The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1898-01-21
EARLY YUKON EXPLORATION.
George r. Adams Tells of the Hard
ships Encountered in 1865.

scarcely Deon winter III Cne history
of that great empire, when the miners
and gold hunters in the interior, as
well as the aboriginese. did not suffer
for want of the actual necessaries of
life.
George r. Adams, an early explorer
in the Yukon Valley, is in Seattle to-
dav, engaging in an Alaskan enter
prise. In the early summer of 1865,
Adams, then ranking as a lieutenant
in the expedition sent from San Fran
cisco to survey the coast of Alaska
and the lower end of the Yukon by the
Russian American Telegraph Com
pany, sailed with the party COM
manded by Maj. Robert Kennicott,
who hailed from Cleveland, O. The
party consisted of thirteen men-an
unlucky number. as subsequent events
determined - and embarked on the
fast-sailing bark Golden Gate.
1t was late in September, after a
voyage over the Pacific and through
the Behring Sea, that the party estab-
ilshed winter headquarters at UnalaK-
lik at the mouth Of the river of that
name, emEtyIng into Norton Sound,
about forty miles from Fort Get There,
on st. Michael's Island.
Maj. Kennicott took with him d
small steamer with which to ascend
the Yukon, his object being to survey
that river and contiguous territory as
far as Fort Yukon, 1880 miles by the
river route from st. Michael's. The
machinery of the steamer got ont of
gear soon after arriving at Unalaklik
The engineer labored to repair it
without success, and then young
Adams took hand at it. He was not
"a machinist, but was gifted with IA
love of machinery. and after Il few
hours work, while the other officers
Of the expedition stood around in fine
uniforms and looked on. Lieut. Adams
succeeded in righting things and the
steamer was ready for business.
1t was this unlOOked-for feat OH the
part of the Youngest officer of the ex-
pedition that impelled Maj Kennicott
to trust him with the important task
oi taking The first party ot exploration
into the interior of Alaska. In Octo-
ber Of 1865 Lieut.. Adams. with half
breed Russian and an Indian, started
in three-holed "bidarka up the Un-
alaklik River. At it's headwaters, the
party found a natural portage to the
Yukon, distant about 100 miles. They
reached the brink of the mighty river
at or near Nulato By this time they
were completely out of supplies.
Adams returned alone and brought
Ii ore food over the frozen Unalaklik,
by dog teams. Still, it was impossi-
BILE to get enough to last them, and
during the late winter months and
early spring they were forced to SUBJ
sist largely on what they could obtain
from the natives.
"The Indians themselves were in a
state OF chronic want said Mr.. Ad-
ans. "They were half starved, but
we've willing to trade frozen fish or
the fore quarter Of a venison for to-
bacco or any odd thing we might
spare. Often, the frozen fish we got
from them was found to be putrid on
boiling it. but we were forced on more
than one occasion to eat that or 90
hungry.
"Our beans lasted us nearly through
the winter but only by careful econ
omy. We would boil them for break
fast, skimming off the soup, which
we ate with black bread. plentifully
salted. One mess of boiled beans
would be made to last for three days.
We suffered greatly for some kind of
grease or fat meat to cook with our
beans. When, as sometimes happened,
we would secure quarter of venison
from the Indinas, or ptarmigan, it
was gala OCCASION
The following spring Maj. Kennicott
took charge Of the party in an effort to
make Fort Yukon. Before they had
reached their objective point, the ice
melted and further progress was almost
impossible, as they did not have boats
enough tn carry the entire party. Maj.
Kennicott's body was fosnd one morn
ing on the bank of the river Failure
to get to Fort Yukon, the scarcity OF
food and the hardships he had under
gone so preyed on his mind that mel
ancholia ensued, and he committed
suicide by taking strychnine Lieut..
Adams took the body down the river
COO miles to it's mouth and there buried
it. 1t was given out that Maj. Kenni
colt had met death in an accident.
This was to save his mother. then liv'
ing in Cleveland, from the sorrow thai
would have come with the knowledge
that her son had taken his own life
The story was not given out until las
September.
Lieut.. Adams rallied the party a
Unalaklik in the summer of 1866. Tht
supply boats were slow in reaching
Norton Sound. Finally, in September
the Behring Sea froze over. All hops
of succor left the small band of explor
ers They prepared to separate and liv'
off the Indians. Flour was no longe
to be had at st. Michael's. The Rus
sian missionaries were out of food
Starvation seemed certain. But thav
came. and then the flag ship Wrigh
and the ship Nightingale appeared II
the harbor one bright day. Two O
the party, Green and Cotter, succumbe'
to the strain, and were taken back t.
San Francisco in irons. They neve
recovered.
Hunger and Alaska are old friends
The starvating miners in the Klondik
are not pioneers in the art of trying t
make three months provisions last 81
months.