The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 26, 1897, Page 1

VOLUM SAN FRANCISCO, THU RSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 26, 1897. PRICE FIVE CENTS. VAST FORTUNES MADE IN THE RICH KLONDIKE —New discoveries and | The news was brought UNEAU, Alaska, Aug. 20 (via Victoria, B. C., Aug. 2 J tons of gold form the latest news from the Klond day by John J. McKay and party, who made the journey up the Yukon | n twenty-two days, breaking the record by eight days for the inland trip. | = steamship Portland next arrives at Seattle from St. Michael there will | gh figures on the fever gauge to show the increase in the excitement, | rer strong-room and under a heavy guard the Portland will carry §3,500,000 worth of K out tor ondike gold in dust. When the little Yukon River steamer left Dawson City three weeks ago, to | 2ct W the Portland at the mouth of Great River, she had corded up on her } main deck forward in sacks, like so much wood, that amount of nuggets and dust 1 taken out of the creeks of the treasure land. A tarpaulin was carelessly thrown | over the corded gold. The little steamer threw off her lines and swung around to | rent to the sea amid the huzzahs of a thousand men. Mr. MCK“N follow the c was an eye-witness of the scene. ing party were Archie Schelp and ‘‘Kid” | The others comprising the record-bre: Birch, young of Juneau, who, as well as McKay, have made several trips to the Upper Yukon country. Their familiarity ] the unsurpassed fast time. hree will return to Dawson City next week. Mr. | McKay was formerly a politician and liq ealer of Tacoma, Wash. He soid out | s business and went into the Yukon country a year ago last spring. He got to > e Klondike after the first rush, but not too late to file on good ground. He isi interested in one claim on the Upper Bonanza and another on Hunker Cre Mr. | »n his wealth. All he will say is that he is satisfied. | iikes the heart jump and the pulses tingle. He said: 1d in that country than any man can ever dream of., The nV ria Creek, named after the Queen, and Bear Creck. | t the 1oth of last July. ‘ s are expected to pan out as rich as El Dorado and Bonanza | k is reached. Victoria opened up very rich, running up to $22 | It is a short stream and has all been taken up. About | have been located on it. Every yard that is expected to yield | on Bear Creek, which has panned out nearly as well. There was | McKay will put no estimat He t tells a tale of gold t | “There is more g latest discoveries They were m “The n on it owing to the limited extent of the ground. territory. | Perhaps no more will be found as heavy with solid chunks§ nza and El Dorado are, but many men are out prospecting, :mdi Il be by this time next year, and some of them are bound to make very | The sidehills around the creeks already filed on are being prospected and | good results. Hundreds are at work on the hils. From $2 to! < Think of that for a sidehill. That means hundreds of " Gold has become so plentiful in Dawson City that it is thrown | e so much potatoes or coal. The owner of the stuff, watchful eye out and sees that th= nuggets do not get into any pockets. There is very little danger of theft. If caught a man up at once, even if it was before breakfast. They would try him , and bolts and bars are few in Dawson.”” But these are not all | TS. out. says the trading companies have immense quantities of stores n more. He says that before next winter is gone purchasers must e the company asl When he left, he says, flour was g1z per | and bacon 40 cents a pound, sugar and other “luxuries” in pmpnrtinn.l ttle fruit was in sight, and comprised oranges only, which sold according to | Plenty of provisions came up from Cir | when the river opened. Eggs often sold for as much as 81 e: n’i all where there was so much gold. Mr. McKay told a story of ! o made a meal on eggs. He ate twenty-two, and the meal cost him Ducks brought in by Indians sell for $20 each and other game in for from 25 cents to $2 each. AS N0 Pri general price for golddust in Dawson City is 17 per ounce. however, allows only £16 per ounce. hogging” things around Dawson City. The Canadian Mr. McKay says that the Gov- It charges $2 per 1000 feet on | om stumpage on tovernment land, and that is where all the timber is only sawmill at Dawson City, run bv ex-Judge Moffatt of North 'ash., is forced to add the Government rovalty to its price for lumber. ment vmill’s capacity is 5000 feet per day, and the mill runs day and night to meet s of building a new city. The mill gets $150 per 1ooo feet, and is as good Mr. McKay savs