The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-20
CARRYING MAILS IN ALASKA,
A letter From One of the Carriers Tells
Something About Its Difficulties.
IErnln thu Alnslzn Snnrcnlir ht. y


A letter From One of the Carriers Tells
Something About Its Difficulties.
tFrom the Alaska Search!ight.l
The difficulties and hardships of car
rying the mail In the Arctic during the
winter season is shown in letter from
It. Constantine Healy, manager of the
Yukon Express and Transportation
company. The letter, which was writ
ten at Dyea, February 18th, tells how
the party started from Juneau Decem-
Der 10th, reaching Dyea two days later,
Owing to a disagreement among the
natives as to rates for packing, the
party had its luggage freighted to the
head of the canon by Healy & Wilson'S
pack train, and then the natives were
offered fifteen dollars per one hundred
pounds to the summit, six miles dis
tant.
1.-THE weather, which was northerly,"
says the letter, Continued so severe
and clustering that they did not care
to take the job, SO between the head of
the canon and Sheep Camp we put In
our time till the middle of January try
ing to move our outfit The weather
was severe during all this time, and we
had but two days that we could work
at all One of our dogs was poisoned
and the Their one, while starting back
to the post from camp, was frozen to
death. Finally, by hard work, we got
our outfit to Stone House. Mr.. Gasch
got his feet badly frozen. On Februa-
ry 1st we managed to induce the Indi-
ans to pack, offering them six dollars
per one hundred pounds from Stone
House to the summit, a distance of one
mile.
AT Big Rock, on the other side Ut
the summit Mr.. Gasch and l babe good
bye to Mr. Stewart and native, and
started out for this side. We reached
the place where we had pitched our
camp at the head of the canon, had our
supper, and were complimenting our
selves ON finally getting teams across
the range, when about eight O'Clock in
the evening the Indian appeared, sur
prising us very much. His statement
was that north wind had sprung up,
which the dogs were unable to face
Mr.. Stewart tried to persuade him to
| go on to timber line with the camp out
| fit, but he refused, and kept continual
| ly shouting:
'Mahmaloose! Mahmaloose," Git is
death, 1t is DEATH, and holding his
hands over his face, which was freez-
| ing. He finally turned back. Stewart
4 40 no
piling the outfit so that it could be
found. 1t was II p m. when Stewart
4 arrived in our camp, and 1t was indeet
a pleasant surprise, as he was so ia,
behind the native that we had almost
| given him up. He had his ear and fin
gers badly frozen, and Joe, the native
had his face frozen. Da
| After holding council Mr. Gasch ant
myself returned to Healy & Wilson'S
4 post that night. Here we found Har-
ry Davis, whose services we immedi-
ately secured, bought another dog from
| one of the natives, and started out tt
| try the summit again. Davis ant
Stewart and Joe, the native, got owe,
the summit on the 23d, and are now or
their way down the lakes, as the Indi
/
| This is only giving you a simple out.
| line Of our difficulties. The wolverine:
| got into our cache at Stone House anf
carried off all our dog food as well as
a Winchester rifle. With this ant
much other bad luck, you can judgt
what kind of humor we are In. We
wish you and the people to understand
that we bucked the summit of thu
range from December goth to February
/ 3D. We did as well as any men coult
! do, and better than great many
finally succeeding We are trying Il
do the people of the Yukon Valley {
service in giving them regular mai
route We shall not be caught agair
as we We're this winter, as we are go
ing to have caches made at regular in
tervals of seventy or eighty miles al
along the river, which will enable us tt
| travel much lighter"
|