* i' Mr. Charles H. Metcalf , writing from
y. Dawson City on the Klondyke river ,
, under recent date , says :
t , "Here I find myself at last in the
V - midst of the greatest and most wonder-
v ful mining camp the world has ever
* seen. Gold is so plenty that it has to
% be carried about in cotton bags , and
h. ' . four or five men are required to pack
X and protect the products of many of the
• f claims. I have seen the result of one
l day's washing on a claim in Eldorado
creek , and the figure was ? 18,000 for
: _ * - ' . twelve hours' work of four men. This
claim was sold less than six months
ago for $300 , and will produce more
y , "than $ J,000,000 before the end of the
year. The excitement is ifow so great
• that no one will sell'at any .price , so
there is no chance for newcomers in
this immediate vicinity. The country is
lull of prospectors , arid every stream
• within a hundred miles is located and
jclaimed from one end to the other. On
the big creeks where the gold is found ,
I "namely Bonanza and Eldorado , there
are many men who tried in every way
• to sell their claims for a few hundred
dollars last winter but could find no
takers. These men are in possession
of great wealth , which is even yet be
yond their capacity to realize. I could
B not even attempt to picture this camp
H or city to you. Thousands of men ,
R and women , too , for that matter , are
I Tiere living in tents , or log sheds , or
I Tiouses of boards with cloth roofs , each
* habitation taking a position to suit
itself with no regard for its neighbor
I or any form of regularity. The sawmill
! Is running night and day , and men are
II . / bushing about at all times of day and
night and buildings of all kinds arc
going up. Such is the power of gold
that before cold weather comes in Sep
tember this wilderness will be a city in
fact of many thousand people. I shall
go out to Bonanza creek in a day or
two and look the ground over there.
I doubt , however , if anything can be
done while everybody is in this pres
ent state of excitement. Circle City is
a city no longer ; with one or two ex
ceptions all the stores and shops are
closed and the entire population has
transferred itself to this new Eldorado ,
each and all full of hope in the great
golden handicap. Prospectors are rush
ing all over the country looking for
gold , but nothing of any consequence
has been found outside of the two big
l creeeks I spoke of. A few men will
be made rich here , but everybody is
; spending money in the most lavish
' manner , and I am getting good prices
for the goods I have to sell. You re
member the two dogskin robes that cost
me $4.50 each , and which I wanted so
I , much to bring a quantity of ? Well , I
sold them both yesterday at $40 each ,
and could sell a hundred more if I had
I them ; and this is a fair sample of
prices. We had no trouble on the
I river this year , but I do not relish
making another trip if I could help it.
| I don't mind the intensely hard work
ffi so much , but I find the worry and anxi-
B | ety about getting the goods safely over
H the lakes and river very trying , and
B people tell me I am looking thin. I
H hear indirectly that Booth ( a young
J man Mr. Metcalf took with him ) is do
ll ing very well on my claim , No. 3 , on
H Mastodon creek. The weather is very
Kj hot and will result in much sickness
If and suffering in this damp marsh. Dr.
g " Le Blanc has begun business already ,
H and will do exceedingly well I feel sure.
He will locate here for the winter.
While this town is a wonder at present
and growing fast , I think its life will be
short.
At Dyea , one hundred miles from
Juneau , the actual journey begins and
this is the most difficult and discour
aging part of the many miles to be
traversed. The most favorable time for
going into the interior is before the
snow melts from the mountains , which
does not occur till the middle of April ,
for the abrupt passages and what Is
known as the "summit" are better ac
complished by hauling supplies on
sleds , while the pass is covered with
snow. After leaving Dyea goods must
be hauled six miles over the Dyea
Plats. From this point the route lies
through what is known as the canyon'
where the trail leads up the steep and
rugged sides of the mountains along
a timbered shelf overlooking the. can
yon until Sheep Camp is reached , a dis
tance of twelve miles. Here a rest is
taken to await favorable weather ,
which at best is something terrible
with the thermometer as low as 60 to
80 degrees below zero. This stop is to
prepare one for the summit which is
eight miles further up and 3,500 feet
high and the most difficult and tedious
part of the journey. The trail leads up
a narrow and precipitous defile to
Stone House , another well-known rest
ing place , with a purely imaginative
name. This place is at the beginning
of the more abrupt climb and is three
miles from the summit. In fact , it is
nothing more nor less than a ledge.
An extract from one of Mr. Me'calf's
letters describing his first trip over the
summit is interesting.
"I had ten men working at the sum
mit hauling up goods with a windlass ,
which we made , and about 4,000 feet of
rope which I brought for the purpose.