there is grea* and growing dissatisfaction in Dawson City and | 3 r the new Canadian mining laws. The miners think the tax and assecs- ich too high, and the fees for mining a steal. H= says that the slightest e part of the Government officials would precipitate rebellion and e officials must use wide discretion to avoid trouble. Every man who arrives dissatisfied or incensed at the duty enacted on his outfit. trary act or The McKay party met the first considerable number of gold-hunters going in , 420 miles from Juneau. All were enthusiastic. Many took up a few rever the notion struck them on the banks and bars of the river, and every- got four or five colors to the pan. They seemed to think from this that they wly floating down into richer territory. Neither McKay, Schelp nor Birch } v new discoveries on Stewart River. They said there was plenty of work for everybody at Dawson City when they left, but a nticipated there would be y cf idle labor when the rush got in. The social side of Dawson City never sleeps. Saloon doors never close. ns wi d heard of It shows how current and com- Gus Becke and Tom Wilson of Juneau, who run one of the drinking resorts, have seven men behind the bar weighing out gold. The scales in general use are honest. When a man orders a drink he passes i of gold. Enoughis shaken out into the scale to pay for the drinks and the sack tossed back to its owner across the bar. The flying sacks remind one of the old-fashioned game of beanbag, which elderly people of the East used to play | y when they were children. Plain drinks are 50 cents in Dawson City, mixed drinks $1 and fancy drinks with an egg $125 to $150, according to the price of eggs. Mr. McKay says he has seen many a man treat the whole house to drinks at §250 a round. Gambling is wide open. Dealers get £15 a day. At the one variety show it takes §2 to see the show, to say nothing of how much gold dust it costs to get out. Mr. McKay says Dawson City well deserves the name of a “hot town,” if it is located in a cold climate. Meals cost from $1 to $1 50 and board by the week is now not to be had. Mr. McKay estimated the population of Dawson City at the time he left at 4000. He expects to see at least 5000 people there when he gets back at the end of two wzeks. The unique and cheerful news is brought by the McKay party that as a matri- nial market Dawson City has no equal on earth. Ladies are as scarce as gold dust is burdensome on the metropolis of the El Dorado. Both Birch and McKay avow that any maiden, innocent or full of guile, can become a bride with a wedding present of thousands of dollars of gold dust within thirty minutes after arriving at Pawson Cily, if she will but whisper her cgnsent. Ten thousand dollars in gold has been laid at the feet of the lady in a number of instances at Dawson City be- fore the ceremony was said. Miss Gussie LaMore, form:rly of Juneau, has mide the most desirable marriage from a pecuniary point of view. It is a fact that “Swift- Water Bill”” was so smitten with her charms that he called on Miss LaMore tae day of her arrival and wooed her with $50,000 of gold dust in a coal oil can. The next day she became Mrs. *‘Swift-Water Bill.” “Swift-Water Bill,”” whose real name is not known to any of the McKay party, came to the Klondike early in the rush. Hedid not have a dollar or enough grub for mon gold m 1 square meal when he arrived. He located on: of the richest claims and is now a millionaire and a bridegroom. His claim is 13 EI Dorado. Violet Rayvmond, a variety actress, formerly of San Francisco and Seattle, is now princess and rich at Dawson City. She married an Italian who struck it rich. He is called Prince Antone. He made his bride a present-of $10,000. Miss Ray- k ond and Miss LaMore went to Dawson City tozether. There is but one lady in 1e town who is not married. She has refused every single man in Dawson, and they have knelt before her with uplifted hands full of gold. Being refused they have told her that she doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it. She wears short skirts, carries an umbrella and wants to vote. The news that $3,500,000 in gold recently left Dawson City on a steamer is con- | Men Returning From Dyea and | took the outside route home. Over Three Millions in Gold Coming Down on the Steamer Portland—Thrilling Stories of Life in Dawson. firmed by William Kerr of Dawson City in a letter just received by O. R. Adsit, a business man of this place. The Kerr letter says in addition: ““I never saw so much gold in all my life as there is floating around this town. at the gambling