The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-03
ALASKAN EXPLORATIONS.

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash, May MEM
bers of the Alaskan exploring expedition
sent out year ago by Arkell g. Harrison
| arrived here yesterday on the steamer
Mexico. Recently newspaper reports were
afloat that f. Hazard Wells, the chief, and
one man had probably perished from
starvation The last news from them was
in July, 1890, when Wells was pushing
into the interior of Alaska. The explorer
and three men in his party had thrilling
experience, battling against starvation
and other dangers, and barely escaping
| with their lives. One man named De
| Haas, an old mountaineer, was left at a
trading post suffering from prostration
| from the Journey. The men returned are
| E. Hazard Wells. the leader; A. B. SchanZ,
a scientist, and Frank Prince. The Chilli.
kat native "Indiank" was left at Juneau,
Alaska. He accompanied Wells through
all his trials Other whites and natives
employed in the work Of exploration were
| discharged in Alaska Altogether over
| $50 persons saw service at different times
as retainers of the explorers. Mr. Wells
| says none of them attempted to travel be-
| yond the River Jordan, as newspapers re-
port.
I'VE paused, nearly starved, upon its
bank" said he. ITO correct fanclfuI
statements published" continued Mr..
| Wells, addressing a reporter, Il will
briefly present you with some facts The
expedition originally consisted of five
white mon and twenty-nlne Chlllkat In
dams. We left the Pacific coast at Klock-
wan, Alaska, May TO- 1890, to cross the
| Chilikat Mountains by a route never be-
fore traversed by white men. DR.. Kran,
of Berlin, had previously assembled by an
other route to the summit of the Chilikats
on the ocean side, and had looked off into
the country beyond, but had returned
without entering. Our party was the first
to descend the far side After 112-mile
march across mountains, glaciers and tor
rents large lake was found and named
'Arkell' A smaller lake was named
Maud Lake Arkell proved to be a reser-
voir of Tahkr river. We claim it to be the
the source of the Yukon river. The head
waters of the Yukon were located by
Lieut. Schwatka in Chilikat mountains
further south.
AT the upper end of Arkell the native
packers were all discharged save Indiank,
and returned home. f. j. Glave and John
Dallon were then detailed to do exploration
work on the unknown AlteZk river, sup
posed to be close at hand. They success
fully accomplished the undertaking, but we
saw them no more. Glave's narrative has
already been published. The main party
continued its eXplorotions on the lake and
then on Tahkr river, which was mapped.
The severe sickness of A. B. SchanZ next
necessitated change of plans. He was
left at Surveyor McGrath's camp on the
Yukon river, in care of doctor. / then
enlarged the party by adding two white
miners, De Haas and Leggitt, and started
on long contemplated journey overland
into the interior of Alaska, marching
through an unmapped region for several
hundred miles. The scenery was chaotic
ally grand. The moon seemed to have
photographed an impression of itself upon
the face of the EARTH LegSitt went back
to his gold claim; the four of us remaining
pressed on and were finally reduced to des-
perate straits by starvation.
"A mountain trap inclosed us in gloomy
silence. We blazed large fir trees and
wrote names dates and directions as to
our intended route so that our fate might
perchance one day be known if we failed
to escape. Baffied in one direction, we
fiOated down hitherto uneXplored river
for $50 miles. Amidst exciting adventures
and halrbreadth escapes from death we
finally struggled 700 miles to a trading
post. The narrative of this journey will |
till pages. Subsequently with five men |
made the journey of 1900 miles on the cold |
days of fall and winter, using dog teams |
and sleds for 300 miles through snow. We |
reached the southern coast of Alaska in |
safety, having fortunately been reioined |
by Schanz. whose labors in the interim |
had been important 1t appears that !
after he recovered from his illness he left |
Surveyor McGrath's camp with two men |
undertaking a skiff journey down the |
Yukon. He finally met trading boat /
and took passage at st. Michaels He |
ascertained that no ship would call before |
July, 1891, and supposed his associates on |
the expedition would be out of Alaska /
long months before he could get away.
AN opportunity was afforded for doing |
special independent work and he promptly |
embraced it, undertaking with Census /
Agent Greenfield an adventurous journey |
of 900 miles. doing geographical workof i'm !
portaDce upon the way. Finally Schanz |
went into winter quarters while Greenf field |
kept on to Rodiac SchanZ prepared for |
shedding journey, with white trader for |
a companion and a number of native assis- |
tants. When his preparations were nearly |
completed the other explorers of the expi- |
dition appeared taking everybody by sur |
prise. SchanZ. made his journey as planned !
in the coldest months of winter He en-
dured hardships, but was successful in |
mapping. among other features of the |
country, the second largest body of fresh /
water in Alaska In the interval | Jour
neyed on TO the coast with men and dog
trains, having arranged meeting point |
with Schanz. and in nineteen days of Feb
ruary l travelled 800 miles of snow buried /
Schanz finally arrived, and the !
party was eventually transferred by char
tered schooner TO Sitka, Alaska, where we
took the mail steamer south"
1t cures headache only-Prs ston's He
AXE"