| Show rl M I IJ 0 r rrn Il c zW4Siyjett r O 1f J Mr Charlee II Metcalf writing from Dawson City on the Klondike J river under recent due says here I find myself at last In Hit rnldst of the greatest and mot wonderful wonder-ful mining camp the world IIM nor tttn loll Ic I M plenty that It lice tot to-t carried about In cotton bag And four or ho men are required to pk nod protect the product of many of the claim 1 have seen the reeelt rtf one Uijri washing on a claim In Kldorado creek and the figure wee IISOOO for twelve hour work of fair men This Halm wa until lees 1 tlmn six month ngo for JMO and will produce more than IO 0KM before the end of the year The excitement Ic I now an great hat no one will sell at any price no thorn li I no chance for newcomer In this Immediate vicinity The country II I full of prmpertnra and every stream within a hundred mil li local and Haltned from one end to the other On the Me creek whew the gold li found tamely llonanu and Uldorado there lure many men who tried In every way lo tell their claim for a few hundred dollar lut winter but could find no taker These men are In ponewlon of great wealth which in I Men yet beyond be-yond their capacity to recline I could not even attempt to picture thin camp tor city to you Thousinds of mm and women too for that matter aro litre living In tent or log hells or JiouMt of board with cloth roof cacti habitation taking n position to mil JUolf with no regard for tie neighbor br any form of regularity The awnilll Is running nlnbt and day and men are kiuhlng about at all time of day nnd slight and building of all kinds are feolng up Such Ic the power of cold hat before cold weather come In Bp lerober I this wilderness will be n city 1 intact In-tact of many thoiiMnd people I ahall I bo out to Itonanta creek In a day or two and look the around aver there I doubt however If anything can bo Uone while everybody I li In this present pres-ent tAle of excitement Circle City If h city no longer with one or two exception ex-ception all tho lore and shops aro closed and the entire population huts transferred Itself to this now Hldorado Mch and all full of hope In tho great golden handicap Prospector aro rushIng rush-Ing nil over the country looking for cold but nothing of any consequence has been found outildo of the two biff creeeks I spoke of A few men will be made rich here but everybody la I spending money In the moll lavlth manner and I ant getting good price for the goods I have to tell You remember re-member the two docikln robe that rot me 11 CO each and whleh I wanted an much to bring a quantity oft Well I old them both yesterday at 110 each and could tell a hundred moro If 1 I had them and thin U I A fair anmplo of trices We had no trouble on the rlrcr this year but I do not relish tanking another trip If I could help It I dont mind the intensely hard work BO much but I find the worry and anil tty about getting the good Ia lately over the lake and river very trying and people tell me I am looking thin I hear Indirectly that llootli la young man Mr Jletcalf took with him la I doing do-ing very well on my claim No3 on Rtaatodon creek Tho weather la very hot and will result In much sickness had Buffering thus damp nrnnh Dr Io Illaue has begun ImalnrM already and will do exceedingly well feel sure lie will local here for the winter While this town l iii wonder M present and growing fait I think Its life will bt short At tra nna hnndreil mile from Juneau the actual Journey begin and this II I the mOlt ilimciilt and discouraging discour-aging part of the many mile tii U travereed The mot favorable time forgoing for-going Into the Interior II I before the mow melt from the mountain which doe not occur till the middle of April for the abrupt pauage and what la I known as the ummlt are butler accomplished ac-complished by hauling aupplle on lied tthllo the PAM Is I fevered vrllli mow After leaving Dyen good mint bo hauled six mile over the Dyen Flat Promo title point the route Me through what U known IM the canyon where the trail leads up the sleep and rugged side of the mountain along a timbered shelf overlooking the canyon can-yon until Sheep Camp I reached a die tone of twelve mile Here a real la I taken to await favorable weather which at beet is I eomelhlng terrlblo with the thermometer III low aa CO to 80 degree below sera Thl top la to prepare one for the summit which is I eight mile further