMER DIGGINGS 
 
 113 
 
 the gold taken out by means of a pan or rocker. 
 This is a slow process, however, and unless the 
 gravel is very rich, it will not pay, at least while 
 wages remain at fifteen dollars per day. 
 
w^^ 
 
 mm 
 
 'mm 
 
 ''mmm 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 
 Definitions of the Canadian Miniiig Laws— ''Bar Dig- 
 gings;" "Dry Diggings;" "Creek and Biver 
 Claims;" "Beach Claims" — ^The "Representative 
 Season" — Hew to Live There — Dreary Winters — 
 Hungry Summer Pests — The Dog Again: the Most 
 Precious Friend of the Klondyker — Salmon Their 
 Food. 
 
 The region is covered with moss which is from 
 six inches to two feet in thickness. In the summer, 
 the frost thaws from the moss and becomes very 
 soft and spongy, making travel over it almost im- 
 possible. 
 
 Placer claims under the Canadian laws are di- 
 vided into four classes: Bar Diggings, Dry Dig- 
 gings, Creek and River Claims and Beach Claims. 
 
 A Creek and River Claim is five hundred feet 
 lengthwise along the stream and extends from river- 
 rock to river-rock, that is, across the entire deposit 
 of gravel. Where the deposit is not one hundred 
 feet in width the claim extends up the bank thirty 
 feet above water level or as much thereof as is 
 necessary to make it one hundred feet wide. 
 
 If, when a survey is made, it is found that any 
 of the claims so staked is more than five hundred 
 feet in length, the fraction over such length may 
 be staked by the first man that gets there. If it 
 is found that a claim is short, however, the miner 
 cannot claim the balance, as the moving of a stake 
 
 (114) 
 
a 
 o 
 
 M 
 
 n 
 
 5 
 
 H 
 
' WP.W 
 
 ■« 1 
 
 ^np 
 
 ^«i 
 
 RHP 
 
 
 ; :■ 
 
 :.. i 
 
.nwij^fi 
 
 "BAR DIGGINGS" 
 
 116 
 
 by the locator or his agent after a claim has been 
 recorded, would result in its forfeiture. 
 
 By Bar Diggings, the Canadian mining law 
 means such part of a river as is dry in low water 
 but flooded when the water is high, and such a 
 claim is to be one hundred feet wide at high water 
 mark, and extend along into the river to the edge 
 of the water at its lowest level. 
 
 Dry Diggings are one hundred feet square and 
 are located on such land over which the water does 
 not flow even at its highest. 
 
 Beach Claims also are one hundred feet square 
 and are located on beaches. In staking a claim, a 
 prospector must drive stakes at each corner. These 
 stakes must be at least four feet high and squared 
 on four sides, the surface being not less than four 
 inches wide. 
 
 On one of these stakes must be written the name 
 of the claimant and the date on which the claim 
 was staked, also the words> "I demand one hundred 
 feet square for mining purposes." After staking 
 a claim, but three days are allowed in which to 
 record it. If the office of the commissioner is more 
 than ten miles oflF, however, an extra day is al- 
 lowed for each ten miles or fraction thereof. 
 
 The applicant for a grant must take oath that he 
 has prospected the ground and has found mineral, 
 other than coal upon it, and that he has staked it in 
 person, giving a sketch of it and a description of the 
 location. But one claim in a district can be held by 
 the same miner, unless acquired by right of pur- 
 
 ii 
 
 Pi 
 1 
 
 if 
 
 (b5 
 
 w 
 
 1.! 
 
r 
 1 
 
 f 
 
 t . 
 
 i 
 
 RECORDING FEES, ETC. 
 
 chase or gift. He may hold claims in other dis- 
 tricts. However, if the stakes are pulled out and a 
 relinquishment filed, it gives him a right to make 
 another location in the same diistrict. 
 
 The fee charged for recording is $15, which en- 
 titles the applicant to the privilege of mining for 
 the period of one year. At the end of the year he 
 rr.ust pay to the commissioner one hundred dollars 
 more and that secures him this right for another year. 
 Each year thereafter this one hundred dollars must 
 be promptly paid and in addition the miner must 
 work the claim during the "representative season." 
 During that period of the year, he is not allowed 
 away from it for a greater period than "seventy- 
 two hours," without the consent of the Commis- 
 sioner, unless such an absence becomes necessary 
 through sickness, or the miner goes away to re- 
 plenish his stock of provisions. 
 
 The "representative season*' is determined by 
 the Commissioner who usually consults the miners 
 before tixing it. It may be any portion of the year 
 or any length of time, usually thirty, sixty or ninety 
 days. If a miner is not represented during this time 
 either in person or by proxy, his claim to his 
 location is considered abandoned. 
 
 A claim may be transferred, assigned or mort- 
 gaged, and such transfer, assignment, oi- mortgage 
 will hold good, provided it is recorded with the Com- 
 missioner. 
 
 The surface rights are not O'btained from the 
 Crown, with the mining grant, and if the regulations 
 
COST OF PLACER MINING 
 
 117 
 
 are not complied with, all rights revert to Her 
 Majesty. 
 
 Rockers are sometimes used, particularly where 
 it is hard to get water- This, however, is a slow 
 process and dirt must be quite rich in order to be 
 worked at a profit in this wise. 
 
 The Yukon placers are perhaps the most expen- 
 sive in the world to work, particularly is this true 
 of the Klondyk.^ district. Everything used must 
 be transported a distance of nearly two thousand 
 miles from Seattle, the nearest outfitting point, 
 over a rough trail, and down a river filled with 
 rocks and rapids, where a large percentage of the 
 goods are lost in transit; or transferred by steamer 
 over five thousand miles through dangerous waters. 
 Nothing can be had by the way and the climate is 
 so rigorous that even the comforts of life cannot be 
 secured, and luxuries are unheard of. The bare 
 necessaries alone can be obtained and these even are 
 sometimes scarce and of poor quality, being fre- 
 quently damaged enroute, or spoiled, not badly 
 enough however to be utterly useless, for nothing 
 is ever thrown away he'-e. It must be bad indeed if 
 there is no market fof it in this region of ice, snow 
 and mosquitoes, and even were it worthless for man's 
 use, the dogs consider every morsel they can digest 
 palatable enough and look upon it as a lu>.ury. 
 They must be fed too as they are the miner's best 
 friends. 
 
 The Bonanza Creek mines are situated about 
 thirty miles from Dawson City and everything must 
 
 II 
 
 *» 
 
 m 
 
 ■1 
 
 
 '■\ 
 
 ) 
 
 'I 
 
 ilk. 
 
 
 
118 
 
 THE BONANZA Cx<EEK MINES 
 
 be packed or hauled in over this distance. It is 
 comparatively easy when the snow is frozen, as a 
 single dog can then haul two hundred pounds. 
 Ii» the summer time, however, when the frcst is out 
 of the moss, it is very spongy and supplies c^*^ be 
 gotten only by packing. This is difncult »■•'•<•; - -i* 
 pensive as at every step a mar takes, ^e sinks ahuost 
 to his knees in thi;> fluffy vegetation. It costs from 
 one to two centb per pound per mile to have supplies 
 transported over this trail. 
 
 In this frozen country the appetite is good and 
 food of the most common kind is taten with a relish. 
 Every one is hard at work, and as there are no soft 
 jobs about these camps, there is very little use for 
 appetizers and tonics. 
 
 The first thing to be looked after when reaching 
 this strange land is to build a cabin, sometimes 
 called a house. The usual method is to build it out 
 of logs and moss. The trees are fallen and cut into 
 the desired length and should be hewn flat, or 
 faced on two sides, so that in placing them one upon 
 another the surface of the logs will match. Between 
 these is placed a layer of several inch ' if mos" 
 The weight of the logs resting upon tins maKes it .^ 
 compact that it is even less porouii than the timber 
 itself. In this way the cracks are chinked up, and 
 the cabin forms a desirable ^JlOlCCrtiOlJl against the 
 Weather. . 
 
 The winters here are very dark and cold. Eight- 
 een hours of darkness and six hours of faint twi- 
 light is the rule. In summer, however, this is 
 
 am 
 
 *'j- »rjy_- ■ -' 
 
EXTREME TEMPERATURE 
 
 119 
 
 reversed and eighteen hours of sunf.hine takes the 
 place of the darkness. This is also true of the tr-m- 
 perature. In winter, forty degrees below zero is the 
 usual temperature, but frequently the thermometer 
 will freeze solid after registering seventy degrees 
 below. In the summer ninety degrees above is 
 common, the difference between the extremes being 
 160 degrees. In summer, the atmosphere is liter- 
 ally thickened with gnats and mosquitoes. These 
 little pests are unusually hungry and I'f care be not 
 taken one is liable to be w:;ll nigh devoured by 
 them. Plenty of mosquito netting and heavy mesh 
 veiling should be found in every outfit. 
 
 In this region, frost penetrates the earth to a 
 great depth; in fact no one has ever succeeded in 
 finding the bottom. In Siberia a hole was dug 
 seven hundred and fifty feet deep, as an experiment 
 but there were no signs of reaching the bottom of 
 the frost, even at that depth. 
 
 The snew is of i different character from that 
 which falls u: the States. It is more like frost and 
 is very fine. It settles to the ground very slowly, 
 being so light, and does not pack. Though the 
 average is but two feet six inches in depth it is im- 
 possible to wade through it. Snow shoes are used 
 at the fall of the year and circulation is by this 
 means rendered less difficult. The snow shoes are 
 made by passing broad thongs through a hooplike 
 piece of wood and thus forming a broad surface. 
 These are attached to the moccasins as shoes would 
 be, and have the effect of distributing the weight 
 
 If 
 
 
 ^m 
 
 w 
 
120 
 
 SNOW, SNOW :iHOES AND DOGS 
 
 \>&f^" 
 
 of the person over so extensive a surface that the 
 wearer sinks but little in the soft, fflufly snow. 
 
 '^Ti-^n the snow freezes and forms a crust, travel- 
 ifij^ .rland becomes easy. A native dog can haul 
 a sledge with two hundred pounds on it across 
 almost any portion of the country. The prospect- 
 or's dog is his best friend and will stick to him even 
 though rations are served but semi-weekly. The 
 native dogs are the best, as they have a woolly 
 coat that protects them from the weather. They 
 can lie out of doors without suffering from tl:e 
 cold, even when the thermometer is sixty below 
 zero. Throw to one of these a fish each day and he 
 is ready for work. When salmon is scarce, a good 
 meal twice a week will keep the dog alive. These 
 dogs are perhaps the most useful an'mal a miner 
 can have, so little will keep them and so ready for 
 service are they always, seldom sick or moping. At 
 times, however, they are stubborn and have to be 
 punished, but, as a rule, they are ready to do the 
 bidding of their masters. Unlike our canines, they 
 soon learn to know their owner, for here in this 
 region of scarcity, a dog is never fed by another. To 
 feed him a few times is equal to having him taught 
 the bill of sale and, like the poor, he is always with 
 you. 
 
 Frequently a prospector is caught out in a storm 
 with no abode except a tent which is but little pro- 
 tection against the wind and frost. In a great many 
 instances they might have perished from the cold 
 had it not been for these faithful animals. The golc? 
 
TllE FAITHFUL DOGGIES 
 
 181 
 
 hunters will wrap themselves in blankets and furs and, 
 for additional warmth, draw their dogs around them 
 and thus huddled together will weather out the 
 blizzard and come out but little the worse for the 
 intense cold. 
 
 In traveling over the ice and cold the dog's feet 
 are fre^quently lacerated and at times become so bad 
 that the poor animal will whine with pain and re- 
 fuse to stand. In such cases moccasins are bound 
 on, and the dog with his feet thus protected will 
 Hck your hand with gratitude and will thereafter be 
 a docile brute. These moccasins are made from 
 fUr and are an ample protection against the sharp 
 particles of ice and snow. 
 
 These dogs, however, are of a thievish disposi- 
 tion, and will steal anything they can. They will 
 even open boxes and have been known to gnaw a 
 hole through a canvas sack in order to get at 
 something palatable. They do not mince over their 
 viands and are not dainty in their tastes, but will 
 steal anything that is "illen." This is caused per- 
 haps by the fact that tliey seldom get enough to 
 eat; but, even if they did, this shortcoming seems 
 to be a part of their natures, having been bred into 
 them since the time "the memory of man runneth 
 not to the contrary." 
 
 The usual market price for one of these noble 
 animals is six ounces of dust, though at times they 
 bring as much as fifteen ounces or about two hun- 
 dred and fifty dollars. 
 
 Their thick woolly coats furnish vermin with a 
 
 p. 
 
 m 
 
 i ' 
 ,1 I 
 
 Wrl 
 
 r 
 
 £ 
 
 liriK 
 
123 
 
 THE FAITHFUL DOGGIES 
 
 I 
 
 warm residence which they are loathe to leave dur- 
 ing the winter months, but when summer comes 
 they scamper out and make Hfe interesting for the 
 hupian family as well. 
 
 During the stampede to the Klondyke dogs were 
 in great demand; even now it is hard to find one 
 for sale 'uv that district. They are usually fed on 
 fish, but during the winter of 1896, fish was so 
 scarce along the Yukon that the miners were ob- 
 liged to share their supplies with the dogs, and that 
 came near bringing on a famine. 
 
 Usually the Big River and its tributaries teem 
 with fish, but, for some unknown reason, the salmon 
 did not run up these rivers last year and the miners 
 and the natives were denied this valuable source of 
 supply. Animals and men had to depend entirely 
 upon provisions brought up the river by the boats 
 of the Alaska Commercial Company and the North 
 Pacific Transportation and Trading Company. 
 
 Salmon and a species of white fish are the prin- 
 cipal varieties found in those wafers, though there 
 are others. Fish is a most important part of the 
 food supply of this region and therefore were badly 
 missed by man and beast. Salmon are very large 
 and frequently weigh as much as a man. They are 
 caught in nets, traps and with spears. Sometimes 
 a rifle can be used to great advantage by shooting 
 them in the head when they jump from the water. 
 As they will float when killed no trouble is ex- 
 perienced in securing them. The Klondyke River 
 is usually a favorite stream with them, but, like the 
 
SALMON, THE STAFF OF LIFE 
 
 123 
 
 Yukon and its other tributaries, they did not visit 
 it last year. 
 
 Many canneries have been established in Alaska, 
 particularly on the rivers flowing into Behring Sea. 
 One river there is called the "River of Life," be- 
 cause in the salinon season it is actually alive with 
 them. 
 
 li 
 
 - I'j 
 
 'i'i 
 
 
 
'■ 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Geological Formation of the Gold Bearing District — 
 Where Is the Mother-Lode — Quartz Croppings— 
 "Quartz-Grinding" Glaciers — Antediluvian Skele- 
 ton Galore. 
 
 The formation of the gold-bearing districts of the 
 Yulcon country has been a subject of much specula- 
 tion by experts and mineralogists. There have been 
 so many different theories advanced concerning it, 
 that one is lead to believe that even those who 
 make a specialty of these matters know but little 
 about the formations here. For my part I do not 
 know how or when or by what means this gold was 
 placed there. But I do know that it is there in 
 large quantities. 
 
 The formation of the ground and stones differs 
 materially from that of any other placer district I 
 am acquainted with. Quartz ledges are found in 
 nearly every part of Alaska and the Northwest Terri- 
 tory, particularly on the coast, on the Yukon River 
 near the Klondyke, on the Stewart, on the Tananah 
 River, and I beHeve that the mother-lode will be 
 discovered within a few years. Some are of the 
 opinion that this lode is in Alaska and not in Brit- 
 ish Territory. To them, the placers of the Klon- 
 dyke indicate this, as Forty Mile and Sixty Mile 
 Creeks are both heavy in placer gold, which leads 
 them to believe that the quartz source is not far 
 away. They think that the British Colu via placers 
 
 (124) 
 
THE MOTHER LODE SOON IN SIGHT 125 
 
 are but out-croppings of the Alaska fountain-head. 
 Some do not wonder that the rich quartz deposits 
 have not been found, because the miners have only 
 followed the river course and have not ventured 
 far back into the mountains. 
 
 Quartz croppings may be found all over the in- 
 terior, but it is impossible to trace them on account 
 of the heavy growth of moss, which covers the 
 ground in all directions and even extends far up 
 the mountain sides. When the mother-ledge is dis- 
 covered, it will probably be by accident, as no in- 
 dication can be followed very far under the present 
 circumstances and difficulties. 
 
 The nuggets throughout the entire district carry 
 quartz which would seem to indicate that the gold 
 has at some time formed a part of a great lode. The 
 indications are that these gold and gravel have not 
 been carried any great distance by water and it may 
 be that when the ledge is found, it will be through 
 the agency of these nuggets. A sharp lookout is 
 being kept for some sign to indicate where the 
 original location of these rich deposits was before 
 the elements or some force of nature carried it away 
 and deposited it into the bottoms of the rivers. 
 Some mineralogists contend that this gold has been 
 ground out of the quartz by the pressure of the 
 glaciers, which lie ^.nd move along the courses of 
 the streams exerting a tremendous pressure ; and as 
 this force is present to a more appreciable extent 
 in Alaska than elsewhere, they also believe that 
 more placer gold will be found in that region than 
 
126 
 
 GOLD QUARTZ GROUND 
 
 in any other part of the world. They strongly ad- 
 vise the prospectors to investigate the small streams 
 instead of the large ones, as their theory is that 
 when gold is precipitated it sinks, and does not float 
 down the streams very far; on that account they 
 assert that richer finds will be made on the American 
 side of the one hundred and forty-first meridian 
 than have been made in the Northwest Territory. 
 
 Another theory is that the gold has been worn 
 loose from the lode by the action of the streams, 
 which cut through the mountains and probably 
 have done so for centuries, wearing them down, 
 several hundred feet washing out the gold into the 
 beds and gravel. 
 
 Still another theory is that it does not necessarily 
 follow that where placers are found a rich lode still 
 exists, as the deposit may be the accumulations 
 from a larg^ amount of low grade ore, and not 
 from a small amount of rich ore, as is commonly 
 supposed. It is more probable that the small par- 
 ticles have been ground out and undergone a cold 
 weld, and it is now conceded that small particles 
 of gold, traveling along, down water crevices, will 
 congeal and form into nuggets. If the grade of 
 the stream be but little better than flat, large accu- 
 mulations of sand, gravel and rock will gather with 
 the gold, which will greatly reduce the value of the 
 deposit per cubic yard, whereas, if the current is 
 rapid enough on account of the heavier fall per 
 mile, a large portion of this sand and gravel will 
 be carried away. Gold may have thus accumulated 
 
J^v. 
 
 GOLD QUARTZ VEINS 
 
 1S7 
 
 on the bed-rock, and then the flow having dimin- 
 ished, large accumulations of poorer gravel settled 
 upon it by reason of the diminished rapidity of the 
 current. The bed-rock where these rich deposits 
 are found is usually rough and full of pockets. 
 
