Show to f FIRi i r > > ul r y j v ° EDWARD SPURR IN OUTING T 1 Th rmn Tkn slicer Tn Outing for September Edward flpurr of the United Stale leologleal Survey speaks as followa of the great Alaskan river Only two routes lire available One must either go to Rt Mlohicl l In the Ilehrlng sea and thence up the Itlver Yukon from ItA outlet to the begin ring of fix headwater some 1500 miles or land at some point of tho Pacific crows the head of land and tap tho headwater of the Yukon at their Source In either event the journey must be completed before September when the Yukon freeze and Alaska arela winter win-ter of the utmost riser ntl In and grips Its vine At the little town of Juneau wo left tho steamer and made preparation to turn our back for good upon clrlllin 1 lion Our proposed route lay crow the rout mountains the IiMilwater of the Yukon and thence down that river he a highway making such nxcursloni from It ii became necessary Alaska Is I a moat difficult country for traveling even In tho only available short season of its arctic summer there being no road and oven Indian trails nn scronnt of the small number of na tive are very rare The surface II I rough being traversed by many ranges of mountains Even In the moro level portions travel li I hindered In tho summer sum-mer by the wet move which grow kneedeep and by the Insect peat In the winter It I made ImpotslK t by Ibo Intense l cold In view of all theme dim collie the peculiar relation of the Yukon Yu-kon < river to the coast II I such that ono might fancy Nature had arranged especially es-pecially for a highway through this InaccMslblo Interior In portal compensation compen-sation to man for Iho obstacle aho hat put In his way Tho headwaters of tho network of streams that ultimately drain Into file Yukon river fortunately lie within about thirty miles of the sea just on the northern or Inland side of A range of mountains which runs along the southern roast of Alaska From this point the river flow north away from the sea far toward the Arctic Ocean hen suddenly changing Hi mind turns weat and finally after ravening tbo whole width of Alaska arrive at the JUhrlng Sea Its entire course bring considerably over two thousand mile For n considerable dlstineo It li I a liroad and deep atream to that ono may KO quite through thn center of Alaska from sea to sea by crossing only thirty mile or in nt land There Are various route across the coast mountains to the various heads of this river Of three wo ebola that ovur the Chllkoot laN which U the shortest although the mountains whlri must bo thereby crowed aro higher than any of tho other route llarilihlp nl the Trip la II Klnitillk We were huddled together closely that we perforce became speedily acquainted ac-quainted for although the space on the floor wit Urr omiiiih for all nt us to lit down thero was hardly mom to stretch out When wo grow weary of chatting hovwor and of listening to the sound of the water us Ibo boat threshed III way onward wo were forced by drowsiness to sleep where wo could and soon ilcrpcra were scattered around In the most groteniua and uncomfortable un-comfortable altitudes I had coveted n space en or under the little table used for rating purpose but found that choice position fully occupltd before I made up my mind to ictlro but I Anally An-ally wedged myself Into a narrow space between tho boiler and the pilot house where throughout the night passer continually Stopped on my head However How-ever I slept several hours The system of exiting li worthy of note The table accommodated about six at a time whereas us I havo mentioned men-tioned we were fifty or sixty Wall At each meal one or two or sometime three set of passenger would bo fed then the captain the sailors Ibo Chi neso cook and the dlihwashrr after which the rest of in got our ration In goad time As wo grow very hungry hun-gry during till process we would 1 stand around patiently waiting our chance to itlp In but sometime bo fore We ball tasted the tempting liver and coffee to iy nothing of the brans wo would be summarily ejected by tile dishwisher who was a very young man of dashing exterior and peculiar pe-culiar vocabulary and who would disperse dis-perse us with the assertion that Ur the crew II I going to eat now Crmlnc inn Now trainees I lillkool TaM The trip from silt water to the head of tho navigable water of the Yukon II Is 1 usually mad In two Stages of each about fifteen mile The trader at Dim had brought In a few horses and we engaged him to transport our camp outfit and provision over tho first stage where tho trail though rough can bo gone over by packanimal Rome of the miner however engaged Indiana Immediately at Dyea to pack the whole distance and as It afterward proved this was the wiser plan We could also have obtained saddle animal ani-mal but our little party preferred to walk for Ibo sake nf retting toughened for the birder journeyi that were to follow I The trip turned out to bo exception ally fatiguing n large part of the distance dis-tance bring through sand and loose I gravels In the bell of a stream where It wai Impossible to find a firm footing several time also wo hall to wade the stream The valley alone whoso bottom bot-tom wo were thus traveling was narrow and cnnjonllke with deep