New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-25
OPENING POSTOFFICES ~ ALASKA.
RECENT VISIT OF AN INSPECTOR WHO INTRO
DUCED NEW SYSTEM.

DUCED A NEW SYSTEM.
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
After travelling five thousand miles through d the
Offices on the Yukon River and six others on the
coast and in Southeastern Alaska Postoffce In
lsr %a 2Sn to reosaz the United states postal
services the Far North has returned to this city
Topeka. which arrived from Juneau last night.
Since leaving Seattle nsPeetor Gum has Travelled
OF his duties. over thousand miles or the dis
lance was made on the Upper Yukon IN H., pe'er
young man twenty years OF age.
Inspector Clum describes In an interesting man
his rapid-transt system OF p9stonce es'asn.n.
ment II * something new in The history of ms
Washington had length awakened TO the fact
that the conditions in Alaska consequent upon we
dixie had never been duplicated. TO meet tnese
conditions Inspector cum Was sent sen n'S me
If ever been given TO one man In the service before
In the years preceding the be %, ' Cheerful
custom of the Government TO allot about thrse
Yukon one summer the would-be postmaster
would send I'm his application. The next summer ne
onh IN HANK with instructions to nil it out and
return it in order to receive his commission: Some
mission miss would arrive BY that time, the tradition
Of the Department goes the new postmaster woua
scnrvv or have LETT the country The system
not brilliantly successful
pact form he carried with him to Alaska complete
OUTFITS for the establishment OF nostsI
cards and what not. he took with him dating ard
a onn bnes Of thai sort But most important OF
ali the a.tices in his outfit were blank bonds and
CUM was given fun power select appoint and
commission, with no one 10 say him nay HIS was
dent with the advice OF score of subordinates and
the direction OF Congressman of all kinds OF
politics MI. oh-,, ,,s,.,,.r
Clum SAYS What had formerly taken three years
he'd a i l
fact vouched for by Inspector Cum m that one
in twenty minutes The little steamer merely
showed her nose against the bank; the inspector
and made him postmaster. almost willy nlly,. Al
most before the population Of the town could as
was left standing by his little heap OF office para
phernala duly Gommissioned I and swo pT while
operation. which had included even the naming Of
the Hf Sc estabsSng the service in wranee skag
uay i'F Dyea pyramid Iarb9r Hapss MissicS; and
sh offices a. CaSn CITY M nS 3 SHEEP S. Sa%p
Ing began over the Chilkoot Pass he and his son.
H. " Clum took their eIsheenJfo9 S canoe, Weigh Weigh
and pounds of provisions anu postotce supplies.
,hd ome DOWN to they
journey Of nearly one T1 Mills
and peril but was accomplished without accident
After e' leaving Dawson the work of establishing
offices began. Eagle City was the first ,, at ., the
mouth OF Mission creek, one Hiics petow
Dawson Next followed Star. at the mouth OF
Seventy Mile. and then Circle lily was reached
Here there was already office. At this point
the canoe was abandoned and the inspector took
passage on the steamer Seattle No / From this
noint on the progress was rapid. The boat was heid
at each point only long enough for the inspector to
10 do his work No time was wasted The ofrces
established In their order. at Fort Yukon.
Rampant City, Tanana. at the mouth OF me Ia
the same name and Anvik. at the mouth or the
Anvik River The trip from Circle City took only
nine days. and forty hours were spent on sand
bar.