KLONDYKE FACTS.
There is a great popular error in reference to the climate of the gold
regions. Many reports have appeared in the newspapers which are
misleading. It has been even stated that the cold is excessive almost
throughout the year. This is entirely a mis-statement.
I have found I have suffered more from winter cold in Northern New York
than I ever did in Alaska or the Canadian Northwest.
I have chopped wood in my shirt-sleeves in front of my door at Dawson
City when the thermometer was 70 degrees below zero, and I suffered no
inconvenience. We account for this from the fact that the air is very
dry. It is a fact that you do not feel this low temperature as much as
you would 15 below zero in the East.
We usually have about three feet of snow in winter and it is as dry as
sawdust.
As we have no winter thaws no crust forms on the snow, therefore we
travel from the various points that may be necessary with snowshoes.
These may be purchased from the Indians in the vicinity of Dawson City
at from $5.00 to $10.00 per pair according to the quality.
The winter days are very short. In this region there are only two hours
from sunrise to sunset. The sun rises and sets away in the south but
there is no pitch darkness.
The twilight lasts all night and the Northern Lights are very common.
Then in summer it is exactly the other way. The day there in July is
about twenty hours long. The sun rising and setting in the north. A
great deal has been said about the short seasons, but as a matter of
fact a miner can work 12 months in the year when in that region.
Spring opens about May 1st and the ice commences to break up about that
time. The Yukon River is generally clear of ice about May 15. The best
part of the miner's work commences then and lasts till about October
1st.
The winter commences in October but the miner keeps on working through
the winter. The rainy season commences in the latter part of August and
lasts two or three weeks.
A fall of two feet of snow is considered heavy.
There is a wide difference in the quantity of snow that accumulates on
the coast and the ranges in the interior where the principal mining
claims are located.
While the fall of snow on the coast is heavy the depth of snow as far
down as the Yukon, Stewart and Klondyke rivers is inconsiderable.
In my new work on this territory entitled "Klondyke Facts" I deal more
largely on the climate of this region.
There are still good diggings at Circle City in Alaska, but nearly all
the miners have left for Klondyke, not being satisfied with the pay dirt
which they were working. I know at least 20 good claims in Circle City.
Fort Cudahy, or as it is sometimes called Forty Mile Creek, is now
practically exhausted as a mining camp, and the miners have left for
other diggings.
There will undoubtedly be new and valuable diggings discovered very
quickly along this region as it is certain that this enormous territory
is rich in gold-bearing districts.
The entire country is teeming with mineral wealth.
When mining operations commence on coal it will be specially valuable
for steamers on the various rivers and greatly assist transportation
facilities.
In the next few years there will certainly be recorded the most
marvellous discoveries in this territory, usually thought to be only a
land of snow and ice and fit only to be classed with the Arctic regions.
It is marvellous to state that for some years past we have been finding
gold in occasional places in this territory, but from the poverty of the
people no effort was made to prospect among the places reported.
It is my belief that the greatest finds of gold will be made in this
territory. It is safe to say that not 2 per cent. of all the gold
discovered so far has been on United States soil.
The great mass of the work has been done on the Northwest territory,
which is under the Canadian Government.
It is possible however that further discoveries will be made on American
soil, but it is my opinion that the most valuable discoveries will be
further east and south of the present claims, and would advise
prospectors to work east and south of Klondyke.
THE YUKON RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES.
"What the Amazon is to South America, the Mississippi to the central
portion of the United States, the Yukon is to Alaska. It is a great
inland highway, which will make it possible for the explorer to
penetrate the mysterious fastnesses of that still unknown region. The
Yukon has its source in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and the
Coast Range Mountains in southeastern Alaska, about 125 miles from the
city of Juneau, which is the present metropolis of Alaska. But it is
only known as the Yukon River at the point where the Pelly River, the
branch that heads in British Columbia, meets with the Lewes River, which
heads in southeastern Alaska. This point of confluence is at Fort
Selkirk, in the Northwest Territory, about 125 miles south-east of the
Klondyke. The Yukon proper is 2,044 miles in length. From Fort Selkirk
it flows north-west 400 miles, just touching the Arctic circle; thence
southward for a distance of 1,600 miles, where it empties into Behring
Sea. It drains more than 600,000 square miles of territory, and
discharges one-third more water into Behring Sea than does the
Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. At its mouth it is sixty miles
wide. About 1,500 miles inland it widens out from one to ten miles. A
thousand islands send the channel in as many different directions. Only
natives who are thoroughly familiar with the river are entrusted with
the piloting of boats up the stream during the season of low water. Even
at the season of high water it is still so shallow as not to be
navigable anywhere by seagoing vessels, but only by flat-bottomed boats
with a carrying capacity of four to five hundred tons. The draft of
steamers on the Yukon should not exceed three and a half feet.
"The Yukon district, which is within the jurisdiction of the Canadian
Government and in which the bulk of the gold has been found, has a total
area, approximately, of 192,000 square miles, of which 150,768 square
miles are included in the watershed of the Yukon. Illustrating this, so
that it may appeal with definiteness to the reader, it may be said that
this territory is greater by 71,100 square miles than the area of Great
Britain, and is nearly three times that of all the New England States
combined.
"A further fact must be borne in mind. The Yukon River is absolutely
closed to navigation during the winter months. In the winter the
frost-king asserts his dominion and locks up all approaches with
impenetrable ice, and the summer is of the briefest. It endures only for
twelve to fourteen weeks, from about the first of June to the middle of
September. Then an unending panorama of extraordinary picturesqueness is
unfolded to the voyager. The banks are fringed with flowers, carpeted
with the all-pervading moss or tundra. Birds countless in numbers and of
infinite variety in plumage, sing out a welcome from every treetop.
Pitch your tent where you will in midsummer, a bed of roses, a clump of
poppies and a bunch of bluebells will adorn your camping. But high above
this paradise of almost tropical exuberance giant glaciers sleep in the
summit of the mountain wall, which rises up from a bed of roses. By
September everything is changed. The bed of roses has disappeared before
the icy breath of the winter king, which sends the thermometer down
sometimes to seventy degrees below freezing point. The birds fly to the
southland and the bear to his sleeping chamber in the mountains. Every
stream becomes a sheet of ice, mountain and valley alike are covered
with snow till the following May.
"That part of the basin of the Yukon in which gold in greater or less
quantities has actually been found lies partly in Alaska and partly in
British territory. It covers an area of some 50,000 square miles. But so
far the infinitely richest spot lies some one hundred miles east of the
American boundary, in the region drained by the Klondyke and its
tributaries. This is some three hundred miles by river from Circle City.
"We have described some of the beauties of the Yukon basin in the summer
season, but this radiant picture has its obverse side.
"Horseflies, gnats and mosquitoes add to the joys of living throughout
the entire length of the Yukon valley. The horsefly is larger and more
poignantly assertive than the insect which we know by that name. In
dressing or undressing, it has a pleasant habit of detecting any bare
spot in the body and biting out a piece of flesh, leaving a wound which
a few days later looks like an incipient boil. Schwatka reports that one
of his party, so bitten was completely disabled for a week. 'At the
moment of infliction.' he adds, 'it was hard to believe that one was not
disabled for life.'