tables. | Harry Ash takes in $2000 a day over the bar, and God only knows what he reaps Nearly all the bovs who have not yet located claims. are it the'tiver enabledhamifs mmale ) ge:ting $15 a day for their work. [ do not think there will be grub enough to supply the demand. Many of the boys who had not $100 a year ago are bonanza kings. Evervthing goes, even eggs at $1 each. It is next to impossible to go out prospecting at thi the hair on a dog’s back. to be almost beyond belief. time of the year, as the woods are on fire and the mosquitoes are as thick as Claims on creeks flowing into tne Klondike are so rich as From $300 to $1020 a pan is a daily occurrrence.” In another letter received by Joe Jordan of Juneau is this: ““‘Razoo Bill,” who chopped wood around Juneau, has been offered §60,000 for his claims and refused it. aires.” Ali the Jun=au boys are doing fine and many will be million- The steamship Willamette had a hard time of it at Skaguay and Dyea—all but three of the crew deserted. The ship was over a week in discharging her cargo. She handed. It is said at Juneau and Dawson | secured other deckhands at the greatest difficulty, and left for Juneau nine short- City that Secretary of the Treasury Lyman J. Gage is interested in the North American Trading Company along with the Weares of Chicago. Skaguay Tell of the Crowds ( and Bad Trails. SEATTLE, WasH, Aug. steamer Willamette, which was ~ighted in the straits last night and reported to the world as being the gold-laden steamer Portland from St. Michael, arrived in this port at 11 o’clock this morning from Dyea | and Skagray. Aifter leaving her ports 011 landing sbe made the run to Biika, and ‘This move on her part was unexpected, and as a re- sult when a strange steamer was seen in the straits the news went broadside that it was the Portland. To-day nothing | more is known about the Por d than was known a week ago. She is liable to poke her nose 1n the straits at any time, but there are many who believe that she will not arrive before the end of the month. The Williamette brought down im- | vortant news from the north which wiil | be read with grest interest by the world at large. In a nutshell it is that between 7000 and 10,000 men are at Skagnay. Atont 10 per cent of them will get over the mountains before winter. They consist of those who have money. Theefforts of the miners to close White Pass until 1t was improved failed and miners are daily at- tempting to cross it. Uniform packing rates do not exist and the man who has the most money and horses will get over the passes. The poor man who will camp at Skaguay or Dyee or return to civiliza- tion. Some are already returning. Re- ports conflict as to condition of the passes and as to reasons for many miners not making any progress. Purser H. W. Skinner cays that while there are almost 10,000 miners at Dyea and Skaguay hundreds will not get over the mountains before winter sets in. “I know,” said the purser, “that hun- dreas will not pet over. They would not zet over a level road if they had a car- risge. 1 saw men sitting about and com- plaining because they were not making progress. All the time dozens of others | were crossing the passes. Ii men want to | get over this winter they wili do it. Big rates are being paid to Inaian packers. A newspaper correspondent paid 35 cents a pound to get his outfit and supplies over Chilcoot. Another askea the Indian pack- ers what they would charge to take his stuff over the White Pass and their answer was $1 a pound. If men have de- termination, horses and money they will get over all right; if not, they will stay this side of the mountains this winter. I think the secret of failure of the majority is lack ot money. Some of the men are w00 lazy to try to get over. They have con- cluded that it would be too hard work to climb the mountains this fall ana are going to camp until spring. In my judg- ment, one-tenth of the miners will get to D.awson City before winter.” Purser Skinner raports that just as the Willamette was about to start south two men, he did not know their names, came to him and asked for passage down. They said they had just come from Daw- son City, having walked all the way. “Ibey had packed out $20,000 in gold dust and nuggets,” said the purser, “and wanted me to take personal charge of it. I had no safe and r-fused, but offered them a stateroom. They said they fearea trouble and wanted the company to take charge of the gold dust and assume ail re- sponsibility. I would not consent and the last T heard they* were arranging to go to Juneau in a small boat and there