Daily camera., 1898-11-03
POSTAL PIONEERING.
The Work Of Opening New Offices
in Alaska.
Recent Visit Of an Inspector Who In
troduced New System-Th0
Old Way Was Rather
Clumsy.

from Seattle last March to reorganize
the United States postal services in
the far north, has returned to Sc
attle.
Since leaving Seattle Inspector Clum
has travelled altogether 10000 miles in
the performance of his duties. Over
1000 miles of the distance was made
on the Upper Yukonin Peterborough
canoe, accompanied only by his son, a
young man 20 years of age.
Inspector Clum describes in an in.
teresting manner his rapid-transit
system of post office establishment Il
is something new in the history of tbs
postal service of the nation. The
government al Washington had al
length awakened to the fact that the
conditions in Alaska consequent upon
the discovery of the paralleled riches
of the Klondike had never been du,
plicated. To meet these conditions In
>pector Clum was sent into the new
territory, clothed with authority such
as ha> rarely, if ever. been given tC
one man in the service before.
In the years preceding the discovery
of the K!ondike. Mr.. Clum states, il
had been the cheerful custom of the
government to allOt about three years
to the esta blishmtnt of post office
on the Yukon. One summer the would
be postmaster would send in his ap'
plication. the next summer he woulC
receive his appoin tment, with his
official bond in blank, with instruc-
tions to fill it out and return it in or
der to receive his commission. Some
time in the third summer the post.
masters commission would arrive. By
that time, the tradition Of the depart.
ment goes, the new postmaster woulC
have been eaten up by bears. died OF
old age or scurvy, or have left the
country. The system was not bril-
liantly successful.
But Inspector Gum changed all this.
In a compact form he carried with
him to Alaska complete outfits for the
ablshment of post offices. Be
sides post office supplies, such as
stamps, postal CARDS, ana what not,
he took with him dating and cancel
ing stamps, keys for mail sacks and
dozen and one things of that sort.
But most important of all the articles
in his outfit were blank bonds and
commissions for the postmasters
These Inspector Clum was given full
power to select. appoint and comm1s
sion. with no one to say him nay. His
was the entire authority usually e1er-
cised by he president, with the advice
of a score of subordrates and he di-
rection of congressman of all kinds
of politics.
The new system worked like a
charm. Inspector Cium says. What
had formt! ~ taken three years was
accomuIished in almost a few minutes
Il is a fact vo1ched for by lG&pl rtor
Clum that one Yukon post Office was
established ready for business in &C
minutes. The little Steamer merely
showed her nose against the bank, the
inspector jumped ashore, selected a
likely looking citizen, and made him
postmaster. almost Wiily-nilly. Al,
most before he population of The town
could asse m bic to look on and wonder
the new postmaster was leftstandine
by his little heap of office parapher-
MALTA, duly commissioned and sworn
while the inspector sailed away down
the river. The operation, which haG
included even the naming of the office
was complete.
After establishing the service in
Wrangle, Skaguay, Taiya, Pyramid
Har5or, Haines Mission, and ins pectine
the offices already established in south
eastern Alaska, Inspector Clum pro
ceeded to establish Offices at Canyon
City and Sheep Camp. This took unit
late in May. On May 20 his pioneering
began. Over the Chilkat pass he and
his son, H. w. Ciu1ii, ,uoK heir lSfooi
canoe. weighing but 80 pounds. and
about 1000 POUNDS of provisions and
post office supplies. From Lindeman
down to Circle City the canoe was their
home. In "a days they made the jour
ney of nearly 1000 miles ,|stopping two
days at Dawson. It was a trip tuii o.
interest and peril, bpt was accom-
plishled without accident to their little
craft
AFTER leaving Dawson the work of es
tabishing Offices began. Eagle City
was The first. at the mouth of Mission
creek, 100 miles below Dawson. Next
followed Star, at the mouth Of SeyGpty-
Mile, and then Circle City Mas Fe4eAed.
Here there was alLss44aadA ae office. At
this point the canoe was abandoned
and the Inspector took passage On the
steamer Seattle No. l. From this point
on the progress was rapid. The boat
was held at each point only long
enough for the Inspector to do his
work No time was wasted The qf-
fees established, in their order. were
at Fort Yukon, Rampant City. Tanana.
at ibe mouth OF the Tauana; Koyukuk.
al the mouth of the stream of the same
name. and Anvik. at the mouth Of the
Anvik river. The trip from Circle City
took only nine days, and 40 hours were
apeut on a sandbar,-Seattle Post-In-
telhgenceE.