"The mosquitoes according to the same authority are equally distressing.
They are especially fond of cattle, but without any reciprocity of
affection. 'According to the general terms of the survival of the
fittest and the growth of muscles most used to the detriment of others,'
says the lieutenant in an unusual burst of humor, 'a band of cattle
inhabiting this district, in the far future, would be all tail and no
body, unless the mosquitoes should experience a change of numbers.'"
I am indebted to Wm. Ogilvie, Esq., for the following valuable
information relative to The Yukon District.
"The Yukon District comprises, speaking generally, that part of the
Northwest Territories lying west of the water shed of the Mackenzie
River; most of it is drained by the Yukon River and its tributaries. It
covers a distance of about 650 miles along the river from the coast
range of mountains.
"In 1848 Campbell established Fort Selkirk at the confluence of the
Pelly and Lewes Rivers; it was plundered and destroyed in 1852 by the
Coast Indians, and only the ruins now exist of what was at one time the
most important post of the Hudson's Bay Company to the west of the Rocky
Mountains in the far north. In 1869 the Hudson's Bay Company's officer
was expelled from Fort Yukon by the United States Government, they
haying ascertained by astronomical observations that the post was not
located in British territory. The officer thereupon ascended the
Porcupine to a point which was supposed to be within British
jurisdiction, where he established Rampart House; but in 1890 Mr. J.H.
Turner of the United States Coast Survey found it to be 20 miles within
the lines of the United States. Consequently in 1891 the post was moved
20 miles further up the river to be within British territory.
"The next people to enter the country for trading purposes were Messrs.
Harper and McQuestion. They have been trading in the country since 1873
and have occupied numerous posts all along the river, the greater number
of which have been abandoned. Mr. Harper is now located as a trader at
Fort Selkirk, with Mr. Joseph Ladue under the firm name of Harper &
Ladue, and Mr. McQuestion is in the employ of the Alaska Commercial
Company at Circle City, which is the distributing point for the vast
regions surrounding Birch Creek, Alaska. In 1882 a number of miners
entered the Yukon country by the Taiya Pass; it is still the only route
used to any extent by the miners, and is shorter than the other passes
though not the lowest. In 1883 Lieutenant Schwatka crossed this same
pass and descended the Lewes and Yukon Rivers to the ocean.
"The explorers found that in proximity to the boundary line there
existed extensive and valuable placer gold mines, in which even then as
many as three hundred miners were at work. Mr. Ogilvie determined, by a
series of lunar observations, the point at which the Yukon River is
intersected by the 141st meridian, and marked the same on the ground. He
also determined and marked the point at which the western affluent of
the Yukon, known as Forty Mile Creek, is crossed by the same meridian
line, that point being situated at a distance of about twenty-three
miles from the mouth of the creek. This survey proved that the place
which had been selected as the most convenient, owing to the physical
conformation of the region, from which to distribute the supplies
imported for the various mining camps, and from which to conduct the
other business incident to the mining operations--a place situate at the
confluence of the Forty Mile Creek and the Yukon, and to which the name
of Fort Cudahy has been given--is well within Canadian territory. The
greater proportion of the mines then being worked Mr. Ogilvie found to
be on the Canadian side of the international boundary line, but he
reported the existence of some mining fields to the south, the exact
position of which with respect to the boundary he did not have the
opportunity to fix.
"The number of persons engaged in mining in the locality mentioned has
steadily increased year by year since the date of Mr. Ogilvie's survey,
and it is estimated that at the commencement of the past season not less
than one thousand men were so employed. Incident to this mineral
development there must follow a corresponding growth in the volume of
business of all descriptions, particularly the importation of dutiable
goods, and the occupation of tracts of the public lands for mining
purposes which according to the mining regulations are subject to the
payment of certain prescribed dues and charges. The Alaska Commercial
Company, for many years subsequent to the retirement of the Hudson's Bay
Company, had a practical monopoly of the trade of the Yukon, carrying
into the country and delivering at various points along the river,
without regard to the international boundary line or the customs laws
and regulations of Canada, such articles of commerce as were required
for the prosecution of the fur trade and latterly of placer mining,
these being the only two existing industries. With the discovery of
gold, however, came the organization of a competing company known as the
North American Transportation and Trading Company, having its
headquarters in Chicago and its chief trading and distributing post at
Cudahy. This company has been engaged in this trade for over three
years, and during the past season despatched two ocean steamers from San
Francisco to St. Michael, at the mouth of the Yukon, the merchandise
from which was, at the last mentioned point, transhipped into river
steamers and carried to points inland, but chiefly to the company's
distributing centre within Canadian territory. Importations of
considerable value, consisting of the immediately requisite supplies of
the miners, and their tools, also reach the Canadian portion of the
Yukon District from Juneau, in the United States, by way of the Taiya
Inlet, the mountain passes, and the chain of waterways leading therefrom
to Cudahy. Upon none of these importations had any duty been collected,
except a sum of $3,248.80 paid to Inspector Constantine in 1894, by the
North American Transportation and Trading Company and others, and it is
safe to conclude, especially when it is remembered that the country
produces none of the articles consumed within it except fresh meat, that
a large revenue was being lost to the public exchequer under the then
existing conditions.
"For the purpose of ascertaining officially and authoritatively the
condition of affairs to which the correspondence referred to in the
next preceding paragraph relates, the Honorable the President of the
Privy Council, during the spring of 1894, despatched Inspector Charles
Constantine, of the Northwest Mounted Police Force, accompanied by
Sergeant Brown, to Fort Cudahy and the mining camps in its vicinity. The
report made by Mr. Constantine on his return, established the
substantial accuracy of the representations already referred to. The
value of the total output of gold for the season of 1894 he estimated at
$300,000.
"The facts recited clearly establish--first, that the time had arrived
when it became the duty of the Government of Canada to make more
efficient provision for the maintenance of order, the enforcement of the
laws, and the administration of justice in the Yukon country, especially
in that section of it in which placer mining for gold is being
prosecuted upon such an extensive scale, situated near to the boundary
separating the Northwest Territories from the possessions of the United
States in Alaska; and, second, that while such measures as were
necessary to that end were called for in the interests of humanity, and
particularly for the security and safety of the lives and property of
the Canadian subjects of Her Majesty resident in that country who are
engaged in legitimate business pursuits, it was evident that the revenue
justly due to the Government of Canada, under its customs, excise and
land laws, and which would go a long way to pay the expenses of
government, was being lost for the want of adequate machinery for its
collection.
"Accordingly in June last a detachment[1] of twenty members of the
Mounted Police Force including officers was detailed for service in
that portion of the Northwest Territories. The officer in command, in
addition to the magisterial and other duties he is required to perform
by virtue of his office and under instructions from the Department of
Mounted Police, was duly authorized to represent where necessary, and
until other arrangements can be made, all the departments of the
government having interests in that region. Particularly he is
authorized to perform the duties of Dominion lands agent, collector of
customs, and collector of inland revenue. At the same time instructions
were given Mr. William Ogilvie, the surveyor referred to as having, with
Dr. Dawson, been entrusted with the conduct of the first government
expedition to the Yukon, to proceed again to that district for the
purpose of continuing and extending the work of determining the 141st
meridian, of laying out building lots and mining claims, and generally
of performing such duties as may be entrusted to him from time to time.
