EN ROUTE TO THE KLONDYKE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10968, 16 July 1898, Page 4

EN ROUTE TO THE KLONDYKE.

NEWS FROM AN EX HAWKK'B BAY RESIDENT. We have been permitted to make an extract from a letter received by the laat San Fcanolsoo mall from Mr Kdward Bennett, formerly of Mokopeka, Hawkb'* Bay, who, In company with several others, left for tbe Klondyke some months ago. The letter U dated Like Llndnoan, May 2Gsb, and the writer saya:-I am writing you from onr oamp at Lake Llndonan, just before making onr final •tart for Dawson city, We had a splendid sea voyage from Vancouver up the AmeilMn const to Skaguay. The scenery tbe whole nay np the ooaat is boamlfal beyond Imagination. I thonght the glaolera of New Zealand very grand, but along the ooaßt of Ameiloft on tbe route we travelled there Is one continuation of glsolers equally as magnificent, and It was a lovely eight to steam up the obannel and wfttou tbe mn ufkotlns; all tbe colors of tbe rainbow. I am qnlte ture this sea route will shortly become very popnlai with lovers oi Alpine scenery. Onr first port of oall was Wrangle, the supposed starting point cf the railway to the Yukon. At present Wrangle la a miserable 'little canvas settlement. I only stayed on shore an honr, and was qolto glad to get back to my ahlp again, Next morning we sailed for Skaguay, and arrived there the following morning. The grandest Alpine icenory Is to be seen juit before reaching Sksguay. The harbor la very fine, completely shnt in with gigantic mountain*. Skaguay la a decided Improvement on Wrangle; there are several fairly good bulldlogs, bat the mejarlty of the business places and dwellings aie built of logs ; they are all called "log cabins." The town is also lighted with eleotrlclty, It was our first iotentloD to go through by the White pais, bnt when we arrived In Sk«guay we found tbe pan blooked np complntely. We then decided on the Dyea trail over theChilooot pass, We entered into an agreement with the Chllkoot transportation Company to land onr goods on Llndnaan at 7 cents per lb. We happened to coma in a very favorable time for ue financially, There waa very little tiaflio over the pass at the time, and the tramway was almost Idle; the consequence was we struck a goad bargain and got onr outfit over for about half the uiual price, and all we bad to do was to walk over with onr hands in onr pockets. The aerial tramway is a splendid Idea for transporting goods over the pais, The whole length of the line is 16 miles, and It la divided into tour eeotlons, The tramway Is a oable wire one Inoh thick, There Is a large vertical wheel at each end of tramway, worked by a steam engine. Tbla large cable, whloh is an endless wire, is run round the wheel, taking up boxes of cargo on one ilde and running down empty boxes en the other, There la one continual stream of boxes oi goods travelling night and day. In places where the line oroises a gorge the boxea of goods look like specks up in the air. We got all our outfit through safely, and also two large canoes which we bought in Vanoouver. As soon aa we saw our goods safely on the wny we oommeneed our purney for the Cbllooot Pasß. We left Djea In the morning after breakfast, and reaohed Sheep Camp early In the evening, It Is a short dls&anoo from Sheep Gamp where the terrible snow slide happened. Sheep Camp is a filthy plaoe ; the trail rnns through the centre of the settlement, and tbe whole distance Is atrewn with dead horses and dogs. Four months ago there were 10,000 men camped there ; now there are about 500. We stayed at Sheep Camp until our ontfit had reaohed tbe tummit of the Chlloaot Pass. On onr way np we pasted the scene cf the recent snow slide, and men were busy taking out the dead bodies. No one oan tell bow many poor wretches were killed ; It la impoatible to know until tbe mow melte, aa some ol them are burled 40 feet deep. I was very much disappointed with the (headed Cbilcoot Pats. 1 expected to experience tome thrilling adventore in climbing to the top. We climbed one rather steep hill, and when we arrived aa the top, I hoped to get a view cf the great Cbilcoot, but to my disgust I fonnd we had braved all the dangers and were ectually at the summit. Jost im&glne (be steepest face of Mok&peka covered with a&ow and frozen hatd, with steps oat In the loe tc secure youi footing