Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

140 HISTORY OF THE BANKPass numbered six in all, and included two sturdy and intelligentmessengers, one of whom was a first-class cook. Two membersof this party and the "chef 'left Toronto on April 11, 1898, andreached Vancouver on April 19. The supplies they took withthem had to be carried over the pass and then floated 600 miles1down-stream to Dawson City. It was originally expectedthat they would be able to cross the lakes on the other side ofthe passes, where the ice lasts longer than in the river, and reachthe Yukon river before the ice broke up. Had this beenpossible a scow could have been built at the head of the river,and as its current isvery swift the party could have reachedDawson 2 very shortly after the ice broke up on the river; however,the manager, who was one of the party, was detained onthe Pacific coast by unforeseen causes, and the carrying out ofthis plan was thus prevented.In these circumstances the second officer proceededalone. On April 26 he sailed from Victoria, B.C., for Skagway,Alaska, on board the "City of Seattle." Those who travelledon these steamers in pioneer days will not soon forget theexperience. Many more passengers were carried than couldbe accommodated, but as most of the Argonauts were benton reaching Dawson at the earliest possible moment, comfortwas disregarded. On reaching Skagway, arrangementswere made for freighting over the White Pass to Lake Bennettthe sixtons of supplies carried by the party, and the officerhimself left at once for Lake Bennett, reaching it on May 1.It was not until five days later that the manager and cookarrived, and the three then went into camp to await the arrivalof the remainder of the expedition.The White Pass route was selected by this first party owingto the fact that an avalanche had just taken place on thelThe route is via a chain of lakes Bennett, Tagish, Marsh and Laberge andtheir connecting rivers Fifty Mile, Thirty Mile and Lewes down the latter andthe Yukon river to Dawson City.*In the earliest days of the camp the town was known as Dawson City. Thiswas later on shortened to Dawson, which is now, according to the GeographicBoard of Canada, which has authority over place names, the correct form.