Mr. Ogilvie's qualifications as a surveyor, and his previous experience
as explorer of this section of the Northwest, peculiarly fit him for the
task.
[Footnote 1: The detachment was made up as follows:--Inspector C.
Constantine, Officer Commanding Yukon Detachment N.W.M. Police;
Inspector, D.A.E. Strickland; Assistant Surgeon, A.E. Wills; 2 Staff
Sergeants; 2 Corporals; 13 Constables.]
"As it appears quite certain, from the report made by Mr. Ogilvie on his
return to Ottawa, in 1889, and from the report of Mr. Constantine, that
the operations of the miners are being conducted upon streams which have
their sources in the United States Territory of Alaska, and flow into
Canada on their way to join the Yukon, and as doubtless some of the
placer diggings under development are situated on the United States side
of the boundary it is highly desirable, both for the purpose of settling
definitely to which country any land occupied for mining or other
purposes actually belongs, and in order that the jurisdiction of the
courts and officers of the United States and Canada, for both civil and
criminal purposes, may be established, that the determination of the
141st meridian west of Greenwich from the point of its intersection
with the Yukon, as marked by Mr. Ogilvie in 1887-88, for a considerable
distance south of the river, and possibly also for some distance to the
north, should be proceeded with at once. Mr. Ogilvie's instructions
require him to go on with the survey with all convenient speed, but in
order that this work may be effective for the accomplishment of the
object in view the co-operation of the Government of the United States
is necessary. Correspondence is in progress through the proper
authorities with a view to obtaining this co-operation. It may be
mentioned that a United States surveyor has also determined the points
at which the Yukon River and Forty Mile Creek are intersected by the
141st meridian."
ROUTES, DISTANCES, AND TRANSPORTATION.
After considerable experience I have decided that the best route for a
man to take to the gold regions is from Seattle, Washington, to Juneau,
Alaska, and then to Dawson City, by the pass and waterways, and I will
therefore describe this route more in detail than any of the others.
I am devoting a special chapter to the outfit for travellers, and will
therefore deal in this chapter with the route only.
The traveller having paid his fare to Seattle should on arrival there
have not less than $500. This is the minimum sum necessary to pay his
fare from Seattle to Juneau, purchase his outfit and supplies for one
year and pay his necessary expenses in the gold region for that length
of time.
I think it deplorable that so many are starting at this time for the
gold-fields. I do not recommend starting before March 15. I will return
at that time to my claims on the Klondyke, if it were wise to go sooner,
I should certainly go.
The reason March 15 is best is that the season is better then. If a man
has only, say, $500 and wants to do his own packing over the Taiya Pass,
it gives him time to do it by starting March 15, as he will then be in
Juneau April 1st. I fear a great deal of hardship for those who started
out so as to reach Juneau for winter travel.
Of course while I say $500 is sufficient to go to Dawson City, a man
should take $1,000 or even more if possible as he will have many
opportunities to invest the surplus.
While prices will undoubtedly advance at Dawson City owing to the large
influx of people, I do not think the advance will be excessive. It has
never been the policy of the two trading companies to take advantage of
the miners.
The traveller having arrived in Juneau from Seattle, a journey of 725
miles by water, immediately purchases his complete outfit as described
in another chapter. He then loses no time in leaving Juneau for Dyea,
taking a small steamboat which runs regularly to this port via the Lynn
Canal. Dyea has recently been made a customs port of entry and the head
of navigation this side of the Taiya Pass. The distance between Juneau
and Dyea is about one hundred miles.
From Dyea, which is the timber-line, he packs his outfit to the foot of
the Taiya Pass--the length of which to the summit is about 15 miles. He
must now carry his outfit up the Pass, which he generally does in two or
more trips according to the weight of his outfit, unless he is able to
hire Indians or mules; but so far there are very few Indians to be hired
and still fewer mules.
He now starts for Lake Lindeman from the head of the Pass, a distance of
eight miles--the distance from Dyea to Lake Lindeman being 31 miles.
At Lake Lindeman he commences to make his boat, for which he has brought
the proper supplies in his outfit, with the exception of the timber,
which he finds at Lake Lindeman. He spends one week at Lake Lindeman
making his boat and getting ready for the long trip down the waterways
to Dawson City, the heart of the Klondyke region. The trip through Lake
Lindeman is short, the lake being only five miles long. At the foot of
the lake he must portage to Lake Bennet, the portage however being very
short, less than a mile.
Lake Bennet is 28 miles long, while going through this lake the
traveller crosses the boundary between British Columbia and the
Northwest Territory.
After going down Lake Bennet the traveller comes to Caribou
Crossing--about four miles long, which takes him to Lake Tagish, twenty
miles in length. After leaving Tagish he finds himself in Mud or Marsh
Lake, 24 miles long, then into the Lynx River, on which he continues for
27 miles till he comes to Miles Canyon, five-eighths of a mile long.
Immediately on leaving Miles Canyon he has three miles of what is called
bad river work, which, while not hazardous, is dangerous from the swift
current and from being very rocky. Great care has to be taken in going
down this part of the river.
He now finds himself in White Horse Canyon the rapids of which are
three-eighths of a mile in length and one of the most dangerous places
on the trip, a man is here guarded by a sign, "Keep a good lookout."
No stranger or novice should try to run the White Horse Rapids alone in
a boat. He should let his boat drop down the river guided by a rope with
which he has provided himself in his outfit and which should be 150 feet
long. It would be better if the traveller should portage here, the
miners having constructed a portage road on the west side and put down
roller-ways in some places on which they roll their boats over. They
have also made some windlasses with which they haul their boat up the
hill till they are at the foot of the canyon. The White Horse Canyon is
very rocky and dangerous and the current extremely swift.
After leaving the White Horse Canyon he goes down the river to the head
of Lake Labarge, a distance of 14 miles. He can sit down and steer with
the current, as he is going down the stream all the way. It is for this
reason that in returning from the diggings he should take another
route, of which he will get full particulars before leaving Dawson;
therefore I do not take the time to give a full description of the
return trip via the Yukon to St. Michael. He now goes through Lake
Labarge--for 31 miles--till he strikes the Lewes River, this taking him
down to Hootalinqua. He is now in the Lewes River which takes him for 25
miles to Big Salmon River and from Big Salmon River 45 miles to Little
Salmon River--the current all this time taking him down at the rate of
five miles an hour. Of course in the canyons it is very much swifter.
The Little Salmon River takes him to Five Finger Rapids, a distance of
one hundred and twenty miles. In the Five Finger Rapids the voyage
should be made on the right side of the river, going with the current.
These rapids are considered safe by careful management, but the novice
will already have had sufficient experience in guiding his boat before
reaching them.
