Evening star., 1896-11-16
The Unique Mail Service Into the
Interior of Alaska.
BY BOAT AND DOG
How Letters Are Carried to the
Upper Yukon.
AN INTERESTING REPORT


whole world, as well as the most unique
and the longest star route service on rec
ord, has just been established by the gov
ernment through the heart of Alaska. For
long time the Post Office Department
has had in contemplation the Inauguration
of some scheme to afford regular postal
communics ton from the Alaskan coast
to the settled portion of the interior A
vast part Of the territory is wild and un-
inhabited, but about the recently discover
ed gold fields there has sprung up a rude
sort of civilization and the hordes of pros
pectors and miners who have flocked there
dazzled by the intermittent reports of ric n
strikes have settled a section of the in
terror region. The glittering of gold at
Circle City, 800 miles inland on the upper
Yukon river, attracted large number OF
miners and others. who after settling had
no regula mail communication with the
rest Of the world Compelled to trust to
sometimes paid as much as a dollar let
ter for the privilege of sending by per-
sons leaving camp for civilization.
Hazardous Route.
The country was SO inaccessible that it
was difficult even to secure any accurate
information, and the major portion Of the
vast tract is still as little known in the
United States as the remotest parts of
the heart Of Africa. Postmaster General
Wilson, through his assistants looked over
this field and its needs and after lengthy
correspondence with Gov. Sheakley finally
obtained some data. He found that in
the vicinity Of Circle City there were about
800 people and many more during the
winter; that in going over the proposed
route, which has now been adopted and
is being covered under contract, begin-
al he
ried by river for q distance Of about 100
miles. Then would have to be encountered
a difficult portage of over thirty miles
Supplies have to be packed on the backs
of Indians over this stretch. at the end OF
which the upper Yukon is reached.
The First Trip.
For the remainder of the distance to
Circle City 1t was decided. as is now being
done, to carry the mails en- the river in
a small boat during a short season when
the river Is open and at other times by a
dog train. This service is now an accom-
plished fact. The first step was taken by
the establishment of a post office named
Circle on March 10 last. l.. n. Question
was appointed postmaster and not long
afterward a contract was signed with the
Yukon Transportation Company, a Chi
cago enterprise, for carrying letter mail
over the route. Five round trips already
have been made and one more during next
The compensation fer the service is $JUO
a round trip. The first trip was made on
June II, when ], 1,4I4 letters were started
from Juneau and carried into the Circle
City post office on the 14th of the follow
ing month. This initial expedition was
under the personal supervision of the
president of the contracting company, N
A. Bedloe.
The Destination Reached.
The season was very late. and while the
snow was too soft to permit the taking of
the launches over the Chilkoot pass the
lakes were not sufficiently open to allow of
their use. To overcome this obstacle lum
Der was purchased for two boats, to be
built on the other side of Chikoot pass
where they would be launched the
lakes. Half way to the summit of the
mountain IL was carried by the Indians,
when, tired out and exhausted, they abso
lutely refused to carry the lumber further.
and it had to be abandoned. Nothing
daunted. the party pushed on with the
mail and supplies. and at the lakes logs
were out and a boat built. From there
down, going day and night, there was no
mishap, but the seething waters of the
canyons and the terrible rapids passed
through are enough to add years to q
mans life. The question now with the lit
tie expedition was to get the return mail
back to Juneau at the earliest moment pos
sible. 1t was impossible to start up the
river owing to the rapid water For 500
miles the current averaged eight miles an
hour. Then Bedloe concluded that If he re-
manned at Circle City until the end of the
month it would take forty-five days to
pole the boat up the river. 1t was. there
fore decided to go on down to st. Michaels
and come out through Bering sea. The
party finally got back to Juneau, after
travelling $500 miles. in addition to the
regular trip, and saved over a month in
time In delivery Of the mail.
The Contractors Report.
The contractor was the last man into
the Yukon and the first one out during the
season. In his report on the trip, which
has just reached Postmaster General Will
son, he gives some interesting and hitherto
unknown data about the character of the
section, and says:
This Yukon trip is terrible one. the
miles an hour. Miles canyon is veritable
death trap into which one is likely to be
drawn without notice, and the White
Horse rapids. known as the miners grave.
to say nothing of the Five Finger and
Rink rapids, both of which are very dan
gerous All these dangers are aggravated
by reason of the defective maps and re-
ports of the country. You are probably
not aware that for a distance of $50 miles,
commencing at Circle City. and going
north, the river is fifty miles between
banks, and contains thousands OF Islands.
very few of which appear on any map. 1t
without at least three parties fully
equipped, the distance being so great. 1t is
out OF the question for the first party TO
return in time to depart with the succeed
ing mail. and the expense of each will be
about the same. Circle City is place of
1900 people, and from careful inquiry l
am satisfied that this winter there viii be
81 O9O, 900 of gold dust there. Yet when 1
left the only government official in the
town was the postmaster, and when when one M
considers that town lots are selling for
5000 each, it is wonder that there are
not more complications"
This contract did not provide for service
this winter. and another contract recently
was signed by which the mail is &c carried
and ice four times-round trips-from be-
tween November 1 and May 81 next: the
contractors, a Juneau firm. reaping $1.10O
a round trip as their reward -
st. Marks Vestry.
In the case of John P. Torbert and others
against Joseph B. Bennett and others. filed
to test the legality of the election of YES
trymen in St. Marks Protestant Episcopal