up and 1100 feet high nnd the Most dllflriilt and tedlou part of the journey The trail leads up n narrow and precipitant defllo to Hlono Home another well known retting rett-ing place with a purely Imaginative name Thl place la I at the beginning of tho moro nbrupt climb and Is three mite from the iiimmll In fact It U nothing moro nor leu than a ledge An extract from one of Mr Metealfa letter describing hla tint trip over tho ummlt la Interesting I had ten men working the sura mtt hauling up good with n wlndlaM which wo mad and about MOO feet of ropo which I brought for tho purpose The work had been delayed qulto a limo by itormi which are cry fro quest on tho mounlalna but on Sunday Sun-day night last I concluded that tbo work was far enough along so that wo might break ramp thin next morning and come to Jake Ilmlcmnn I had taken tho precaution to lend over a mall tent the day before In tho event of trouble In getting down on the other ltlchut did not expect any I had not been over here up to that time but the trail wa being used constantly and was hard and well marked Well Monday Mon-day morning limo and with It a clear iky and no wind I was up nt 330 and while llootli Will Retting breakfast I had ono load of our camp outfit and my dog team ready to tart Breakfast consisted lit fried bacon cold broad coffco and bean loon after 4 oclock I started for the summit threo miles away up the deep mountain aide I 1 wa early at the foot of the summit or lost great rise which la 10 sleep that everything mint go up on men back or by windlass Tho nnglo in 1 no great that ono might think tho mountain wa leaning over and would fall that way Of courao everything U I covered will many feet of now No men were working yet ao I left my load to bo taken up when hits windlass started and returned to tamp The round trip had taken four hour lloolh had been taking down time big tent And getting the loot thing ready whllo I wa away llrcaklng n camp take aomo limo ao that 10 oclock found in but Just read to atari The curt was qulto warm and I ho now soft when we mvea but I could see tint there were light clouds on the mountain and Mate Indlcntioi of wind Aa we went up the wind began be-gan to blow a little from the south or at our bark AI we came nearer the mmmlt we began to meet the Indian I In-dian packer coming down baring quit I work above AI the wind was getting There tvfo beaehet to itrong Are or narrow flat place up the tide ami our wtedlea I was placed on the fiat one about 1000 feet from the foot Wo arrived ar-rived alike foot a little before 1 oclock Ito I-to find that the flint load whleh contained con-tained our beds hail gone up lout before be-fore this time the wind had rained inch velocity above that our men had all quit work and left We could not turn back now ao concluded to follow our bed After making everything fat I unhitched the dog and calling them along we started lo climb to the lop Thl Is I no small tusk I ran tell you and when we arrived at the nat bench It via after 2 oclock Hero the wind wo blowing very hard and cold and the small particle of lea that came with It rut my face and hand ao that I could not fate It or take off my mittens ten Here we found our boo nnd I aim managed lo find n can of frozen corn heel which tatted very good while wo sat for a short lime behind a pile of goals to real We packed our beds from this bench to the next The wind nil now become no strong that It would almost carry me up the nude I believe It would ha been next to Impossible to go down ngalu even L euYeeAea u ao vn dJry i 1 P AWAA tlNn1 At the coconut bench 1 had hard work to keep my feet nt all but managed man-aged 10 bind our bed on a alclch got tho dog In mind atari for the lilt climb I never again eiprct < < to see lorIs a storm u was raging at ho top Snow was now coming with tho Icy wind and drift were forming all tho protect place Tho robs of time alarm was et great that no other ouml could li hoard The war of vuutcndlng element rn rt f I meats wa magnificent but I felt quits too Inilpiincant long to be n wltncu and wa glad to get away lIa loon u poulble The decent on tuba lId livery li-very steep but l not 10 long After letting let-ting tho sloths go down we Jut sat dews In tho ott mow and slld or ito i-to the level below which la I qulle I largo body of water called Cntet take supposed to bo the alto of an oil volcano It He far nbovo tho timber lion and is I