From Five Finger Rapids the traveller goes six miles below, down the
Lewes, to the Rink Rapids. On going through the Rink Rapids, he
continues on the Lewes River to Fort Selkirk, the trading post of Harper
and Ladue, where the Pelly and Lewes, at their junction, form the
headwaters of the Yukon. You are now at the head of the Yukon River, and
the worst part of your trip is over.
You now commence to go down the Yukon, and after a trip of ninety-eight
miles, you are in the White River. You keep on the White River for ten
miles, to the Stewart River, and then twenty-five miles to Fort Ogilvie.
You are now only forty miles from Dawson City.
Your journey is now almost ended. After a forty-mile trip on the Yukon,
you arrive at Dawson City, where the Klondyke empties in the Yukon.
All through this trip you have been going through a mountainous country,
the trees there being pine, a small amount of spruce, cottonwood and
birch. You have not seen much game, if any, as it is growing scarce
along that line of river, and very hard to find. The traveller had
therefore better make preparation to depend on the provisions he has
brought with him. If he has stopped to fish, he may have been successful
in catching whitefish, grayling and lake trout, along the lakes and
rivers.
The total journey from Seattle to Dawson City has taken about two
months. In connection with this trip from Juneau to Dawson City, it is
perhaps better to give the reader the benefit of the trip of Mr. William
Stewart, who writes from Lake Lindeman, May 31st, 1897, as follows:--
"We arrived here at the south end of the lake last night by boat. We
have had an awful time of it. The Taiya Pass is not a pass at all, but a
climb right over the mountains. We left Juneau on Thursday, the
twentieth, on a little boat smaller than the ferry at Ottawa. There were
over sixty aboard, all in one room about ten by fourteen. There was
baggage piled up in one end so that the floor-space was only about eight
by eight. We went aboard about three o'clock in the afternoon and went
ashore at Dyea at seven o'clock Friday night. We got the Indians to pack
all our stuff up to the summit, but about fifty pounds each; I had
forty-eight pounds and my gun.
"We left Dyea, an Indian village, Sunday, but only got up the river one
mile. We towed all the stuff up the river seven miles, and then packed
it to Sheep Camp. We reached Sheep Camp about seven o'clock at night, on
the Queen's Birthday. A beautiful time we had, I can tell you, climbing
hills with fifty pounds on our backs. It would not be so bad if we could
strap it on rightly.
"We left Sheep Camp next morning at four o'clock, and reached the summit
at half-past seven. It was an awful climb--an angle of about fifty-five
degrees. We could keep our hands touching the trail all the way up. It
was blowing and snowing up there. We paid off the Indians, and got some
sleighs and sleighed the stuff down the hill. This hill goes down pretty
swift, and then drops at an angle of fifty-five degrees for about forty
feet, and we had to rough-lock our sleighs and let them go. There was an
awful fog, and we could not see where we were going. Some fellows helped
us down with the first load, or there would have been nothing left of
us. When we let a sleigh go from the top it jumps about fifty feet
clear, and comes down in pieces. We loaded up the sleighs with some of
our stuff, about two hundred and twenty-five pounds each, and started
across the lakes. The trail was awful, and we waded through water and
slush two and three feet deep. We got to the mouth of the canyon at
about eight o'clock at night, done out. We left there that night, and
pushed on again until morning. We got to the bottom of an awful hill,
and packed all our stuff from there to the hill above the lake. We had
about two and a half miles over hills, in snow and slush. I carried
about five hundred pounds over that part of the trail. We had to get
dogs to bring the stuff down from the summit to the head of the canyon.
"We worked two days bringing the stuff over from the canyon to the hill
above the lake. Saturday we worked all day packing down the hill to the
lake, and came here on a scow. We were out yesterday morning cutting
down trees to build a boat. The timber is small, and I don't think we
can get more than four-inch stuff. It rained all afternoon, and we
couldn't do anything. There are about fifty boats of all sorts on Lake
Bennet, which is about half a mile from here. I have long rubber boots
up to the hips, and I did not have them on coming from the summit down,
but I have worn them ever since.
"We met Barwell and Lewis, of Ottawa, to-day. They were out looking for
knees for their boats. They left Ottawa six weeks ago, and have not got
any farther than we have. There was a little saw-mill going here, and
they have their lumber sawn. We have it that warm some days here that
you would fairly roast, and the next day you would be looking for your
overcoat. Everybody here seems to be taking in enough food to do them a
couple of years.
"We are now in Canadian territory, after we passed the summit. I will
have to catch somebody going through to Dyea to give him this letter,
but I don't know how long before I can get any one going through. This
is the last you will hear from me until I get down to the Klondyke."
Mr. Stewart adds: "I wrote this in the tent at 11 o'clock at night
during twilight."
If you take this trip in winter, however, you have to purchase a sled at
Juneau, and sled it over the frozen waterways to Dawson City.
For the benefit of my readers in Canada and for parties leaving for the
great Northwest Territory for the gold fields, I take pleasure in
quoting the following description of a Canadian route:--
"Canadians should awaken to the fact that they have emphatically 'the
inside track' to their own gold fields, a route not half the distance,
largely covered by railways and steamboats, with supply stations at
convenient intervals all the way. By this route the gold-fields can be
reached in two months or six weeks, and the cost of travel is
ridiculously cheap--nearly anybody can afford to go even now, and by the
spring it should be fitted out for the accommodation of any amount of
traffic.
"The details of the information in the following article are given by Mr.
A.H.H. Heming, the artist who accompanied Mr. Whitney in his journey
towards the Barren Lands, and the data may be accepted as correct, as
they were secured from the Hudson Bay officials.
"The details of the inland Canadian route, briefly, are as follows: By
C.P.R. to Calgary, and thence north by rail to Edmonton; from there by
stage to Athabasca Landing, 40 miles; then, there is a continuous
waterway for canoe travel to Fort Macpherson, at the mouth of the
Mackenzie River, from which point the Peel River lies southward to the
gold region. The exact figures are as follows:
MILES.
Edmonton to Athabasca Landing 40
To Port McMurray 240
Fort Chippewyan 185
Smith Landing 102
Fort Smith 16
Fort Resolution 194
Fort Providence 168
Fort Simpson 161
Fort Wrigley 136
Fort Norman 184
Fort Good Hope 174
Fort Macpherson 282
-----
Total 1882
"There are only two portages on this route of any size--that from
Edmonton to Athabasca Landing, over which there is a stage and wagon
line, and at Smith Landing, sixteen miles, over which the Hudson Bay
Company has a tramway. There are four or five other portages of a few
hundred yards, but with these exceptions there is a fine "down grade"
water route all the way. It is the old Hudson Bay trunk line to the
north that has been in use for nearly a century. Wherever there is a
lake or a long stretch of deep water river navigation the company has
small freight steamers which ply back and forward during the summer
between the portage points or shallows. With comparatively little
expenditure the company or the Government can improve the facilities
along the line so that any amount of freight or any number of passengers
can be taken into the gold region at less than half the time and cost
that it takes Americans to reach it from Port St. Michael, at the mouth
of the Yukon to the Klondyke, exclusive of the steamer trip of 2500
miles from Seattle to Port St. Michael.