take one of the Facific Coast steamers or the sound. I asked them as to the reported great finds on the Kiondike and they said: ‘We got our money on Bonanza Creek. There is more gold in the streams of the north than can possiby be taken out in 100 years. We have more back there and will take it out as soon as we can get supplies and return to our claims.””” Arthur Needham, a prominent chant of Shelton, Wash., who went north and returned on the Willamette, confirms the stories told by Pur:er Skinner as to condition of t!e passes. Needham isina better position to speak the truth con- cerning White Pass than is any other man who bas returned this year from the Skagusy. He went over the pass just out of curiosity, and to find out whether or not the stories from the north as to the irightiul condition of White Pass were true. One thing he advises, and that is that miners going north in the future do not take boats with them. It is almost impossible to get them over the moun- tains. He says he saw dozens of boats that cost from $50 to $100 on ‘the Sound sold for $250 and $5 at Shgu’ ay and Juneau. 1If once the miners are over the mountains, Needham alleges, they can HAL HOFFMAN. t rush when these discoveries became known, but only a comparative few | FEWw WILL GET THROUGH. ! get boats at the lake much cheaper. The t sawmill is crowded with orders, but a | dicker cen always be made for a boat if one has money. Needham states that White Pass has not been closed by the miners. They are working on Porcupine Hi!l and bope to improve the pass. They tried to close the pass while the work was in progress, but saw the thing was not the right thing. Consequently, those who want to go over the pass at present are not interfered with. “Iam better acquainted with the condi tion of White Pass,’® said Needham to THE CALL correspondent this afternoon, “because I personally investizated it. I wen! over with forty pounds on my back and returned. I am alive to tell the story, and in my judgment White Pass, for ordinary mountain pass, is in gzood condi- tion, and if 2 man has horses there is abso- lutely no reason why he should not get over there before winter sets in. Those men who are there. now and who have borses should be over. Iknow thatthey must make many trips 10 -gestheir pro- visions «nd outfits dver, but they bave hor-es, have been thére for several woeks and should be on the move all the time. *‘I jefr Skaguay the day following my arrival from the summit. The first four miles out of Skaguay are all right, and consist of a wagon road over which no one would have any difficulty in making progress with horses and wagons. At the end of theroad one encounters the first bill. When you get to the top of it you are 500 feet above the level, The hil! is very rocky, but I was careful to make notes of its condition, and there is no rea- son why a mountain climber should not put his horses over there with compara- tive ease. Notwithstending that fact, I found a deaa horse on the pass. 1 ex- amined it and found thatit bad broken one of its legs. The owner, I suppose, had no more use for the animal and killed it. After descending the first hill you enter a canyon. Another hill 1s encoun:e ed. It is 800 {eet bigh and in about the same con- dition as hill No. 1. Once over that hill and the canyon is entered, and then you encounter the much-talked-of Porcupine Hill, the summit of which is 1100 feet above the level. “While going up Porcupine Hill one does not meet 50 many obstacies, al:hough it is difficult climbing. On the fartner side of Porcupine is where one must watch him- self. Bowlders from four to ten feet square are to be found. One must work around the corners of these bowlders in order to get down in safety. It took me about one hour and a half. I went slowly, picked my way as one accustomed to mountain climbing will do, and had no difficulty in reaching the foot of the hill. I was careful to note the dangers that a horse would en- counter and I saw that a hovse can go over Porcupine Hill ail right if the person handling the animal knows his business. “Inquiry satisfied me that the death of many horses was aue solely to the inex- perience of those in charge. The packs are put on the backs of the horses with zross carelessness, and what is the result? Porcupine Hill, as I have said, has many big bowlders, around which the horses must work. It is uphili and downhill; it is this way and that way, and before the journey is accomplished the packs begin to slide (the horse’s burden is thus in- created threefold), a slip 1s made, the pack g ves way and the