Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE YUKON ADVENTURE 139them to handle the business of assaying gold dust.Throughthe kindness of the Secretary of the Treasury of the UnitedStates one man studied assaying at the sub-treasuryYork. A second was trained under a commercial chemist inBoston and a third took a course at the School of Practicalin NewScience in Toronto, at the same time acquiring a practicalknowledge of safes and their locks at the plant of Messrs.J. and J. Taylor, of Toronto, through the courtesy of that firm.As the summer season in the Yukon is very short and theonly means of communication with Dawson City during thelong winter months was by dog team over the arduouswinter trail, the question of supplies presented some difficulty.No data were available upon which to estimate the numberof the staff or the quantity of supplies required. A sufficientsupply of acids and other material for the assay plant, and ofstationery and note circulation for banking operations wasimperative, and the following spring would be the earliestmoment at which any mistake in calculations could be rectified.The questions of food and clothing presented, perhaps, lessbut any one who has lived under conditions wheredifficulty,supplies of fresh food, apart from game, are not available forlong periods of time, will understand how completely the comfortand well-being of the staff were at the mercywhich might prove to be insufficient or injudicious.of a selectionAll thesedetails were given the direct personal attention of the chiefexecutive officers of the bank, and the fact that the suppliessent in proved adequate for all purposes and that the foodafforded ample and healthful variety, is an accomplishment ofwhich those responsible for the arrangements may well feelproud. 1The party selected to travel via the Chilkoot or the White1 The equipment and supplies shipped to Dawson City ranged from ink powderto Peterboro canoes and fire brick for the assay furnace. A complete list of thearticles would occupy too much space, but some idea of the thoroughness with whichthe matter was gone into may be gathered from the "Memorandum of Requirements,etc." with which each member of the expedition was furnished by head office. Thiswill be found in Appendix I, on page 475.