"Canadians can leave here on a Monday at 11.15 A.M., and reach Edmonton
on Friday at 7 P.M. From that point, a party of three men with a canoe,
should reach Fort Macpherson easily in from 50 to 60 days, provided they
are able-bodied young fellows with experience in that sort of travel.
They will need to take canoes from here, unless they propose to hire
Indians with large birch bark canoes to carry them. Birch bark canoes
can be secured of any size up to the big ones manned by ten Indians that
carry three tons. But birch barks are not reliable unless Indians are
taken along to doctor them, and keep them from getting water-logged. The
Hudson Bay Company will also contract to take freight northward on their
steamers until the close of navigation. Travellers to the gold mines
leaving now would probably reach Fort Macpherson before navigation
closed.
"The letter from Rev. Mr. Stringer, the missionary, published in the
Spectator on July 2, shows that the ice had only commenced to run in the
Peel River, which is the water route south-east from Fort Macpherson
into the gold region, on September 30 last year.
"Any Canadians who are anxious to get into the Klondyke ahead of the
Americans can leave between now and August 1, reach Fort Macpherson,
and if winter comes on they can exchange their canoes for dog trains,
and reach the Klondyke without half the difficulty that would be
experienced on the Alaska route. The great advantage of the inland route
is that it is an organized line of communication. Travellers need not
carry any more food than will take them from one Hudson Bay post to the
next, and then there is abundance of fish and wild fowl en route. They
can also be in touch with such civilization as prevails up there, can
always get assistance at the posts, and will have some place to stay
should they fall sick or meet with an accident. If they are lucky enough
to make their pile in the Klondyke, they can come back by the dog sled
route during the winter. (There is one winter mail to Fort Macpherson in
winter.) Dogs for teams can be purchased at nearly any of the line of
Hudson Bay posts that form a chain of road-houses on the trip.
"Parties travelling alone will not need to employ guides until they get
near Fort Macpherson, and from there on to the Klondyke, as the rest of
the route from Edmonton is so well defined, having been travelled for
years, that no guides are required.
"You don't need a couple of thousand dollars to start for Klondyke
to-morrow by the Edmonton route. All you need is a good constitution,
some experience in boating and camping, and about $150. Suppose a party
of three decide to start. First they will need to purchase a canoe,
about $35 or less; first-class ticket from Hamilton to Edmonton, $71.40;
second class, ditto, $40.90; cost of food at Edmonton for three men for
two months (should consist of pork, flour, tea and baking-powder), $35;
freight on canoe to Edmonton, $23. Total for three men from Hamilton to
Fort Macpherson, provided they travel second-class on the C.P.R. will be
$218.70. These figures are furnished by Mr. Heming, who has been over
the route 400 miles north of Edmonton, and got the rest of his data
from the Hudson Bay officials.
"If three men chip in $150 each they would have a margin of over $200 for
purchasing their tools and for transport from Fort Macpherson to the
Klondyke. This is how it may be done on the cheap, though Mr. Heming
considers it ample for any party starting this summer. Prices will
likely rise on the route when the rush begins. If the Hudson Bay people
are alive to their interests they will forward a large amount of
supplies for Fort Macpherson immediately and make it the base of
supplies for the Klondyke during the coming winter.
"Parties should consist of three men each, as that is the crew of a
canoe. It will take 600 pounds of food to carry three men over the
route. Passengers on the C.P.R. are entitled to carry 600 pounds of
baggage. The paddling is all down stream, except when they turn south up
Peel River, and sails should be taken, as there is often a favorable
wind for days.
"There are large scows on the line, manned by ten men each and known as
'sturgeon heads.' They are like canal boats, but are punted along and
are used by the Hudson Bay people for taking forward supplies to the
forts.
The return trip to the United States is usually made by the Yukon
steamers from Dawson City direct to St. Michael via the Yukon and Anvik
River, thence by ocean steamer from St. Michael to San Francisco."
The following letter is interesting to the prospector as showing the
difficulties to overcome up the Taiya Pass to Lake Lindeman.
_Winnipeg_, July 27, 1897.
A letter has been received from George McLeod, one of the members of the
Winnipeg party of gold hunters that left here recently for the Yukon.
He wrote from Lake Lindeman under date of July 4, and states that the
party expected to leave on the journey from the river a week later. They
had a fine boat, with a freight capacity of two tons about completed.
The real work of the expedition started when the small steamer which
conveyed the party from Juneau arrived at Dyea. The men had to transfer
their goods to a lighter one mile from shore, each man looking after his
own packages. After getting everything ashore the party was organized
for ascent of the mountain pass, which at the hardest point is 3,000
feet above sea level. McLeod and his chum, to save time and money too,
engaged 35 Indians to pack their supplies over the mountains, but they
had to carry their own bedding and grub to keep them on the road. It is
fifteen miles to the summit of the pass and the party made twelve miles
the first day, going into camp at night tired from climbing over rocks,
stumps, logs and hills, working through rivers and creeks and pushing
their way through brush. At the end of twelve miles they thought they
had gone fifty. On the second day out they began to scale the summit of
the mountain. Hill after hill confronted them, each one being steeper
than the last. There was snow on the top of the mountain, and rain was
falling, and this added greatly to the difficulties of the ascent. In
many places the men had to crawl on their hands and knees, so
precipitous was the mountain side. Time after time the men would slip
back several inches, but they recovered themselves and went at it again.
Finally, the summit was gained, McLeod being the first of the party to
reach the top. After resting and changing their clothes the descent was
commenced. McLeod and his chums purchased sleighs, on which they loaded
their goods and hauled for five miles. This was extremely laborious
work, and the men were so used up working in the scorching sun that
they were compelled to work at nights and sleep during the day. Two days
after the descent began the sleighs were abandoned, and the men packed
the goods for three miles and a half. They were fortunate in securing
the services of a man who had two horses to convey the goods to Lake
Lindeman.
McLeod says the worry in getting over the pass is terrible, and he has
no desire to repeat the experience. He advises all who go in to have
their goods packed all the way from Dyea to Lake Lindeman. It costs 17
or 18 cents per pound for packing.
McLeod expected that Klondyke would not be reached before July 25.
I think it specially valuable for the reader to give him the approximate
distances to Fort Cudahy, which is below Dawson City via the various
routes.
This table of distances has been prepared by Mr. James Ogilvie, and I
also give a number of his notes which will be of great value to the
traveller when making the trip from Juneau to Dawson City.
APPROXIMATE DISTANCES TO FORT CUDAHY.
VIA ST. MICHAEL.
Miles.
San Francisco to Dutch Harbor 2,400
Seattle or Victoria to Dutch Harbor 2,000
Dutch Harbor to St. Michael 750
St. Michael to Cudahy 1,600
VIA TAIYA PASS.
Victoria to Taiya 1,000
Taiya to Cudahy 650
VIA STIKINE RIVER.
Victoria to Wrangell 750
Wrangell to Telegraph Creek 150
Telegraph Creek to Teslin Lake 150
Teslin Lake to Cudahy 650
DISTANCES FROM HEAD OF TAIYA INLET.
