Klondyke Nuggets | Page 6

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