Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-01
THE MAIL IN ALASKA
A Trip of Nearly Two Thousand Miles to
Deliver Letters.
A Party of Five Started and Only
One Indian Returned-Terri-
BILE Hardships Endured.
From the Alaska News.


morning it was learned for the first time
positively that the American mail which
started for Forty Mile last December had
been safely delivered at it's destination,
and the carrier had returned again to civil
lization. Jimmy Jackson is quite a hero
today, and as he walked up Seward street,
clad IN his parka and moosehide boots, he
attracted as much attention as a circus.
His trip of nearly 1900 miles was a most
perilous one: one that the hardest and
most experienced mountaineer would have
long hesitated before attempting. Not that
| the journey would have been so dangerous
at favorable season of the year, il
would not. and the same ground has been
covered by hundreds of others, made, how
ever. in the spring fall when travelling
in the interior was good and the perils in
cident to arctic storms and billiards. had
passed. But to leave Juneau for Forty
Mile in December, when winter is at its
worst. and when residents of the Yukon
scarcely venture outside their cabins, was
considered by the old-timers here, who
were fully acquainted with the rigors Of an
Alaskan winter, to be little short of sui
cidal.
A Party of Five Persons.
Five persons comprised the party which
left for the interior In charge Of the mail,
three Indians. Jimmie Jackson, his nephew
Albert and Chilkat Bob The other two
were white Inen, l.. S. Hodge and N. Nc
Nelis, the former being printer formerly
in the employ of the News, and the latter
a miner, who for time worked on the
Silver Queen at Sheep Creek.
The party left Juneau on the 10th of De-
cenber. having an outfit all told weighing
between 500 and 300 pounds. A large canoe
conveyed them to the Takou Inlet, thence
up the inlet almost to the mouth of the
river The first camp was made at Sheep
creek, just below town, and the second at
Bishop Point. Upon reaching the inlet the
weather was very rough and the seas rolled
so high as to almost swamp their canoe.
The wind was fair and stiff enough to send
them flying until their mast broke, after
which paddles and oars were resorted to.
AS the upper end of the harbor was ap-
preached vast quantities of huge ice foes
were encountered, and in some places
eorSes that were almost impossible were
oimed, necessitating careful navigation.
Three miles below the cannery at the
mouth of the Takou river the party be-
came hcmmed In and were compelled to
camp there two weeks. At the expiration
of that time the wind shifted and the ice
blockade moved sufficiently to allow them
10 reach the fisheries, arriving there New
Year day. The following day ii turned bit
ter cold again and the wind was coming
down the river with the force of a hurri-
cane. Nothing daunted Jackson so early
in the trip. and he and the other two In
dians set off up the river with their dogs
sleds and outfit They had proceeded less
tlidii d mile WNSn the CoSS began showing
signs of succumbng to the terrible cold.
The sled was quickly unloaded and the
faithful brutes were unhitched and rolled
up in blankets.
One Round Of Bitter Hardshfps
The journey of sixty miles across the fat
summit was one round of bitter hardshfps
and terrible experiences. The thermometer
fell as low as Is below Zero the cold not in
frequently being accompanied by a driving
wind, which meant death to well nigh
every living thing within its reach The
white men Were utterly unable to travel
with the Indians, and the frequent halts so
often made necessary through exhaustion
made progress very slow. Every man in
the party was more or less frozen, Hodge
and McNelis suffering the most. not being
provided with proper clothing to withstand
such terrible cold AS much of the travel
ing as possible was done in the timber
but on the open places they We're left al
the mercy of the wind. After leaving the
summit the party crossed Pike lake ard
proceeded down the passage leading into
Lake Atm At the upper end of this lake
d party of six Tal1ou Indians were found
encamped, engaged in hunting and trap
ping. Being DESTROYS of securing some new
moccasins, the Indians stopped here a day
Whlle they were being made. Hodge and
McNelis, realizing what an impediment
they were to the Indians resolved not to
wait. but to keep on travelling. and get as
Tar along as they possibly could before the
Indians overlook them again. The route
down the lake was shown them and they
started off. The next morning the Indians
followed their trail until a point was
reached where they should have turned off
10 get INTO Takish lake, and there it was
seen the two men had gone astray Jack
son continued on the right trail presuming
that the white men, when they found they
were wrong, would retrace their steps and
then follow his tracks. Seventy miles be-
low the first Indian camp and about fif.v
miles above Takish lake another party OF
Takous were found encamped. they like
wise being engaged in hunting and trap
ping.
Two Are Missing.
On his way out, and while at Dyea, Jack
son met one Of the Indians with whom he
camped at Atlin lake. He said that week
after the Jackson Indians had left their
camp Hodge and McNelis had returned in
an almost starved condition. They bought
and traded for all the meat they could get.
taking fresh, sailed, smoked or anything
the Indians would dispose of. Upon leav-
ing they said they were going to Forty
Mile and would follow JacksOn's tracks
Since then not u word has been heard from
the unfortunate men. If they succeeded in
reaching the second camp of Indians and
remained there during the hard weather,
they are undoubtedly safe, but in the event
of their getting off the trail and failing to
reacn that point, there is not one chance In
million of their being alive. knowing
what he does of their being able to stand
fatigue and shift for themselves, jackson
does not believe they ever reached the sec
ond party OF Indians.
When jackson arrived at Forty Mile with
the mail, every man, woman and child in
the camp hurried to the trading post to re-
Ceive news from the outside world it being
the first to arrive in six months. Miners
were elated al the intrepidity and cour-
age shown in the Indians making the trip
at that season of the year that a hat was
passed around n the store, and nuggets to
the amount of $50 We're quickly dropped
into it. Forty Mile was reached March -
and after a rest of a week, jackson started
out on the return trip, via the Cnilkoot
Pass. His nephew Albert and The Chillsat
Indian were left at the post, being in too
bad condition to attempt to return at once
Both were badly frozen at different tin es
and it is remarkable that they should now
be alive. The return trip was made alone
as far as Sixty Mile, Stick Indian accom-
panying him out from that point One
week lost on the road through snow
blindness, but in actual travelling they
made the quickest time on record-twentv-
two days-from Forty Mile to Dyaa.
Will Try Again.
Jackson plainly shows the effects of his
terrible experience. His face and hands
are SO brown as to be almost black. On