The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-11
CARRYING MAILS N ALASKA.
PeriIous Journeys Made With Uncle
SANS Dog Teams.


From the Seattle CWash) Press-Times.
Joe Cooper. the Yukon miner. tells
some interesting things about his recent
sledge trip from Fort Cudahy 10 the
coast. He Will soon start in again 10
make the return trip over the same route.
He says.
i leIt Fort Cudahy with my dog team
on Feb. 10. 1895, in company with Thomas
c Healey and my Indian guide. Simon
Kick, Mahlemute, from Yukon, a
settlement on the Lower Yukon. about 300
miles from ST. Michaels. brought out
the United States mail from the United
States postoffice, which is on Forty-Mne
creek, and named Mitchell. Mr.. Healey
DtcuSnt out the Canadian mail from Fort
Cuqahy. He also had his dog team
tor provisions took twenty-five
pounds of bacon, thirty-nve pounds OF
Deans, sack and a half Of -four. TWEEN
- pounus OF sugar, the same quantity
OF aried fruit, two and a half POUNDS
u baklhg powder two pounds of evap-
GRATED onions 10 cook with the beans.
uNe pounds of coffee three of tea ana
small sack of salt. Dried salmon ana
moose meat TO feed the dogs made one
half the load.
My dog team consisted of five dogs.
Mf. Healy started with six dogs. but
LOST one on the trip. All We're a little
worse Tor wear after reaching the coast
however, few days rest given them
they We're taken back over the same route
~ some men going in from Juneau TO
prospect with an outfit OF provisions The
weather was clear the most of the time
with but little wind, until we reached the
uypptf river. We found IL coolest between
Fort Cudahy and Pelly river the mer-
curry registering "a degrees below zero.
though 1t was much colder during Decem-
Der, 1871 and January, 1895 at which time
the spirit thermometer at Fort Cudahy
registered 63 degrees, and at Forty Mile
ana the Pelly river, 200 miles above, "a de-
IN ~ a
nearly all the way, and impeded our pr6c-
ress. II was February 16 when We reach
ca sixty Mile post, where we stopped two
our sleds.
we arrived at Peny river on the 22d
ana remained until the forenoon of the
zoth, the ice being so rough we had to send
lIlulahs ahead TO break the trail A stop
or one day was made twenty-miles, below
me Five Fingers, and a half days rest
Just above. From this camp we were
TWO days ia making Stick George's place
We attempted a short cut through the
prusn 10 save three miles of river travel,
but lost time by so doing, besides broken
snowshoes and sled lashings. The snow
on the river and lakes was about one foot
and a half deep, with heavy crust. not
strong enough to bear the weight of
men and dogs, There was no glare ice
except on the lower end of Lake Bennett
ana snort stretch about the canon. The
ice on the lakes was about three and one
mar Ieet IN thickness.
After reaching the Hootainqua we found
the ice much smoother than lower down
and travel a great deal easier. We us
ually made camp about half past four or
nVe O'Clock. The dogs were loosed from
their harness and their moccasins taken
or. The moocasins were made from
moose skins, with tops of drilling. They
came well up the legs and had gathering
strings around the top and another string
tied around above the foot. To remove
them was quite a task, but il must be
done, or the dogs would eat them before
morning. They were carefully dried each
night in the tent over the fire. without
them the dogs never would have made the
journey, as the crust was very bad, and
their feet and legs would have been badly
cut and sore Good dogs arc becoming
very scarce, and prices for them range
from SIS to 500. With all our care Mr.
Healy lost one of his One pound of dried
salmon once a day was the rations for
each dog. My couch consisted of ever
green bOughs over which was spread
! canvass cover and a sleeping robe made
by sewing a rabbit-slSin robe into a dou.
BILE Hudson Bay blanket, SKI, Weighing
fourteen pounds.
From Pelly river to Lake Bennett. a
distance of 400 miles, we did not see a
person, although we sometimes came
across trails. Our hardest work was in
making the portage around Miles canyon,
the river being open. We found It neces-
sary to unload our sleds and pack every
thing over the bluff. The best time was
made from Takish house to the head OF
Lake Bennett, siXty-flve miles in two days
From Hootalinqua to the summit we made
in ten days
The river both above and below the
White Horse rapids, was open; also the
creeks between Linderman and Lake Ben
nett Our stock of provisions held out
well and we cached our surplus of more
than 200 pounds when nearing the sum
nit. There were signs of abundant game
but we did no hunting though sometimes
rabbits would come and give themselves
up Many black timber wolves were seen,
and sometimes they followed us for miles
but did not offer to attack us. The dogs
seemed WQllsh in their nature, and would
answer the calls of their savage cousins
with bowls so familiar that to us the sound
seemed exactly the same one day l saw
glacier bear on a small hill some 700
yards away. I fired at it, but missed the
mark, and l began TO think how badly
the bears mamma would feel if she had
losther pet, so did not have the heart to
kill it.
I'VE left Lake Bennett about five miles
from it's head, and took direct line to
Chilkoot Pass There we met the first two
of the Yukoners who started into that
country this season, but afterward we
met about 800 more, all feeling cheerful"
WEBsTER'S QUEER EKEs.