animal goes down to its death or breaks a ieg and meets death at the hands of the owner, who curses his luck and starts back for another ‘horse. Get over Porcupine Hiil n safety, and the next hill is what is known as the big hill. 1t is 1700 feet high. It is two miles to the summit and two miles down. The hill is not vad, the greatest difficulty | being 1n the shape of bogzy places from ten to twenty feet long, which are caused by springs. One must go up and down the hill slowly. The boggy places are not in such bad condition as to make them impassable. “*After that you proper. It is 2800 feet high, but is not fraught with any dangers. It is much easier than the elevation known as Big Hiil. 1 reached the summit ana went four mil s over it to a place known as Siallow Lake. Idid not get to the lake until the morning of the 15th, because the river waa high at night, and I had to wait until the foliowing day to cross. I started back from Ehallow Lake the day tha: I arrived,and was back at Skaguay the same day. Itwas a hard trip, but it was not one that an ordinary man of determina. tion could not accomplish. I made it intwo days with forty or fifty pounds of luggage and suffered no' hardshipe. In my judg- ment a man shouid use White Passif he has horses; if he has no horses then the chances are he will take Chilcoot. “Bkaguay is a hot towa—six saloons, in- reach the summit |. cluding a dance hall. The Government officials closed the dance hall just betore 1 left for some violation of the liquor law. A great deal of drinking is going on and the saloons do a rushing business. Some of the men seem to be drowning their troubles. with the packing and frail in whisky. There is also considerable gam- bline. Skaguay willbe a good town this winter.” Otner passengers on the Willamette tell a different story. Thomas Stanton went north, intending to cross White Pass. He returned because, as he says, it will be im- possible to get over this winter. He claims the Skaguay trail proves every day to be more impracticable. He says he went as far as Porcupine River and gave up. He says the trail by wayv of Dyea is much better. Abe Bell, a resident of San Francisco, returned after selling his outfit. He says 10 per cent will not get over this year. When asked if many had given up ana returned he said: “There are but few on this steamer, but just wait until the next one comes down. ‘I'hey will be tumbling over each other to get on the boat.’”” J. M. Houghton, who is the engineer on the steamer, says that most of the people at Dyea and Skaguay are arranging to re- turn. The trails, he says, are in a fright- ful condition. On the Skaguay trail they are attempting to blast out a road around Porcupine, but are making poor head way. He estimates the number of men at Skag- uay at 3050 and about 2000 at Dyea, al- though it is hard to make a guess, for so many are coming and going. “How many miners returned on this trip?” *‘None of those who went up with us returned, but probably twenty who had previously gone came bazck. Others will be coming down on the next trip, though.” John Hickey of the United States ship Concord came down. He said: “‘If a man wants tb make a mule of himself and can stacd the work he should go to Skaguay. Seven dollars a day is freely paid to pacs- ers and they are boarded free. 'Even as [ the Topeka, and they say many will fol- | low them. went north within the last few weeks, in- tending to go to the mines, came back on Two surveys have been sent out to try to find a better route for Skaguay trail, and if they succeed the men promised to 20 to work on it. Among those who threw up the sponge and came back to civilizalion was Sam Brown of Seattle and William Aibert. M. Niles, an attorney of Los Angeles, also came back, but he is going to make an- other trial, tbis time by the Stickeen River route. Chief Facior Hall of the Hudson Bay Company, who also came down on the boat, having been to Cassiar, reports the route a splendid one. S e AFTER THE NEWS. Newspaper Men Go Forth In Tugs to Meet the Incoming Steamer Portland. PORT TOWNSEND, Wasn, Aug. 25.