 There are, however, a few general indications 
 with which all placer miners become familiar. 
 Among those generalizations may be noted that in 
 a gold-bearing region nearly all the rocks carry 
 more or less gold; that it is not necessary to have 
 quartz veins to produce placers; that a country in 
 which there is a combination of volcanic and non- 
 eruptive rock offers the greatest inducement to the 
 prospector; that regions in which there are large 
 gold-bearing quartz veins may afford gulches with 
 very rich spots; that a country with innumerable 
 small streams inay furnish gulches of much more 
 uniform and extensive value. 
 
 The formation in this district differs widely from 
 other gold sections; it is > ava, white and grey 
 sand, lime-stone and no slate; in fact there is noth- 
 ing in it to indicate the immediate vicinity of the 
 countless millions that are buried in the gulches. 
 
 For my part, I differ from the theories advanced 
 by many of the leading scientists. I am aware that 
 this is presumptuous on my part, but to me, the 
 surroundings indicate that this country, at one time, 
 was in the tropical zone, or at least, that the cli- 
 mate there was at some remote period, tropical and 
 not frigid, as is now the case; and that the gold 
 was dislodged from the lode by extreme heat as well 
 
 n 
 
128 
 
 THE AUTHOR'S OWN THEORY 
 
 as later, by extreme cold. I base this theory upon 
 the fact that bones and teeth, and even whole car- 
 casses of animals peculiar to the torrid zone are 
 frequently found. At Troublesome Point the skel- 
 eton of a mammoth was found in such a state of 
 preservat'on that when unearthed and warmed in 
 the sun's rays, it gave oflf an odor as of an animal 
 recently dead. This carcass was found but thirty- 
 six feet beneath the surface of the earth. Sections 
 of the skeletons of mastodons are found on the 
 bed-rock in all parts of the Yukon valley and even 
 high up into the mountains, and the teeth of both 
 these animals are held as relics by many miners. 
 In brief, my opinion is that these deposits were 
 made in the animal age and the gold ground from 
 the ledges by the action of the water and the cli- 
 mate, and that at that time the climate was trop- 
 ical. I cannot understand how these deposits could 
 have been made at a time when the earth was 
 frozen, as it is at the present time, and it seems to 
 me that the absence of glaciers from the Yukon 
 valley explodes the glacier theory. The time may 
 have been when glaciers existed here, but as the 
 evidence of the climate at one time having been 
 tropical are so pronounced and the evidences of 
 there having been glaciers entirely absent, I will 
 hold to my belief until some reasonable foundation 
 of the glacier theory is produced. 
 
 
.1 
 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 One Winter's Work: $224,000 in Gold Dust and Nug- 
 gets — I prepare to go home — "Hotel De Bum" — 
 Half a Million Dollars in Buckskin Sacks— Five 
 Gallon Oil Cans Filled with Gold— A Woman. 
 Prospector Worth $250,000. 
 
 The reader woul hardly be entertained, by every 
 detail of our camp life. We lived just as others 
 around the district did, an J nothing occurred, dur- 
 ing our stay at the mines, that was out of the 
 ordinary for that country. 
 
 In the spring we built sluice boxes from the logs 
 that we had cut and hauled, which we had whip- 
 sawed into lumber, as lumber at the saw-mill at 
 Dawson City, was worth a hundred and fifty dollars 
 per thousand feet, and hard to get at that. Men 
 stood ready to take each board as it came from the 
 saw, and had we depended on this, the season might 
 have passed before we were enabled to erect our 
 sluice. We sluiced out one hundred and twelve 
 thousand dollars worth; we had panned out and 
 picked up in nuggets, during the winter, nearly as 
 much more. One nugget of about a hundred dol- 
 lars, had been thrown on the rock pile, but was 
 discovered by one of our employes. 
 
 We decided that two of us would return again 
 to civilization and come back the following spring 
 to relieve the others. It fell to the lot of myself 
 and Gage Worden, to make the first trip, and so 
 
 029) . 
 
 f 
 
 
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 m 
 
 .■ it I 
 
 
130 
 
 SLUICED OUT $112,000 
 
 f ! 
 
 accompanied by the other boys, we left for Daw-* 
 son City, where we intended to take passage for 
 Seattle. The r>'er boat was late and we had to re- 
 main at Dawson City for some time. While here, 
 we built a cabin which we called "Hotel de Bum. ;" 
 this became the headquarters for eight of the boys 
 who were coming out by the same boat. Between the 
 eight of us we had over five hundred thousand dollars 
 in gold dust, which was securely done up in buck- 
 skin sacks, there being about twenty-five thousand 
 dollars in each sack. These sacks were ranked up 
 inside our cabin, and resenxbled a pile of stove wood, 
 as the sacks are long and narrow. These sacks are 
 made of buckskin, and cost five dollars each at 
 Dawscn City. Notvithstanding the confidence that 
 exists among miners, and which had been neces- 
 sary at the camp, we did not trust tlie people at 
 Dawson City, as all the tough elem*^nt of Alaska 
 and the Yukon country, had by this time arrived; 
 so we took turns about in guarding our wealth. 
 Four of us M^ere on duty all the time with Win- 
 chesters, while the others araused themf>.eives by 
 jtrolling about the town. 
 
 During the winter and early spring, a number of 
 the worst element had been disposed of by the vigil- 
 ance committee. No one ever knew v.rhat became of 
 them, for they simply disappeared, having dropped 
 the t-ail of Hfe suddenly, and the chances are that 
 even their relatives will never be able to trace theni 
 beyond a period when they were full of life aird 
 hope. These examples had the desired effect, axid 
 
 
 I 
 
 
STOPPING AT "HOTEL DE BUM." 
 
 m 
 
 
 
 I believe, that, after all, our untiring vigil was un- 
 necessary. 
 
 In one cabin, I saw five five-gallon coal oil cans 
 filled with the precious metal; they were the accu- 
 mulations of five men and made the greatest dis- 
 play of gold dust I had ever witnessed. Finally on 
 the 17th day of June, we took passage on the "Port- 
 eous B. Weare," and bidding goodbye to the boys 
 staited down the Yukon, bound for home and civil- 
 ization. 
 
 While waiting for the steamer at the "Hotel de 
 Bum," I met a Mrs. Mills of Tacoma, who, a few 
 weeks ago, was a poor woman, but at the present 
 time is worth two hundred and fifty thousand dol- 
 lars. 
 
 Asking her to tell me of her experiences in this 
 cold and far-away country, she replied in the follow- 
 ing words: 
 
 "Two years ago, T decided to try my luck among 
 the r::st of the people who were leaving for this 
 frozen land. My nusband is a blacksmith by occu- 
 pation, but being a great sufferer from rheumatism, 
 had been unable to work at his trade for a long 
 time. When I left I was alone, and said that I 
 would not return until I had made a fortune. 
 
 "After two years of prospecting, and just when 
 my spirit and fortune were at their lowest ebb, I 
 heard the report that a great strike had been made 
 on the Klondyke. Joining a party of cattlemen, 
 bound that way, I hurried to the new Eldorado, 
 
 is ■' 
 
 
 M^l 
 
 # 
 
132 
 
 MRS. MILLS' NARRATIVE 
 
 staked a claim and have realized more than two 
 himdred thousand dollars from it. 
 
 "Not being satisfied with this, I established a 
 laundry here and was the first to introduce the 
 'boiled shirt' among the miners. Although I am 
 compelled to pay two hundred and fifty dollars for 
 a box of starch, I am doing a splendid business. I 
 give an Indian squaw who works in the laundry 
 four dollars a day and expenses; the log cabin in 
 which I do my work I rent for thirty-five dollars 
 a month. Fuel costs me nearly five hundred dollars 
 a year. 
 
 "Before fortune favored me so nicely, I worked 
 for the mess of the Aiaaka Commercial Company 
 here. Efforts have hv.en made to steal my claim, 
 but I have gone for it through suffering almost akin 
 to death, and now that a fight is being made to ob- 
 tain possession of the one thing that I prize the 
 highest in the world, I will stand by my right if it 
 takes five years." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Yukon Basin — Fish and Feather — All Manners of 
 Game — Indian Way of Hunting Moose — ^The Settle- 
 ments on the Great Biver — Down Stream to St. 
 Michael's— On Board the "Portland"— Fair Seattle 
 Again! 
 
 I will diverge from my narrative, long enough to 
 relate some facts and incidents that apply to the 
 Yukon basin. It will probably be interesting to the 
 readerto learn, if indeed he isnot already aware of it — 
 that the Yukon River is the secoiul largest stream in 
 the world. In si * is only outstripped by the Ama- 
 zon in South Amei »i::a,and has no equal on any v>f the 
 other continents. It discharges one third more 
 water than the Mississippi, and enter.^ Behring Sea 
 through more than a hundred different ch anels; as 
 it passes over the Yukon flats, ii is seventy-five 
 miles wide and the banks cannot be discerned on 
 both sides at the same time from a boat in mid- 
 channel. Its principal tributaries ^ The Andre- 
 afski, Anvik, Innoko, Kaiyun, Nuiato, Koyukuk, 
 Soonkakat, Melozikakat, Nowikakat, Klatsuta- 
 kakat, Tozikakat, Tanana, Klanarcharg^t, Whim- 
 per, Ray, Outt, Beaver, Porcupine, Seventy Mile, 
 Klondyke, Indian, Reindeer, Stewart and White 
 Rivers; Shagluk Slough; Birch, Forty Mile and 
 Sixty Mile Creeks. It is formed by the Pelly and 
 Lewis Rivers whose principal branches, so far as 
 prospected, are, for the Pelly, the McMillan, and for 
 
 038) 
 
134 THE LARGEST AMERICAN RIVER 
 
 the Lewis, the Nordenskiold, Little Salmon, Big 
 Salmon, Hootalinqua. These rivers have really 
 been explored but little, as the Indians, a few miles 
 from the Yukon, are hostile, and the labor of get- 
 ting provisions any distance in the interior is so 
 great. However, what has been said, in this narra- 
 tive, of the Stewart River will apply to most of them. 
 
 There are in Alaska and the Yukon basin more 
 than one hundred varieties of fish; though the 
 salmon and white fish are the princip^il varieties 
 found in f-r Yukon and its branches. The lakes, 
 however, fauly teem with pickerel, which resemble 
 the pickerel caught from the lakes in the States ex- 
 cept that it is much larger. 
 
 The bear, wolf, dear, carriboo, moose, fox and 
 wolverine are the principal animals of the Yukon 
 basin, and are very valuable for their flesh and fur 
 which suppl} the M'cessaries of life to the native 
 inhabitants. 
 
 Last winter, the Indians had to fall back exclu- 
 sively on their former habits of living. The Com- 
 mercial Companies were afraid that to supply them 
 with provisions, as has been their habit for a num- 
 ber of years, would bring oi a shortage that might 
 create a famine among th'^ whites; they refused 
 therefore to sell goods to the Indians and threw 
 them on their own resources. They took to the 
 mountains, repaired their old hunting lodges and 
 killed elk enough to see them through the winter 
 in comparative comfort. Occasionally they would 
 load a moo6e on a sled and bring it to the mines, 
 
FISH AND FEATHER 
 
 135 
 
 somietimes a distance of one hundred miles, and 
 trade it to the miners for flour. Their manner of 
 hunting moose is somewhat novel; it displays the 
 cunning and patience their race has cultivated for 
 centuries. They will take, from the shoulder of the 
 moose, a bone which is about three inches broad at 
 one end while it tapers to a point at the other; this 
 they rattle behind a tree, taking care to keep con- 
 cealed but occasionally exposing the broad end of 
 the bone. The noise and motion correctly imitate 
 a moose rubbing a tree with its horns, a system 
 which these animals use in communicating with 
 each other; the noise thus made is very clear and 
 may be heard a long distance in the crisp mountain 
 air. When the Indians have thus succeeded in at- 
 tracting the moose, they appear from behind their 
 cover and kill them. In summer the moose live 
 near the lakes and swamp, and feed on the roots 
 and herbs growing in the water. They will dive 
 down, a distance of several feet, in order to get at 
 a bunch of choice roots. 
 
 There are a number of dtnominational missions 
 established along the Yukon, among the various 
 Indian tribes, and the younger generation is well 
 educated in the English language. They serve as 
 pilots on the river boats, and know the channel so 
 well that they seldom get one of them aground. An 
 Indian wil! pilot a boat through the country of his 
 tribe when he will be relieved by a native of the 
 next tribe and so on until the boat reaches her des- 
 tination. At some of these missions, the hardier 
 
 ifev 
 
 \m 
 
'.8?P 
 
 im 
 
 m 
 
 WITH THE YUKON INDIANS 
 
 vegetables are grown, which are necessary in order 
 to protect the residents from scurvy. A white man 
 cannot exist there longer than three years without 
 some green vegetable food, and until potatoes, cab- 
 bage, etc., were brought up the river by the trading 
 companies, the miners would be compelled to seek 
 civilization every few years. Many of the younger 
 Indian squaws are married to miners, when they 
 leave the missions, and follow the fortunes of their 
 husbands. Some of these men, principally French- 
 Canadians have become wealthy and have sent their 
 children to the States and Canada to receive an 
 education.. 
 
 All the rivers emptying into the Yukon, have 
 been found to contain gold; so far as discovered, 
 the richest among them are the branches of the 
 Klondyke. Heretofore Forty Mile and Sixty Mile 
 Rivers had been considered the richest, though 
 Birch Creek, with its tributaries, was a close third. 
 
 So abruptly do the mountains rise from the Yu- 
 kon, that it might almost be said to split a range 
 in two. It is a rapid stream and is full of islands 
 from its source to its mouth . 
 
 As we steamed by Forty Mile City, Fort Reliance 
 and Circle City, we found them almost deserted; in 
 fact, in Circle City, which had hitherto been the 
 metropolis of the interior, I saw but three men, and 
 they were the employes of the Trading Companies, 
 or they would perhaps have been with the others in 
 the new metropolis. 
 
 Forty Mile, Sixty Mile, Seventy Mile and other 
 
CIRCLE CITY DESERTED 
 
 137 
 
 creeks and locations on the Yukon, whose names 
 indicate distance, are so called on account of their 
 relative distance from Fort Reliance. Sixty Mile 
 is sixty miles above rort Reliance, and was dis- 
 covered by a prospector who started from Fort Re- 
 liance, then the principal trading post on the Yukon 
 River. Forty Mile is forty miles below Fort Reli- 
 ance, and Seventy Mile is still thirty miles further 
 down the river. 
 
 We steamed down the Yukon, without incident or 
 accident worth noting. The voyage, however, led 
 rne to appreciate to some degree the extent and 
 value of the Alaska territory. It Is one fourth the 
 size of all the other possessions of the United States 
 and though its purchase price was but seven mil- 
 lions of dollars, its wealth cannot be estimated. 
 The salmon and seal fisheries alone amount to many 
 million of dollars each year, and though I remem- 
 ber that I criticised the Un-.ted States government at 
 the time it made the investment, I am well satisfied 
 now that no business transaction ever closed in the 
 United States, either of a public or private nature, 
 has been more profitable to the buyer than this 
 purchase has been and will be to Uncle Sam. 
 
 We arrived at St. Michael's about the end of 
 June, and were obliged to wait here a few days for 
 the 'Tor^land" on which we intended to take pass- 
 age to Seattle. 
 
 St. Michael's is the principal trading post of the 
 Alaska Commercial Company, and it is here that 
 the ocean steamers must discharge the cargoes 
 
 I j- 
 
 
138 
 
 AT ST. MICHAEL'S 
 
 which are to be taken up the Yukon by the river 
 steamers. It is a native town and is located about 
 sixty miles to the north of the usual entrance to 
 the Yukon. 
 
 No spot has yet been found nearer the mouth 
 of the Yukon, where a landing can safely be made, 
 as the ice when it comes down the river in the 
 spring covers the various islands and would prob- 
 ably demolish the shore houses or such other struct- 
 ures as might be built for the convenience of com- 
 merce. 
 
 We took our gold aboard the "Portland" when 
 she arrived and in a few days were steaming south- 
 east toward Unalaska, We celebrated the Fourth 
 of July, as best we could, considering that we were 
 aboard ship in the center of Behring Sea. I believe 
 that we were as happy to be again bound for civil- 
 ization where the stars and stripes would form, a 
 part of every scene, as we had been when boys to 
 suddenly become the possessors of innumerable, 
 genuine fire crackers. 
 
 We had a pleasant voyage, and yet, as we were 
 homeward bound with good news it seemed quite 
 long, and we fretted a great deal at not being able 
 to proceed faster. However, in due time, we passed 
 Unalaska and Dutch Harbor, and were again on 
 the broad Pacific. On the 16th of July, we sighted 
 the light house, on Tatoosh Island, off Cape Flat- 
 tery, at the entrance of the Straight of San Juan De 
 Fuca, and when we passed inside we felt that at last 
 we were indeed almost home. As we steamed by. 
 
HOME, SWEET HOME 
 
 139 
 
 we gave the signal and were reported at tfie various 
 signal stations, along the coast. Hardly had we 
 arrived in the straights when we were signalled by 
 a tug. We hove to and greatly to our surprise we 
 were boarded by a representative of the Associated 
 Press, who it seems had been lying in wait for us. 
 He aroused the captain who in turn gathered to- 
 gether the various passengers and we were all in- 
 terviewed as to what we had, where and how we 
 obtained it, and whether or not there was any of 
 the stuff left behind. After receiving our answers 
 the reporter went on board the tug again and started 
 for Seattle, where, when we arrived, the first words 
 we heard were "Post-Intelligencer Special! All 
 about the tons of gold on board the 'Portland !' " 
 and, sure enough, our relatives had heard of our 
 good news through the newspaper columns and 
 some of them had even been already shopping on 
 the strength of it. 
 
 When I sighted Seattle, "from the deck of the 
 "Portland" I felt, oh how glad! The surrounding 
 scenery had lost none of its beauty nor had the city 
 lagged in energy or enterprise since I had left it. 
 All around me spoke of undaunted activity and un- 
 dying hope in the brightest of futures. 
 
 ill 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Fortunes on Board the "Portland" — The Excitement 
 Beaches Its Climax — The Stampede Northward Be- 
 gins — A Graphic Newspaper Description of the 
 Bush — Inquiring Visitors and Correspondents by 
 the Thousand-^Off to San Francisco— Five Thou- 
 sand Six Hundred Shining Double Eagles Stamped 
 Out of My Klondyke Gold. 
 
 A partial list of the gold that we brought down 
 on the Portland reads as follows: 
 
 Clarence Berry $135,000. 
 
 William M. Stanley 112,000. 
 
 F. G. H. Bowfer 90,000. 
 
 T. S. Lippy 65,000. 
 
 Henry Dore 50,000. 
 
