Klondike.

Manawatu Herald, 26 July 1898, Page 2

Klondike.

The " Chronicle " has published an interesting letter dated 20th May from Lake Bennett from Mr Willie Beaven. eldest son of the well-known Mr G, Beaven, of Wanganui, from which we take the following :—

dollars and dimes. Before our personal effects could be taken off the wharf " a dollar, please," is what they ask ; to release our goods from bond another twelve dollars must be found for the making out of the papers. Then comes the convoy business ; which ia a real farce ; another twelve dollars was demanded for this as a sort of surety that the r goods would pass through into Bri- x tish territory. This latter is to be refunded there as soon as our Convoy arrives. One of the Warrimoo passengers, who is an American citizen, was sworn in to act as convoy for four parties ; he posti the papers back to Skagway to certify that we are in British territory, as he is making for the fields himself. Only two parties have arrived at present, and as his is not amongst the number we have to wait some time before the money is refunded. HARD WORK. It was the sth of May when we bid farewell to the town of Skagway, We hired a waggon to take oat stuff as far as the White Pass Hotel, which is about twelve miles distant, 4 for three and a half cents per pound, which price included the tolage of one and a half cents. The road in parts was in a decidedly bad state, and it was with difficulty the drivers pushed their horses through to the hotel. The road is something similar to a bad New Zealand bush road. Well, everything arrived there safely and in good, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Camp was soon pitohed and a good feed eaten, and everything made comfortable for the night. Three o'clock next morning saw three of us on the tramp again with a hundred on our backs, whilst one stayed at home to cook the breakfast. We carried the stuff for two miles through what is known as the Canyon, where we dumped it and returned for another load .and breakfast. Breakfast finished, away the four of us went with a hundred again as far as our first loads. Here we put half of the Btuff on the sledge and dragged it across the frozen snow to the foot of the summit, which is about another mile and a half on the road. This wa3 repeated uatil everything was shifted, and from the foot to the summit, which chains about a mile and a half, we had it dragged on horse sleighs for 1£ cents per pound. Here we camped for two nights on the snow, under 1 the flying flag of Britian. Finding I that one sledge was insufficient from j here we picked up the remains of an old one belonging to the U. S. Police and patched it up a bit. With five hundred on each and manned by two we shifted the lot from there to what is known as Rescue Camp, in three days, a distant of about seven miles. We were compelled to work during the early hours of the morning as the snow thawed and got very soft during the middle of the day. Five miles of the seven is across what is known as Summit Lake, and in m.-my places the ice is covered with one and sometimes .two feefr of snow. Oo this lake we found it necessary to wear gum boot?, for in places we would break through the top layer of ice and splash through eighteen inches or two feet bf water before reaching the second layer. The remaining two miles lay through another canyon or what we in New Zealand would call a small " gorge." This we found very rough and broken ; in many places the ice was gone and the snow was melting fast in fact it became impassable for sleighs and pack animals a few days . after we got through. Packets have now found it necessary to break what is known as the Summer frail which starts from the foot of the summit and keeps to hills till all the lakes are passed. From Rescue Camp we made a six mile shift which brought us on to terra firma again. The track lay across & series of lake ; the ice on some was so thin and brittle that it necessitated our work* ing by night instead of by day. From the day of leaving Skagway till this place was reached it was a case of put your shoulder to the wheel before the ice breaks up. Several other New Zealand parties who started with us are still on the road, and have bad to take to the Summer 71 Trail. A good fortnight or more will pass by before they reach Ben* nett.