bare mountain rising high on tlher aide The top of those mountains so fAr al wo could see wern capped with Ico and this great glicer stretched out long finger down Into the valley along each of the gulches or recesses In the mountain wall Finally crossing tho river a last time on a fallen tree we followed the trail up Into the moro rocky and difficult portion of the valley val-ley and Rome mite of thin brought us thoroughly tired to our halting placeFrom From Sheep Camp where wo were the only way to get our supplies over the pas was to get Indian to carry them Although them Indian aro no tstronger stronger than average white men yet they greatly excel them In point of endurance end they willingly under I After awhile the wellbeatm trail aa oa filled to almost nothing and at the I name lime tho mow slope became ot I ixrriwlve Steepness We were obliged I to kirk foothold for every step 90 a surface so smooth and steep that a slip would have lent UI sliding Into d ptbi which we could not ace Looking own It seemed a bottomless I pit shapeless and fathomless In the eddying fog On the other tide of the summit a abort but steep declivity led down ton to-n man frozen lake named by the miner Crater Lake on account of the I steep craterlike wall which surround I sur-round It on three tide On one tide I however this wall opens out Into a valley through which a small stream I runs the lake Is I therefore one of the ultimate Sources ot the Yukon and It wa with a feeling of relief that we I I stepped upon III frozen surface I Tim Chllkoot Indian 1ntkri At Ihra Ii a small tradingpost i I kept by a white roan around which U I gathered a village of Indians or Elwa belonging to the Chllkoot tribe They I I are by jo mean Illlooking people l I Tho men aro strong and wellformed the women n rally when one consider I con-sider their mode nf life are Inferior to the men In good look These women i I wo-men have n habit ot painting their tense uniformly black with a mixture of soot and create n covering which I li i aid to prevent snowbllnJnris In till I winter and to be a protection In summer I I sum-mer against tha mosquitoes Horns I have only tho upper part of their faces I painted and the black part lewlnatti In a straight line I giving the effect ot n halfmask At the time of our arrival I ar-rival the Indiana were engaged very I I busily In catching and drying a small fish This fish Ii very oily and when dried ran be lighted at one end oil i used ii a candle and for this purpose It li I itored away nialnil the long liter I li-ter night nllhtu arose l nf lh ninndlk Although thero are very few people peo-ple In the country one li continually surprised at first by perceiving II toll lacy white tent standing on some prom talent point or clff which overlooks the river At first this looks cheerful and wo seat many n hearty hall across the water to such habitation but our calls were never answered for that are not dwelling of the living but of the dead Inside each of these tents which are ordinarily made of whlti cloth though sometimes of woven matting II I a dead Indian and near him are laid ills rifle snowshoes ornament orna-ment and other personal effects I to not think the custom nf leaving these i 1 4 r Ihdt rftTi Mew r Irt d w oIlJ I tit t-it > 4I I r t J r f t l11 f t r 1 1 r 111 of 1 i b 0 IIK1II 8UMMKII IS TUB CIIUKOOT PASS GO extreme fatigue for any limited period At this time however tho rail Will so bad on account of ho softening soft-ening of tho snows In tho hot Juno son > that they concluded to strike for higher wage Till was the cAuse of some little delay for us Once we saw the Slwaih tartly started start-ed with their pack wo set out ourselves our-selves at about C oclock In the afternoon after-noon At this time ot year the trip U I usually timed by tho Indian so that the deepest snow will bo crossed between 12 oclock nt midnight and tIn t-In the morning for In these hour a rust forms which In daytime la softened soft-ened by the warm sun Our way loon led us on to a glacierlike Held nt snow which often sounded hollow to t our feet AI wo trod acd Intervals wo could hror the water rushing beneath The grade became cot ttcp and tho fog closed around tin thickly joining with the twilight of tho Alaska June night to nuke a peculiar obicirlty which gao things a weird ghostly appearance appear-ance A a no tolled up the steep Incline In-cline ot hardened snow those ahead ot IK looked like hum giants whip those on whom we looked down were ugly sprawling dwarf All the rust of the climb wo over snow tho ascent being very steep with cliff tin all aides which loomed up gigantic and ghostly It li Inn possible to describe the effect produced pro-duced by these bare I Jigged rocks rising ris-ing out ot the snow field In tile silence the foe and the twilight Wo were forcibly reminded 1 of Burns ot Doros Imaginative r wins a w IR st i t v i vi y ffi rSniWia DIUVINQ A BARGAIN WITH THE NATIVES articles at the grave Implies anyvtt lief that they will bo timed by the deal man In another world but Imply III nines that ho will halo no moro van fur the things which were so dear and necessary to him In life Juit u among ourselves article which have been used by some dead friend art henceforth laid aside and used no longer long-er i |