The luckiest people in this little band were a Mr. and Mrs. Lippey, who left New York in April, 1896.
Mrs. Lippey was the first woman to go over the trail to Klondike. She went because she did not wish her husband to undertake the journey alone, preferring to share his hardships with him.
They brought back sixty thousand dollars' worth of gold.
Another party has just reached Seattle, Wash., having come direct by steamer from St. Michaels, Alaska.
In this party there were sixty-eight people, who brought back with them one and one-half tons of gold. This is worth nearly a million dollars.
The gold is found in dust and nuggets ranging in size from a hazelnut to fine bird-shot.
It must not be supposed that this gold is lightly earned. Those who have returned say that the hardships of the life are beyond description. Many declare that no amount of gold could tempt them back, as beyond the hard, rough life, the severe cold, and the constant labor, there is an ever-present dread of starvation. It is difficult for any man to take in sufficient food to last him through the long winter, and there is hardly any possibility of obtaining more when the supplies run out.
A company has been formed to send provisions up into the district, and if this is done the work will be rendered much easier.