The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-03
GETTING MAIL
Up THE YUKON
Some of the Difficulties
Overcome.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Office, Riggs House,
Washington. Feb. 2.

Washington, Feb. 2
The Postofice Department has beer
making efforts to get mail to the Yukor
this winter from Juneau. There is little
trouble in supplying the coast towns Of
Alaska 18th regular mail service. TIC
get to the interior. where the miners
are, is always a difficult proposition
especially d ring the winter. The
United States has two routes, one ex-
tending from Juneau to Tanana, and
the other from Tanana to st. Michael
At present P. c. Richardson has a con-
tract for carrying the mail between
these points. His compensation is $685.
900 for the first route and $4,000 fol
the second. He has been the cause OF
trouble to the department. however
and according to John P. Clum, he de-
faults many times. 1t is required by
the Government that two round trips
be made each month over the first
route and one over the second route.
In the route from Juneau TO Tanana
the trip is by way of the Chilcoot Pass
Dawson, Eagle, Star, Circle, