The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-17
THE NOODLE PARTY.


Wandered Or tho Peace River and 10
Now at Fort
Great Falls, May 16.-Word has at
last been received from the Noodle
party, sent out by the Canadian gov
eminent to explore a trail from Ed
monitor to the Pelly river. Instead of
following the recognized trail the party
has wandered up the Peace river and
is now at Fort Graham, which post
they reached early in January, and
where they have since remained block
AIDED by five feet of snow, and not
daring to move for a further reason,
a lack of food for the dogs. Many do
not hesitate to charge the leader of the
party with -incompetency. n as a
proof of their claim, state that al
though the party had a complete out
fit n was travelling light, 1t was
longer in passing over a well-marked
trail for Dunvegan from Edmon-
ton than 1t o a party of
prospectors loaded down heavily
with supplies. Another claim they
make is hat another police party has
Just made a 2,000-mile trip in a months
less time than IL has taken the Noodle
party to cover 1000 miles.
OF this mistake made by the Noodle
party in the choice of a route, the Ed
monitor Bulletin
LAS to the route from Fort st. John:
The route which has always been ad-
vocated by the Bulletin, and which has
the indorsation of a majority of the
practical men acquainted with the con-
ditions, lies northward to the Lard
east of the Rocky mountains. and on
the west side of the Nelson branch of
the Lizard. after that stream has been
reached. On this route the mountains
are passed i'm the valley of the Lard
f.,a~ xx~HtaI 10 fAllnx-A1 IN the AtntdA
between the Lard and the Pelly. In
stead of taking this course Inspector
Noodle crossed the Mountains by the
very first pass north of the Peace river,
thereby choosing a mountainous,
thickly timbered country of heavy
snow fall to travel through instead Of
the much more level. much more scant-
lily timbered and better erased u
try with much lighter snow fall east
of the mountains. The difference in
the practicability of the two routes is
shown by the fact that while Noodle
was stuck in Ave feet of snow at Fort
Graham in January, Jack Graham and
party, who took the eastern route to
the Lard from Fort ST John during
the summer. returned from the Lard
to st. John in December and January
with horses, and lost only one.
THE success of Graham's trip proves
c~onclusively that the proper route lies
east OF the mountains to the Lard
river, and hat in crossing the noun
tains where he did, Inspector Noodle
was not taking the proper course to
reach the Yukon. Possibly he had been
instructed to try to reach Telegraph
Creek by a direct route to make con-
nection with the projected railroad.
His course would seem to indicate that
such was the case. II so, his failure
may be charged up against that pro-
ject, but il cannot be against the Ed
monitor route. As long as he stuck to
the Edmonton route he t~raveled-very
slowly, no doubt, but he Travelled.
When he branched off towards Tele-
graph Creek he stuck. That is his
failure occurred west and not east Of
the mountains. So that instead of it's
being an argument against the route
east of the mountains, 1t is-if the cir
cumstances are properly understood
an argument in favor Of the eastern
and against the western route. Ora
hams trip prove that the country IL
practicable both in winter and sum-
mer from the Peace to the Lizard. while
Noodles failure proves, II 1t proves
anything, hat II is not practicable west
of the mountains in winter, n IL re-
mains to be proved whether II Is prac-
ticable in summer or not"