The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-10-08
UP IN ALASKA,
The ''Times" Exploring Expedition Sweat
Ing In the Frozen North.

Tho 'sTimes' Exploring Expedition Sweat,
ing In the Frozen North.
NEw YoRE, Oct. 7.-Lieutenant sChwat-
ka, of the Times Alaska Exploring Exps-
dition, writes to that paper very inter
esting account Of his recent explorations
in that land. In speaking Of his trip up
the Jones river he says; "To the eye the
dat plain wo had come over was as level
az floor, but the swittness oil the Jones
river from here to where 1t emptled into
10y Bay, come miles below, showed plain
ly that there was considerable fall,
Everywhere around US were to be seen
great numbers Of bear tracks, whenever
there was any kind Of soil that would re-
Geiye the imprint, for most OF the country
was now heaps OF stones and dense forests
where nothing less than tho huge man.
mails OF the tertiary period could have
left discernibls foot track, II 1t was even
possible with them,
Near little Clump OF trees about half
mile from camp and through which we
had come in reaching the camp, the bear
tracks were so thick on the Clayey mud
in the light willow brush between the
trees and moralno-R mere narrow lane OF
a few hundred yards-that ones con.
science is clear In saying that 1t looked US
II q herd Of cattle with bears paws on
them Of Course) had been driven through
this way. In fact, one OF 0uFNimrods,
who was "nosing" around seeing what be
might be able to picked up In the way OF
game stoutly asserted that he could smell
Oear in the dense brush near the Clump
Of trees, and took his nOse'a word Tor Il
without investigating any further as to
the exact whereabouts oI BIuin, None
was killed or seen near this camp, how
ever.
TGe great glaciers would have to be
crossed before we would come to any
other kinds Of large game, which even
then was reduced to mountain goats, some
few OF the tracks OF which we saw near
The base OF Mount st. Elias, but did not
succeed in killing any OF the makeru,
There was one kind Of animal life, how
ever, that was psiniully plentiful, and
Copld We have called it gains our score
would have been enormous. | reier to
the ever present and combative Alaskan
molQuitos, that exist in countless nun.
bsIs, | believe, from the summit oil Mount
st, Elias to the deepest hole ever dug in
that lar.oT territory. Without a double
mosquito bar sleep ia impossible, and the
tired traveller awakes in the morning but
little refreshed by his brief and inter-
ruptsd suUIberB.
One Of their constant companions Ia the
slmos! equally irritating gnat, which Is
worse in being able TO come through the
meshea OF even the finest mosquito bar,
and ia better In that it retires at night
when darkness comes on, This latter was
a poor consolation In this sub.arCtic
country, however, when at midnight one
could rea such type as is ueed in the
Times il the sky was not overcast. Much |
surprise has often been expressed 10 me
by persons as to these little pests being 30 !
annoyinGly numerous In such cold coun.
tries, but my experience has been that
the gnals and mosquitoes are functions |
rather OF marshy land or great expanse Of
inland water than OF temperature, (unless |
It got to far below freezlng;) and l have
already made clear to my readers what
vast swampy tracts this part Of Alaska
contains.
rERspIRING AMID FIELDS OF ICE.
In speaking Of his trip acrossa glacier
Lieutenant schwatka says: All this
ssnded and dirty Ice had this appearance
but Tor q short distance within it, prob
ably two or three inches at the outside, a |
nero superficial veneeriug that once
through and person comes TO Ice as clear
as crystal and Of the Compactness OF tenn
pered steel. We broke Oh little bits OF 1t
here and there a. VIC walked along, eating
1t to stay our thirst, brought on by the
warm sun beating down upon us by the
iAiddle vi the forenoon, the heavy banks
Of clouds having cleared away aud left us
at the mercy Of tho sun, seemingly twice
as hot "a had ever folt before, as we
stumbled over the ridges Of boulders. II
was o very queor sensation to feel go un-
comfortably warm with unknown hun.
dreds Of feet Of Ice beneath ones feet, but
1t was made painfully evident that such |
was the case by the rapid manner In
which a person covered with perspiration |
would chill through when stopping TO |
rest, before getting half rested in fact, I'm.
less an extra article Of clothing was
thrown over him.
Even the most egotistic do not willingly |
pour their personal troubles or failures |
lutu Gue puDllc ear DuC Dau one that l !
thought might be interesting to tho gen.
sral reader, however uuintereSting and |
exasperatiDg it was to myself. My eye.
sight compelled me to wear glasses, aud |
without them 1t was quite hard to zee my |
way clearly whore my footateps had 10 be |
watched closely as on these treacherous
boulders on the inclines OF the rolling
glacier, had had considerable trouble |
with my glasses in the arctic clouding
over with The frozen breath Just at the |
very minute | needed my eyes the most,
but | thonght that when l left that eli.
mate with Its cold temperatures could |
never be sorely troubled again unless the |
unkind iates should send me back there
again. Now they were clouded over in |
another way, but equally as egeCtual. By
the psrspirAtion coming from my forehead,
where It gathered rapidly and fell as
struggled over the bonldars In the hot
sun on those oppressive days. In few
minutes handkerchief kept buey on my
brow was wringinR wet with the mois.
ture, and any attOmpt to clean my eye.
as..lkt II