The work had been delayed quite a
time by storms , which are very fre
quent on the mountains , but on Sun
day night last I concluded that the
work was far enough along so that we
might break camp the next morning
and come to Lake Lindeman. I had
taken the precaution to send over a
small tent the day before in the event
of trouble in getting down on the other
side , but did not expect any. I had
not been over here up to that time but
the trail was being used constantly and
was hard and well marked. Well , Mon
day morning came and with it a clear
sky and no wind. I was up at 3:30 and
while Booth was getting breakfast I
had one load of our camp outfit and my
dog team ready to start. Breakfast
consisted of fried bacon , cold bread ,
coffee and beans. Soon after 4 o'clock
I started for the summit , three miles
away , up the steep mountain side. I
was early at the foot of the summit
or last great rise , which is so steep that
everything must go up on men's backs
or by windlass. The angle is so great
that one might think the mountain was
leaning over and would fall that way.
Of course everything is covered with
many feet of snow. No men were
working yet , so I left my load to - betaken
taken up when the windlass started
and returned to camp. The round trip
had taken four hours. Booth had been
taking down the big tent and getting
the last things ready while I was away.
Breaking a camp takes some time so
that 10 o'clock found us but just ready
to start. The sun was quite warm and
mmmm mmmmmxmtmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
m am m mmmmtm m m-m t • ' % m I < iii i
the snow ooftwhen wo started but I
could see that there were light clouds
on the mountain and some indication
of wind. As we went up the wind be
gan to blow a little from the south
or at our backs. As we came nearer
the summit we began to meet the In
dian packers coming down , having quit
work above as the wind was getting
so strong. There arc two benches or
narrow flat places \ \ \ \ the side and our
windlass was placed on the first one
about 1,000 feet from the foot. We ar
rived at the foot a little before 1 o'clock
to find that the first' load which con
tained our beds , had gone up , but be
fore this tinn * the wind had gained
such velocity above that our men had
all quit wor > sud left. We could not
turn back now so concluded to follow
our beds. After making everything
fast I unMtched the dogs and calling
them alor.g we started to climb to the
top. This is no small task , I can tell
you , and when we arrived at the first
bench it was after 2 o'clock. Here the
wind was blowing very hard and cold
and the small particles of ice that came
with it cut my face and hands so that
I could not face it or take off my mit
tens. Here we found our beds and I
also managed to find a can of frozen
corn beef which tasted very good while
we sat for a short time behind a pile
of goods to rest. We packed our beds
from this bench to the next. The wind
had now become so strong that it would
almost carry me up the side. I believe
it. would have been next to impossible
to go down again even.
cimaiPG0M * i
mountains/
VAK * $
TrtECOloN.
ON TMfe BPBDeR
"At the second bench I had hard
work to keep my feet at all but man
aged to bind our beds on a sleigh , get
the dogs in and start for the last climb.
I never again expect to see such a
storm as was raging at the top ! Snow-
was now coming with the icy wind and
drifts were forming in all the protected
places. The noise of the storm was so
great that no other sound could be
heard. The war of contending ele
ments was magnificent but I felt quite
too insignificant long to be a witness
and was glad to get away as soon as
possible. The decent on this side is
very steep but not so long. After let
ting the sleds go down we just sat down
in the soft snow and slid or dropped
to the level below , which is quite a
large body of water called 'Crater
Lake , ' supposed to be the site of an old
volcano. It lies far above the timber
line andis always frozen. Just at the
foot there was very little wind and
we stopped for a short time to rest
before starting out on the long run
of nine miles through the snow and
wind storm to this camp.
"Before the first few miles were
passed the drifting snow had so covered
the trail that the dogs could not follow
it and I had to go ahead and keep the
road while Booth looked after the team.
To find and keep a blind trail we use
a long sharp stick and by constant
punching we can tell the hard trail
from the soft snow at the side. I broke
trail that day most of the time on the
run for nearly seven miles , through a
snow storm so thick that nothing could
be seen and the wind , howling at our
backs like a pack of hungry wolve3.
At the top of the canyon the wind was
less severe but the snow was drifting
and the gathering darkness made our
trip down the gorge rather uncanny.
"We arrived safe and well onSy to
find that our tent was not yet up. Two
hours more , at 10 oclock , our regular
meal of bacon , beans and bread found
a very hearty reception , after which I
went to bed very tired , of course , after
nineteen hours of constant exertion but
comfortable in the feeling of good
health and strength which successful
combat with these grand and rugged
mountains must give to any one , and
not sorry to have seen this strange
land and its elements while at play in
one of their wildest moods.