Miles
Head of canoe navigation, Taiya River 5.90
Forks of Taiya River 8.38
Summit of Taiya Pass 14.76
Landing at Lake Lindeman 23.06
Foot of Lake Lindeman 27.49
Head of Lake Bennet 28.09
Boundary line B.C. and N.W.T. (Lat 60°) 38.09
Foot of Lake Bennet 53.85
Foot of Caribou Crossing (Lake Nares) 56.44
Foot of Tagish Lake 73.25
Head of Marsh Lake 78.15
Foot of Marsh Lake 97.21
Head of Miles Cañon 122.94
Foot of Miles Cañon 123.56
Head of White Horse Rapids 124.95
Foot of White Horse Rapids 125.33
Tahkeena River 139.92
Head of Lake Labarge 153.07
Foot of Lake Labarge 184.22
Teslintoo River 215.88
Big Salmon River 249.33
Little Salmon River 285.54
Five Finger Rapids 344.83
Pelly River 403.29
White River 499.11
Stewart River 508.91
Sixty-Mile Creek 530.41
Dawson City--The Principal Mining Town 575.70
Fort Reliance 582.20
Forty-Mile River 627.08
Boundary Line. 667.43
"Another route is now being explored between Telegraph Creek and Teslin
Lake and will soon be opened. Telegraph Creek is the head of steamer
navigation on the Stikine River and is about 150 miles from Teslin Lake.
The Yukon is navigable for steamers from its mouth to Teslin Lake, a
distance of 2,300 miles. A road is being located by the Dominion
Government. A grant of $2,000 has been made by the province of British
Columbia for opening it.
"J. Dalton, a trader, has used a route overland from Chilkat Inlet to
Fort Selkirk. Going up the Chilkat and Klaheela Rivers, he crosses the
divide to the Tahkeena River and continues northward over a fairly open
country practicable for horses. The distance from the sea to Fort
Selkirk is 350 miles.
"Last summer a Juneau butcher sent 40 head of cattle to Cudahy. G.
Bounds, the man in charge, crossed the divide over the Chilkat Pass,
followed the shore of Lake Arkell and, keeping to the east of Dalton's
trail, reached the Yukon just below the Rink Rapids. Here the cattle
were slaughtered and the meat floated down on a raft to Cudahy, where it
retailed at $1 a pound.
"It is proposed to establish a winter road somewhere across the country
travelled over by Dalton and Bounds. The Yukon cannot be followed, the
ice being too much broken, so that any winter road will have to be
overland. A thorough exploration is now being made of all the passes at
the head of Lynn Canal and of the upper waters of the Yukon. In a few
months it is expected that the best routes for reaching the district
from Lynn Canal will be definitely known.
"It is said by those familiar with the locality that the storms which
rage in the upper altitudes of the coast range during the greater part
of the time, from October to March, are terrific. A man caught in one of
them runs the risk of losing his life, unless he can reach shelter in a
short time. During the summer there is nearly always a wind blowing from
the sea up Chatham Strait and Lynn Canal, which lie in almost a straight
line with each other, and at the head of Lynn Canal are Chilkat and
Chilkoot Inlets. The distance from the coast down these channels to
the open sea is about 380 miles. The mountains on each side of the
water confine the currents of air, and deflect inclined currents in the
direction of the axis of the channel, so that there is nearly always a
strong wind blowing up the channel. Coming from the sea, this wind is
heavily charged with moisture, which is precipitated when the air
currents strike the mountains, and the fall of rain and snow is
consequently very heavy.
"In Chilkat Inlet there is not much shelter from the south wind, which
renders it unsafe for ships calling there. Capt. Hunter told me he would
rather visit any other part of the coast than Chilkat.
"To carry the survey from the island across to Chilkoot Inlet I had to
get up on the mountains north of Haines mission, and from there could
see both inlets. Owing to the bad weather I could get no observation for
azimuth, and had to produce the survey from Pyramid Island to Taiya
Inlet by reading the angles of deflection between the courses. At Taiya
Inlet I got my first observation, and deduced the azimuths of my courses
up to that point. Taiya Inlet has evidently been the valley of a
glacier; its sides are steep and smooth from glacial action; and this,
with the wind almost constantly blowing landward, renders getting upon
the shore difficult. Some long sights were therefore necessary. The
survey was made up to the head of the Inlet on the 2d of June.
Preparations were then commenced for taking the supplies and instruments
over the coast range of mountains to the head of Lake Lindeman on the
Lewes River. Commander Newell kindly aided me in making arrangements
with the Indians, and did all he could to induce them to be reasonable
in their demands. This, however, neither he nor any one else could
accomplish. They refused to carry to the lake for less than $20 per
hundred pounds, and as they had learned that the expedition was an
English one, the second chief of the Chilkoot Indians recalled some
memories of an old quarrel which the tribe had with the English many
years ago, in which an uncle of his was killed, and he thought we should
pay for the loss of his uncle by being charged an exorbitant price for
our packing, of which he had the sole control. Commander Newell told him
I had a permit from the Great Father at Washington to pass through his
country safely, that he would see that I did so, and if the Indians
interfered with me they would be punished for doing so. After much talk
they consented to carry our stuff to the summit of the mountain for $10
per hundred pounds. This is about two-thirds of the whole distance,
includes all the climbing and all the woods, and is by far the most
difficult part of the way.
"On the 6th of June 120 Indians, men, women and children, started for
the summit. I sent two of my party with them to see the goods delivered
at the place agreed upon. Each carrier when given a pack also got a
ticket, on which was inscribed the contents of the pack, its weight, and
the amount the individual was to get for carrying it. They were made to
understand that they had to produce these tickets on delivering their
packs, but were not told for what reason. As each pack was delivered one
of my men receipted the ticket and returned it. The Indians did not seem
to understand the import of this; a few of them pretended to have lost
their tickets; and as they could not get paid without them, my
assistant, who had duplicates of every ticket, furnished them with
receipted copies, after examining their packs.
"While they were packing to the summit I was producing the survey, and I
met them on their return at the foot of the cañon, about eight miles
from the coast, where I paid them. They came to the camp in the early
morning before I was up, and for about two hours there was quite a
hubbub. When paying them I tried to get their names, but very few of
them would give any Indian name, nearly all, after a little reflection,
giving some common English name. My list contained little else than
Jack, Tom, Joe, Charlie, &c. some of which were duplicated three and
four times. I then found why some of them had pretended to lose their
tickets at the summit. Three or four who had thus acted presented
themselves twice for payment, producing first the receipted ticket,
afterwards the one they claimed to have lost, demanding pay for both.
They were much taken aback when they found that their duplicity had been
discovered.
"These Indians are perfectly heartless. They will not render even the
smallest aid to each other without payment; and if not to each other,
much less to a white man. I got one of them, whom I had previously
assisted with his pack, to take me and two of my party over a small
creek in his canoe. After putting us across he asked for money, and I
gave him half a dollar. Another man stepped up and demanded pay, stating
that the canoe was his. To see what the result would be, I gave to him
the same amount as to the first. Immediately there were three or four
more claimants for the canoe. I dismissed them with a blessing, and made
up my mind that I would wade the next creek.