and a hand tope tut along the side, and yon will have a verj good idea ot what the Chllaoot Pass wai Ilko when I oroiied, There la no doubt In the winter, when the Bnowßtorins se In, the Cbllooot would be a very no 1 pleaßant place to travel over, I felt th< atmoipbere Utterly cold on the Bommlt and was very glad to mike use of mj fats: Gllpln stayed at tha enmmit to oet (ha oattia started on for Ltadunao, and 1 went on to receive It when lb arrived. The trail from the summit to Llodnnac was rather severe. The snow waa baRlonlDg to melt, and every step I would placge over my kneea in It. But the wont part of the trail waa crossing three i mill lakes junti before reaohlog Lindanaui I broke through the 100 twice, but was fortunate in getting out with nothing worse than a oold bath. I pasted hnndreds of men on the trail, and women too, baallog sledges with loads of provisions. It was quite a sight to see the dog teams tiaklbg loads dowD, and io Is astonishing what loads a tetm of dogs can poll. The troll was very heavy when I came through In consequenoo of the ouow beginning to melt; yet I "aw three dogs bring through 12001 b weight of provisions on a sledge, We got everything down iafo!y to Llndunan, and we now have a veiy oomlortable oamp. Tho ice Is breaking np very fast on the lakes, In fsot it Is possible to get through Like Lludanan now, We went down ia onr canoe to Lake Bennett on the 24th, to celebrate tbe Qaee&'« birthday, We h&d rather an exciting tilp, In places we had to out a track through the lea with qxos, to allow our oanoo lo pins through. A) otheis wo got out on the leo and carried tho canoe over to the next open water. We got through e&f oly, a&d spent a very pleasant day at Lgko Bdunett. There aro a great number of people being drowned here netrly every day through breaking through tbe loe on tbe lakes. la faob, drowning Is so common here that there l> tcarcely any notloe taken of it. Favet has alto broken out here, acd quite a number of paople have died already. We are very anslons to get down the lakes es far as we oan, and get a new oamp, There Is great danger In travelling by water now, es the loe in beginning to drift, and there is also great darjger of fever la staying here, so we have decided to ritk the ice and pash on. We intend to leave here In two days. It I« very diflhalt to jadge what the oonntry la like round hero, in const qaeooe of the ground belog covered with »vow to a great depth, There Is a stnnted forest of pines ronnd tbe lakes, but they are disappearing very fast to inpply the boat bnlldlng and firing. There are vory few birds, 1 have seen a few ducks end geese, and also two kinds of vory beautilul little snow bli ds. There are plenty of irj alrrela and ooons. There waa a very exolilng ohaae two days »ro after a black bear, bnt he eaooped ia the snow. Tbe most peculiar feature abont the oountry la the length of daylight. There i« praotio&lly no night. The enn only seta for three hours, and It 1b quite light enongh to read 23 horns ont or 24. Io is a complete pozzta to know when to go to bed, Taere are euppoied to be 6000 men oamped here and 6000 at Like Bennett, and about 500 women. In another week there will be a tremendous rnsh down the river to Elondyde. There ate quite 2000 boata of all kinds waiting tomakeaetart, and I am very much afraid there will be many lives lost on the way down, bnt In any case It will only be gold rushes repeating themselves, The weather here until to day has been peifeot, but to day the heat lnoieited renlbly ; the thormometet atood at 80 In the shade. It seems very strange to have such terrible beat acd enow lying all around, We have to ba very careful In oarrylnß onr ■now glataes In our pooket. My eyes were very mnoh etfaoted the first few days, but they soon reoovered. We expect to reach Dawson In 12 days from here. Reports from there ere stiil very enoonraglog, and I do not think there is any doubt about tbe fields being very rloh. Mr H. MaßOn, from Hawke'a Bay, is with ur, and la going on to the fields. We have not yet decided whether to go to Dawson or to atrlke np the Stewait river. At ptesent we are In favor of the Stewait river, but it Is Impossible to deolde yet where our destination will be, There la no mail setvloe from here, so I am sending tbla letter down by a miner who la returning, and be will post It in tieattlpj