 J. B. Hollingshead 25,000. 
 
 Albert Galbraith 15,000. 
 
 James McMahon 15,000. 
 
 Victor Lord 15,000. 
 
 Douglas McArtur 15,000. 
 
 Bernard Anderson 14,000. 
 
 Robert Krook 14,000. 
 
 Fred Lendesser 13,000. 
 
 J. J. Kelly 10,000. 
 
 Thomas Cook ; 10,000. 
 
 M. S. Norcross 10,000. 
 
 j. Ernmerger 10,000. 
 
 Con Stamatin 8,205. 
 
 Jack Home 6,000. 
 
 Albert Fox 5,100. 
 
t?1 
 
 w 
 
 C/3 
 
 trt 
 
A LIST OF GOLD HUNTERS 141 
 
 Greg Stewart $ 5,000. 
 
 Thomas Flack 5,000. 
 
 Louis B. Rhoads 5,000. 
 
 J. O. Hestwood 5,000. 
 
 Joe Ladiie 10,000. 
 
 Ben Wall 50,000. 
 
 William Carlson 50,000. 
 
 Wm. Sloan 50,000. 
 
 John Wilker on 50,000. 
 
 Jim Clemens 50,000. 
 
 Frank Keller 35,000. 
 
 Sam Collej 25,000. 
 
 Stewart and Hollenhead 45,000. 
 
 Charles Myers and partner 23,000. 
 
 Johnny Marks 10,000. 
 
 Alex. Orr 10,000. 
 
 Fred Price 15,000. 
 
 Fred Latisceura 10,000. 
 
 Tim Bell 31,000. 
 
 William Hayes 35,000. 
 
 Dick McNulty 20,000. 
 
 Jake Halterman 14,000. 
 
 Johnson and Olson 20,000. 
 
 Neil McArthur 50,000. 
 
 Charles Anderson 25,000. 
 
 Joe Morris 15,000. 
 
 Hank Peterson 12,000. 
 
 There were a great many more who came back 
 with from $3,000 to $10,000 whose names I have 
 forgotten. 
 
 Thte crowd at the wharf when we landed was so 
 
 1 I nr'l 
 "•ill 
 
 
Pii 
 
 U2 
 
 SEATTLE EXCITEMENT 
 
 dense t'lat we could hardly get through; in fact with- 
 out the aid of a detachment of police, I do not 
 think we could have gotten ashore. They cleared 
 the way for us and nost cA us loaded our gold into 
 wagons and took it to the express office, where 
 we shipped it to the variotis mints. I shipped mine 
 to San Francisco, where it was coined. 
 
 The people seemed to be at first almost dumb 
 with astonishment but aftjer the gold had ilisap- 
 peared from view this astonioh*nent gave way to an 
 excitement that resulted in a stampede from Seattle, 
 the like of which has perhaps never been known in 
 the world's history. 
 
 The stampeJe proper began when the news of the 
 discovery v^as first told on the Yukon River. The 
 crew of the steamer that brought in supplies de- 
 serted to a man, nnd the captain had to employ 
 ■natives in order to get the steamer back dovvm the 
 river. The ''^•ampede spread until it had reached the 
 remotest mines i the Yukon basin. Sixty Mi!';, 
 tort. Mile, Fort Cudahy, Circle Ciiy, and in fac. , 
 every camp was deserted for the Klondyke district. 
 
 The news then reached Juneau, and the other 
 Alaska coast towns, anu they too joined in the 
 rush. The excitement in all the coast cities became 
 intense and men rushed around like insane bein^^s 
 in tkeir efforts to get the wherewith to join the 
 stampede. The first boat to leave for the North 
 after the return of the 'lixcelsior" and "Portland" 
 with tlieir cargoes of gold was the steamer 'Tort- 
 land/' which started North as soon as she could get 
 
 . L. 
 
THE NORTHWEST STAMPEDE BEGINS 143 
 
 a cargo aboard. Her leaving is descnbed in the 
 "Post Intelligencer" of the following day, and as the 
 description is well written, I will not try to improve 
 on it, but will quote verbatim as follows: 
 
 "Perhaps never before in. the history of Seattle 
 has there departed from its embracing harbor a 
 steamer freighted with a cargo so interesting and 
 destined so vaguely as the "Portland," which sv^rung 
 out yesterday afternoon from a wharf covered with 
 hundreds of waving, weeping people, and, pushing 
 her nose to the north, sailed foi' the Yukon. 
 
 "It was like the parting of a son from a mother, 
 and the Queen City seemed loth to admit the going. 
 There w^ere men aboard so beluved by her that in 
 the great grief of the mother, individual tears seemed 
 petty. There have been hundreds who have gone 
 before and hearts which ached at their departure, 
 but this seemed more individually a boatload of 
 Seattle people; some I'.a^ing not only a circle of 
 friends, su^h as falls to the lot of the majority, but 
 holding a position in the public eye which made 
 their exodus an event of general importance. 
 Among the watchers from the v/harf, there was none 
 who did not feel the exciting influence of the scene. 
 As well known faces passed up the short gang- 
 plank, syni; athetic whispers signified their recog- 
 nition and breathed hopes of their success. 
 
 "In every crowd there is the melancholy man, 
 and perhaps he saw a shadowy arch spanning the 
 steamer's gangway with the words 'All hope aban- 
 don ye who enter here.' But the opinions of the 
 
 I 
 
mim^mmmmmmfi^mmmmmF''iK^^ 
 
 144 THE NORTHWEST STAMPEDE BEGINS 
 
 pessimist were at a discount in that crowd of en- 
 thusiasts. They could only see the sign: "The 
 road to wealth." One hundred and fifty took that 
 road, and one could imagine, as they boarded single 
 file, the Goddess Fortune touching with her wand 
 those destined to success. Who felt that magic 
 touch and the warmth of Fortune's smile? Did it 
 fall on the swift or on the slow ; on the man who had 
 achieved and lost, or on him whose pace was yet 
 untried? 
 
 "The 'Portland' did not get away within four hot 
 hours of her scheduled time. Her sailing date was 
 fixed at noon, but it was four o'clock before the 
 gang-plank was drawn in and the unintelligible or- 
 ders were given to cast off. The sun came out to 
 see every thing he could, and was in every body's 
 way, making a genial nuisance of himself. His 
 warm interest in the proceedings, however, was 
 taken as a good omen. He was yellow, too, and 
 the prospectors had the delight of "seeing the color" 
 early in their hunt. 
 
 "Probably more than 2,000 people were on the 
 Schwabacher dock, or as near as they could get to 
 it. Some were attracted by curiosity, but many v/ere 
 there to bid adieu to relatives and friends. One 
 man at least was on hand for business. He was an 
 aged candyman, with a store of the yellow prepara- 
 tion known to confectioners as peanut candy. It 
 was made up in cakes, and the old man held these 
 aloft before the eyes of the outgoing miners and 
 cried: 'Yukon nuggets, 85 cents apiece.' William 
 
THE NORTHWEST STAMPEDE BEGINS 145 
 
 Moran, of Moran Bros., who, by the way, seemed 
 very glad to find himself going, fell heir to a half 
 nugget without being required to put up the stip- 
 ulated 12^ cents. He saw Comptroller Parry roam- 
 ing around with a camera in hand, and cried out: 
 'Take a shot at me, will you, and give it to my' 
 brother for my wife/ The shot was taken. Two 
 enterprising boys dodged in and out of the crowd, 
 offering for sale copies of the 'British Mining Laws.' 
 
 "Ex-Gov. John H. McGrav/ and Gen. E. M. 
 Carr were among the first to board the vessel. 
 There was an interesting scene at the gang plank, 
 where the governor, after breaking through his 
 many friends, was stopped by a deck hand and re- 
 quired to show his ticket. Gen. Carr had gone 
 ahead with the necessary passes, and the governor 
 encountered his first obstacle. The deck hand did 
 not know who he was. As soon as the difficulty 
 was comprehended by the crowd a dozen voices 
 cried: That's all right, man ; that's all right.' The 
 deck hand persisted. The attention of an officer 
 was called, some one on board evidently explaining 
 who the delayed passenger was. Ho ^cme to the 
 spot at once and called out cheeiily: 'Let the 
 gentleman pass. Tommy, and all the ladies with 
 him.' Tommy obeyed, and Gov. McGraw passed 
 aboard, followed by Mrs. McGraw, his daughter 
 and son. They went below to their cabin, and were 
 not seen until shortly before the steamer sailed. 
 
 "There was one familiar sign on the steamer's 
 side. S. P. Weston, the Post Intelligencer's special 
 
 m 
 
 .>.'.■ 
 
m 
 
 wm 
 
 U6 THE NORTHWEST STAMPEDE BEGINS 
 
 correspondent, crawled out on a life boat and tacked 
 on its side the yellow board whose brothers give 
 from every fence and bill board in the city this ad- 
 vice: 'Read the P-L' 
 
 "Altogether those on the boat seemed happy, 
 probably sustained by exciting visions of a golden 
 home-coming. It was the desolate hearts left be- 
 hind which seemed breaking, and many a woman 
 kissed her husband and straight way burst into 
 tears. A most affecting parting was between a 
 gentle-faced old man and his gray-haired wife. He 
 looked as one who had tried before the fortunes of 
 a mining camp and went forth now on a search 
 which might be his last. The sweet grief of that 
 aged wife and her husband's noble efforts at con- 
 dolence were most pathetic. Some laughed and 
 joked to force away the tell-tale evidence of sorrow, 
 and some there were whose stony features showed 
 no trace of what was too deep for display. 
 
 "Exactly at four o'clock, the lines were cast off 
 and the steamer, with her cargo of high strung 
 human beings, drew away from the landing. Four 
 deck hands standing on a lumber platform at her 
 bow sang: 'Say au revoir, but not goodby.' It was 
 an old story to them, and they seemed delighted at 
 their ability to display their noisy joy. At the 
 stern was a deck hand of different mold. He sur- 
 veyed the crowd from the boat, and emitting a 
 melancholy 'whoop* he feebly waved his arm and 
 dived below. The crowd laughed at this, only too 
 glad to relieve the tension. As the 'Portland' cir- 
 
THE NORTHWEST STAMPEDE BEGINS 147 
 
 cled about in the harbor, the steamers along the 
 water front turned loose their steam whistles in 
 prolonged salutes. Handkerchiefs waved from 
 shore to boat, cheers rent the air, and women 
 cleared their tearful eyes to strain them, for one 
 last glance, at the slowl)'^ retreating boat. Oflf Four- 
 mile rock, the passing steamer 'Grayhound' gave a 
 last long, royal salute. It was thus the 150 passed 
 out of sight. 
 
 "The cargo of the 'Portland' was about 1,200 
 tons, destined for St. Michael's, Dawson City, Fort 
 Cudahy, Circle City and Unalaska. The manifest 
 at the local customs house showed the following 
 items: Paint, 5 cases; beer, 133 casks; windows, 36 
 bundles; groceries, 192 cases; dry goods, 13 cases; 
 picks, 110; shovels, 150; potatoes, 800 crates; on- 
 ions, 100 crates; oranges, 50 crates; lemons, 25 
 crates; rice, 200 mats; flour, 2,000 sacks; dried 
 fruits, 1,477 cases; groceries, 1,420 cases; hardware, 
 196 bundles; cigars, 2 cases; lumber and material 
 for warehouse. 
 
 "There were 1,466 packages of Canadian goods 
 in transit, covered by a transportation and exporta- 
 tion bond." 
 
 The "Portland" was followed by other steamers, 
 sailing craft and even canoes until more than a 
 thousand people have gone in by way of St. 
 Michael's, and about eight thousand people have 
 been landed at Dyea and Skaguay, and still there 
 are more going. But few of those, however, who 
 intended going over the pass, will be able to get 
 
 It's 
 
"i^ 
 
 148 
 
 INQUIRIES FROM ALL SIDES. 
 
 down the Yukon, before it freezes up, and unless 
 they have plenty of supplies with them it is per- 
 haps better so. These people came from all parts 
 of the United States, and Europe is represented in 
 the stampede. Some are returning already, having 
 given up the attempt to get through before winter, 
 and, in some cases, the bodies of others less for- 
 tunate have been shipped back to their friends. 
 
 This stampede will continue during the next year, 
 1898, and the question "When are you going?" has 
 become so annoying to people in the Pacific coast 
 towns that they have taken to wearing a button 
 inscribed with the words "Going in the spring," 
 which eflfectually answers the question even before 
 it has been asked. . 
 
 I had no sooner, gotten home than I was be- 
 sieged on all sides by people desiring information 
 on this wonderful country. My house was full, 
 night and day, and letters poured in until I had re- 
 ceived more than a thousand, which of course I 
 found it impossible to answer. These letters were of 
 every description, but were generally of a business- 
 like nature, and I very much regret that I could not 
 find time even to read them all. 
 
 After being home but a few days I left with my 
 family for San Francisco, where I went to get my 
 gold minted and if possible escape the crowd of 
 information seekers. Not but what I was willing at 
 all times to give what information I could, but the 
 strain of constant talking, from morning till night 
 and from night to midnight, had very much ini- 
 
MINTING MY GOLD 
 
 l4d 
 
 paired my health, and I needed rest. In San Fran- 
 cisco, however, at my hotel, I found it equally as 
 bad, still as long as I could talk, I did so, and when 
 my voice gave out entirely I had to turn people 
 away without seeing them. 
 
 The U. S. mint, at this time, was closed on ac- 
 count of a change that was about to be made, the 
 Democratic director being superseded by a Re- 
 publican one. This delay kept us all waiting for 
 about two weeks but finally we succeeded in getting 
 our gold coined. I had the satisfaction of being 
 the possessor of the cleanest dust, as my lot went 
 for sixteen dollars and thirty cents to the ounce. 
 
 While in San Francisco, I was entertained by the 
 business men of the Golden Gate City. In fact we 
 were all considered guests and many of us had the 
 entre to the most exclusive business and social 
 circles. Though I have no doubt that this was 
 caused by the general desire for information, yet 
 the people of San Francisco proved that they were 
 masters of the art of entertaining, and should any 
 of them come my way in the Klondyke, I will will- 
 ingly reciprocate with the best that there is in that 
 land; though I have no doubt it will be ice-water 
 for wine (for I don't believe that the average San 
 Francisco palate could stand the Klondyke 
 liquors), and, for the dainty dishes of the Maison 
 Riche or the Palace Hotel, I will willingly exchange 
 such as we have: bacon and sour dough bread. 
 
 Of late there has been considerable discussion as 
 to who was actually the discoverer of gold on the 
 
150 REAL DISCOVERER OF THE NEW FIELDS 
 
 branches of the Klondyke. In order to throw more 
 light on the subject I will give the story as related 
 to me by George W. McCormack, whose name 
 has been, misspelled throughout the country as 
 "Cromack, Cromax and Cromick." He told me 
 that he was fishing at the mouth of the Klondyke 
 together with his two brothers-in-law, the Indians, 
 Skukum Jim and Pagish Charlie; as there was no 
 salmon they struck camp and went up the Klon- 
 dyke, which he had been intending for some time 
 to prospect. When they reached the mouth of the 
 Bonanza Creek, a tributary entering from the east, 
 they found a man called Bob Henderson, at work, 
 ground sluicing. He was taking out about twenty 
 dollars a day. They did not stop here, but went up 
 the Bonanza, ')out twenty miles, where they struck 
 pay-streak that turned out rich. As twenty dollars 
 per day can be taken out almost any where in that 
 country, the Henderson find was not really a strike, 
 and therefore the credit of the great discovery is 
 due to George W. McCormack. 
 
 I returned from San Francisco, only to learn that 
 letters were still pouring in and that every man I 
 met seemed to be covered all over with the legend 
 "information wanted." 
 
 As I was completely tired out, I left the next 
 day for the country and took up my residence on 
 an island in Puget Sound, where I resolved that I 
 would write this book, and give to the world such 
 knowledge as I possess and which might be taken, 
 in every respect, as authentic. 
 
n^'mm^i-_'V'\H.7 
 
 mm 
 
 WHERE I WROTE THIS BOOK 
 
 in 
 
 I am indebted to my amanuensis, Mr. J. M. 
 Davis, of Seattle, for arranging this information into 
 the form in which it is presented to the public. I 
 believe that the style is clear and that the narrative 
 of an interesting, yea, even almost sensational trip 
 is well written. What others may think remains 
 to be seen. If it entertains orlnstructs my readers, 
 I will be well satisfied, even though it does not re- 
 sult in a financial success, for of gold I have enqugh 
 and to spare. 
 
 I have often" been asked what I intend to do with 
 all this money; I will answer by stating that I 
 intend first to dig it out of the ground and then I 
 shall use a part of it in such a way that when I come 
 to leave this earth I can feel, notwithstanding what 
 others might say, that the world is better for my 
 having lived. 
 
 I have frequently been asked where I would ad- 
 vise persons going to the Yukon to procure their 
 outfits. In this connection I will simply say that I 
 believe that everything needed can be procured here 
 in Seattle, for as little money as elsewhere, and 
 that the resources of the merchants here will be 
 equal to any demand that can possibly be made 
 upon them. 
 
 If my readers, who propose passing through 
 Seattle, en route for the Yukon, will call upon me at 
 my office in the Olympic Block I will give them 
 such advice, aid and information as I am able con- 
 
152 
 
 WHERE I MAY BE SEEN 
 
 cerning quality of outfits, articles required, etc., and 
 also the latest news and advices from the interior. 
 My address is: 
 
 W. M. Stanley, 
 Olympic Block, Seattle, Wash. 
 
 !i 
 
wmwff'K}' "'}^ mm* 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Great Boundary Question — ^A Possible Quarrel Be- 
 tween Uncle Sam and John Bull — ^The Anglo-Bus- 
 sian Treaty of 1825 — ^Bussian Bights Transferred 
 to JJb in 1867 — Possession of the Lynn Canal in 
 Question — ^It Commands the Overland Boutes From 
 the Coast to the Oold Fields— The Seattle Mer- 
 chants' Petition. 
 
 It is generally and erroneously believed by the 
 J)ublic at large that thf Alaska boundary contro- 
 versy which has been dragging for so many years 
 between the United States and British governments 
 refer to the districts that have caused such excite- 
 ment in the last few months. Some have gone so 
 far as to state that the Klondyke river and its rich 
 creeks and tributaries were, by rights, enclosed 
 within Uncle Sam's domains. Now this is an 
 absolute mistake, and the point of the great 
 boundary controversy refers to a totally different 
 territory. 
 
