The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-06
WET AND ROUGH.
What the Surveyors Find
in Alaska.
Some Unpleasant Adventures Related
in Correspondence From the
Boundary Line.

According to. several private letters re-
cpived by Captain A. F. Rogers Of the
United States Coast and GeOdetic Survey
from E. F. Dickins, who has been up on
the Unook River, on the boundary line
survey between Alaska and the British
possessions. along with one OF the Cana
dian parties, the latter has not been hav-
ing an altogether pleasant time of it.
He writes, under date of July 5. that a
bright, clear day had not been enjoyed by
little progress had been made, despite the
weather, between showers.
A letter of date still previous told of
the adventures experienced in going
through canyon. whose steep sides were
only $50 feet from each other Down this
narrow gorge the river rushed and foamed
in whirlpoOls. 1t was only two miles 10
length. but it took two days to get the
canoes up. the men hanging on TO the
rocks, ciumps Of bush and branches of
dwarfed trees, as well as they could. The
Indians had said that they could not
make it, The party had to camp out on a
gravel bar after their exhaustng work.
On July 1 another canyon was attempted
and overcome.
In this timber jam was encountered.
One canoe. loaded with provisions and the
cooks outfit, was pulled around safely. but
a second was capSZed. the swift current
carrying its contents tar down the stream
and scattering them along the banks. The
canoe, itself, was recovered on a sand bar.
two miles below. All os Mr.. N.Ain,,
clothing, save what he actually wore. was
lost, and his gum boots were. hardly fit for
mountain climbing after he had been in
water for days up to his knees. along with
his Woodworking men. Fortunately his
blankets did not share the fate OF his
clothes, and a goOd-hearted Canadi let
him have a pair OF light shoes and some
winter socks.
The experiences of the party must have
been decidedly rough in some instances.
because Mr. Dickins In one letter rather
bewails the fact that only two miles prog
ress had been made in nine days. The
Unook had fallen about two feet, owing
to the rains, but it was expected that the
melting of the snow up in the mountains
would cause it to rise again soon. As
tronomer Edmunds, who is at the mouth of
the river, had not been able to accomplish
any latitude work on account of the clouds.
The steamer 81 ssler, which has been car
rying chronOmeters between the boundary
survey points and Port Townsend, arrived
twice at the mouth of the Unook and at
Taku Inlet, but stopped only short W bile
each time.
Since MAY Taku Inlet has been pretty
we'll filled with ice and the steamer Patter-
son barely escaped being damned among
the bergs and f1oes. but through the efforts
of j. E. McGrath, who is in charge OF one
of the parties and who possesses reputa-
ton from having spent two years on the
headwaters of the Yukon, landing was
finally made. Herbert G. Ogden was
found hard at it on the Taku and enjoying
good weather. in fact had been having
beautiful weather all the time.
Mr. Dickins eventually came down to
Fort Wrangel and wrote letter from that
point also. There he had chance to re-
plenish his personal equipment The
Rassler landed at that port about the last
Of July.
Messrs. McGrath and O. II. Iittman.
he writes, will start up on The Stickeen
River soon on trianguation and topo-
graphical work. He hoped to have every
thing completed by September 1, and the
surveyors expect to come down to Port
Townsend soon afterward for the winter
Two Canadian parties had come into
Wraneel since his arrival. one, which Mr.
Flemmerer accompanies. going out again
immediately, but the other, which Mr..
Pratt is along with, remained, owing to
the rain