— One of the most exciting chases after newsin the history of this newsy section occurred last night upon the receipt of a vague rumor telegram that the home- ward bound treasure ship Portland, re- turning from the far north, had been sighted off Vancouver island. Three biz tucs, chartered at enormous cost, were loaded with newspaper men, started in the teeth of an an:ry gale to in- tercept the ve:sel and tell her news to the world. One hundred miles of rough voy- aging in a sea rolling mountains high re- sulted only in learning what had been previously predicted, that some other vessel had been mistaken for the antici- pated gold ship. To.day J. J. Corey of TuE CALL, accom- | panied by a staif of reporters, sienograph- ers, typewriters and photographers char- tered the tug Tyee, one of the most pow- erful towing vesselsin the world, and went out to sea in search of the Portland, that craft for wutose reception newsnapermen, now here from all cver the Union, are awaiting. The Portland may be expected to-morrow, after being out fourteen days from St. Michael. ENFORCING THE LAW. Collector of Custcms lIvey Causes Consternation Among Alaska’s Whisky Ring. JUNEAU, Avasga, Aug. 21 (via Vie- toria, B. C., Aur. 25).—A big row has been stirred up among Federal officials super- vising Alaskan waters over the action of Captain Mevers of the British ship Dan- ube in discharging a cargo of Canadian supplies at Skaguay instesd of Dyea, the sub-port, his ordering United States cus- high as $10 has been offered to ‘packers, and there were not enough men. Horses were sold for as hizh 25 §250 when the'l ; Willamette arrived, bu{ the large number brought up on thatsieamer and on the| barges made them cheaper. Onme cannot pack more tban 100 pounds on a horse owing to the awful condition of the trail. One dollar per pound is paid for packing over the summit. The Indians are now getting 40 cents per pound. Boats seem 10 be useless and are selling for almost nothing. ““A Juneau gambler has opened a house at Skaguay, and the whirr of the roulette balis, the shooting of craps and faro goes on merrily ail day long. Everything is very quiet owing to the fear of tne miners’ police. There has been no trou- ble of any kind. Some of the Kiondikers aredrunk a great part of the time. Oth- ers are fast losing their money over the Juneau gamblers’ tables. There are a number of women in the dance hall and it is taking lots of money from the Klon- dikers. One young Seattle fellow mude a big winning the other day.” The third officer of the Willamette tells several stories that are worth printing. He says that two prospectors, James Rice and a man named McGee, were arrested at Skaguay and taken to Juneau charged with selling poisoned whisky to ten In- dians with the result that the Indians had anarrow escape from death. The men were bound over to trial at Juneau, the bonds being placed at $1500 each. The third officer is also quoted as saying that all the saloons in Skaguay have been closed and $10,000 worth ot whisky seized by the vigilance committee. The Willamette brought down three men from Michigan who went north with the intention of going to the goldfields. After reaching there and experiencing some hard luck they gave it up and are now en route for home. The Willamette officers report that dock- ing rates have gone up at Dyea. They were charged $50 for dockage and $1 a head for horses and cattle to pass over the dock, in addition to $2 a ton for freight. The Willamette's crew consisted of twenty-two men when she went north. Eighteen d-serted to go to goldfields, and it was necessary to get new men in Ju- neau and Sitka to bring the boat back. MANY MAKE BIG MONEY. Juneau Men Who Have A'ready Made Fortunes in the Kiondike. VICTORIA. B.C., Aug. 25.—More good news has come from the Klondike by the steamer City of Topeka, which arrived to- night, leaving Juneau just after the ar- rival there of Joe Birch, James McKay and Archie Shelp, who made the trip from Dawson over io Dyeain tweniy days, They did not come any further than Juneau, but jntend to go back to the mines. They had a preity rough trip, baving to paddle and tow their boat up rivers. gers who came down on the Topeka Shelp spoke very highly of the Stewart and In- dian rivers, aithough there have been no sensational finds. From $10 to $15 per pan is being taken out of these rivers. Close upon $2,000,000 in dust has gone down on tbe river steamers, the owners intending to take the steamer Portland at St. Michael. Gold passed ac $17 an ounce at Dawson City. Shelp gives this list of Juneau men who strack it rich. They are: Dick Law, $100,- 000; J. Smith, $50,000; Oscar Ashby and 'W. Leak refused $150,000 for their claims; Joe Brant, $30,000; Cornelius Edwards, $25,000; — Whipple, $10,000; Harry Ash, In conversation with one of the passen. | OVer the pecater part of this route and am toms officiais to leave his ship, and the action of P. A. Smith, inspector afloat, in supporting Captain Meyers. Since the row on the bridge of the Danabe, as related in a previous dispatch, it has come to light that a bar wasin