The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-20
Mr.. WALKER A WALKER
In Fact He Walked More Than
$500 Miles.
THROUGH SNOW AND ICE
Remarkable Experience Of the Sailor
Who Journeyed All the Way From
Point Barrow, Alaska. to Ed
monitor With q Dog Team.


Walker. h sailor. the announcement
Of whose arrival at Saddle Lake was
given In yesterdays Standard. has
reached Edmonton after a walking feat
which seems Incredible. but must be
true under the circumstances He has
walked through snow and ice and
storms from Point Barrow, the most
a distance estimated at 1896 miles, and
his he has done in the winter season.
q large Fart of the country lying with
in the Arctic circle. Besides this feds
the adventures of the Alaskan prospec-
tors appear like a midsummer anbl..
Here is h Walker has 20 say % his
trip:
Il was employed on board of the
whaling steamer Orca of San Francisco
as a a header. The whaling feet
of the Pacific Steam Whaling nIpa
composed Of the Orca, the JEANNE, the
Freeman n the Newport, left san
Francisco on April 1, 1897, bound on Its
annual whaling trip in the Arctic ocean.
We had fairly good luck up to Sept. s,
when with two vessels of another fleet
we were nipped in the ice off Cape
Halkett, the two other vessels beipg
IN LIN Nv EIOItl
Cape Halkett we worked our way slow
ly through the ice foes and the field
ice to Point Tangent, where we were
blige to blast our way through three
miles of ice. using for that purpose 1,Ouo
POUNDS of powder. The effort was in
vain, and the ice continued 20 close
around us. In making this slow Jour
ney the Orca lost its rudder in the Jam,
but the crew was able to replace 1t al
Cape Smith, where they left supplies
for the crews of the JEANNE and the
Newport, which were still frozen i'm the
ice at a point some miles east of Point
Barrow.
After leaving Cape Smith we en-
countered only thin ice for some dis
lance, and managed to steam through
ii. At 3 o'clock on the morning of the
2lst of September the Orca reached
Sea Horses and steamed by that point
in safety. Nine miles east of Point Bel
cher we ran into the ice foes again,
and this time we were stuck fast
about three miles off shore. The Toe
carried away the rudder for the second
time and crushed some of the ships
timbers. At z O'Clock in the evening we
abandoned her and transferred our
selves n our kits to the freeman. Bad
luck followed u.s.. Three and a half
hours. later the Freeman was crushed
by the ice and all hands went to the
Belvidere. This boat was at the time
in comparatively clear water and man.
aged by hard work to steam to the Sea
Horse islands, where it e into win
ter quarters.
The LIST of November / left the Bel
videre in company with two Esquimau
boys and went to Herschel island.
There I was able to purchase a dog
team n hire some Indian drivers
With these l made my way to the
mouth of the Mackenzie river and start
ed IN my trip south. 1t was a mighty
hard trip, but IL was necessary to have
someone reach civilization and send
word to the Pacific Steam Whaling
company of the fate of their boats and
TO arrange for the relief of the men
left az Sea Horse islands. There are
six vessels in all which are icebound,
and ii viii be the first of July before
relief can be sent to them. The crew
numbers about 300 men. Point Barrow
is the nearest place at which supplies
may be had. and they have only 300
barrels of -four there"
Walker brought his dog team through
to Edmonton with him, and both dogs
and man appear to be in the best of
health. Walker leaves Edmonton to-
night for San Francisco. OF the $500
miles which he covered he walked $500.
and only diverged from the Mackenzie
river n its tributary, the A~thabasca.
in order to make Lake La Biche and
Saddle lake. where he sent his first
message on Saturday night. He reach
ed Edmonton the following Monday.
In the course of his journey, the latter
part of it, he met a number of parties
who are bound for Alaska. At the Peel
river he met six members of the Be-
gers party n found all of they, In
good health n very hopeful. as they
nae progressed further than they had
expected in the time which had elapsed.
-Four of the party a gone ahead of
the others and were reported 10 be at
Lapierre's house. a number of miles
west of Fort MACPHERSON. Below Fort
Simpson Walker encountered about Is
prospectors strung along the line, ant
all seemed to be making good progress.
He collected mail from many and
brought II to Edmonton. where he
mailed IL.