Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-27
TIE HAIL N Alaska.
\ Trip Of Nesrly Two Thousand Miles
to Deliver Letters
Party Of Five Started and Only
One India Returned - Terrible
Hardships Endured.
Naska News.

n 1rQSnlpS endured.
Alaska News.
Upon the arrival Of the Rustler this
morning it was learned for the first
lime positively that the American mail
which started for Forty Mile last De-
cember had been safely delivered at its
destination. and the carrier has re-
turned again to civilization. Jimmy
Jackson. is quite a hero to-day. and as
lie walked up Seward street. clad in his
parka and m0osehide boots, he at
tracted as much attention as circus.
His trip Of nearly 1000 miles was a
most perilous one; one that the har-
diest and NOSE experienced noun
taineer would have long hesitated be-
fore attempting. Not hat the journey
would have been so dangerous al IA
v0rable season o. the year, as IL would
ne. and the same ground has been
covered by hundreds OF others, made
however. in the spring or fall W1en
travelling lin the interior was good and
the peIi,s incident % arctic storms and
billiards had passed. But TO leave
Juneau for Forty Mile i'm December
when win-er is at its worst, and when
residents of the yukon scarcely ven
ture outside their cabins. was consider
Cd by the Old-umers here, who were
fu,y acquainted with the rigOrs Of an
Alaskan winters. TO be litde short of
suicidal
A PARTY OF FIVE PERSONS.
Five persons comprised the party
which left for the interior in charge Of
the nail. three Indians. Jimmy Jack
son. his nephew Albert and Chilkat
Bob. Tse other TWO were white men.
l. s. Hodge and y. NcNelis. the former
being q printer form erly in the employ
OF the News and the latter a miner who
for a time worked on the Silver Queen
al Sheep Creek.
The party eft Juneau on the 10th Of
DcCembeT haviug an outfit all told
Weighing between 500 and 900 pounds.
A large canoe conveyed them 20 the
T2kou Inlet. thence up the Inlet al
most 90 the mouth of the river. The
first camp was made 3t Sheep creek.
just below town. ana the second at
4
let the weather was very rough. and
the seas rolled SO high as to almost
swamp their canoe. TIE wind was fair
and swift enough % send them flying
until their mast broke. after which pad
dies and oars we've reScrted 10. As
the upper end OF the tsrbCr was dp-
preached vast quantities Of huge ice
foes were encountered. and in some
places gCrgcs chat were almost impasS-
abe were tCrle.. recesSitating careful
uaviga ion. Three miles below the
Csunery az the mouth OF tha Tak1I
river the party became hemuel I'm and
were compelled 10 camp there three
weeks. AT the expiration of thai time
The wind shifted and The ice blockade
moved sufficiently 20 allow them 10
reach the fisheries, arriving there New
Years C2y. The following day it
turned biUcr cola dgs.n and The wind
was coming down The river with the
force OF q hurricane Nothing dauDc-
ed Jackson Sd early I'm the trip. and he
and the other Two Indians set of mp the
river wrlh their dogs s.els and Ou-ht.
They had proceeded less than mile
when the dogs began showing signs of
sUccumbing 90 the terrible cold. the
Sled was quickly unloadsd. and the
faithful brures were unhitched and
rolled mp in blankets
ONE ROUND OF BITTER HARD
SHIPS.
The journey OF sixty miles across the
fiat sumuit was one round of bitter
hardships and terrible experiences. The
tbermOmeter fell as low as 60 below
zero, the cC.d not iufreQuently being ac-
companied by a driving wind, which
meant death 10 w % night every living
thing within its r53Ch The white men
were utterly unable 20 travel with the
Indians. and the frequent balts So often
made necessary through exhaustion
made progress very slow. Every man
in the party was more or less frozen,
HOdg and McNeliS suffering the most
hot being provided with proper cloth
ing 90 Withstand such terrible cold. As
much of the travelling as possible was
done il the timber. bu, on the open
places they were left at the mercy of
the wind. After leaving the summit
the party crossed Pike lake and pro-
ceeded down the passage leading into
Lake Atlin. A- the upper end of this
lake a party of six TakCu Indians were
found eucamped, engaged in hunting
and trapping Being desirOus OF secur-
lDg some new m0cc3s!ns. the Indians
stopped here q day while they were be-
ing made. Hodge and McNelis, realz-