The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-08
AMID ALASKAN
Perils of Winter Travel in the
ley North.
COLD THAT FREEZES The DOGS
Party Spends six Weeks on the summit
Out Of Dyea Disaster 10 fukoners
Improved Mail Service.

TIE difficulties and hardships OF carry
yng the mail IN the Arctic during the win
ter season Is shown In letter TO the
Alaska ssarchlight from r. Constantine
Healy. manager OF the Yukon Express n
TRANSPORTATION Company. Mr. beaiy 10 a
mariner of Fred Gasch. jr-. 81 this city,
whose peril In facing a severe @lndstorfn
after his provisions had been exhausted
was told In a recent number OF the POST
Intelligencer. The letter. which wac "Tlt-
ten at Dyea February II. tells bow the
marty started from Juneau December ID
reaching Dyea two days later- OWING 20 a
disagreement among the natives as I"
rates for packing. the party nah its Jug
gage frelghted TO the head OF the canyon
by Heaiy & Wilson's pack train. ana then
the natives were offered SIS per ~ pounds
10 the summit six miles distant
ssThe weather which was northsriys
saws the letter. continued 70 severe ana
clustering that they did not care 10 take
th. lob no between the head OF the can
yon and Sheep camp Ne put IN our time
iii the middle OF January trying TO move
our outfit. The weather was severe our
ing all this time. and We had but Two
DAYS that we could work a. all one OF
our dogs WAS poisoned and the other one.
while starting back 10 the post from camp.
was frozen 10 death. Finally ~ nara
work We got our oJtht 10 stone House.
MIR. Gssch got his feet badly frozen On
February 1 We managed TO induce The IN
dams 10 pack. Offering them - per 100
pounds from Stone House 10 Inc summit, a
distance OF one mile
.sAt BY Rock on the other side Of the
summit. Mr. Gasch and ] babe good-by TO
NJ sts@art and native. and started cut
for this side. We reached the place where
We had pitched our camp at the head OF
tho canyon. had our supper. ana "ere com
plimenting Ourselves on finally getting
teams across the range, when about 8
O'Clock IN the evening the Indian ap-
peared, surprising us very much. Hts
statement Was that "A north wind had
sprung up, which the dogs were unable TO
face Mr. Stewart tried TO persuade him
10 20 on to timber line With the camp cut
1T but he refused and kept continually
shouting:
Mahmaiooso, MahmaIoosep or Is
death. II IL DEATH. and holding his hands
over his face. which Was freezing lie
finally turned back. Stewart was com
PEELED 10 DO the same. after piling the
OUTFIT SO that IL could be found ], was II
!. m. when Stewart arrived In orr camp.
and II was indeed pleasant surprise, az
he was SO far behind the native that We
had almost given him up. He had his ear
and fingers badly frozen. and Joe. the ma
tive. had his face frozen
'"After holding council Mr. Gasch and my
sell returned 10 Healy q Wilson's post that
night Here We found Harry Davis, whose
services We Immediately secured. bought
another dog from one Of the natives and
started out TO try the Summit again. Davis
and Stewart and joe. the native got over
the Summit on the I'D and are now on their
way down the lakes. as fhe Indians report
going good on the other side.
This IL only giving you a simple outline
Of our difficulties The wolverines got into
our cache ~ Stone House and carried off all
our dog food a. well as Winchester
rifetD. With this aad much other bad luck
you can judge what kind Of humor We are
in. We wish Won and the people TO under
stand that We hucked the Summit OF the
range from December - TO February . We
did as well as any men could do. and better
than great many, finally succeeding We
are trying 10 do thf people OF the Yukon
valley service In giving them regular
mall route. We shall not he caught again
were this winter as We are going 10
have caches made At regular intervals Of
seventy or eighty miles all along tho river.
which VIII enable us to travel much lighter.
II would like to state for the benefit OF
miners going to the Yukon this spring that
they have a tran broken FOR them aud they
have the Yukon Express and Transporia-
ton Company 10 thank for the same In
regard 10 parties going up tho white pass
and Skagway route. from news sifted from
Indian reports. at date Of writing. the Gold
smith party is camped this side Of the sum
mt OF that pass. How the party Of seven.
calling Themselves the Alaska Mining Com
ptry who went that way. are gong Ga
mov" their eight tons 81 freight. which IL 4.
reported they have, without horses or other
sSslstau0t seems 70 be question"