 In that connection, Professor George Davidson, 
 for many years at the head of the United States 
 Government Geodetic Survey on the Pacific coast, 
 has made the following statement based upon his 
 own investigations: 
 
 "Whatever doubt has been cast upon the posi- 
 tion of the whole Klondyke district being in British 
 Columbia must have arisen from a misunderstand- 
 ing of the dispute existing upon the proper location 
 
 a58» 
 
154 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 of that part of the boundary line lying eastward 
 and southward of Mount St. Elias. The north or 
 meridian line of the boundary has been accurately 
 determined. The only local dispute that could 
 possibly arise would be in the Forty-Mile Creek 
 district. But no dispute has arisen in the district, 
 nor is it likely that any will occur. There is no 
 doubt that the line has been satisfactorily laid 
 down." 
 
 We may, therefore, accept as fixed the fact of the 
 British ownership of the Klondyke region; but 
 must add that there is a very grave dispute, unset- 
 tled yet and referring to the coast line of Alaska, 
 along the Lynn Canal, including the inlets of Dyea 
 and Skaguay, from which start the famous miners* 
 trails of the Chilkoot and the White Pass respect- 
 ively. 
 
 The area sought by the British includes tlie key 
 to the far -^rthern part of America. While the 
 value of the territory in question cannot be ac- 
 curately determined, it can be readily seen that 
 great commercial advantages will accrue to the 
 nation holding it. Especially is this evident at this 
 time, as it is almost impossible to pass into the 
 Yukon gold fields without traversing some part of 
 what is claimed as Alaska. 
 
 During Secretary Olney's term, he and Sir Jul- 
 ian Pauncefote had practically agreed on a treaty, 
 but the Senate has never acted upon it. The treaty 
 was the result of the work of a boundary commis- 
 
mmf^HmmfV" ''* -H 
 
 "^^ wmm 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 155 
 
 sion and its exact terms are not known. However, 
 the results of a survey authorized by it has, until 
 the recent discoveries of rich gold deposits, been 
 considered by both the U:iited States and England 
 as official and correct. 
 
 In 1821, the Czar of Russia issued a ukase prohib- 
 iting the vessels of other nations from approaching 
 the coast of Russian America. His orders were 
 not to allow any vessel, not carrying the Russian 
 flag within 100 miles of the coast. England com- 
 menced negotiations in reference to this prohibition, 
 which resulted in a treaty in 1825. It read as fol- 
 lows: "The line of demarkation between the posses- 
 sions of the high contracting powers upon the coast 
 of the continent and the island of America to the 
 northwest should be drawn in the following manner: 
 Commencing from the southernmost of the land 
 called Prince of Wales Island, which point lies in 
 the parallel of 54 degrees 40 minutes north latitude, 
 and between the 31st degree and the 133d degree 
 of west longitude, the same line shall ascend to the 
 north along the channel called Portland channel as 
 far as the point of the continent where it strikes 
 the 56th degree of north latitude. From this last 
 mentioned point the line of demarcation shall fol- 
 low the summit of the mountains situated parallel 
 to the coast as far as the point of intersection of the 
 41st degree of west longitude of the same meridian, 
 and finally from the said point of intersection on the 
 said meridian line of the 141st degree in its pro- 
 -4ongation, as far as the frozen ocean, shall form the 
 
 i M 
 
 I 
 
IM 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 limit between the Russian and British possessions 
 on the continent of America to the noithv/est. 
 Wherever the summit of the mountains, which ex- 
 tend in a direction parallel to the coast from the 
 fifty-sixth degree of norUi latitude to the point of 
 intersecti'-»n of the 141st degree of west longitude, 
 shall pre ve to be a distance of more than ten marine 
 leagues from the ocean, which is to belong to Rus- 
 sia, as above stated, they shall be formed by a line 
 parallel to the winding of the coast, and which shall 
 never exceed the distance of ten marine leagues 
 therefrom." 
 
 In 1867 the United States purchased from Russia 
 what was known as Russian America. In describ- 
 ing the boundaries of this tract precisely the same 
 terms were used in the treaty of purchase. In fact 
 the description was copied verbatim from the 
 English-Russian document. In 1884, however, the 
 English, being auvised by their ^geographers that 
 a mistake had been made in the tracing of the pro- 
 visional boundary, insisted that the final line of 
 demarkation should be advanced seaward. 
 
 Instead of passing up the Portland channel, the 
 Canadian maps represented the line as passing up 
 the Behm Channel, about seventy miles west of the 
 Portland Channel mentioned in the treaty. 
 
 There are three facts given by the boundary 
 commission, that show beyond any question that 
 the line as previously represented is the correct 
 one. 
 
 "First, the British admiralty, rVuen sur/cyjng the 
 
 ■oa 
 
 ■Ml 
 
THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 157 
 
 northern limit of the British Columbian possession 
 in 1868, surveyed Portland Canal and not Behm 
 Canal, ai.<: thus by implication admitted this to be 
 the boundary line." 
 
 "Second, the region now -claimed by British 
 Columbia was at that time occupied as a military 
 post of the United States without objection or pro- 
 test on the part of British Columbia. 
 
 "Third, Annette Island, in this region, was by 
 Act of Congress four years ago, set apart as a reser- 
 vation for the use of the Metlakahtla Indians, who 
 sought asylum under the American flag to escape 
 annoyances experienced under the British flag." 
 
 Lynn Canal is the northernmost extension of the 
 Alexander Archipelago, the herd of which is about 
 one hundred miles north of Juneau. Here are sit- 
 uated Dyea and the Skaguay Bay from which start, 
 respectively, the Chilcoot Pass and the White Pass. 
 These are the on.y practical overland routes to the 
 Yukon gold fields. The Taku River may also be 
 considered a probable route in the future. The 
 English claims include both the Lynn Canal and the 
 Taku River, thus practically corralling the great 
 highways to the gold diggings of the Yukon, In 
 Alaska, as well as in British Columbia. 
 
 It can easily be seen that serious complications 
 may arise between the Unirsd States and the Brit- 
 ish government before this matter is finally settled. 
 The belief of the Engli.-h in their rights will lead 
 them to occupy the territory in question a«= long as 
 possible and, in the near futare, British troops will 
 
 
 • -m 
 
 m 
 
 
;;f>jf?P||!§«P5''^'''*"™ 
 
 158 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 probably be posted at Dyea to collect customs from 
 incoming miners, and to hold all available passes in 
 the name of the Queen of England. The United 
 States government should have the matter exam- 
 ined with the utmost care and sense of justice, and 
 after obtaining the opinion of lawyers well versed 
 in international law set about adjusting this con- 
 troversy so that we know whether the United States 
 postofiice at Chilkat is in England or in the United 
 States. 
 
 The United States surveyors in a recent report 
 said: 
 
 '*In substance these determinations throw the dig- 
 gings at the mouth of Forty Mile Creek within the 
 territory of the United States. The whole valley of 
 this rich creek is also in the United States. Most 
 of the gold is to the west of the 141st meridian at 
 Forty Mile Creek. If we follow the 141st meridian 
 on a chart the mouth of Miller's Creek, a tributary 
 of Sixty Mile Creek, and a valuable gold region, is 
 five miles tn a direct line, or seven miles according 
 to the winding of the stream, all within the terri- 
 tory of the United States. In substance, the only 
 places in the Yukon region where gold in quantity 
 has been found are all to the wes. of the boundp.ry 
 line between Canada and the United States." 
 
 The United States surveyors favored the arbitra- 
 tion of the 141st meridian question, but expressed 
 a belief that the United States Government would 
 refuse to arbitrate their claims of Lynn Ca' a1. Thii 
 report, however, was rendered before the discovery 
 

 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 ue 
 
 of the rich deposits on the Klondyke, which, with 
 all its tributaries, is cleariy within the limits of 
 British Columbia. The Klondyke empties into the 
 Yukon from the northeast, at about the 140th mer- 
 idian. As its gold-bearing tributaries as tar as 
 prospected, rise still farther east, there can be no 
 question as to this section. 
 
 On the other hand, the Chilkoot and White 
 Passes, and the Taku River valley form the only 
 overland outlet of the Yukon basin, and should a 
 railroad ever be built to connect this great country 
 with the ocean steamship Hnes, it must be by the 
 way of the White Pass. It is this territory that 
 the English covet, as the government that oc- 
 cupies these passes holds the key to the great inland 
 Empire of the Yukon. 
 
 Already an EngHsh company has completed a 
 preliminary survey for a railroad line through this 
 pass, connecting with tide water at Skaguay Bay. 
 
 When England and Russia negotiated the treaty 
 in 1825, but little was known of this territorv„ In- 
 deed about the only white man who had ever made 
 a voyage of discovery through this section of the 
 north ^eas was Captain George Vancouver. 
 
 Near the close of the last century, he published, 
 in England, a narrative in which he speaks of the 
 Portland Canal, and, in the Behm Canal, he located 
 a rock which is 250 feet high and about 60 feet in 
 width at its base. This rock he called "New Eddy- 
 stone Rock" after the famous rock off the south 
 coast of England on which stands a light house. 
 
 -^si 
 
 i 
 
||lHIPiS.PI»^(P» ^mi'm 
 
 ««JS«f^" 
 
 uo 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 From 1847 to 1867, the Hudson Bay Company 
 paid Russia a yearly rental for the privilege cf hunt- 
 ing and trading inland to the northwest of the 
 Portland Canal. It would seem that the English 
 government, at that time, construed the words of 
 the treaty differently from what they do at the 
 present time. 
 
 1 he United States, shortly after it purchased the 
 territory from Russia, sent a company of infantry 
 and built Fort Tongas which w?.s located at the 
 raouth of the Canal. In 1870, however, not know- 
 ing the existence of the rich mineral deposits, and 
 not suspecting that any nation would care to steal 
 this land of icebergs and brush, the soldiers were 
 withdrawn, but a custom house was maintained 
 imti! 1889, when it was moved further north. At 
 this time, the British Government made no objec- 
 tion to this action, and not until a system oi claim- 
 ing new rights by means of modernized maps was 
 inaugurated, did it give symptoms of its being im- 
 posed upon in the matter of boundaries. This sys- 
 tem of "mapping" into its own borders territory that 
 belongs to other nations hss been fallowed by Eng- 
 land for hundreds of years, but it r,s tc be earnestly 
 hoped that this time the British Government will 
 not succeed in obtaining from the United States 
 this valuable territory. Our government at Wash- 
 ington, however, should be awake to the situation, 
 and act quickly, otherwise the British will have 
 taken possession of the contested territo y, and will 
 have custom houses and military posts established 
 
 tam 
 
 m 
 
'^■ 
 
 ^Sfec 
 
^LW ^4^ff*l' h '"^ ^ 
 
 ^r' *i,w^H5Ji^ --i^c I- ^-at A 
 
THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 161 
 
 on all of the natural highways, if, indeed, they have 
 not succeeded in doing so already. 
 
 The United States has always construed the lan- 
 guage of the treaty to mean ten marine leagues or 
 thirty-four miles inland from bays and inlets, in fact 
 the measurement to be made from the edge of salt 
 water wherever it washed the shores of the main- 
 land, unless it were found that the "summit of the 
 mountains situated parallel to coast" should inter- 
 vene when the line should follow summit. 
 
 As a matter of fact there is no well defined moun- 
 tain range following the general course of the coast. 
 The mountains seem to have been thrown about in 
 a haphazard way and do not appear to bear any 
 particular relation to each other. They extend in all 
 directions and the higher points of the cluster are 
 many miles farther inland. 
 
 The British Government construes the treaty to 
 mean that measurements should be made from the 
 main channels of water, and that the crest of the 
 first mountains or foot hills, must be the mountains 
 referred to in this important document. 
 
 The line of demarcation as recently laid out by 
 the English begins at the southeastern extremity of 
 Prince of Wales Island and runs north for a distance 
 of about seventy-five miles until the mouth of Behm 
 Canal is reached. From here its course is east of 
 north up the Rehm Canal as far as the 5Gth parallel 
 of north longitude, thence in a northwestern direc- 
 tion to Taku inlet where its direction is changed to 
 due west, leaving Taku inlet in the British posses- 
 
16S 
 
 THE BOUNDARY QUESTION 
 
 sions, passing immediately behind Juneau and cut- 
 ting both Lynn Canal and Glacier Bay from Alaska, 
 thence in a northwestern direction until it reaches 
 the 141st meridian at Mount St. Flias. 
 
 The strip of territory on which the British have 
 fastened their eyes, and are hoping to secure by 
 arbitration, is to be found around Juneau, 
 Lynn Canal, and the Taku inlet. It embraces a 
 territory about one hundred miles square and in- 
 cludes Glacier Bay, the Chilkoot Pass, the White 
 Pass, and the mouth of the Taku River, which form 
 the overland routes to the gold fields. The British 
 line here, as claimed, deflects westward 38 degrees 
 forty minutes north, and follows due west until the 
 136 degree of west longitude, and then turns south- 
 westerly at Mt. St. Elias, where it follows the 141st 
 degree of longitude north to the frozen seas. If the 
 English should acquire territory on Lynn Canal or 
 Taku inlet they would without a doubt monopolize 
 the trade of the Yukon country. .This they even 
 now attempted to do by collecting an import duty 
 on miners' outfits entering the territory by way of 
 the pass. The business men f)f the Pacific North- 
 west in the United States liave taken the matter up, 
 and on August 2, 18l)T, the Chaiiibft of Commerce 
 of Seattle, passed the foUowhig resolutinnt 
 
 "Whereas, the Treasury depnrlincntof the govern- 
 ment of the United States has, by regulation, pro- 
 vided special privileges to the Canadian Govern- 
 ment by estal)lisliiiig vsub-ports of entry at the so- 
 called ports of Dyea and Skaguay Bay, in the dli- 
 
mmmm 
 
 THE PROTEST OF SEATTLE 
 
 163 
 
 trict of Alaska, and by granting the right of trans- 
 porting Canadian goods in bond from such sub- 
 ports, through American Territory, to the boundary 
 line of Canada without payment of duty; and 
 
 "Whereas, the Canadian government has pro- 
 vided for the collection of duties on American goods 
 destined for the Yukon, including miner's individ- 
 ual outfits, and has, in addition, proposed the col- 
 lection of miners* licenses ar.d heavy royalties on the 
 output of its mines, and has never allowed ruch 
 privileges as special ports of entry, but, on the con- 
 trary, as in the case of Port Simpson, on the Skeene 
 River, has closed long established ports of entry to 
 prohibit business of American vessels; and 
 
 "Whereas, the Yukon mines have largely been 
 discovered, prospected and developed by the hardy 
 pioneers of the United States, the business in con- 
 nection with them developed by its merchants, and 
 • the means of access, by its transportation lines: and 
 
 "Whereas, ninety-five per cent, of the business 
 of Alaska and the Yukon River country Is owned, 
 controlled and transacted by citizens of the United 
 States residing in the States of Caiifornia, Oregon 
 and Washington, not one of whom has asked the 
 granting of such privileges ; and 
 
 "Whereas, all of the transportation of such bus- 
 iness has been handled by United States vessels, 
 built in its yards, manned by its citizens, supplied 
 with provisions and fuel by its merchants and pay- 
 ing taxes in home ports of the United States, not 
 one of the owners of which vessels has asked the 
 
rsasfe.- 
 
 164 
 
 THE PROTEST OF SEATTLE 
 
 granting of such privileges; on the contrary they 
 have protested against the same ; and, 
 
 "Whereas, there are no settlements at Dyea or 
 Skaguay Bay, no wharves, landings, or Hghters for 
 landing freight, and no assurance that such ports 
 will be permanent ports, and are now only stretches 
 of sandy beach; and*, 
 
 "Whereas, there are no, records in the govern- 
 ment department of any freight passing through 
 said points; no reports or recommendations con- 
 cerning said ports; no survey or report by the 
 Unied States coast survey that such points are suit- 
 able places for landing; no request by or from any 
 citizens of the United States for the granting of 
 such privileges, but the same were granted at the 
 sole request of the Canadian Government for the 
 sole benefit of Canadian citizens, at large expense to 
 the government of the United States and to the 
 serious detriment of, and irreparable damage to» the 
 business interests of *the citizens of the United 
 States ; and 
 
 "Whereas, the granting of such privileges is 
 contrary to the spirit of the laws of the United 
 States for the protection of domestic commerce 
 and the encouragement of its merchant marine, and 
 the practical effect of the particular privilege now^ 
 complained of is to permit the free entry into the 
 Yukon country of Canadian goods, while at the 
 same time it levies high and restrictive duties upon 
 American goods for the same region, thereby re- 
 sulting in the loss to American citizens of this 
 
 il 
 
'>HH.»j«l' .,'W -»■■:- 
 
 THE PROTEST OF SEATTLE 
 
 165 
 
 rapidly increasing business and compelling them to 
 become silent, but powerless, witnesses to the reap- 
 ing by foreigners of the rich harvest planted 
 and fostered by American enterprise; and 
 
 "Whereas, there is now no practicable or feas™ 
 ible route to these regions except across territory 
 belonging to the United States, which fact alone 
 gives us the key to the door of equal rights and 
 privileges; and the revocation of the particular priv- 
 ilege in question will place shippers of American 
 goods on the same plane or level with shippers of 
 British goods, which is all that is asked by Amer- 
 ican shippers; therefore, be it 
 
 "Resolved by the Chamber of Commerce and the 
 merchants and outshippers of Seattle, that the Sec- 
 retary of the Treasury be requested to rescind the 
 regulation providing for the bonding of Canadian 
 goods in transit through Alaska, and also the regu- 
 lation establishing sub-ports of entry at Dyea, Skag- 
 uay Bay and Circle City. 
 
 "Resolved further, that copies of these resolutions 
 be sent to the President of the United States, the 
 Secretary of the Treasury, and to our senators and 
 representatives in congress, with a request to said 
 senators and representatives to use their utmost en- 
 deavors to procure the rescision of the regulations 
 herein referred to, and the establishment of such 
 ports of entry and discharge as are necessary for 
 the business of this country only. 
 
 "Resolved, further, that copies oi these resolu- 
 tions be furnished the daily papers of the city, and 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
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 THE PROTEST OF SEATTLE 
 
 the Associated Press; that copies be sent likewise 
 to the Chambers of Commerce of the cities of Port 
 Townsend, Tacoma, Portland and San Francisco, 
 requesting the consideration by said bodies of the 
 subject matter of these resolutions, and that they 
 join this chamber in urging the matter upon the 
 proper authorities until the desired relief shall have 
 been obtained. Respectfully submitted. 
 
 J. T. RONALD, Chairman. 
 
 J. B. MacDOUGALL, 
 
 C J. SMITH, 
 
 G. W. FISHER, 
 
 THOMAS W. PROSCH, Committee." 
 These resolutions had the effect of making the 
 Canadian government a little more reasonable, and 
 in answer to a query by the United States Treasury 
 Department as to the truth of the statements therein 
 contained, it replied hy stating that the orders in re- 
 gard to collection of duties on outfits purchased in 
 the United States would be modified. Acting 
 quickly on the modified order, Collector A. R. 
 Milne, of Victoria, announced that "All clothing 
 necessary and a reasonable quantity of provisions 
 would be admitted free of duty." This modification 
 was a source of great satisfaction to the merchants 
 of Washington, Oregon and California and gives 
 them an advantage over all competitors in outfitting 
 miners for the Yukon country. 
 