"While paying them I was a little apprehensive of trouble, for they
insisted on crowding into my tent, and for myself and the four men who
were with me to have attempted to eject them would have been to invite
trouble. I am strongly of the opinion that these Indians would have been
much more difficult to deal with if they had not known that Commander
Newell remained in the inlet to see that I got through without accident.
"While making the survey from the head of tide water I took the azimuths
and altitudes of several of the highest peaks around the head of the
inlet, in order to locate them, and obtain an idea of the general
height of the peaks in the coast range. As it does not appear to have
been done before, I have taken the opportunity of naming all the peaks,
the positions of which I fixed in the above way. The names and altitudes
appear on my map.
"While going up from the head of canoe navigation on the Taiya River I
took the angles of elevation of each station from the preceding one. I
would have done this from tide water up, but found many of the courses
so short and with so little increase in height that with the instrument
I had it was inappreciable. From these angles I have computed the height
of the summit of the Taiya Pass,[2] above the head of canoe navigation,
as it appeared to me in June, 1887, and find it to be 3,378 feet. What
depth of snow there was I cannot say. The head of canoe navigation I
estimate at about 120 feet above tide water. Dr. Dawson gives it as 124
feet.
[Footnote 2: The distance from the head of Taiya Inlet to the summit of
the pass is 15 miles, and the whole length of the pass to Lake Lindeman
is 23 miles. Messrs. Healy and Wilson, dealers in general merchandise
and miners' supplies at Taiya, have a train of pack horses carrying
freight from the head of Lynn Canal to the summit. They hope to be able
to take freight through to Lake Lindeman with their horses during the
present season.]
"I determined the descent from the summit to Lake Lindeman by carrying
the aneroid from the lake to the summit and back again, the interval of
time from start to return being about eight hours. Taking the mean of
the readings at the lake, start and return, and the single reading at
the summit, the height of the summit above the lake was found to be
1,237 feet. While making the survey from the summit down to the lake I
took the angles of depression of each station from the preceding one,
and from these angles I deduced the difference of height, which I found
to be 1,354 feet, or 117 feet more than that found by the aneroid. This
is quite a large difference; but when we consider the altitude of the
place, the sudden changes of temperature, and the atmospheric
conditions, it is not more than one might expect.
"While at Juneau I heard reports of a low pass from the head of Chilkoot
Inlet to the head waters of Lewes River. During the time I was at the
head of Taiya Inlet I made inquiries regarding it, and found that there
was such a pass, but could learn nothing definite about it from either
whites or Indians. As Capt. Moore, who accompanied me, was very anxious
to go through it, and as the reports of the Taiya Pass indicated that no
wagon road or railroad could ever be built through it, while the new
pass appeared, from what little knowledge I could get of it, to be much
lower and possibly feasible for a wagon road, I determined to send the
captain by that way, if I could get an Indian to accompany him. This, I
found, would be difficult to do. None of the Chilkoots appeared to know
anything of the pass, and I concluded that they wished to keep its
existence and condition a secret. The Tagish, or Stick Indians, as the
interior Indians are locally called, are afraid to do anything in
opposition to the wishes of the Chilkoots; so it was difficult to get
any of them to join Capt. Moore; but after much talk and encouragement
from the whites around, one of them named "Jim" was induced to go. He
had been through this pass before, and proved reliable and useful. The
information obtained from Capt. Moore's exploration I have incorporated
in my plan of the survey from Taiya Inlet, but it is not as complete as
I would have liked. I have named this pass "White Pass," in honor of the
late Hon. Thos. White, Minister of the Interior, under whose authority
the expedition was organized. Commencing at Taiya Inlet, about two miles
south of its north end, it follows up the valley, of the Shkagway River
to its source, and thence down the valley of another river which Capt.
Moore reported to empty into the Takone or Windy Arm of Bove Lake
(Schwatka). Dr. Dawson says this stream empties into Taku Arm, and in
that event Capt. Moore is mistaken. Capt. Moore did not go all the way
through to the lake, but assumed from reports he heard from the miners
and others that the stream flowed into Windy Arm, and this also was the
idea of the Indian "Jim" from what I could gather from his remarks in
broken English and Chinook. Capt. Moore estimates the distance from tide
water to the summit at about 18 miles, and from the summit to the lake
at about 22 to 23 miles. He reports the pass as thickly timbered all the
way through.
"The timber line on the south side of the Taiya Pass, as determined by
barometer reading, is about 2,300 feet above the sea, while on the north
side it is about 1,000 feet below the summit. This large difference is
due, I think, to the different conditions in the two places. On the
south side the valley is narrow and deep, and the sun cannot produce its
full effect. The snow also is much deeper there, owing to the quantity
which drifts in from the surrounding mountains. On the north side the
surface is sloping, and more exposed to the sun's rays. On the south
side the timber is of the class peculiar to the coast, and on the north
that peculiar to the interior. The latter would grow at a greater
altitude than the coast timber. It is possible that the summit of White
Pass is not higher than the timber line on the north of the Taiya Pass,
or about 2,500 feet above tide water, and it is possibly even lower than
this, as the timber in a valley such as the White Pass would hardly live
at the same altitude as on the open slope on the north side.
"Capt. Moore has had considerable experience in building roads in
mountainous countries. He considers that this would be an easy route for
a wagon road compared with some roads he has seen in British Columbia.
Assuming his distances to be correct, and the height of the pass to be
probably about correctly indicated, the grades would not be very steep,
and a railroad could easily be carried through if necessary.
"After completing the survey down to the lake, I set about getting my
baggage down too. Of all the Indians who came to the summit with packs,
only four or five could be induced to remain and pack down to the lake,
although I was paying them at the rate of $4 per hundred pounds. After
one trip down only two men remained, and they only in hopes of stealing
something. One of them appropriated a pair of boots, and was much
surprised to find that he had to pay for them on being settled with. I
could not blame them much for not caring to work, as the weather was
very disagreeable--it rained or snowed almost continuously. After the
Indians left I tried to get down the stuff with the aid of my own men,
but it was slavish and unhealthy labor, and after the first trip one of
them was laid up with what appeared to be inflammatory rheumatism. The
first time the party crossed, the sun was shining brightly, and this
brought on snow blindness, the pain of which only those who have
suffered from this complaint can realize. I had two sleds with me which
were made in Juneau specially for the work of getting over the mountains
and down the lakes on the ice. With these I succeeded in bringing about
a ton and a-half to the lakes, but found that the time it would take to
get all down in this way would seriously interfere with the programme
arranged with Dr. Dawson, to say nothing of the suffering of the men and
myself, and the liability to sickness which protracted physical exertion
under such uncomfortable conditions and continued suffering from snow
blindness expose us to. I had with me a white man who lived at the head
of the inlet with a Tagish Indian woman. This man had a good deal of
influence with the Tagish tribe, of whom the greater number were then
in the neighborhood where he resided, trying to get some odd jobs of
work, and I sent him to the head of the inlet to try and induce the
Tagish Indians to undertake the transportation, offering them $5 per
hundred pounds. In the meantime Capt. Moore and the Indian "Jim" had
rejoined me. I had their assistance for a day or two, and "Jim's"
presence aided indirectly in inducing the Indians to come to my relief.