A trip to the Interior abounds in
many such hardships and adventures.
The safest way to get there Is to cross
Lake Lindeman in February or March ,
while it is frozen , and stop at Lake
" 1ft * * ) ; „ - ? ' Jg&&ygLt $ > " r ' ' # " * | * ? * W'xr&i&3 ? .
OUR SMALLER COLLEGES.
Iu Many Kespocts They Are Doing Bet
tor Work Tlinn tlio Larger One * .
"There are a few striking facts about
the small American college , " writes Ed
ward W. Bok In the Ladles' Homo
Journal. "One striking fact is that 60
per cent of the brainiest Americans who
have risen to prominence and success
are graduates of colleges whose names
are scarcely known outside of their own
states. It is a fact , also , that during
the past ten years the majority of the
new and best methods of learning have
emanated from the smaller col
leges , and have been adopted
later by the larger one3. Be
cause a college happens to be un
known two hundred mile3 from the
place of Its location does not always
mean that the college is not worthy of
wider repute. The fact can not be dis
puted that the most direct teaching , and
necessarily the teaching most produc
tive of good results , is being done in
the smaller American colleges. The
names of these colleges may not be fa
miliar to the majority of people , but
that makes them none the less worthy
places of learning. The larger colleges
are unquestionably good. But there
are smaller colleges just as good , and ,
in some respects , better. Some of the
finest educators we have are attached
to the faculties of the smaller institu
tions of learning. Young girls or
young men who are being educated at
one of the smaller colleges need never
feel that the fact of the college being n
ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF SCENES ATTENDING GOLD EXCITEMENT IN THE KLONDIKE DISTRICT.
I THE GOLD FIELDS OF ALASKA THE DIRECT STEAMER ROUTE FROM SEATTLE Tu CIRCLE CITY.
( The Klondike district , which iB in British Columbia , lies to the eastward of Fort . Cudahy and Fort Reliance.
H Tb nearest approach by steamer is Circle City , from which point the jour&ey is made overland. )
19 ' - . - " " - - ' - • - - " ; 1U.11 J
v _ _ . . . . . , ,
" " "H"J ' - - - " - - J - ' I--I-M .nn-i r ir 11 r"m ' "
_ _ _ M _ _ _ _ _ J _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TiT-l i < 1 Tir mi 11 n tin liTfffit I 1 ifuft-iiiitMfii inif _ _ rnirhi-T , | _ ' > n nrrn miru im 11 - • - - - - . - - * - • n. _ . . . . . . _ . - - imm.tnyi . . _ > . _ . -ft.- . . . < _ . _ , _ - . . _ - . . . - . . - _ _ _ . _ . _ . . . . . _ , _ . _ _ _ J _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ O _ _ TaT _ _ _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ T _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ * _ t i
Bennett to build boats and wait for the
ice to break up. The journey is then
continued by drifting down a series of
lakes and down the Yukon river. Be
fore the traveler can realize it he is at
the much talked of and treacherous
"White Horse Rapids" going through
v/hich many men have lost their lives.
As soon as the warm weather begins
gnats , poisonous flies and mosquitoes
make life a burden. The stories told
of the numbers and voraciousness of
the native mosquitoes are almost in
credible. Lieut. Schwatka states in his
report of a voyage down the Yukon
that he has seen mosquitoes in such
numbers as to cloud the sun and ob
struct the vision. Dogs and game have
been killed by the bites of mosquitoes ;
even the huge black bear io not ex
empt from the pest as the continual
bites produce inflammation of the eyes ,
causing blindness. Judging from re
ports an asbestos mosquito net should
be in the outfit of every miner. Min
ing operations cannot begin until the
ice melts , from June 1st to the 15th.
About the middle of September the sun
drops so low that ice soon forms and
active operations must be discontinued
until the following season. The season
is short , yet from June lo until Aug. 1
the sun shines twenty-two hours out of
the twenty-four , and during the re
maining two hours work can be done.
Accordingly when a rich claim is found
two or three sets of men are employed
and work goes on continually.
The Yukon country is no place for a
man without money. Every man who
goes there must expect to work and
work hard. No credit is given on a
man's face. That day is gone. Mr.