 Those who landed at Dyea and Skaguay, early in 
 the stampede, however, were obliged to pay the im- 
 port duty before they were allowed to cross the pass. 
 
CANADIAN GOV'T ACTS FAVORABLY 167 
 
 As yet the Canadian government has not signified 
 its intention to return it. 
 
 If the Canadian government keeps faith with the 
 United States and construes the "necessary provi- 
 sions" in as liberal a manner as the rigorous climate 
 of the Yukon seems to demand, all will perhaps be 
 well, but if it does not fulfill its promise to the satis- 
 faction of the United States government, it may yet 
 find that we hold the whip hand. The United States 
 government can at any time discontinue the sub- 
 port at Dyea which will prevent all vessels flying 
 a foreign flag from landing there. 
 
mm 
 
 • 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Women Tell of Their Adventures in the YuEon — Btrs. 
 Clarence Berry's Narrative — Fanning Out $7,000 
 Pin Money — Mrs. Thomas Lippy's Letter— tA Model 
 Housewife at the Diggings. 
 
 In this frigid region there were but few women. 
 In fact there were but two white women at the 
 mines. These were Mrs. Clarence Berry of Fresno, 
 CaUfornia, and Mrs. Thomas Lippy of Seattle, 
 Washington. They resided, when at the mines, 
 about a mile apart and each came in under difficult 
 circumstances. 
 
 As the experiences of these ladies will undoubtedly 
 be of interest to everyone,, especially if written by 
 themselves, I have tSken the trouble to communi- 
 cate with them, and they have kindly consented to 
 each write a letter especially for this work. 
 
 These interesting narratives are given below. 
 Letter of Mrs. Clarence Berry. 
 
 "Fresno; Cal., Aug. 30, 1897. 
 Mr. W. M. Stanley, Seattle, Wash., 
 
 Dear Sir: — I am in receipt oi your letter of 16th 
 inst. in which you request me to write a letter es- 
 pecially for a work which you are publishing rela- 
 tive to the Klondyke district in the Northwest Ter- 
 ritory. You state that you think such a letter would 
 be of interest to your readers and will be especially 
 appreciated by ladies who contemplate a journey 
 into these gold fields. 
 
 (168) 
 
MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 
 
 169 
 
 "It will give me pleasure to grant this request 
 of one who was a neighbor in that dark, dreary 
 country, and if I can entertain or instruct your 
 readers, I will gladly do so. Of course, I, like your- 
 self, receive- a great many communications from 
 people all over the United States, asking for in- 
 formation concerning this land of gold. But, as it 
 would be a physical impossibility to answer all these 
 letters I have not attempted to do so; not because I 
 have any objections to doing so, but for lack, of time. 
 It may be that my correspondents will see these 
 lines. If they do, I hope that they will accept this 
 explanation of my seeming neglect, and will regard 
 this letter as an answer to their inquiries. 
 
 "In this letter, I will not attempt to advise any 
 v/oman to go to the Klondyke district. Nor will I 
 advise them to stay away, but will content myself 
 with relating my experiences, together with a de- 
 scription of life in this strange land. 
 
 "I would not go again myself, though I am glad 
 that I had the experience. It was well worth the 
 hardships that I was obliged to endure ; but once is 
 enough. When Mr. Berry goes back, I will remain 
 at home and enjoy this beaty:iful climate, and the 
 comforts which our good fortune in the North has 
 made it possible for us to obtain. 
 
 "I took with me an outfit of clothes that was 
 made especially for that cold climate. It does not 
 pay to take anything that is not of the best m.aterial, 
 as the first cost is but slight when compared with 
 the trouble and expense of getting it into this far- 
 
 
 '.*> 
 ^i."«i 
 
170 MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 
 
 away land. One doesn't need a very large wardrobe 
 and it is best to take no more than is absolutely 
 necessary, on account of the difficulty of getting it in. 
 My outfit cost but about $250. It included three suits 
 of everything right straight through. I had heavy 
 woolen underwear and knitted hose, also of wool. 
 My skirts were very short, coming but a little be- 
 low my knees. I had a heavy fur coat of marten, 
 a fur cap, fur gloves, and a very heavy shawl. I 
 wore no shoes except in going and coming to and 
 from Juneau. As furs cost less and are better made 
 up here than in Alaska I took my coat from the 
 States. We obtained a fur robe from a man who 
 was coming out, and as it is a necessity we were 
 glad to be so fortunate ; it is well, however, to take 
 one along. The fur gloves may be obtained to 
 better advantage up there than here and cost but 
 from $2 to $4 a pair. Moccasins take the place of 
 shoes in the winter, and 'muclucs* are the best foot 
 v/ear when it is thawing and wet. These can be ob- 
 tained at the mines for from one. to five dollars. The 
 moccasins are made of fur seal, with the furry side 
 worn next to the person. They may be made any 
 length and are sometimes worn long enough to 
 reach to the thigh. They are drawn on like a boot, 
 and are bound with Ihongs from the instep up and 
 are tied at the top with a string, which laces like a 
 shoe. In wet weather the 'mucluc* is worn. The 
 natives make these waterproof on the soles by dip- 
 ping theri in seal oil. 'Mucluc' is the native name 
 and signifies in English *mud moccasins.' Keeping 
 
MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 
 
 171 
 
 the feet warm is the healthiest protection, and, for 
 that reason, in addition to the woolen hose and 
 moccasins, I wore also flannel insoles. In all the 
 time I was in Alaska I did not get frost bitten, nor 
 get my fingers nor my nose nipped. I had a well- 
 stocked medicine chest with me, though I had but 
 little use for it, very much to my satisfaction. 
 
 "A great many people suffer excessive hardships 
 in that country, but it is generally owing to an in- 
 sufficient outfit or to their own poor cooking. The 
 men are not much at cooking up there, and that is 
 one reason why they are attacked with stomach 
 troubles and scurvy. After a man has worked all 
 day in the diggings, he doesn't feel like cooking a 
 nice meal when he goes to his cabin, cold, weary and 
 hungry and finds no fire in the stove and all his 
 food frozen. 
 
 "We left Juneau in March 1896, accompanied by 
 several friends. We had a dog team that hauled our 
 suppHes and were, therefore, enabled to get through 
 without much suffering. At Juneau, I put on my 
 Alaska uniform, the heavy flannels, \.arm dress 
 with short skirt, moccasins, fur coat, cap and gloves, 
 kept my shawl handy in case of storms, and was 
 wrapped tight in a fur rug and bound to the sled. 
 I got many a tumble in the snow when the sled 
 rolled over with me. 
 
 "The supplies for Mr. Berry and myself, which we 
 procured in Juneau, cost about eight hundred dol- 
 lars and weighed about a ton. We did not confine 
 ourselves to flour, beans and bacon alone, but had 
 
 &v &m 
 
172 MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 
 
 plenty of canned meats, hams, dried fruits and veget- 
 ables, and all kinds of canned fruits besides. In 
 fact we arranged for as wholesome a diet as it was 
 possible to take in with us. 
 
 "It took us three months to travel from Juneau 
 to Forty Mile, which I think is a distance of about 
 nine hundred miles. Sometimes we traveled fifteen 
 miles in a day, but ordinarily, we made but ten or 
 twelve. The dogs could not stand to travel more 
 with their heavy loads. We carried our own stores 
 up to the summit and hired Indians to take it from 
 there to Lake Lindeman. We had fresh moose and 
 cariboo on the way. At first, when I saw the dirty 
 Indians bringing it in their canoes, I would not eat 
 it, but I soon changed my mind and got to like it 
 very well indeed. We prepared our meals by setting 
 up our stove right on the ice, sometimes in the open 
 air, and other days under cover of our tent. At 
 night, we pitched our tents, made a bed of boughs, 
 put our blankets over it, covered ourselves with the 
 fur robe and slept very well. I took two small pil- 
 lows and four pairs of heavy blankets with me. 
 Our bedding was always dry, as we kept it packed 
 in an oilskin cover. 
 
 "We crossed Lake Le Barge, a distance of thirty- 
 six miles in one night, which was the best time 
 we made enroute. They pitched the tent upon the 
 provision scow, and I slept all the way across. We 
 had to make such good time because we were afraid 
 that the ice would soon begin to run. We had a 
 fine sunshiny day to cross the summit, but we had 
 
MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 173 
 
 to sit still and wait two weeks for it. We got to 
 Forty Mile in June, but in October returned up 
 the Yukon to the Klondyke. I stayed at the trad- 
 ing post which has now developed into a city, while 
 the boys went on to build a cabin. The cabin was 
 nineteen miles from Dawson City, and it took me 
 two days hard walking to cover the distance. On 
 the ice across the river, there was about an inch of 
 water, and I slipped and slid in every direction. 
 When I arrived at the cabin they had not yet gotten 
 the doors or windows in, nor the floor laid, so I had 
 to stand around outside until a hole was cut for me 
 to get in through. When the cabin was completed 
 it was very comfortable, having two rooms and was 
 one of the most magnificent mansions of that sec- 
 tion. We got a carpet and some curtains from 
 Dawson City and had all the camp-made furniture 
 we needed, so that with a bed of boughs and stoves, 
 we were well fixed. The Alaska stoves are narrov^r, 
 long, little sheet-iron afifairs, with two holes on top, 
 and a drum to bake in. The fuel wood is full of 
 pitch and is knotty and scrubby. If you turn your 
 back on the fire for a moment it burns up and goes 
 out. The water we used we obtained by thawing 
 the snow and ice; when we wanted to drink, we 
 thawed a chunk of ice and then cooled the water. 
 We kept our stores in the cac to protect them 
 from the wild beasts and dogs, and of course, they 
 were frozen and had to be thawed out before being 
 cooked. The things we wanted to keep from freez- 
 ing we had to keep warm in the house. We had 
 
174 MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 
 
 some wines and a case of champagne that were sent 
 to Us for Christmas, which I kept under my bedding 
 to save them from freezing. 
 
 "Of course, we got tired of the canned and dried 
 provisions, but they were a great deal better than 
 nothing. Occasionally we had some fresh moose 
 meat and even some beef, as a herd of beef cattle 
 were brought in over the pass during the winter; by 
 the way, it was the first time fresh beef had ever 
 been obtained in the Interior. We had a nice roast 
 for our Nev Year's dinner, and a fruit cake, mince 
 pie, nuts and raisins, in addition to the usual dried 
 and canned fruits and vegetables. 
 
 "The men had a hard time making bread, and I 
 taught several of them how to make yeast bread. 
 We could get hops arid canned potatoes, and it was 
 easy enough to make yeast. But how I did long 
 for a raw potato or anything fresh and green. 
 
 I was, when I returned, twenty-five pounds heav- 
 ier than when I went in. I was not sick, except by 
 slight indispositions, all the time I was there. Every 
 day, when I had finished my house-work, I would 
 go out on the dumps and hunt for nuggets, or else 
 I would pan gold. At first I would lose half the 
 gold but after a while I learned to get it all out of 
 the dirt. I would have to melt ice in order to get 
 water for the purpose of panning. Out of one pan, 
 I washed one hundred and ninety-five dollars. The 
 gold that I took out in this manner amounted to 
 about seven thousand dollars. We did not lack for 
 
MRS. CLARENCE BERRY'S LETTER 176 
 
 visitors there. Even before we had a table to eat 
 from, we had nine to luncheon. We had some 
 one staying at our house nearly every night, as 
 passers-by had to have shelter. 
 
 "Eight months of the year it is very dark on the 
 Klondyke, with only about four hours light each 
 day. There is a long twilight, but we had to light 
 the lamps at half-past one or two in the afternoon. 
 We had oil lamps but candles were generally used. 
 
 "In the winter, the Yukon country is very healthy, 
 especially for one going there with sound health; 
 but when summer comes, it is damp, the water is 
 bad, and the climate very unhealthy. The air gets 
 very hot and the mosquitoes are cruelly bad. 
 
 "Coming away from the mines, we arrived at 
 Dawson City in one night. Notwithstanding the 
 fact that I wore a skirt only to my knees, I was 
 covered with mud to my waist. 
 
 "When I came through Dawson City, it was in 
 such a rowdy state, that I had to have my meals 
 sent to me. Men and \»romen — ^^there were about 
 fifty women there — conducted themselves shock- 
 ingly and were carousing continually. About the 
 worst people on earth followed close upon the heels 
 of these steady, hard-working miners. 
 
 "Of course the rich claims around Dawson City 
 are all staked, but women who are young and have 
 a hardy constitution might do well in this isolated 
 place, if they were accompanied by relatives or 
 friends. 
 
 
176 
 
 MRS. THOMAS LIPPY'S LETTER 
 
 "Hoping that the above information will be of 
 value to your readers, I remain, 
 
 "Yours respectfully, 
 
 "Mrs. Clarence Berry, 
 "Fresno, Cal." 
 
 Letter of Mrs. Thomas Lippy. 
 
 "Seattle, Wash., Aug. 15, 1897. 
 Mr. v. M. Stanley, Seattle, Wash., 
 
 Dear Sir: — I am in receipt of your letter, wherein 
 you ask me to write a communication to be printed 
 along with your work on the Klondyke. I will be 
 glad to accommodate you, though I fear that I can- 
 not write anything that is new, or interesting. How- 
 ever, since you think that your readers would ap- 
 preciate it, I will try. I have been appealed to by a 
 great many strangers for information concerning 
 the Yukon mining camps, much of which I could 
 not furnish on account of the lack of time. As you 
 suggest I might use this means of answering all 
 these communications at once, which would relieve 
 me of a great deal of labor, though it would be im- 
 possible to answer all these letters separately. 
 
 "Our claim is No. 16 on Eldorado Creek in the 
 Klondyke district and is very rich. It is, however, 
 very hard work to get the gold from the ground. 
 
 "As we went by steamer from St. Michael's, we 
 did not have as hard a trip as those going over the 
 pass. I was the first white woman on the creek and 
 the first to cross the divide between the Yukon 
 River and Bonanza Creek. 
 
«ff 
 
 MRS. THOMAS LIPPY'S LETTER 
 
 177 
 
 "We did not know exactly what we had to face, 
 though we are by no means sorry that we went. 
 The country can hardly be described, and the man- 
 ner of living is very crude indeed. Om ^n hardly 
 realize what this life is without experiei cmg it. Be- 
 fore we started, we learned ever t ling we could 
 pT) ic the routes, the country, and the manner of 
 living, which gave us an advantage over those who 
 were entirely ignorant on these points. We took 
 with us a year's provisions and v/ere therefore better 
 situated than many others. There were nine or ten 
 wom'^n at Forty Mile, but they were mostly hard 
 characters. Mrs. Berry of Fresno, California, lived 
 but a mile from us and was the only other white 
 woman in the camp. She and I were company for 
 each other, though we could not visit a great deal, 
 on account of the extremely cold weather. When 
 we first arrived at Eldorado Creek, we had no house 
 to live in and were therefore obliged to live in a tent 
 until we had our cabin completed. It is eighteen 
 feet long, twelve feet wide, and eight logs high. 
 The roof is made from moss and mud, and the 
 openings between the logs chinked with moss. It 
 has one door and one window, but withal it is a very 
 comfortable residence in that climate. 
 
 "Our furniture was home made; as the material 
 was hardly qualified for cabinet work, it was quite 
 rough, though it answered the purpose. We had a 
 table, some stools and a bed, and a few other little 
 things, which were more useful than elegant. We 
 had a regular Yukon stove made of sheet-iron, and 
 
 H 
 
178 
 
 MRS. THOMAS LIPPY'S LETTER 
 
 with these the cabin was very cosy and warm. I 
 did the housework and Mr. Lippy did the mining. 
 
 "We had no Tresh milk, meats, fruits, eggs or 
 vegetables, but we had plenty of canned goods, some 
 even that I never knew before could be canned. 
 With these we made out, though we did long for 
 something fresh. 
 
 "Everyone^ here is so busy that they nave no time 
 for amusements. I, for my part, had all I could do 
 in looking after my housework and keeping the 
 cabin clean and comfortable for Mr. Lippy, when he 
 came in, tired and cold. We d"d not do very much 
 visiting, though we had quite a good deal of com- 
 pany. When night came, or rather when the day's 
 work was completed, for it was night most of the 
 time, we were too tired to think of amusement, and 
 were well content to retire. 
 
 "Of course, preparing food is a great deal of 
 trouble, as even the water that was used had to be 
 made by thawing ice. The food itself had to be 
 thawed before we could take it from the cans. The 
 cold weather made baking rather difficult, as it is 
 necessary to keep the dough close to the fire in 
 order to have it rise. Mr. Lippy always enjoyed a 
 good appetite, which is a great help in maintaining 
 one's strength. 
 
 "Fortunately, I enjoyed good health during the 
 entire trip. My only ailments being an occasional 
 attack of the headache or toothache. We were for- 
 tunate in every way, having been successful beyond 
 our most ardent expectations. In winter, the mer- 
 
MIlS. THOMAS LiPI^Y'S. LETTER 
 
 m 
 
 cury is always below zero, sometimes reaching ev_n 
 sixty below. In summer, however, the country is 
 very beautiful and quite warm, but the mosquitoes 
 are very thick. I went out every day, but when the 
 snow was on the ground, I did not go far from the 
 cabin. 
 
 "In summer I dressed very much as I do in. 
 Seattle, but in the winter I dressed more warnny 
 and wore fur boots and even a fur cap constantly. 
 
 "I would not care to advise any woman to go to 
 this country. Neither will I advise any one to stay 
 away. If a woman goes, however, she should be 
 careful to take with her proper clothing, and should 
 be accompanied by some relative. I have no doubt 
 but that many women will do well there. But the 
 hardships to be endured are such that great suc- 
 cess alone will recompense one for making this 
 arduous journey. Hoping that these few lines will 
 be of interest to your readers and that your work 
 will be a success, I am Very respectfully, 
 
 Mrs. Thomas Lippy." 
 
 .t n 
 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Route to Dawson City— The Principal Trans- 
 portation Companies Over the All- Water Boute, via 
 St. Michael's— The White ?ass Route, From Skag- 
 uay Bay— A Simple, hut Eloquent Letter by a 
 Sturdy Prospector. 
 
 The route to the Yukon gold fields by way of 
 Dyea is perhaps the best for the man who can en- 
 dure hardships and who has not the money to pay 
 for the luxurious trip by way of St. Michael's. 
 