always froien Just al thl foot there wa cry little wind and wo topped for n short time to rat boforo atartltig out on the laos run I era qwt lW lie o ° r fr i liuM r atenee o va Ma S h s C yv ri r fir c t to 0 h CC P A G I r areTt THE GOLD FIELDS OF ALASKA THE DIRECT BTCAMRn IIOUTH PUOM SEATTLE TO CIRCLE CITY pi Klondike dlitrlet which is 1 la Ilrltlth ColutnbU lie to tbe eastward of Fort Cudahy and Fort Relume Tbs nearest approach by steamer U I Circle City from which point the Journey la made overland of gin mile through the snow and clad iorm to thin camp Hefnre the first few miles were pMee < l the drifting now had to covered IM trail that the dog could not follow H ted I hid to go ahead and keep then the-n < a hlle llootli looked after the team To pod l and keep a blind trill we uee n look sharp Hick and by constant leaehinK we can tell the haul trail rali It he I raft now at the aide I broke trail hal day most of the time on the rep for nearly seven mile through A ftf storm to thick that nothing could Id l Kn and the wind howling at our tasks like a park of hungry wolves tt the lop of the canyon the wind wa INS I were but the now was drifting naf the gathering darkne made our trio down the gorge rattier uncanny We arrived safe nod well only to paid that our tent woe not yet up Two tars more at 10 oelock cults regular nttl 1 of heron liMn nnd bread found a very hearty reception after which I went 10 bed very tired of course after nhetei humus of constant exertion but ftnfortable In the feeling of good littlth and strength which lucccMful renhnt with these grand and rugged neintaln mutt give to any ono and net uirrr to have teen thl strange UM and lIa element whllo at play In oH oJ their wildest mood A trip to the Interior abound In jMoy Huh hnrd hlpi and adventures one > afii < t way to get there la to cross lake Limitman In Kebruiry or ilarvli fblle It la I fnneii and atop at Inko ACTUAL IHOTOailAPIIB OK BCKtttt ATTUNDINO QOLD KXC1TEMBNT IN Till KLONDIKK DISTRICT r sA G t 7e e s OlealenlwV r M A T L Y 4 I I Icnnott lo build boat and watt for the Ice to break up The journey la I then continual by drifting down n series of lakes and down limo Yukon river 10 fore tho traveler can realize It he la I at ho much talked of and treacherous White Mono Itaplda going through which many men havo lost their lives Aa lOon III the warm tvoatbor begins gnat poisonous flies and mosquitoes make Ufo a burden The itorlc told of the number and voraclouancia of the native moiqulto aro almost Incredible In-credible Lieut Schwatka slates In hs report of a voyago down the Yukon hat ho tuna Been mosquitoes In suck number ns to cloud tho sun and ob atruct the vlilon Dog and game havo been killed by the bites of mosqultoca oven the huge black bear Is I not exempt ex-empt from tho pct III tho continual bite produce Inflammntlon of the eyes causing bllndncas Judging from report re-port an asbestos mosquito net should be l In the outfit of every miner Min Ins operation cannot begin until the lira melt from Juno lit to the ICth About the middle of September the sun drops to low that Iro oon form and active operation must bo discontinued until tho following season Tbo erases la I short yet from Juno 15 until Aug 1 the nun shines twentytwo hour out of the twentyfour and during tho remaining re-maining two hour work can bo done Accordingly < when a rich claim Is I found two or three eats of men are employed and work ROC on continually The Yukon country It I no place for a man without money Every man who dome there must expect to work and work hard No credit la I given on a mans face That day 10 I gone Mr Mitchell lay that before men mako n rush from Michigan to tho Klondyko gold fields U would bo well to remember remem-ber that white miners make from fiG to UO a day It la I at tho most for only about sixty day nnd provisions are about 60 cents an ounce that there art 300 men eiUllutf lu about 150 lug hut and thousand more wero expected ex-pected during the spring and summer and that the malls are most Infrequent and uncertain Gold la there In abundance abun-dance to be sure but the difficulty In getting It ia I exceedingly great Mr Mctealt cannot emphasize too strongly the difficulties and dangers and hardships hard-ships of B trip to Ibo Interior and would warn everybody to keep away unless provided with several hundred dolfar and clothing and provision to last for at least one year |