full operation on the Danube at Skaguay with | Inspector Smith’s cognizance. Meyers was ordered back to Juneau under arrest by Special Deputy Ham- mond, but refused to go. 1 haveit from re.iable authority that if the Danube re- turns to these waters she wiil be seized for smuggling, libeled and Captain Meyers arrested. Collector of Customs J. W. Ivey has stated that he will see that Inspector P. Smith is discharged for cause. Governor Brady denounces the action of Smith. Collector Ivey is & new broom. He is causing consternation in the whisky ring ol Alaska. Yesterday he seized and emptied a cargo of beer at Skaguay. The beach sands drank it. There will be a liquor famine at Skaguay and Dyea and saloons starved outif the new Collector continues to enforce the law, Several places suspected of selling liquor to In- dians have been raided. B DO NOT GO THAT WAY. Charles Stewart’s Warning Against the Dangers of the Mackerzie River Route. TACOMA, Wash, Aug. 25— Charles Stewart, who has been over the ground several times, warns minersof the dangers of the Mackenzie River rouie to the Klon- dike, whicn the Canadians are praising as an all-British and nearly all water route to the Yukon. He calls particuiar atten- tion to the numerous and dangerous rapids which are encountered. Said he to-night: ““About 100 miles from Athabasca land- ing are the Pelican Rapids, and in an- other day one reaches Grand Rapids, one mile long, which men have never been able to run. After portaging Grend Rap- ids the traveler passes over ninety miles ot water to Fort McMurray, which the Canadian papers describe as requiring ‘careful attention.” “In reality the whole ninety miles is one succession of the worst kind of rapids, cipal being the Boiler, Cascade nt Rapids. No man can go from Grand Rapids to Fort Murray without both steersman and bowsman who knov the waier. In Great S.ave River are Smiths Rapids. Sixty miles up Nelson River, on the routa to Pelly River, via Lead River, come the worst rapids con- ceivable. It is300 miles from the head of these rapids to the Pelly, ten miles of which is a bad canyon portage. In the Grand Canyon are five portages and at the Devi’s portage boats have to be portaged four miles and the road passes over a ridge 1100 feet high, Tae journey to the Klondike via Peels, Rat and Porcupine rivers, portaging from Rat to Porcupine, is one of 2700 miles from the railroad to Edmonton. I have made several trips convineed that no man in his right senses will try (o reach tbe Klondiie by it.” S A iy WOMEN’S GOLD CLUBS. Miss Bernice Hals Has a Novel Scheme for S:nding Miners to Kiond.ke. CHICAGO, L, Aug. 25.—Mise Bernice Hale of New York thinks she has one.of the mos: original Klondike schemes that has yet been advanced. She reached Chi- cago yesterday. Miss Hale, who is 24| years old and a blonde, claims to have the friendship and backing of women con- nected with Gotham’s Sorosis Ciub. She who left on the last boat for San Fran- cisco, $100,000; an old man who a few months ago was cutting wood around Juneau, $60,000. Abouta dozen men who put in the day figuring with transporta- tion companies and talking to people who are inter sted in the golda fields, and last night announced that she would go to | derstand what you have lost. the Alaskan gold fields in the spring with six other women, who will act as over- seers of parties of men who will be sent into the gold country to prospect for gold at the expense of American women. Mise Hale has letters to a number of well-known Chicago women, and her pur- pose is to endeavor to interest them in the far-away land, for she says woman has as good an opportunity to make an inde- pendent fortune as has man. Miss Hale says it is the intention of the women she reoresents to organize branches,of the Woman's Club of Alaska in every city of prominence. The head- quarters of the clubs will be in New York, but no effort will be made tointerfere with the workings of local branches. When a club has fifty members it will be entitled to a prospec:or, but even before it has that number of members it will share in the profits of the combined clubs. For every fifty membersitis proposed to cend one experienced miner to Alaska to prospect for gold and the incomes from whatever mines may be located will be turned into the common treasury to be distributed among all members. The idea of organizing women’s gold clups first came to Miss Hale last year at Newport, where she met a numover of Chicago and New York women. She suc- ceeded in interesting a number of women in the Sorosis Ciub and established the first branca