 Since the return of the steamers "Portland" and 
 "Excelsior," a great many horses, mules and burros 
 have been shipped in by way of the pass and an 
 attempt has been made to open a trail through 
 White pass to the head of Lake Bennett. This — 
 when completed — will make the journey very much 
 easier and will shorten the time required in making 
 the trip. In the rush, however, chances will have 
 to be taken on getting through. The number of 
 pack animals that have been taken in will not be 
 sufficient to handle all the supplies immediately on 
 their arrival. The first who can get the services of 
 these animals will be the lucky ones and will reach 
 the gold fields in a great deal shorter time than we 
 were able to make. The summit here is level and 
 covered with grass and timber suitable for all pur- 
 poses. The grade from the summit to Lake Ben- 
 nett is but about twenty-five feet to the mile. The 
 
 (180) 
 
» 
 
 w 
 
 
 ^ 
 
*"i-^m^mm^mm 
 
 mmmi 
 
 THE ROUTES TO THE GOLD DISTRICT 181 
 
 distance from tidewater to the head of Lake Bennett 
 is but thirty-five miles. 
 
 Another leading route is by way of St. Michael's 
 which is three thousand miles from Seattle. At 
 present there are three companies operating trans- 
 portation lines by this route. The North American 
 Transportation and Trading Company, the Alaska 
 Commercial Company and the Seattle and Yukon 
 Commercial Company. The fare from Seattle to 
 Dawson City is $200.00. Passengers are allowed to 
 carry one hundred and fifty pounds of baggage, con- 
 sisting of only clothing. No supplies can be carried 
 by passengers but the company will sell them outfits 
 on their arrival at Dawson City. The Seattle and 
 Yukon Commercial Company, however, in addition 
 to the baggage will carry one thousand pounds of 
 supplies to each passenger and land it at Dawson 
 City for ten cents per pound. A number of other 
 companies with olenty of capital are organizing, 
 this winter, and there will no doubt be, within the 
 next year, ample transportation facilities at lower 
 rates. 
 
 At St. Michaers, passengers and baggage are 
 transferred to the river boats which are flat bot- 
 tomed and fitted with powerful machinery especially 
 adapted to navigate the swift, shallow portions of 
 the Yukon. The distance by these boats from St. 
 Michael's to Dawson City is about seventeen hun- 
 dred and fifty miles. The whole trip requires about 
 forty days providing close connections can be made 
 at St. Michael's. Another route is from Juneau and 
 
182 THE ROUTES TO THE GOLD DISTRICT 
 
 up the Stickeen River where a portage can be made, 
 crossing to Teslin Lake and from there down the 
 Hootalinqua River, which forms a junction with 
 Thirty Mile Rever below Lake Le Barge. This 
 route, however, has been but little traveled, though 
 gold has been dug on the Tahn as far back as 1881. 
 Steamers are now being built at Seattle to navigate 
 over this route and it is quite probable that this 
 will become quite a highway within the next year. 
 
 An English company have completed a prelimin- 
 ary survey for a route partly by rail and partly by 
 steamer. The survey, as made, contemplates a rail- 
 road from Skaguay Bay or Dyea by way of the 
 White Pass to the head of Lake Tagish, a distance 
 of about forty miles. Here a line of steamers will 
 be put on which will run across Lake Tagish and 
 pass into Lake Atlin by way of Three Mile River. 
 Then a transfer v/ill be made by rail to Teslin Lake, 
 the head waters of the Hootalinqua River, a distance 
 of about thirty-five miles. From here a river steam- 
 boat can navigate to the mouth of the Yukon, a dis- 
 tance, approximately, of two thousand five hundred 
 miles, passing down the Hootalinqua into the Lewis 
 River and by the Lewis into the Yukon, then down 
 the Yukon, making Fort Selkirk, Sixty Mile, Daw- 
 son City, Cudahy, Circle City, Forty Mile and in 
 fact all the river points. Connections could be made 
 with steamers on the Stewart, Pelly, McMillen, Por- 
 cupine, Koyukuk, Birch, Klanarcharkut, Beaver, 
 Innoko, Tanana and Andreafski Rivers and Skag- 
 luk Slough, all of which are navigable for a distance 
 
THE ROUTES TQ. THE G6LD DISTRICT 183 
 
 of from twenty-five miles, on the Klanarchargut, to 
 five hundred miles, on the Stewart. 
 
 A four hundred ton vessel of light draft can as- 
 cend the Yukon one thousand nine hundred miles, 
 but a boat with machinery powerful enough to drive 
 it through Five Fingers, of light draft and not more 
 than one hundred and fifty tons burden, could reach 
 the head of Teslin Lake. The Pelly, Andreafski and 
 Innoko Rivers and Shagluk Slough are navigable 
 for fifty miles, Beaver Creek and Porcupine River 
 one hundred, Tanana and Koyukuk Rivers three 
 hundred, Birch Creek one hundred and fifty and the 
 McMillan River two hundred miles. Still another 
 company is organized who will run a pack train 
 from tide water at Dyea to Lake Bennett by way 
 of the Chilkoot Pass. From there, steamboats will 
 be used to convey passengers and supplies to Daw- 
 son City. They will make a portage around the 
 parts of the river that are not navigable and thus 
 keep their steamers plying between the obstructions. 
 All of these routes are practicable, but when the 
 first rush is over, the regular and popular line of 
 travel will probably be by way of St. Michael's, as it 
 is a water route all the way and competition will 
 be likely to bring the rates within reasonable 
 bounds. A great many years, however, will elapse 
 before it will be possible to travel to the Klondyke 
 in safety and comfort. The rigorous climat(i is a 
 serious drawback, and no line of transportation can 
 be depended upon for more than a few months dur- 
 ing the year. The snow will bury the railroad 
 
 ^ 
 
 J 
 
Id4 THE ROUTES TO THE COLD DISTRICT 
 
 tracks, and the steamers are frozen in from seven to 
 nine months out of the twelve. Capital therefore 
 will be shy of investing in a proposition that includes 
 not only long yearly periods of idleness but large 
 expenses incurred in protecting property during the 
 long, dark wintet* months. Not until airships are 
 rendered practical, can one expect to make the 
 journey without many hardships, and supplies will 
 always be high. There seems, however, to be a dif- 
 ference c opinion in regard to the White Pass. As 
 I have never traveled over it I will not attempt to 
 say on my own responsibility just what the con- 
 ditions are. Appended, however, are two letters 
 written from the pass which I give by consent of the 
 recipients. They are both written by men of con- 
 siderable popularity in the Sound country and may 
 be accepted as authentic. 
 
 "Skaguay, Friday, July 30, 1897. 
 "My Dear Inverarity: — ^The steamer 'Mexico* 
 has just arrived in the bay and she is black with 
 people. We reached here last Monday and are 
 camped a mile and a half from the wharf; they are 
 unloading our outfits now, all mixed up. One hun- 
 dred and fifty tons are on the wharf, out on the bay, 
 and no road to it. We had to take lighters to get it 
 ashore and had it all piled up in a heap; then we had 
 to pay a dollar a load to get it off the lighters onto 
 the shore. It is the greatest jam you ever saw. I 
 got my goods all right, only losing one sack of 
 beans. Some lost their entire outfits, tent, grub 
 and all. A great many have left here and gone to 
 
D. J. M'KINNEY'S LETTER 
 
 185 
 
 Dyea to try that pass (the Ghilkoot). This trail is 
 not nearly completed yet, and no pack animals here 
 of any consequence. I am waiting to hear from the 
 men we sent out before making a move of any kind. 
 'It is about forty-two miles to Lake Bennett from 
 here. 
 
 "I went up the trail three miles this morning, 
 and such a pitiful sight it was, to see men tired out, 
 footsore and their backs raw from packing. Some 
 are giving it up in despair. It is too bad. Boys, 
 clerks, lawyers, and doctors all in the common herd 
 — and now comes another rush on the 'Mexico.' I 
 hope there will be plenty of horses on her or we 
 are doomed to winter here and wait till we can get 
 over on the snow. They are charging seventeen 
 cents a pound to the summit — nineteen miles — and 
 when a man gets there they will charge him seven- 
 teen cents a pound to the lake. Some have gone out 
 part of the way and then come back again and gone 
 around to Dyea. 
 
 "Every move costs money, so I let them all worry 
 and just sit in camp and await developments. We 
 can live for about fifteen cents a day. Some are pay- 
 ing one cent a pound to have their goods hauled 
 three miles ; that would mean forty dollars ; then they 
 turn around and pay forty dollars to get back ; then 
 they pay ten dollars a thousand to be taken to Dyea. 
 There are two two-horse wagons here, and they are 
 making sixty to eighty dollars a day, and they 
 charge just what they please. Some have spent 
 one hundred dollars already with no results, and are 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
186 
 
 HARD TIMES AT SKAGUAY 
 
 discouraged and tired out. Everybody has rushed 
 off to the steamer, and I am looking out for our 
 camp and fighting mosquitoes. An Indian just 
 came to me and wanted nineteen cents a pound to 
 put me over the Dyea trail, and it is blocked for 
 twelve miles. This is going to be a great place to 
 make money. 
 
 "George Rice is here with a pack train and I have 
 engaged him a month ahead at seventeen cents a 
 pound. If I had fifty horses here with saddles I 
 could make ten thousand dollars this fall, but it 
 would be too late after this steamer. If the 
 'Islander' does not bring about two hundred horses 
 everyone will have to wait for snow. The crowd 
 elected me chief of police the day we arrived, and I 
 was up two nights and days without sleep or any 
 chance to get any until everything was carried away 
 from the beach. Yours truly, etc., 
 
 D. J. McKlNNEY. 
 
 "I have now been here two days and this is the 
 first moment I have had to spare. Capt. Irving has 
 treated us very well, extending every aid in his 
 power. We have just finished discharging the cargo 
 of the boat. I have acted as checker, and we have 
 handled something like three thousand or four thou- 
 sand pieces of freight to-day. I had only tw^o hours' 
 sleep last night, as we were organizing for dis- 
 charging to-day. 
 
 "After much discussion we have concluded to at- 
 tempt the Skaguay (White) Pass. It is longer than 
 the Dyea route, but about one thousand two hun- 
 
HORSES BADLY NEEDED 
 
 187 
 
 dred to one thousand five hundred feet lower. We 
 are at a great disadvantage in not having horses; 
 but as we have a good stock of grit as well as pro- 
 visions we hope to be among the few who will get 
 in this winter. You can form no adequate idea of 
 the great hardships that are to be encountered in 
 going over the mountains, especially for those with- 
 out horses. It is a fact that many are backing out 
 and returning home. It is estimated that not more 
 than one fourth of those who came this fall will get 
 over. We confidently hope to be among those 
 who are fortunate. The Skaguay trail is hardly 
 yet completed, and no one has yet made the trip 
 that way. I know several Seattle boys who, it is 
 stated, have grown faint-hearted, but, will not men- 
 tion their names, for you will see them in due ♦^'^ne. 
 Everyone is reducing his stock of provisions, as no 
 one thinks he will get over the pass with his com- 
 plete outfit before winter sets in. 
 
 "There was so much freight that the Seattle 
 boys who patronized the Islander' had to let their 
 outfits follow on the steamer Tees,' which is a 
 slower boat, and has just arrived with our stuff, 
 which we will take off to-morrow. One thing is 
 sure: we will have to pay Her Majesty duty on our 
 provisions, also clothing, for the collector came with 
 us. Duty will amount to from twenty to thirty^five 
 per cent. (The writer was happily mistaken. — W. 
 M. S.) 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Earlier Stampedes to the Northers. Gk>ld Fields — Fa- 
 mous Australian Discoveries — An Arizona Miner 
 on the Yukon in 1852 — The Marvelous Success 
 of Young Henry Bore — From Want to Affluence — ^A 
 Grateful Heart. 
 
 Since the discovery of gold in California, a series 
 of mining excitements have passed over this coun- 
 try, until the line from Mexico to Alaska has been 
 explored and proved to conlain many valuable min- 
 ing properties. 
 
 The first stampede in the Northwest was to the 
 valleys of the Klamath, the Columbia and the Fraser 
 and finally the Cariboo, Peace and Stickeen rivers 
 were prospected and proved more or less valuable, 
 and now the valley of the Yukon is added to the 
 list. Tliousands have flocked to this river and its 
 tributaries, have been successful and made fortunes 
 but the majority, aftt^ various hardships and trials, 
 came back poorer than hey went. 
 
 Part of the army of would-be-gold-finders that 
 went to California in 1849 also meandered into Ore- 
 gon where rich gold discoveries were made in and 
 about Jacksonville, and then the miners pursued 
 their way to the Columbia, Idaho and Montana, the 
 Columbia bemg the only means of access, in those 
 days, to these isolated territories. At Salmon River, 
 Oro Fino and many other localities, valuable claims 
 were discovered. Also in Montana and the Bitter 
 
 (188) 
 
FORMER GOLD STAMPEDES 
 
 189 
 
 Root Mountains was the precious metal found. 
 About this time, the Oregon Steam Navigation 
 Company was incorporated and Ladd, Reed, Ains- 
 worth, Thompson, Camm and others laid the foun- 
 dation of their fortunes. In 1856, the Fraser River 
 excitement broke out in which a few secured riches 
 but a greater number suffered disaster; and prob- 
 ably all who took part in that great rush and ex- 
 citement heartily wish that the country may never 
 see such another. The excitement infected people 
 all over the coast and they thronged in crowds to 
 Victoria — then a Fort of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany. Hardly any of them knew where the Fraser 
 River was situated or how they could reach it. 
 There were no steamers running on the Fraser and 
 hardly any from Victoria to the Fraser. The few 
 boats and dug-outs could take only a small number 
 of the people who wished tO' go ; and still the crowds 
 thronged into Victoria, until, on July 4, 1858, it was 
 estimated that fifty thousand people were there. 
 Gold was found all along the river, from fifty miles 
 above its mouth to the Rocky Mountains, a dis- 
 tance of six hundred miles, and atX!ariboo, diggings 
 as rich as those at the Klondyke were reported. 
 Later there we: "* rushes to Ominica, Peace River 
 and many other listricts. The last and most dis- 
 astrous rush was to the Stickeen River, in 1875. 
 Hundreds plodded their way home from that inhos- 
 pitable region, bare-footed, ragged and starving. 
 
 At that same time, gold was discovered in Aus- 
 tralia. In '51 and '53 there had been a wild rush 
 
V . ':■ 
 
 
 :<^^ 
 
 190 RUSH TO AUSTRALIA IN THE FIFTIES 
 
 to Ballarat and at the end of '52 seven thousand 
 persons mining in that district turned out sixteen 
 million dollars worth of gold. In 1856, rich 
 mines were discovered in New Zealand. Many 
 of the Californian miners went to Australia 
 and vice versa. The largest nuggets ever dis- 
 covered were found in Australia. The nugget 
 which they called "Sarah Sands" weighed two hun- 
 dred and, eighty-three pounds Troy, others weighed 
 one hundred and eighty-five and one hundred and 
 forty-four pounds and a nugget exhibited at the 
 Paris exposition was worth about fifty thousand dol- 
 lars. 
 
 Indications of gold have been found in almost 
 every portion of the world. It has been sought 
 after and valued as far back as the memory of man 
 runneth not to the contrary. Idols composed of it 
 have been made by the heathen nations. The Israel- 
 ites worshipped it in the form of a calf and their 
 temple contained large amounts of the precious 
 metal. The Spaniards thirsted for it when they dis- 
 covered America. Cortez found it in Mexico; Piz- 
 arro found it in Peru where he persuaded the Ynca 
 Emperor, Atahualpa to collect some $15,000,000 
 worth for him, after which he killed the poor young 
 prince. 
 
 The history of the discovery and gathering of 
 gold, in all times and in all ages, is doubtless the 
 same ; a few get rich while many others secure only 
 disease or starvation or death. 
 
 The stories of the richness of the Klondyke are 
 

 * > 
 
 OLD TIMES ON THE YUKON 
 
 191 
 
 doubtless as nearly true as can be expected. In 
 the history of the various gold excitements it has 
 always seemed as if distance lent enchantment; the 
 farther the mines were, the richer they seemed to 
 be. California was a wild and unsettled region 
 when the hardy miners poured in in search of the 
 yellow metal. The Fraser ran through a wild and 
 inhospitable country when the miners forced their 
 way up in canoes and dugouts ; but of all those, the 
 Klondyke region is the most remote from civiliza- 
 tion, the most utterly isolated, uninhabitable, barren 
 and desolate, and its climate the most unfavorable 
 and insalubrious of all the various regions where 
 signs of the precious metal have been discovered. 
 
 A fragment of personal history is given by W. 
 B. Moore, of Spokane, Washington, who was 
 among the first to enter the wilderness. This short 
 account of his trip will, no doubt, be of interest to 
 the reader from the fact that it describes the Yukon 
 country as it was fifteen years ago. 
 
 "We left Tombstone, Arizona, on May 25, 1882, 
 and went by steamer to Juneau. It was then a town 
 of not over one hundred and fifty persons, and they 
 were just prospecting the Treadwell ground with a 
 five-stamp mill. We could not get any bacon there, 
 so we took ample flour, beans, rice and oatmeal, but 
 had no fruit or vegetables, except fifty pounds of 
 dried fruit, all there was in Juneau. We went in 
 canoes to Chilkoot, at the head of Lynn Canal, 
 where we completed our outfit at the store. 
 
 "There was no good trail then, the only one 
 
192 
 
 OLD TIMES ON THE YUKON 
 
 having been made by the Indiajis; it followed the 
 streams, so that we were in water most of the way. 
 The trip over the pass was very hard, for we had to 
 climb much of the way over glaciers. It took one 
 hundred and th'.teen Indians to pack our outfit 
 over the pass and it cost us fourteen cents a pound. 
 We took whipsaws with us and built two boats, 
 which we floated down the Yukon to Fort Reli- 
 ance where we wintered, rem.aining in the country 
 thirteen months. We unloaded half our cargo at 
 the Canyon and ran through it all right, then made 
 a portage at Whit^' Horse Rapids. Our { irty gave 
 its name to the 'Five Fingers,' which are five rocks 
 standing across the river like the five fingers of the 
 hand. . 
 
 "The Indians said we were the first white men 
 they had seen come down the river since they de- 
 stroyed Fort Reliance sixty years ago, and the 
 younger Indians had never seen a white man. The 
 only white men we found on the river were Jack 
 McQuestion, after whom McQuestion Creek was 
 named, John Harper, Al Mayo and Mercier, a 
 brother of the former premier of Canada. They 
 were on the river when the United States bought 
 Alaska, and the Alaska Commercial Company 
 bought them out and hired them as traders, Mc- 
 Question at Fbrt Reliance, Mercier at Fort Yukon 
 and Harper and Mayo at Nuklukyet. 
 
