Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-11-20
BLOOMING ALASkA.
Farewell Letter From the United state
Exploring Expedition.

Farewell Letter From the United states
Exploring Expedition.
The last news for at least year of the
government expedition for the survey of
Alaska reached st. Louis on Monday in
letter TO Patrick McGrath, father of John
Il. McGrath, one OF the chiefs of the OK
ploring party. AS the expedition WAS or
gani1ed by the United States government
in order that reliable survey of
its most northern territory, and espe-
cially its unoxplored parts, might be oh
IaInod, Information of the welfare and
work of the party is of national interest.
The steamer of the division which Mr..
McGrath commands has now nayigated
the Yukon river further than any steamer
ever went before. Ii will, during the
winter, travel through an unexpected
land.
1--WE have been steaming up the Yuk on
for eleven days, and are now 200 miles
beyond that point on the river which is
halfway between st. Michael's and where
l expect TO go. This is q great river. Near
its mouth II Is almost twenty-five miles
wide, taking in the various channels
through which II reaches the sea. Ii re-
sembles the Mississippi. our boat is small
for wood, much of which we are compelled
10 cut. Another cause of delay is tho
muddy water, which necessitates frequent
cleaning of the boiler. When we lett st.
MichaePs we were given ilattcring fare.
well, with flags Tying and cannon boom
ing.
Every fifteen or twenty miles we come
upon an Indian settlement. More desulate
novels you cannot find anywhere. Tho
sex of the natives is indicated in their dress
only by the length of their fur coats. The
women wear their coats long behind and
the mems are cut of equal length all around.
When you get close 10 them the women
have another distinguishing featuro-they
have three straight lines tattooed on their
chius. \ man can take as many wives as
he can support, and each one has To work
as hard as possible. Further up the river
the state OF affairs is different. There q
woman may have two or three husbands.
The furniture in the native hut is very
sparse a few birch-hark baskets, some
spoons Of ivory, wooden dishes arrows,
spears, maybe gun, straw mats and furs
Everything smells worse than a soap fac
tory. The people are literally covered
with yermin. They are miscrably poor
They get very little for their game and fish
they have 10 sell. Both are so plentiful
that we have tired OF ducks, geese and sal
mon.
" A am writing, there are some mag
niheenl mountains in sight. They remind
me OF The ilrst range of the Rockies in Col
orado. In the woods there are lots of roses
and the hillsides are us green AS any lawn
in spring. IL IN difficult to believe that this
is an Arctic land when you observe the
luxuriant forests the green grass, the flow
ers, and mark how warm the DAYS are.
But dig down ten inches anywhere and
you will find the ground frozen hard. At
Mulato they have, dug twenty-five feet to
get water and the ground was frozen all
the way down. In spite of this the weather
Is so warm that every man is going around
IN his shirt sleeves Mosquitoes are plen-
tlful and ferocious.
I'VE reached Fort Yukon on July 2, and
our parties separated. Turner and his
party went mp the Porcupine river and |
am making my way slowly up to the boun-
dary. Turner is the first man TO take a
steamer up the Porcupine. The river is a
regular mountain stream, rising with every
rain and falling Immediately aiterward.
Turner struck 1t at "A low stage and went
up forty miles. Fort Yukon is but a
name now. There Is not stick of one of
its houses left. The English used 10 think
It belonged TO them, but survey showed
that 1t was twenty-five miles within our
territory and they had to move out. As
there was no business 10 warrant occupa-
ton, the houses OF the Hudson Bay com
pany were allowed 10 20 10 ruin. Moose
are plentiful aud cheap, but people eat