Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-11-26
SUPPLIES TO YUKON REGION.
Provisions Transported In sieds Draws by
Dogs.

Dogs.
In commenting upon the efforts OF
the secretary of war to ascertain the
Aest means of getting supplies up
the Yukon river, IA developed in
his recent inquiries upon that impor-
tant point, and the replies of Senator
Perkins, Mr.. j. T. Dyer, pioneer in
the Alaskan territory, expressed to n
Washington Star reporter his great
Interest in the subject, and said;
Permit me to suggest that | was
in Alaska when our government con-
summated its purchase. We made
st. MichaePs our base of supplies,
and from there we transported them
across Norton sound. both by boat
and on sleds, to Unalachlete. From
Unalachlete, with dogs and sleds, we
transported supplies of all kinds, even
to boats and canoes, over the trail
made by our sleds to Nulato. We
showed the Russians how to accom-
plish this work, they never having,
prior to our advent, used dogs and
sleds for that purpose. They always
waited for the Yukon to open, when
their sloop would leave st. Michacl's
with provisions for their trading posts
on the Yukon. Proceeding to Nuklu-
kay they would meet the Indians from
Upper Yukon and barter for furs,
usually returning to st. Michaels
with sloop load.
eff were in that country and had
the proper facilities linen, dogs, sleds
and proyisions---I could transport all
supplies required across the country,
making depot or cache at or about
Nulato, 600 miles from the coast.
With relay of teams would take the
goods to point higher up the river,
where men with dogs and sleds from
the Upper Yukon would meet tho
teams and forward the supplies to
their destination. This would be at
tended with some hard work and pos
sibly with some suffering, but it can
be done. And what is little suffer-
ing compared to the possible starya-
ton of hundreds of men?
"We usually hauled 400 pounds to
a load, with fve dogs to n team, using
the Ingelete sled, made wholly of
birch, very elastic and very strong.
We thought nothing of several hun
dred-mile trips, camping at night on
the banks Of some stream among the
spruce trees, or staying at an Indian
village over night.
with Richard Golfer of Missouri
and three Maleymute (Esquimaux) In
dians--lsaac, Lunchy and JIM once
made the trip from Norton sound to
the Yukon river with dogs and sleds,
through the Koyukon country, being
thirty-three days on the tramp. Dur
ing that trip we were caught in sew
eral severe snow storms, but we were
careful and camped until the storms
were over We did not suffer very
great inconvenience nor any serious
drawbacks. Our constant travel from
Unalachlete to Nulato made trail
over which we passed with convent
ence and dispatch.
at was sight TO gladden. orr
hearts to witness the style and com
fort in which Stepanoff, the Russian
bidarshik, travelled, with two fine
sleds, each with seven magnificent
dogs, and accompanied by five serfs.
| have known his teams to travel G5
miles day over the ice from st.
to Unalachlete. We offered
him 500 each for his dogs, which
offer he refused
"This transporting ofgoods by dogs
and sleds, after the trail is made, is
not by any means difficult task. l
have Travelled many hundreds Of miles
on snow shoes and with dog sleds, and
have been ON the Yukon river at all
seasons"