r, thence by ocean steamer from St. Michael to San Francisco."

The following letter is interesting to the prospector as showing the
difficulties to overcome up the Taiya Pass to Lake Lindeman.

_Winnipeg_, July 27, 1897.

A letter has been received from George McLeod, one of the members of the
Winnipeg party of gold hunters that left here recently for the Yukon.
He wrote from Lake Lindeman under date of July 4, and states that the
party expected to leave on the journey from the river a week later. They
had a fine boat, with a freight capacity of two tons about completed.
The real work of the expedition started when the small steamer which
conveyed the party from Juneau arrived at Dyea. The men had to transfer
their goods to a lighter one mile from shore, each man looking after his
own packages. After getting everything ashore the party was organized
for ascent of the mountain pass, which at the hardest point is 3,000
feet above sea level. McLeod and his chum, to save time and money too,
engaged 35 Indians to pack their supplies over the mountains, but they
had to carry their own bedding and grub to keep them on the road. It is
fifteen miles to the summit of the pass and the party made twelve miles
the first day, going into camp at night tired from climbing over rocks,
stumps, logs and hills, working through rivers and creeks and pushing
their way through brush. At the end of twelve miles they thought they
had gone fifty. On the second day out they began to scale the summit of
the mountain. Hill after hill confronted them, each one being steeper
than the last. There was snow on the top of the mountain, and rain was
falling, and this added greatly to the difficulties of the ascent. In
many places the men had to crawl on their hands and knees, so
precipitous was the mountain side. Time after time the men would slip
back several inches, but they recovered themselves and went at it again.

Finally, the summit was gained, McLeod being the first of the party to
reach the top. After resting and changing their clothes the descent was
commenced. McLeod and his chums purchased sleighs, on which they loaded
their goods and hauled for five miles. This was extremely laborious
work, and the men were so used up working in the scorching sun that
they were compelled to work at nights and sleep during the day. Two days
after the descent began the sleighs were abandoned, and the men packed
the goods for three miles and a half. They were