years, can, by strict attention to business, make a good strike, with the possibilities of a fortune. But he must have money to start with. All who have been to the gold fields agree in saying that no man should undertake the journey with less than $400 in capital. And he had better have $1000. The expense of reaching the mines is considerable. One hundred and fifty dollars is a modest figure for the journey from Seattle, and when once in the gold region the expense of living is enormous. The prices of even the most ordinary provisions are fabulous, and the companies doing business there refuse to give credit, as they can sell all their goods and more for ready cash. Provisions are almost unobtainable at any price. An officer of the U. S. Geological Survey, who has traveled through this country, has assured the author of this book that if he were looking for certain profit and had the necessary capital he would never think of hunting for gold, but would invest everything in provisions and groceries, which would yield enormous profits should they be got into the Yukon region. If the traveler contemplates the overland trip his outfit should be bought in Juneau, the metropolis of Southeastern Alaska, the last out post of civilization in the path of the voyager for gold. The needs of the traveler can be gauged there better than anywhere else, nearer the centre of population and wealth. Experienced men have found that the provisions a man ought to lav by before starting on the overland journey from Juneau make a formidable list. The articles required for one man for one month are somewhat as follows: Twenty pounds of flour, with baking powder. 12 pounds of bacon. 6 pounds of beans. 5 pounds of dried fruits. 3 pounds of dessicated vegetables. 4 pounds of butter. 5 pounds of sugar. 4 cans of milk. I pound of tea. 2 pounds of salt. Five pounds of corn meal. Pepper. Matches. Mustard. Cooking utensils and dishes. tion the traveler will find it necessary to build his own boat with which to thread the chain of lakes and rivers leading to the gold basin. He will need the following tools: Jack plane. Hand saw. Rip saw. Draw knife. Ax Hatchet. Pocket rule. Six pounds of assorted nails. Three pounds of oakum. Five pounds of pitch. Five pounds of five-eighths rope. He will also find that he must have some protection against the deadly assaults of gnats and mosquitos, which fill the air throughout Alaska; that he will have to be provided for mountain climbing and for protection against snow blindness, whch is one of the most demoralizing afflictions that can befall the traveler over the snowcovered passes. So he will need: Mosquito netting. One pair crag-proof hip boots. Medicines. These are the provisions necessary for a miner for a single month, and whether he will need more for his journey depends somewhat upon the manner in which he travels. In the first place nobody should undertake to travel alone. The trip should be made in parties of two or more, which will conduce to safety and also lightness of the individual's load. It is possible for parties to attend to their own transportation over the divide between Juneau and the lakes. In that case they should start before the first of April so as to catch the snows and ice. They can use sleighs over the summit of Chilkoot Pass and along the lakes down to the place of junction with the river. By the time the river is reached the ice will have begun to break away and the rest of the journey can be managed by boat. By this arrangement the gold fields can be reached four weeks earlier than by waiting for the opening of the summer season before starting from Juneau. Should the start be deferred till after April 30, Indians will have to be employed to do the packing across the pass. The Indians charge $14 per hundred for this service, and each is accustomed to carry about a hundred weight. Before making a start the wise traveler will consider the cost of living in the diggings and provide himself accordingly. Following are a few of the average prices of provisions and articles of common use: |