Mitchell says that before men make
a rush from Michigan to the Klondyke
gold fields , it would be well to remem
ber that while miners make from $15
to $20 a day , it is at the most for onlj-
about sixty days , and provisions are
about 50 cents an ounce ; that there are
2,000 men existing in about 150 log
huts , and thousands more were ex
pected during the spring and summer
and that the mails are most infrequent ,
and uncertain. Gold is there in abun
dance to be sure , but the difficulty in
getting it is exceedingly great. Mr
Metcalf cannot emphasize too strongl ;
the difficulties and dangers and hard
ships of a trip to the interior and
v/ould warn everybody to keep away
unless provided with several hundred
dollars and clothing and provisions to
last for at least one year.
After wit is everybody's wit.
small one places them at a disadvan
tage in comparison with the friend or
companion who has been sent to a lar
ger and better known college. It is not
the college ; it is the student. "
LIVING UP A TREE.
Years ago a Lousiana planter , aptly
named Wildeson , went to establish
himself on the Rama river in Nicara
gua , where he raises bananas and rub
ber trees with profit. A Mr. Drew ,
who visited him on business , describes
his three-story house as literally built
in a tree a sturdy eboe-tree sixty-
three feet from the ground.
To get up and down between the
ground and the house an elevator is
used , so constructed with block and
tackle that the person using it raises
himself or controls his descent by
means of a rope.
There is also a chicken-house sus
pended from a limb into which the
poultry is collected at night. After a
day of free picking and strolling , the
feathered bipeds come of themselves
to be raised to their roost.
A good snake story goes with the
rest. Mr. Drew says : "A thing that
struck me curiously was the sight of
a twelve-foot boa-constrictor gliding
about on the ground at the foot of
the tree , climbing over the roofs of
the laborers' cabins , even entering
them , and in general making himself
perfectly at home on the plantation.
" 'Nobody'd think of harming him , '
said the old man to me when I spoke
to him about the big snake. 'He's
perfectly harmless to any one , and he
keeps the place clear of mice and
moles that eat the roots of my young
banana and chocolate trees. Eat chick
ens ! Never knew him to do such a
thing. Still , while they're little , I
den't put temptation in his way , but
keep them in a snake-tight coop of
wire-netting. ' "
3iennlncr of Town Names.
The meaning of various names of ci
ties is suggested by the discussion con
cerning the proper orthography of
Pittsburg , inasmuch as the "h" has
much to do with it. Old Paris was
formerly called by its Roman inhabi
tants Lutetia , meaning "Mudtown. "
London derives its name from the old
fortified hill of the Britons , stanaing
where St. Paul's cathedral now is. Dub
lin means "the Black Pool , " and Liver
pool "the pool of living creatures. "
Rome is said to mean "the cross roads"
and Berlin is variously translated as
meaning "the short lake , " "the free and
open place , " "the river island" and
"the marshy spot. " Pernambuco means
"the mouth of hell , " Bombay "good
boy , " while Cairo is a corruption of
"El Kahirah , " the victorious. " Ispa
han is "the half of the world ; " Astrak
han "the city of the star ; " Bagdad , "the
garden of justice , " and Copenhagen
"the merchants' harbor. " Exchange.
An Unfortunate Combination.
Typewriter I am rapid enough and
understand business forms all rightbut j
I must admit that I cannot spell. Business - |
ness Man You won't do , then , even at !
the price. I can't spell , either. " In
dianapolis Journal.
The German marine is only half a
century old , the first naval officer '
having been appointed by King Pradi i
erick William on May 27 , 1847- ' {
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii _
SILYEK GOING DOWN. | |
COLORADO EXPERTS DISCUSS | lfl
THE MATTER. a * ' B
Conceded tlint the Metal aiiidt On Dimn
Until the Production U Curtnllod
Sllvnr Dollar * Now Worth Only
M
• 13 Ct nt Comment of the
1'rcsn Here and There. MM
Thn Decline in Sliver. " |
Denver , Col. , Au ? . 7. The effect of V
the decline in silver to fifty-five and m
one-half ccnla per ounce and the probable - , M
able further fall to as low as fifty tm
cents , which seems to bo conceded by f W
those in the best position to jud o , is
current topic of conversation anionjr M
mining men , and while soma nro M
greatly discouraged at the outlook for
mining in Colorado the gcnoral opinion - M
ion scorns to bo that the decline of sil- | H
H
vcr will have no very serious effect
upon the mines because there is com-
paratlvely little silver mined in the , fl
state except in connection with copper - X
