WAY TO THE FIELD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 18

WAY TO THE FIELD.

A mesfiage in the New York Herald from Seattle (Washington) on July 27 give* some information as to the routes to tho Alapk* field. It says : James Kelly, a young raining engineer, returned yesterday from Alaska on t»e steamsr Topeka witfe au authentic aeaauafe of the survey that h»s leen made for ta« flr*fcrailro»d ia Alaska, ruDning fr»m Dj*i* ov<ht tbe White Pass to L\ke Togisb, Laka Allen, svnd the he*dw*ters of th« H'»o-tiliuqu» Hirer, emptying into the Yukon. Thn survey has been made by George C&tsitle, » Unitod States surveyor who was employed by & C*n*di*n« British syndicate. The road will fe« built next year without doubt. No great engineering difficulties are in the nay. CVrnid* ha» chwen an entirely new routi to reach tha Yukon b»sin. After 31 mik« of rail to Tosi»h Lake a steamer will be taken, coveisg » disdancs of 100 miles through Three-mile Rivec, Atsfcin L*ke, and L*ke Allen. At tbe extremity of Lake Allen a riy«r steamer from Dawson, runniug up to Hootlinqua, will be tsvkfen. The new route will eliminate the dangers of White Horse Rapids and Mili'a Canyon, where so many miners hitve come to gri»f. BTr Kelly said to-nighfc that stories from the Ktowdyke were nob exaggerated. Nenrly 1,000.00040 l worth of gold is now at Sfc. Mich act's to be brought oufc by the steamer Portland. He said that tho Stewart River, 70 miles „abor» the Klondyke, may pooh prove to be aa~fcfc\ as the Klondike, and iv the tributary streanii ming ia the came territory ai the El<Jora<lo and Bonauzt. Pans on shelf reck wash oat 30dol, aud the bad rock is mucb. richer. A town site i* to be laid oufc on Stewarb River this winter. Two routes are now open from Seattle to the new gold placer of the Klondyke. Tho most usual roubo is overland from. Djea, 80 miles north of Juneau, to the head waters of the Yukon, consisting oE a chain of lakes. Here pack trains in summer and sledt in winder are discarded, and miners take fco boats, which they c»rry with them or build from tiwber on the banks of tha streams. Tho other roufca is all water from Seattle direct to Sfc. Michael's, at the mouth of Yukon, by &t«an»er. Passengers and freight are then transferred to rivec steamers, which will run up to Dnweon City until about September 15, when the river freezes solid. Only one steamer, the Clereland, will take passengers north by the watar route this fftll and guarantee to land them ab Dawson City. Steamer Portland will sail August 20 with j freight for the North American Company, j bub will not take any passengers for Dawson. Ths Cleveland will sail August 5. Her accommodation for 350 people will bo sold ouS in a week. Many inquiries hare been re- j ceired here from thaEisfc a* to tha roubes to the Yukon. The river route is longer aud mora expensive, the Cleveland charging 200dol for a first-class passage. There is not the hardship in this way that is encountered in going over the p»ss from Dje*. A steamer of the Pacific Coa»t Steamship Company will probably carry people to Dyea all winter, although the traffic across the summit usually stops in Sepfenaaber. Tbe distance from Dye* fco D»w»on City is 700 miles, and the journey requires from three to four weeks. A pack train has been pufc in operation across the new trail over White's Pass— 1000 ft lower than old Chilcat P*ss. It will not be possible to carry 40 horses belonging fco the train to carry tha goods that will ba sent north in the next two weeks. A blockade at Dyoa is imminent, and the b^gt-informed gold hunters tike from two to 10 horses to curry th&ir provisions to Lake Liadertruo, whftc* boita c*u he takOßa