New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-23


-, Dow.on City -four ran up to over SlOO par
-, few horses have been brought INTO the
| ,rv hut In the absence Of roads, the scarci-
-, q, food and the rigor OF winter climate nave
not nroved a success At Dawson, although 'he
wages Of a man and team are 500 Day no.
ave, al that does II pay with hay at sl-o 10 $loo
q ton land not pound was to be had "ieai
/ vas there IN July even at these hgures)' anu INC
! ho-ses were fed on bread made from Hour
ranging in price from 500 to $500 barrel
REINDEER THE ONLY SOLUTION.
"-r,o onv solution Of the question Of reason
.,,o land TRANSFORMATION and rapid communica-
! zion and travel between mining centres hum
dreds OF miles apart in sub-Arctic Alaska is
tho introduction and utilization OF domestic
randeer Last winter party OF them hauIng
nine sleds made days journey with the .elh-
perature at 13 degrees below zero. On iols
tourney through an uninhabited country dog
foam cannot haul sufficient provisions 10 1eeu
themselves A deer with two hundred pounuS
on the sled can travel up and down the ill9ul
tains and over the plains, without TOW ,, -
rail from one end Of Alaska to the o'her, Nv
ing on the moss found In the country Wnne Sn0
he travels In the four months travel OF L,ouV
niles last winter the deer were turned OUT ~
pight IN fnd their own provision, except upon
a stretch of the Yukon Valley below AuViK'
distance OF forty miles. ,,,,.
The great mining interests OF Central Alash n
carnot realize their fullest development until
the domestic reindeer are introduced IN sun
Gent numbers to do the work OF suppEhs niS
miners with provisions and ,reiSht aia a., so o,,t
the miner speedy communication with the ou.
side world 1t now takes from nifty TO siAE
DAYS to carry the mail between 49, ~,
CITY and Juneau. With the establish,hen. - %
ralor stations at suitable distances the rem
deer teams will carry the same mail IN -FOUR OF
Ave DAYS The reindeer Ia equally lHipoi @ai.e W
the prospector Prospecting at a o.st Ia, w.
the base OF supplies is now imposslpIe nc
nrospector can 20 only as far as the one nun
dred pounds Of provisions. blankets ana 1GUtS
will last him, and then he must return. " "a
Wounds each making half ton OF supplies ne
can go for months, penetrating regions hun
dreds OF miles distant, his deer grazing Mie.
creat +hat in the days to come 1t will be a
matter of surprise that the utilization OF inc
deer was not vigorously pushed at the start
A pERILoUs WINTER JOURNEY.
Dr jackson IN his report gives an interest
ing and graphic account OF the journey Oh WV
thousand miles made with reindeer Teams -
Alaska last winter. The account IS not o''''
intensely interesting. but highly Instructive
showing, as It does. the difficulties ana dangers
OF winter travel in inland Alaska Inc journey
was made by Mr.. KJellmann. accompanied oy
two Lapp assistants. and the main purpose
was to demonstrate the feasibility OF winter
travel with reindeer. With seventeen t Sation
and nine seds the party LETT Ielier ota.i t
port Clarence, on the afternoon or Dece'hoe.
10 1896 with the mercury 10 degrees oeIo"
zero. The course. which was tiavenet p' .V dn-
pass. was zgzag one. in order better 10 oe.
teru1Ine the extent and abundant OF moss
pasturage. ...,. ,,r, maintain
ranges. shooting down precipitous deciVltles
win tobogganing speed, plodding through val
l.ys filled with deeply drifted snow. laooriousIy
cutting a way through the man-high thuei
brush Of the forest or steering across the track
M before
of white man, gliding over the hard-crus'eo
snow or wading through slush two feet deep on
imperfecty frozen rivers unknown 10 eeosra
ers we're the experiences Of the trip Inc
second day OF the journey. with the tempera-
ture IL degrees below zero. and over rough.
broken and painless country. they i'"ue u''
lance Of sixty miles
Norton Sound was crossed on the ice. Contln-
ming his account DR.. jackson says: ON me
afternoon OF January ii and morning OF tne
18th eghty-1ve miles were made in Twelve
hours The native guides at ST. Michaels being
afraid 10 undertake a winter trip across the
country to ikogmuts the Russsn i =, oa VI,
be done Mr.. Kjellmann started on January ~
without them, travelling by compass on the
23d, while crossing a barren mountain range,
they were overtaken by that dread spectre a
Russian 'poorga.' Neither man nor beast could
stand against the blast. The reindeer were
blown down and the loaded sleds overturned.
The men, throwing themselves fiat, chung to one
another and to mother earth TO keep from being
blown away. Stones and pieces OF crushed Ice
flew by, darkening the air lull coming Tow
ard evening with great difficulty little cofee
was made after which the storm broke with re-
newed fury during the night, which to the trav-
ellers clinging TO the earth with desperation
seemed endless. The following day belt or
timber WAS reached and rest and safety secured.
January 25 and &c found them cutting way
for the deer and sleds through a dense forest.
from which they finally emerged to wade through
snow and water two feet deep. and the tempera-
ture at zero.
ION the 31st they encountered a succession OF
driving, binding snowstorms while crossing the
tundra south OF the Yukon Delta being reduced
TO such straits that they were compelled 10 cut
the railing from their sleds for fuel: On Febru-
airy the storm passed away, leaving the tenn
perature at - degrees below zero, causing even
the reindeer TO break loose from their tethers
and tramp ceaselessly around the tents for
warmth. Notwithstanding the severe cold. the
Journey continued. and at o'clock in the
afternoon they found shelter and warm well
come from the Moravian missionaries at Bethel.
On March 10 between the Kauskown and w.
kon rivers a lake fifteen miles vide was crossed.
FACING DEATH BY STARVATION.
THE struggle for life began. however, on the
11th. when they reached the Yukon country
and. contrary to information. found no moss
for the deer push made up the Yukon. to
reach II possible. the Episcopal mission at
Auvik There being no food. the march was
kept up all night. ploughing their way through
loose snow two to four feet deep, and on through
the 18th, with the snow falling fast. That after
noon two Of the deer fell dead and were left
with their sleds where they fell. while the
Journey continued uninterruptedly through the
binding snow the second night On the 18th
two more deer dropped dead and were aban-
doned. as the party with desperate energy
pushed ahead day and night for food and life
on the 14th another deer fell in his traces
That evening a native hut was reached and the
continuous march OF four days and three nights
without sleep or rest and without food for the
deer over Trees were cut down by the
Lapps that the deer might browse on the black
moss that hung from them, while Mr. Kjellmann
suffering with high fever, was put to bed
by the medicine woman and dosed with tea
made from some medicinal bark. On the 18th
one o: the Lapps who had been securing the
country reported moss upon q mountain sixty
miles away. The deer were Embarrassed and
driven to the distant pasturage while Mr.