of the organization in New York. sansct g ROBINSON DEPARTS. The Alameda County Committee- man and Woodman Goes to Klondiks. ) OAKLAND, Can, Aug. 25—T. M. Rob~ inson, member of the Republican County Central Committee and secretary of Oak- land Camp of Woodmen, is a splendid hand at eiving advice, but a very poor hand at following it. For the past few days he has not been seen in his accusiomed haunts, and to evarybody’s surprise at the last meeting of the Woodmen his resignation was ac- cepted. Now the secret isout. Robinson has piven up politics, the insurance business and his salary in the Woodmen to hunt the elusive goldin the Klondike. A few days ago Robinson was very pronounced in bis views regarding the folly of going te the gold region. In an issue of the pa- per controlled by the Woodmen, which was recently published, Robinson found a little article that be said went right to the gist of the whole matter. He marked several copies of the paper and considered it his duty as secretary of thecamp to send it to friends who appeared to e most in danger of being afflicted with Klondis citis. A portion of the article is as follows: *“Are you married? Have you a family? Are you a Woodman? Do you need money ? - Your loved ones.need you more than you need Klondike gold. We desire to erect as few monuments on the zraves of frozen and starved neighbors as possible. Suppose you go to the Klondike and se- cure $20,000 in gold ana then have to spend it to regain your broken health or suffer for the remainder of your days, what have you gained? You can weli un- Woodmen are supposed- to be pioneers, but not of thatkind. They are not supposed to be miners. Members that contemplats going to that country had better understand be- fore they start that they will be held strictly responsible for dues and assess- ments; that if the dogs that draw the mail sleds should go on strike and the re- mittances not arrive on time, and they should be suspended, rei..statement may be accompanied with much difficulty. The Woodmen of the World have not con- tracted to insure men who deliberately face death and tempt their own destruc- tion when it is not necessary, and the oraer may therefore be technical when it comes to reinstating Klondike miners. It seems to us that the limitiess resources of these nine great Western States under our own flag, surrounded by our own peo- ple, should be sufficient a:itraction to an average American citizen.” Yet, County Committeeman Robinson has gone; he is married; he has a family, and he is a Woodman. Undoubtedly he needs money or he would not have gone, and now his brethren are asking each other regarding the value of Secretary Robinson’s advice. ar et Blankets for Klondike. SANTA ROSA, Can, Aug. 25.— The Santa Rosa Woolen M:lls have juststarted up again, afier being idle for a very long period. The mill has received orders for blankets and heavy woolen fabrics for clothing at such a rapid rate that the fac~ tory is fairly blockaded. Already the mill is between 6000 and 7000 pairs of biankets behind orders, and still the rush continues. The miil hasa night force and a day force and every one is working at full pressure. The blankets, which are for the Klondike trade, are made of pure wool and weigh fourteen pounds. They look as if they could suc- cessfully repel the advance of the Arctic weather. The mill is also turning out large quan- tities of heavy woolen cloth, to b2 used in Alaska for miners’ coats. The cloth is as heavy as an ordinary blanket. SR e Blackburn’s Expedition. GLOUCESTER, Mass., Aug. 25.—The schooner Hattie L. hillips of Gloucescer was purchased to-day by Howard Biack- burn for his Klondike expedition. Mr. Blackburn has rec ived the full comple- ment of his party, twenty men, who have each made the preliminary deposit. Sev- eral vessels were looked over, but the Phillips was selected for her all-around 2ood qualties. Tne Phiilips is u stanchly built Gloucester fisherman, a type of ves- sel which for speed and weatherly qual ties has no superior in the world. Work on fitting her for the expedition will be commenced immediately. Mr. Blackburn has taken his pick of the men presented. He could have manned two or three Ves sels had he so chosen. ol SRR Alaskan Exploration. Articles of incorporation of the Associa- tion for Alaskan Exploration and Mining bave been filed in the office of the County Clerk by the orgsnizers, G. M. Oakley, D. Gilbert ‘D-xter, J. H. Ginder, Maurice S. Woodhams, Dnvis H. Dexter, P. K. Faulds and A. G. Dunbar, each of whom has subscribed for $25 worth of the §250,000 of capital stock.