 "We prospected on the Stewart, Pelly, Salmon 
 and White Rivers and found gold on all those 
 streams. I don't know whether we were on the 
 
m^ 
 
 *% 
 
 OLD TIMES ON THE YUKON 
 
 193 
 
 Klondyke River, or Bonanza or Eldorado Creeks, 
 for we did not know the names of many streams 
 we prospected. We made caches on the creek op- 
 posite Fort ReHance and in other places where we 
 found gold in paying quantities, intending to re- 
 turn and work those streams. 
 
 "The largest nuggets were about the size of a 
 grain of wheat. Over the mountain, east of Fort 
 Reliance, we cached on ground that has since paid 
 seventy-five dollars a day per man. We brought 
 out fourteen dollars from one pan of dirt for Ed 
 Sheflfelin, who went up the river with four or five 
 men in a small boat called the 'New Racket' as far 
 as Nuklukyet, one thousand miles below Fort Re- 
 liance. I think there will be no lack of new pay 
 ground for the people who are going in. If the 
 climate were as warm as that of California, the 
 Yukon would equal that state in the output of gold. 
 
 "The thermometer was eighty-two degrees below 
 zero twice during the winter of 1883-3 and the cold 
 was intense. We went in ill-prepared for the cli- 
 mate, but the Indians provided us with furs, moc- 
 casins, caps, etc. Furs were cheap then, for I was 
 offered a silver fox for a fancy blanket. We found 
 lots of game and plenty of berries in the summer. 
 
 "In consequence of eating salt meat and having 
 no fresh vegetables or fruit, three of us were at- 
 tacked with scurvy in April, 1883, so we had to float 
 down the river in our boats after the ice broke up on 
 May 16. I had it worst of all, for I was blue frdm 
 the waist down and was getting weaker and weaker, 
 
W^^^:^'7WT''^-iW^^^'^!ff^'T&M 
 
 194 
 
 FIGHTING DREADED SCORBUT 
 
 so that the other men were alarmed about me. 
 When we reached Tanana River, an Indian made 
 me some tea out of herbs, which broke up the 
 scurvy, and when we reached St. Michael's I had so 
 nearly recovered that I thought of turning back. 
 I have never been back, however, but now think 
 seriously of going. I settled in Okanogan County 
 in 1883-4, and have been there ever since until I 
 recently moved to Spokane . 
 
 "I would not advise anybody to leave h jre after 
 August 15, with the intention of going over the 
 pass. This is the very latest date at which the pros- 
 pector would escape the early storms on the sum- 
 mit and get down the river before it begins freez- 
 mg.'* 
 
 One of the strangest experiences of Klondyke 
 life was undergone by a young French Canadian, 
 Henry Dore, of Seattle, and was related to me by a 
 friend of his. 
 
 Dore resided in Seattle several years prior to the 
 early spring of 1896. Tall, well proportioned and, 
 by habit and occupation, a woodsman, Dore saw 
 but little of city life, although this was his home; 
 his avocation of logging taking him into the re- 
 cesses of the primeval forests. He made a number 
 of close friends in Seattle, however. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1896, Dore became dissat- 
 isfied with his life in the forests, and longed for a 
 chance to win a fortune in the frozen north. He 
 was poor and unable to raise enough money to se- 
 cure the necessary outfit, but a friend helped him 
 
' FROM POVERTY TO AFFLUENCE 
 
 195 
 
 enough so that, on a bright day, in the early part of 
 the beautiful month of April, he sailed with the re- 
 quired amount of supplies, and in the company of 
 many other earnest, ambitious and hard-working 
 men. 
 
 When he returned on the steamer "Portland," 
 July 16, 1897, he was a rich man, with $5^,000 in 
 his pocket and millions more in the Eldorado Creek. 
 
 Leaving Seattle early in April, 1896, Dore had 
 reached Dyea without incident. He was supplied 
 with barely enough provisions to last him a year; 
 but he set out boldly for the gold diggings at Forty 
 Mile Creek, crossing the Chilkoot pass with his 
 pack on a Yukon sled. His experience, rafting 
 down the Yukon was similar to mine. He made the 
 trip without unusual incidents, although exposed at 
 times to rough weather and the dangers of the 
 rapids of the upper headquarters of the Yukon. 
 His greatest care was to make his supply of food 
 last him as long as possible. 
 
 When Dore reached Forty Mile, he sought for 
 work in the mines, after fruitless attempts to locate 
 a claim for himself. His stores were steadily dimin- 
 ishing in quantity, and he had no money to replace 
 them; thus he soon found himself eleven hundred 
 dollars in debt after about a three months stay in 
 Forty Mile. 
 
 Later in August, came the news of the rich finds 
 of placer gold in the streams entering the Klondyke 
 River above what has since been platted as Daw- 
 son City. Dore did not lose any time getting there. 
 
WBIW 
 
 l^l!IB|f!i|f5BI»ii«i 11111.11,^1. .11 Ji « '-."i' 
 
 196 
 
 A BRAVE FELLOW 
 
 He borrowed a sum of money, barely enough to 
 purchase provisions enough to last him during the 
 trip up the Yukon. With a brave heart, and deter- 
 mined this time to win, he set out for the new dig- 
 gings. He was among the first to locate a claim 
 on Eldorado Creek, after all the promising locations 
 on Bonanza Creek had been taktn up. He nearly 
 starved to death while prospecting the Eldorado, as 
 his food had completely given out, save a small 
 quantity of tea and some beans. It was utterly im- 
 possible for him to get food from the other pros- 
 pectors in the vicinity, as none of the men who 
 were in the first rush in the new camp brought an 
 ooince of food more than was required for their 
 own maintenance. 
 
 Dore thus experienced all the pangs of hunger 
 while preserving his last little remaining prrcel of 
 food. But through all these extreme hardships he 
 did not lose heart, and went on, steadily working up 
 the stream and looking anxiously, almost with des- 
 peration, for a claim that would keep him from 
 starvation. Finally he struck it. Half way up the 
 Eldorado Creek, from its confluence with the 
 Bonanza Creek, he washed out a pan of glittering 
 colors — enough to tell that there was gold beneath 
 the gravel bed of the stream. He located No. 19 
 above Discovery, and immediately set to work. In 
 a week, he had taken out one thousand dollars in 
 nuggets — enough to relieve his pressing wants, for 
 flour was sixty dollars a sack. After purchasing 
 provisions from his neighbors to tide him over till 
 
WITH A GRATEFUL HEART 
 
 197 
 
 the arrival of supplies from Circle City, Dore 
 worked day and night on his claim. With the dust 
 that he took out of his single prospect hole, he pur- 
 chased three other claims on the creek and a half 
 interest in a fourth. When he cleaned up his last 
 pile of pay-dirt, this spring, he still had fifty-two 
 thousand dollars left above all his purchases, and 
 with that, he determined to return to his home in 
 Seattle. 
 
 Arriving in Seattle on the same boat on which I 
 made my return trip, Dore's first mission was to 
 himt up his friend who had so kindly befriended 
 him in his need. After days of searching he located 
 him and, I tell you, there was a happy reunion. 
 
w^mmm 
 
 mm 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Outfit and Supplies Needed for One Man, One Year — 
 Outfit for Two Men — Table of Canadian Customs 
 Duties on Goods Needed by the Miners. 
 
 SUPPLIES REQUIRED FOR ONE MAN FOR ONE YEAR. 
 
 500 pounds flour $13.60. 
 
 100 pounds oat meal 6.00. 
 
 100 pounds beans 3.35. 
 
 24 pounds coffee at 30c 7.20. 
 
 24 pounds tea, at 50c 12.00. 
 
 100 pounds bacon, at 14c 14.00. 
 
 100 pounds dried potatoes, at 5c 5.00. 
 
 50 pounds dried vegetables, at 5c.... 2.50. 
 
 100 pounds dried fruits, at 6c 6.00. 
 
 25 pounds (2 cases) condensed milk.. 2.50. 
 
 5 pounds baking pov/der 2.50. 
 
 5 pounds salt and pepper 1.50. 
 
 50 pounds canned butter, at 25c 12.50. 
 
 30 pounds lard, at 10c 3.00. 
 
 25 pounds rice, at 5c 1.25. 
 
 20 pounds tools 15.00. 
 
 50 pounds stove and cooking utensils . 10.00. 
 
 2 pounds matches and miscellany. . . 1.50. 
 
 1,310 pounds. Total supplies $116.80. 
 
 OUTFIT. 
 
 Three suits woolen underclothes. $12.00. 
 
 Three woolen overshirts 6.00. 
 
 (188) 
 
MINER'S OUTFITS AND SUPPLIES 199 
 
 Two pairs overalls $3.00. 
 
 Six pairs woolen socks 6.00. 
 
 Two pairs blankets 16.00. 
 
 One fox-skin robe 50.00. 
 
 One reindeer "parkee" covering head 
 
 and reaching to the knees 12.00. 
 
 Three pairs caribou mittens 6.00. 
 
 Two fur caps 8.00. * 
 
 Two pairs rubber boots 7.00. 
 
 Three pairs moccasins 9.00. 
 
 One pair "mucklucks," a sort of woolen 
 
 sweater 10.00. 
 
 Two sweaters (extra thick) 8.00. 
 
 Weight, 120 pounds. Total outfit. . .$157^. 
 
 1,310 pounds of supplies -jyi-??: 
 
 Grand total, 1,430 pounds $273.80. 
 
 OUTFIT REQUIRED FOR TWO MEN. 
 
 Flour 800 pounds. 
 
 Bacon .' 400 pounds. 
 
 Beans 300 pounds. 
 
 Dried fruit (assorted) 50 pounds. 
 
 Sugar (loaf) 50 pounds. 
 
 Condensed milk 50 pounds. 
 
 Coffee 40 pounds. 
 
 Tea 10 pounds. 
 
 Corn meal 25 pounds. 
 
 Rice 20 pounds. 
 
 Baking powder 20 pounds. 
 
 Salt , 25 pounds. 
 
 Oatmeal 25 pounds. 
 
 Evaporated potatoes 20 pounds. 
 
wm 
 
 IP 
 
 Pippw 
 
 WPP 
 
 ^^^^^w^w^ 
 
 200 MINER'S OUTFITS AND SUPPLIES 
 
 Evaporated onions 10 pounds. 
 
 Pepper 5 pounds. 
 
 Evaported vinegar (4 pts.). , 
 Matches (1 doz. bunches). 
 
 Total 1,836 pounds. 
 
 Tent, blankets and clothing. 
 1 wall tent, 8x10 feet. 
 4 pair heavy woolen blankets. 
 1 pair rubber blankets. 
 
 1 dozen heavy woolen socks. 
 
 4 suits heavy woolen underwear. 
 4 heavy overshirts. 
 4 pair heavy overalls. 
 4 pair hip boots, rubber. 
 4 pair shoes. 
 
 2 heavy woolen suits. 
 2 Mackinaw suits. 
 
 6 pair heavy woolen gloves. 
 4 pair heavy woolen mittens. 
 2 pair snow shoes. 
 2 pair snow glasses. 
 2 caps. 
 
 2 broad brimmed hats. 
 
 Total weight about 200 pounds. 
 1 Yukon stove. 
 
 3 lengths stovepipe. 
 1 large frying-pan. 
 1 baking pan. 
 
 1 bread pan, 10 quarts. 
 
 3 granite kettles, 10, 8 and 6 quarts. 
 
 1 coffee pot. 
 
MINER'S OUTFITS AND SUPPLIES 
 
 201 
 
 3 granite plates. 
 
 2 knives, forks and spoons. 
 
 2 granite cups. 
 
 1 large spoon. 
 
 1 3^ pound ax. 
 
 1 small hand ax. 
 
 1 hand saw. 
 
 100 feet half-inch rope. 
 
 Nails. 
 
 Pitch. 
 
 Oakum, for boat. 
 
 2 picks. 
 
 2 shovels. # 
 
 Estimated weight of hardware. . 100 pounds. 
 
 Estimated weight of clothing, etc. 200 pounds. 
 
 Estimated weight of provisions. .1,836 pounds. 
 
 Grand total weight 2,136 pounds. 
 
 This will not cost to exceed $300. 
 
 Every pound of goods going into the Klondyke 
 gold fields is subject to a duty by the Canadian 
 Government, except a reasonable outfit consisting 
 of clothing, provisions, etc., which is free by order 
 of the Collector of Customs. An attempt was made 
 by the Canadian authority to collect a duty on 
 everything without exception. The authorities at 
 Washington, D. C, however, objected to this and 
 threatened to withdraw the order whereby Dyea 
 was made a sub-port of entrance. Had the United 
 States done this it would have closed this harbor 
 to the vessels of all other nations and would have 
 left the business of transportation between the upper 
 
HP«^|' imp 
 
 ■HBP 
 
 ^1^^ 
 
 liAif III up I ^n 
 
 ao2 
 
 CANADIAN CUSTOMS DUTIES 
 
 Yukon and the outside world entirely under the 
 control of the transportation companies of the 
 United States. The Canadian ofovernment immedi- 
 .tely saw the difficulty that would surround its 
 .:raders if this threat were carried out and compro- 
 mised the matter by exempting a reasonable outfit 
 from import duties. What is meant by a reasonable 
 outfit was left entirely to the Collector of Customs 
 to judge, and, up to the present time, he has proved 
 most reasonable and liberal in his constructions. 
 
 Goods imported for sale must, however, pay to 
 the Canadian Government, duties in the following 
 amoun^: 
 
 Shovels, spades, picks, etc., 25 per cent. 
 
 Horses, 20 per cent. 
 
 Axes, hatchets and adzes, 25 per cent. 
 
 Baking powder, 6 cents per pound. 
 
 Bed comforters, 32| per cent. 
 
 Blankets, 5 cents per pounc' pnd 25 per cent. 
 
 Boat's and ship's sails, 25 per cent. 
 
 Rubber boots, 25 per cent. 
 
 Boots and shoes, 25 per cent. 
 
 BreadstufTs, viz.: grain, flour and meal of all 
 kinds, 20 per cent. 
 
 Bullion, gold or silver, free. 
 
 Butter, 4 cents per pound. 
 
 Candles, 28 per cent. 
 
 Cartridges and ammunition, 30 per cent. 
 
 Cheese, 3 cents per pound. 
 
 Cigars and cigarettes, $2 per pound, and 25 per 
 cent. 
 
CANADIAN CUSTOMS DCJTIES 
 
 203 
 
 Clothing: — 
 
 Socks, 10 cents per dozen pairs and 35 per cent. 
 
 Knitted goods of every description, 35 per cent. 
 
 Ready-made, partially of wool, 30 per cent. 
 
 Waterproof clothing, 35 per cent. 
 
 Cofifee, condensed, 30 per cent; roasted, 2 cents 
 per pound and 10 per cent; substitutes, 2 cents per 
 pound; extracts, 3 cents per pound. 
 
 Condensed milk, 3 cents per pound. 
 
 Cotton knitted goods, 35 per cent. 
 
 Crowbars, 35 per cent. 
 
 Cutlery, 35 per cent. 
 
 Dogs, 20 per cent. 
 
 Drugs, 20 per cent. 
 
 Duck, from 20 to 30 per cent. 
 
 Earthenware, 30 per cent. 
 
 Edge tools, 35 per cent. 
 
 Firearms, 20 per cent. 
 
 Fish hooks and lines, 25 per cent. 
 
 Flour, wheat, 75 cents per barrel; rye, 50 cents 
 per barrel. 
 
 Fruits, dried, 25 per cent. 
 
 Fruits, prunes, raisins, currants, 1 cent per pound. 
 
 Fruits, jellies, jams and preserves, 3 cents per 
 pound. 
 
 Fur caps, mufifs, capes, coats, 25 per cent. 
 
 Furniture. 30 per cent- 
 Galvanized iron or tinware, 30 per cent. 
 
 Guns, 20 per cent. . 
 
 Hardware, N. E. S., 32| per cent. 
 
 Harness and saddlery, 30 per cent. 
 
204 
 
 CANADIAN CUSTOMS DUTIES 
 
 i 
 
 Ice, free. 
 
 Jerseys, knitted, 35 per cent. 
 Lard, 2 cents per pound. 
 Linen clothing, 32^ per cent. 
 Maps and charts, 20 per cent. 
 Meats, canned, 25 per cent; in barrel, 2 cents per 
 pound. 
 
 Oatmeal, 20 per cent. 
 
 Oiled cloth, 30 per cent. 
 
 Pipes, tobacco, 35 per cent. 
 
 Pork, in barrel, 2 cents per pound. 
 
 Potatoes, 15 cents per bushel. 
 
 Potted Meats, 25 per cent. 
 
 Powder, mining and blasting, 2 cents per pound. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Canadian Mining Laws and Begulations — ^Becent 
 Ainendments. 
 
 "Privy Council, Canada, at the Government 
 House at Ottawa, Friday, the 2l3t day of May, 1897. 
 
 "His Excellency The Governor General, in Coun- 
 cil. 
 
 "Whereas it is found necessary and expedient 
 that certain amendments and additions should be 
 made to the regulations governing 'placer mining' 
 established by order of council of the 9th of Nov- 
 ember, 1889. 
 
 "Therefore his excellency, in virtue of the previ- 
 sions of 'the Dominion lands act,' chapter 54, of the 
 Revised Statutes of Canada, and by and with the 
 advice of the queen's privy council for Canada, is 
 pleased to order ihat the following regulations shall 
 be, and the same are hereby, substituted for the 
 governance of placer mining along the Yukon river 
 and its tributaries in the Northwest Territories in 
 the room, place and stead of theie regulations es- 
 tablished by order in council of the 9th of Novem- 
 ber, 1889. 
 
 "(Signed) John J. McGee. 
 
 Clerk of the Privy Council. 
 
 "To the Honorable The Minister of the Interior." 
 "Regulations governing placer mining along the 
 
 (2Q6) 
 
206 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 Yukon river and its tributaries in the Northwest 
 Territories: 
 
 Interpretation. 
 
 (t n 
 
 'Bar diggings' shall mean any part of a river 
 over which the water extends when the water is in 
 its flooded state, and which is not covered at low 
 water. 
 
 "Mines on benches shall be known as bench dig- 
 gings, and shall for the purpose of defining the size 
 of such claims be excepted from dry diggings. 
 
 " 'Dry diggings' shall mean any mine over which 
 a river never extends. 
 
 " 'Miner' shall mean a male or female over the 
 age of 18, but not under that age. 
 
 " 'Claims' shall mein the personal right of prop- 
 erty in a placer mine or diggings during the time 
 for which the grant of such mine or diggings is 
 made, 
 
 " 'Legal post' shall mean a stake standing not less 
 than four feet above the ground and squared on four 
 sides for at least one foot from the top. Both sides 
 so squared shall measure at least four '.nches across 
 the face. It shall also mean any stun.'p or tree cut 
 off and squared or faced to the above height and 
 size. 
 
 " 'Close season' shall mean the period of the year 
 during which placer mining is generally si^; peucivd. 
 The period to be fixed by the gold com mission*', r 
 in whose district the claim is situated. 
 