"The Tagish are little more than slaves to the more powerful coast
tribes, and are in constant dread of offending them in any way. One of
the privileges which the coast tribes claim is the exclusive right to
all work on the coast or in its vicinity, and the Tagish are afraid to
dispute this claim. When my white man asked the Tagish to come over and
pack they objected on the grounds mentioned. After considerable ridicule
of their cowardice, and explanation of the fact that they had the
exclusive right to all work in their own country, the country on the
side of the north side of the coast range being admitted by the coast
Indians to belong to the Tagish tribe just as the coast tribes had the
privilege of doing all the work on the coast side of the mountains, and
that one of their number was already working with me unmolested, and
likely to continue so, nine of them came over, and in fear and trembling
began to pack down to the lake. After they were at work for a few days
some of the Chilkoots came out and also started to work. Soon I had
quite a number at work and was getting my stuff down quite fast. But
this good fortune was not to continue. Owing to the prevailing wet, cold
weather on the mountains, and the difficulty of getting through the soft
wet snow, the Indians soon began to quit work for a day or two at a
time, and to gamble with one another for the wages already earned. Many
of them wanted to be paid in full, but this I positively refused,
knowing that to do so was to have them all apply for their earnings and
leave me until necessity compelled them to go to work again. I once for
all made them distinctly understand that I would not pay any of them
until the whole of the stuff was down. As many of them had already
earned from twelve to fifteen dollars each, to lose which was a serious
matter to them, they reluctantly resumed work and kept at it until all
was delivered. This done, I paid them off, and set about getting my
outfit across the lake, which I did with my own party and the two
Peterborough canoes which I had with me.
"These two canoes travelled about 3,000 miles by rail and about 1,000
miles by steamship before being brought into service. They did
considerable work on Chilkoot and Tagish Inlets, and were then packed
over to the head of Lewes River (Lake Lindeman), from where they were
used in making the survey of Lewes and Yukon Rivers. In this work they
made about 650 landings. They were then transported on sleighs from the
boundary on the Yukon to navigable water on the Porcupine.
"In the spring of 1888 they descended the latter river, heavily loaded,
and through much rough water, to the mouth of Bell's River, and up it to
McDougall's Pass. They were then carried over the pass to Poplar River
and were used in going down the latter to Peel River, and thence up
Mackenzie River 1,400 miles; or, exclusive of railway and ship carriage,
they were carried about 170 miles and did about 2,500 miles of work for
the expedition, making in all about 1,700 landings in no easy manner and
going through some very bad water. I left them at Fort Chipewyan in
fairly good condition, and, with a little painting, they would go
through the same ordeal again.
"After getting all my outfit over to the foot of Lake Lindeman I set some
of the party to pack it to the head of Lake Bennet.
"I employed the rest of the party in looking for timber to build a boat
to carry my outfit of provisions and implements down the river to the
vicinity of the international boundary, a distance of about 700 miles.
It took several days to find a tree large enough to make plank for the
boat I wanted, as the timber around the upper end of the lake is small
and scrubby. My boat was finished on the evening of the 11th of July,
and on the 12th I started a portion of the party to load it and go ahead
with it and the outfit to the cañon. They had instructions to examine
the cañon and, if necessary, to carry a part of the outfit past it--in
any case, enough to support the party back to the coast should accident
necessitate such procedure. With the rest of the party I started to
carry on the survey, which may now be said to have fairly started ahead
on the lakes. This proved tedious work, on account of the stormy
weather.
"In the summer months there is nearly always a wind blowing in from the
coast; it blows down the lakes and produces quite a heavy swell. This
would not prevent the canoes going with the decks on, but, as we had to
land every mile or so, the rollers breaking on the generally flat beach
proved very troublesome. On this account I found I could not average
more than ten miles per day on the lakes, little more than half of what
could be done on the river.
"The survey was completed to the cañon on the 20th of July. There I
found the party with the large boat had arrived on the 18th, having
carried a part of the supplies past the cañon, and were awaiting my
arrival to run through it with the rest in the boat. Before doing so,
however, I made an examination of the cañon. The rapids below it,
particularly the last rapid of the series (called the White Horse by the
miners), I found would not be safe to run. I sent two men through the
cañon in one of the canoes to await the arrival of the boat, and to be
ready in case of an accident to pick us up. Every man in the party was
supplied with a life-preserver, so that should a casualty occur we would
all have floated. Those in the canoe got through all right; but they
would not have liked to repeat the trip. They said the canoe jumped
about a great deal more than they thought it would, and I had the same
experience when going through in the boat.
"The passage through is made in about three minutes, or at the rate of
about 12-1/2 miles an hour. If the boat is kept clear of the sides there
is not much danger in high water; but in low water there is a rock in
the middle of the channel, near the upper end of the cañon, that renders
the passage more difficult. I did not see this rock myself, but got my
information from some miners I met in the interior, who described it as
being about 150 yards down from the head and a little to the west of the
middle of the channel. In low water it barely projects above the
surface. When I passed through there was no indication of it, either
from the bank above or from the boat.
"The distance from the head to the foot of the cañon is five-eighths of
a mile. There is a basin about midway in it about 150 yards in diameter.
This basin is circular in form, with steep sloping sides about 100 feet
high. The lower part of the cañon is much rougher to run through than
the upper part, the fall being apparently much greater. The sides are
generally perpendicular, about 80 to 100 feet high, and consist of
basalt, in some places showing hexagonal columns.
"The White Horse Rapids are about three-eighths of a mile long. They are
the most dangerous rapids on the river, and are never run through in
boats except by accident. They are confined by low basaltic banks,
which, at the foot, suddenly close in and make the channel about 30
yards wide. It is here the danger lies, as there is a sudden drop and
the water rashes through at a tremendous rate, leaping and seething like
a cataract. The miners have constructed a portage road on the west side,
and put down rollways in some places on which to shove their boats over.
They have also made some windlasses with which to haul their boats up
hill, notably one at the foot of the cañon. This roadway and windlasses
must have cost them many hours of hard labor. Should it ever be
necessary, a tramway could be built past the cañon on the east side with
no great difficulty. With the exception of the Five Finger Rapids these
appear to be the only serious rapids on the whole length of the river.
"Five Finger Rapids are formed by several islands standing in the
channel and backing up the water so much as to raise it about a foot,
causing a swell below for a few yards. The islands are composed of
conglomerate rock, similar to the cliffs on each side of the river,
whence one would infer that there has been a fall here in past ages. For
about two miles below the rapids there is a pretty swift current, but
not enough to prevent the ascent of a steamboat of moderate power, and
the rapids themselves I do not think would present any serious obstacle
to the ascent of a good boat. In very high water warping might be
required. Six miles below these rapids are what are known as 'Rink
Rapids,' This is simply a barrier of rocks, which extends from the
westerly side of the river about half way across. Over this barrier
there is a ripple which would offer no great obstacle to the descent of
a good canoe. On the easterly sides there is no ripple, and the current
is smooth and the water apparently deep. I tried with a 6 foot paddle,
but could not reach the bottom.