per , gold and lead. There is a oossi- V
bility that some of the Aapen and
Creede properties will Khnt down , but
outside of these there will bo little V
change in the situation. I
Ex-Governor J. B. Grant of the 4
Omaha and Grant smeltcrsaid : "lam m
of' the opinion that silver will continue * M
to go down until there is a marked I
decrease in the production in soruo V J'
parts of the wor and it remains to * " * ji
be seen which of the silverproducingFJ
countries will srive way first. If the [
present volume of silver production is
maintained , it will go lower until the M
supply and demand are nearc" to- M
gethcr. Of course there will ccaJ a ' 9
time when it will stop falling , but I -
do not think that will come until 1
there is a very marked decrease in J
production , unless in the meantime 1
silver should be remonctized. It will I
have no serious effect upon the pro- W
dnction of lead , for I have figured out J
that with lead at S > ' . 0 and silver at fl
n. M , it is just about as profitable to H
the miner as when lead was S --.i and
silver 'i. ! . ' 1 * k
Ex-Senator N. P. Hill of the Boston
and Colorado smelter thinks that the fl
decline will be seriously felt in many 'M
quarters. "The aggregate lo s will M
be quite large , " said he. Lasfc year
the average price paid onr company
for silver was UG.Sfi cents per ounce ,
and the difference between that price S
and to-day's quotations amounts to
about SltlO.OOO in our production of m
last year. In 1S5J the price was much / * l
higher and the loss compared with to- i Jj
day's prices would be nearly S750o00. " \ r
London , Aug. G. The Times in its ' -
financial comments this morning ad-
niits its inability to explain the perfl
sistcnt weakness of silver , but thinks S
it is due , perhaps , to a well grounded | H
belief that the results of the Amcri-
can bimetallic commission , headed by H
Senator Wolcott , are not likely to H
prove satisfactory to silvcrites here M
and in the United Stales. j H
Kew Yor.K. Aug. 7. The decline in. M
silver-yesterday carried the price to a H
new low mark 25 > f pence in London , v ' B
and 55 % cents here. Mexican , dollars H
sold at AIYi cents , and Peruvian , sols | H
and Chilian pesos at 3S % cents. S
At the present price the silver in a S
United States dollar is worth 43.1 9
cents.
ENDS IN A TRAGEDY. I
An , Agoil German Shoots TIWJCoitpaper- H
Secured Wife and Tukos Polnon. H
Giiand Rafids , Mich. , Aug7. Last M
April 1L A. Dailey , a well-to-do German - |
man of Jennison , aged 70 , sent a letter - V
ter to Mayor Swift of Chicago saying- |
he wanted a woman of mature M
years as a wife. The mayor gave |
the missive to the newspader as a |
literary curosity. The result was / fl
Daily received nearly 500 answers. / |
Out of the lot he selected Mrs. flattie ' M
Newton , , a Chicago widow aged 45 , and M
three months a o they were married. B
Dailcy became very jealous when H
his wife returned to Chicago for a B
long visit , and they quarreled bitterly . fl
and finally separated. Dailey then fl
gave his wife three days to return. H
The time was up last midnight butshe j *
refused to resume wifely relations and
Dailey forced his way into her bed
chamber and pressed his old musket 1
against her heart and pulled the trig- 1 j
ger. The woman seized the muzzle il
and pushed it aside , but the char < ro ' H
penetrated her ri < rb.t side. She staggered - 9
gered from the house in her night fl
gown and fell bleeding on the door S
step of Luman Jeanison's house , where J fl
she was found. jB
Dailey was arrested , and. as there is fl
no jail in Jennison , remained in the fl
custody of the officers until this morning -
ing , when he was to be taken to Grand !
Haven Before taking the train he #
was allowed to enter a saloon and ' 'M
armlc several glasses of beer. At the
bar he fell backword in spasms and
was dead in a few minutes ! lie had
managed to slip strychnine into the
oeer. B
A Maniac After Dr. Hate. fl
Naksagaxsstt Pier , R. L , Au 7
William Collier , a raving- maniac and
young-divinity student from Memphis -
Tenn. , is under arrest at Kingston on
the charge of having threatened the
lite of Dr. Edward Everett Uale , the M
famous oreaehcr-author. fl
Lower aiUiourl Insurance
Rate * .
Mexico , Mc , Aug. 7. The local in- I
surance agents of this * citv have received - ,
ceived notice of large reductions in A
insurance rates , and it is understood L 1
that the rates are to be lowered in 1
most of the cities in Missouri where ' I
tnere are good systems of * 1
water works. J/
Canada Bars American laborer * . I I
Toeonto Ontario. Aug. 7.-Commis- I
s.oner McCrcary has
informed the Ca- 1
nadian Pacific railway authorities that I
any American laborers
ecga-ed for
work wonl-i he deported to thciTowu