 " 'Locality' shall mean the territory along a river 
 (tributary of the Yukon), and its affluents. 
 
SF^^l 
 
 CANADIAN MINTNG LAWS 
 
 207 
 
 " 'Mineral' shall include all minerals whatsoever 
 other than coal. 
 
 Nature and Size of Claims. 
 
 "First — Bar diggbgs: A strip of land 100 feet 
 wide at high watermark and thence extending along 
 into the river to its lowest water level. 
 
 "Second — The sides of a claim for bar diggings 
 shall be two parallel lines run as nearly as possible 
 at right angles to the stream and shall be marked 
 by four legal posts, one at each end of the claim 
 at or about high watermark, also one at each end 
 of the claim at or about the edge of the water. One 
 of the posts at high watermark shall be legibly 
 marked with the name of the miner and the date 
 upon which the claim is staked. 
 
 "Third — Dry diggings shall be 100 feet square 
 and shall have placed at each of its four corners a 
 legal post, upon one of which shall be legibly 
 marked the name of the miner and the date upon 
 which the claim was stal'edc 
 
 "Fourth — Creek and liver ciaims shall be 500 
 feet long, measured in direction of the general 
 course of the stream, and shall extend in width from 
 base to base of the hill or bench on each side, but 
 when the hill or benches are less than 100 feet apart, 
 the claim may be 100 feet in depth. The sides of a 
 claim shall be two parallel lines run as nearly as 
 possible at right angles to the stream. The sides 
 shall be marked with legal posts at or about the 
 edge of the water, p.nd at ^he rear boundaries of the 
 claim. One of the legal posts at the stream shall be 
 
208 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 legibly marked with the name of the miner and the 
 date upon which the claim was staked. 
 
 "Fifth — liei '. claims shall be 100 feet square. 
 
 "Sixth — In Qt ^ the size of claims, they shall 
 be measured horii-^ntally, irrespective of inequal- 
 ities on the surface of the ground. 
 
 "Seventh — If any person or persons shall discover 
 a new mine, and such discovery shall be established 
 to the satisfaction of the gold commissioner^ a claim 
 for the bar diggings 750 feet in length may be 
 granted. 
 
 "A new stratum of auriferous earth or gravel 
 situated in a locality where the claims are aban- 
 doned shall, for this purpose, be deemed a new 
 mine, although the same locality shall have previ- 
 ously been worked at a different level. 
 
 "Eighth — The forms of application for a grant for 
 placer mining and the grant of the same shall be 
 those contained in forms 'H' and 'V in the schedule 
 hereto. 
 
 "Ninth — A claim shall be recorded with the gold 
 commissioner in whose district it ii situated within 
 three days after the location thereof, if it is located 
 within ten miles of the commissioner's office. One 
 extra day shall be allowed for making such record 
 for every additional ten miles and fraction thereof. 
 
 "Tenth — In the event of the absence of the gold 
 commissioner from his office, entry for a claim may 
 be granted by any person whom he may appoint to 
 perform his duties in his absence. 
 
 "Eleventh — Entry shall not be granted for a 
 
CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 claim which has not been staked by the applicant in 
 person, in the manner specified in these regulations. 
 An affidavit that the claim was staked out by the 
 applicant shall be embodied in form *H' of the 
 schedule hereto. 
 
 "Twelfth — An entry fee of $15 shall be charged 
 the first year and an annual fee of $100 for each of 
 the following years. This provision shall apply to 
 the locations for which entries have already been 
 granted. 
 
 "Thirteenth — ^After the recording of a claim, the 
 removal of any post by the holder thereof, or any 
 person acting in his behalf, for the purpose of 
 changing the boundaries of his claim, shall act as a 
 forfeiture of the claim. 
 
 "Fourteenth — The entry of every holder for a 
 grant for placer minine must be renewed, and his 
 receipt relinquished and replaced every year, the 
 entry fee being paid each year. 
 
 "Fifteenth — No miner shall receive a grant for 
 more than one mining claim in the same locality; 
 but the same miner may hold any number of claims 
 by purchase, and any number of miners may unite 
 to work their claims in common upon such terms 
 as they may arrange, provided such agreement be 
 registered with the gold commissioner and a fee of 
 $5 paid for each registration. 
 
 "Sixteenth — Any miner or miners may sell, mort- 
 gage, or dispose of his or their claims, provided 
 such disposal be registered with, and a fee of $3 
 paid to the gold commissioner, who shall thereupon 
 
210 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 give the assignee a certificate in form *J' ^^ the 
 schedule hereto. 
 
 "Seventeenth — Every miner shall, during the con- 
 tinuance of his grant, have the exclusive right of 
 entry upon his own claim for the miner-like work- 
 ing thereof, and the construction of a residence 
 thereon, and shall be entitled exclusively to all the 
 proceeds realized therefrom; but he shall have no 
 surface rights therein, and the gold commissioner 
 may grant to the holders of adjacent claims such 
 rights of entry thereon as may be absolutely neces- 
 sary for the working of their claim, upon such terms 
 as may to him seem reasonable. He may also grant 
 permits to miners to cut timber thereon for their 
 own use, upon payment of the dues prescribed by 
 the regulations in that behalf. 
 
 "Eighteenth — Every miner shall be entitled to the 
 use of so much of the water naturally flowing 
 through or past his claim, and not alrea^ lawfully 
 appropriated, as shall in the opinion of the gold 
 commissioner, be necessary for the due working 
 thereof, and shall be entitled to drain his own claim 
 free of charge. 
 
 "Nineteenth — A claim shall be deemed to be 
 abandoned and open to the occupation and entry 
 by any person when the same shall have remained 
 unworked on working days by the grantee thereof 
 or by some person on his behalf for the space of 
 seventy-two hours, unless sickness or other reason- 
 able cause may be shown to the satisfaction of the 
 gold commissioner, or unless the grantee is absent 
 
n 
 
 ?i 
 
 JO 
 
 W 
 
 I 
 
WiiaBlttiiai 
 
 ^^^_ligiigg||g||g||g||g|gMM|MKg| 
 
Ill ijl>lllllfpp 
 
 I . II ■ I (! 1)1 ^nvfipipif^paBiiiii 
 
 mmm 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 211 
 
 on leave given by the commissioner, and the gold 
 commissioner upon obtaining evidence satisfactory 
 to himself that this provision is not being complied 
 with, may caned the entry given for a claim. 
 
 "Twentieth — If the land upon which a claim has 
 been located is not the property of the crown it will 
 be necessary for the person who applies for entry 
 to furnish proof that he has acquired from the owner 
 of the land the surface right before entry can be 
 granted. 
 
 "Twenty-first — If the occupier of the lands has 
 not received a patent therefor, the purchase money 
 of the surface rights must be paid to the crown, and 
 a patent of the surface rights will issue to the party 
 who acquired the mining rights. The money so 
 collected will either be refunded to the occupier of 
 the land when he is entitled to a patent therefor, or 
 will be ci edited to him on account of payment for 
 land. 
 
 "Twenty-second — When the party obtaining the 
 mining rights cannot make an arrangement with the 
 owner thereof for the acquisition of the surface 
 rights it shall be lawful for him to give notice to 
 the owner or his agent, or the occupier to appoint 
 an arbitrator to act with another arbitrator named 
 by him in order to award the amount of compensa- 
 tion to which the owner or occupant shall be en- 
 titled. The notice mentioned in this section shall 
 be according to form to be obtained jpon applica- 
 tion from the gold commissioner for the district in 
 which the lands in question lie, and shall, when prac- 
 
$• 
 
 S12 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 I, 
 
 ticable, be personally served on such owner or his 
 agent, if known, or occupant, and after reasonable 
 efforts have been made to effect personal service 
 without success, then such notice shall be served 
 upon the owner or agent within a period to be fixed 
 by the gold commissioner before the expiration of 
 the time limited in such notice. If the proprietor 
 refuses or declines to appoint an arbitrator, or when, 
 for any other reason, no arbitrator is appointed by 
 the proprietor in the time limited therefor in the 
 notice provided by this section, the gold commis- 
 sioner for the district in which the lands in question 
 lie shall, on being satisfied by affidavit that such 
 notice has come to the knowledge of such owner, 
 agent or occupant, or that such owner, agent or oc- 
 cupant, willfully evades the service of such notice, 
 or cannot be found, and that reasonable efforts have 
 been made to effect such service, and that the notice 
 was left at the last place of abode of such owner, 
 agent or occupant, appoint an arbitrator on his be- 
 half. 
 
 "Twenty-third — (a) All arbitrators appointed un- 
 der the authority of these regulations shall be sworn 
 before a justice of the peace to the impartial dis- 
 charge of the duties assigned to them, and they 
 shall forthwith proceed to estimate the reasonable 
 damages which the owner or occupant of such lands 
 according to their several interests therein shall sus- 
 tain by reason of such prospecting and mining oper- 
 ations. 
 
 "(b) In estimating such damages the arbitrators 
 
 m 
 
 ■■ii 
 
 !■ 
 
•i*fW«!«f^^iJIWH«i /iJJM" 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS ttfl 
 
 shall determine the value of the land, irrespectively 
 of any enhancement thereof from the existence of 
 
 mineral therein. 
 
 "(c) In case such arbitrators cannot agree they 
 may select a third arbitrator, and when the two ar- 
 bitrators cannot agree upon a third arbitrator, the 
 gold commissioner for the district in which the 
 lands in question lie shall select such third arbi- 
 trator. 
 
 "(d) TLe award of any two such arbitrators made 
 in writing shall be final, and shall be filed with the 
 gold commissioner for the district in which the 
 lands lie. 
 
 "If any cases arise for which no provision is made 
 in these regulations, the provisions of the regula- 
 tions governing the disposal of mineral lands other 
 than coal lands approved by his excellency the 
 governor in council on the 9th of November, 1889, 
 shall apply." 
 
 Certificate of Assignment of a Placer Mining Claim. 
 
 "Form 7.' 
 "No... 
 
 "Department of the Interior. 
 
 "Agency 18... 
 
 "This is to certify that (B. C.) has (or have) filed 
 
 an assignment in due form dated 
 
 18 ... , and accompanied by a registration fee of two. 
 
 dollars, of the grant to (A. B.) of^ 
 
 of the right to mine 
 
 in. . , (insert description of 
 
 claim for one year from 18. . . 
 
r 
 
 imm 
 
 mmmmm 
 
 ■Pi 
 
 «ii 
 
 tl4 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 "This certificate entitles the said 
 
 (B. C.) to all rights and privileges of 
 
 the said (A. B.) in respect of 
 
 the claim assigned, that is to say, the exclusive 
 right of entry upon the said claim for the miner- 
 like working thereof and the construction of a resi- 
 dence thereon, and the exclusive right to all pro- 
 ceeds therefrom for the remaining portion of the 
 year for which said claim was granted to the said 
 
 (A. B.), that is to say, until 
 
 the 18. 
 
 "The said (B.C.) shall be 
 
 entitled to the use of so much of the water naturally 
 flowing through or past his (or their) claim, and 
 not already lawfully appropriated, as shall be neces- 
 sary for the due working thereof, and to drain the 
 claim free of charge. 
 
 "This grant does not convey to the said 
 
 (B. C.) any surface rights in said 
 
 claim or any rights of ownership in the soil covered 
 by the said claim, and the said grant shall lapse and 
 be forfeited unless the claim is continually and in 
 good faith worked by the said (B. C.) or his (or 
 their) associates. 
 
 "The rights hereby granted are those laid down 
 in the Dominion Mining Regulations, and are sub- 
 ject to all provisions of the said regulations, whether 
 
 the same are expressed herein or not. 
 
 it 
 
 Gold Commissioner." 
 
■''I :JLWipH^!Wi'JPIipj 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 SIS 
 
 Application for Grant for Placer Mining Claim and 
 I Affidavit of Applicant. 
 
 "Form 'H.' 
 
 "I, (or we) of hereby apply 
 
 under the Dominion Mining Regulations for grant 
 of a claim for placer mining as defined in the said 
 
 regulations in (here 
 
 describe locality) and I (or we) solemnly swear: 
 
 "First — That I (or we) am (or arc to the best of 
 my (or our) knowledge and belief, the first discov- 
 erer (or discoverers) of the said deposit, or 
 
 "Second — That the said claim was previously 
 
 granted to (here name the last grantee), 
 
 but has remained unworked by the said grantee for 
 not less than 
 
 "Third — ^That I (or we) am (or are) unaware that 
 the land is other than vacant Dominion lands. 
 
 "Fourth — That I (or we) did on the 
 
 day of mark out on the 
 
 ground in accordance in every particular with the 
 provisions of the mining regulations for the Yukon 
 river and its tributaries, the claim for which I (or 
 we) make this application, and that in so doing I 
 (or we) did not encroach on any other claim or 
 mining location previously laid out by any other 
 person. 
 
 "Fifth — That the said claim contains as nearly as 
 I (or we) could measure or estimate an area of 
 
 square feet, and that the descHp- 
 
 tion (and sketch, if any) of this date hereto at- 
 tached signed by me (or us) sets (or set) forth in 
 
m^ 
 
 Rpmmm 
 
 q^pipipiwiiiLiii II in i||^iiji|^,iMt;iviimp«innu{ii>iiiki;.| .iijjjfm ><•• 
 
 l^VWlms-'M 
 
 ANADIAN TilNING LAWS 
 
 detail to the best of my (or our) knowledge and 
 ability its position, form and dimensions, 
 
 "SixtlA — That I (or we) make this application in 
 good faith to acquire the claim for the sole purpose 
 of mining, prosecuted by myself (or us), or by my- 
 self and associates, or by my (or our) assigns. 
 
 "Sworn before me. 
 
 At this day ol 
 
 18... 
 
 "(Signature) 
 
 ;» 
 
 Grant for Placer Claim. 
 
 "Form'U 
 
 "Department of the Interior. 
 
 A.gency •, 18 • • « 
 
 "In consideration of the payuient of the fee pre- 
 scribed by clause 12 of the mining regulations of 
 
 the Yukon river and its tributaries by 
 
 (A. B.) accompanying his (or their) 
 
 application No dated 
 
 18. . . for a mining claim in ' (here 
 
 insert description of locality), the minister of the 
 
 interior hereby grants to the said 
 
 (A. B.) for the term of one year from the date hereof 
 the exclusive right of entry upon the claim (here 
 describe in detail the claim). 
 
 "Granted — For the miner-like working thereof 
 and the construct'on of a residence thereon, and the 
 exclusive right to all the proceeds derived there- 
 from. That the said (A. B ) shall 
 
 be entitled to the use of so much water naturally 
 
 §ia','ji^i^rt& 
 
 4<||(gig|ii|yj^^^ 
 
CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 217 
 
 flowing through or past his (or their) claim and not 
 already lawfully appropriated as shall be necessary 
 for the due working thereof, and to drain his (or 
 their) claim free of charge. 
 
 "This grant does not convey to the said 
 
 . (A. B.) any surface right in the said 
 
 claim or any right of ownership in the soil covered 
 by the said claim, and the said grant shall lapse and 
 be ferfeited^unless the claim is continuously and in 
 
 good faith worked by the said 
 
 (A. B.) or his (or their) associates. 
 
 "The rights hereby granted are those laid down in 
 the aforesaid mining regulations and no more, and 
 are subject to all the provisions of the said regula- 
 tions, whether the same are expressed herein or not. 
 
 (( 
 
 • •...(«••*•••••••• 
 
 "Gold Commissioner." 
 These laws have been amended and a royalty of 
 horn ten to tw enty per cent, is charged on all gold 
 mined and reserving every other claim to the crown. 
 
 Amondments. 
 
 "That upon all gold mined on Lie claims referred 
 to in the regulations for the government of placer 
 mining along the Yukon river and its tributaries, a 
 royalty of 10 per cent, shall e levied and collected 
 by officers to be appointed for the purpose, pro- 
 vided that the amount mined and taken out from a 
 single claim does not exceed $500 per week, there 
 liiall be levied and collected a royalty of 10 pef 
 c^xif. upon the amount so taken out up to $500 and 
 upon the excess or amount taken from any single 
 
mppiiipp 
 
 PUPIRimpPRIIIIIlllllnJIlll pmLipMipfpii 
 
 S18 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 claim over $500 per week there shall be levied and 
 collected a 'royalty of 30 per cent., such royalty to 
 form part of the consolidated revenue, and to be 
 accounted for by the officers who collected the 
 same in due course. 
 
 "The time and manner in which royalty shall be 
 collected and the persons who shall collect the same 
 shall be provided for by the regulations to be made 
 by the gold commissioner, and that the gold com- 
 missioner be and is hereby given authority to make 
 such regulations and rules accordingly. 
 
 "That default in payment of such royalty, if con- 
 tinued for ten days after notice has been posted 
 upon the claim in respect of which it is demanded, 
 or in t!ie vicinity of such claim, by the gold com- 
 missioner or his agent, shall he fc»ilowed by the 
 cancellation of the claim. 
 
 "That any attempt to defraud the crown by with- 
 holding any revenue thus provided for, by making 
 false statements of the amount taken out, may be 
 punishable by cancellation of the claim in respect 
 of which such fraud or false statements have been 
 committed or made, and that in respect of facts as 
 to such a fraud or false statement or non-payment 
 of royalty, the decision of the gold commissioner 
 shall be final." 
 
 The regulations governing the disposal of placer 
 
 , mining claims along the Yukon river and its trib- 
 
 '^utaries are amended so that entry can only be 
 
 granted for alternate, claims known as creek claims, 
 
 bunch claims, bar diggings and dry diggings aijd 
 
mmm 
 
 'iimKiJ 
 
 .■HI ji.iiniJUJ .jj nnuiiifiij»i,ii|iiii'--»f-- jmrT- 
 
 CANADIAN MINING LAWS 
 
 thj.t the other alternate claims be reserved for the 
 crown, to be disposed of by public auction, or in 
 such manner as may be decided by the minister of 
 the interior. 
 
 The penalty of trespassing on a claim reserved 
 for the crown is immediate cancellation by the gold 
 commissioner cf any entry and entries which the 
 person trespassing may have obtained whether 
 by original entry or by purchase for a min- 
 ing claim, and the refusal by the gold commis- 
 sioner of the acceptance of any application which 
 the person trespassing may at any time make for 
 claims, and that in addition to such penalty the 
 "mounted police upon requisition fr' 'u afold com- 
 missioner to that effect, may take ^d lere.ssary 
 steps to eject the trespasser. 
 
 The clause in the former regulations proviuing 
 that the discoverer of a new mine is entitled to 
 claim and shall be granted a claim for "bar dig- 
 gings" 750 feet in length has been amended so that 
 the grant may apply to the creek and river claims 
 instead of to bar diggings. 
 
 
 
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 Later Catalogued Prices 
 
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 iv*^arate department; yiitten by ten 
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