The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-04-14


From the Winnipeg New Nation, March H.
Mr.. Robert Mcfarland, of Fort Simp-
son, arrived here on the 25,h inst, and,
as result OF that arrival, We have been
enabled to CLEAN good deal Of Interesting
and valuable information for our readrr,,
who have very faint and mperfec, con,
ception indeed ct travel in the wllds of the
north in winter; and chiefly tor their ben>
e-t We append the following brict states
ments
NJ KEyZIE RIVER DISTRICT
Fort Simpson, III latitude nearly 60 lie
grees north, the headquarters of the Me-
kenze river district, is situated at the
confluence of the Laird a nd Mex nzie riv-
ers. Mr.. Mcfarland left the tort on tie
30;h of November last, and arrived here as
We have said, on the 25h inst, making
travelling days. He came on pleasure
trip to his friends in the north of Scotland: 4:
and few, save daring and adventurous in
habitant of the northwest would ever un
dertake such a Journey for such an object.
THE MAIL TRAIN FROM TIE FAR NORTH.
For over a month and a half Mr.. Me-
tarlani and his companion were travelling
through frozen wastes with two trains of
dogs. Mr. Mcfarland supposed himself
to be on pleasure trip The other man
carried the mail. They had train of four
dogs each. One sled carried the mail,
provisions and bedding. Oa the other
Mcfarland rested, but very seldom, when
tired With his long run. This, let Us in
form eur foreign readers, is the express
mail train Of Rlp9r's Land ; and for hun
dreds OF miles at a time, oc a.,nualy. the
only signs Of life in the vast Wilderness.
appear to be these two dog trains and their
drivers. In the present instance, each of
the dog trains maIe, on an average, rather
more than 10 miles per day during this tre
nIendouS journey Dogs of this classes not
uncomonly make 60 miles day, bat We
have heard 1t sud that the above is the
longest continuous journey ever made by
the same dogs.
MODE OF TRAVEL MEALS.
Provisions for the men were obtained at
every post. and also for the dogs The
latter sometime, got about half pound Of
penmlcan each at mid day and fish or
two at night; and yet, with all their scan
ty fare and hard travelling, when they ar
rived at Carlton they were as fresh as the
day they first started out-haying made
their >, 100 miles.
The track all day leu them through for
asts across lakes, ,rlvers-alnost an uptrod
den waste-and st night sheltered spot,
in some forest cr thicket, served for camp
ing ground The snow was scraped away
and some branches cut down to form bed
Trees were felled to feed roaring fire.
and soon men and dogs had disposed of
their suppers and were sound asleep, lying
a. close togeth her as possible.
At Port Providence, on the upper Me-
kenzlc, within fifty mics of its western
outlet, in Save lake, lives the Roman
catholic bishop OF the Diocese, Monsignore
tarraud, with two priests, four christian
brothers and six sisters Of mercy. They
have good school and have commenced a
chapel.
Barley and potatoes are raised a. Fort
Simpson. aud soma years prove very good
crops. tros,s have occasionally destroy
ed the labors of the hu.bandman, but it is
not pretended that those have ever been OF
a very lsborOus nature.
WITHIN THE ARTIC CIRCLE-THE ESQUI-
MAUX PARADISE.
Mr.. Mcfarland has resided some seven
teen years in the Mckenzie river district
and has become 81 cnamoured of his lodge
III the vast wild erness, that he prefers it to
any other aboie A lovsly place for
white man to live in, it must be- Not un>
frequently the cold is so intense not even a
spirit thermometer can yister it. Three
times during 1868. pr e.ruBalle, the glass
indicate 70' belo u zelo
Another popularity of life in those parts,
is that there is no night there during a
considerable portion of the day, ana no d.y
during another period. In fact, the seasons
are rather mixed there abouts. All sum
mer, three months or so, night comes not
The sun remains visible the twenty four
hours through. And during the winter
season for upwards of ssven weeks. ouy a
kind of twilight enables the residents to
blunder through the days labor.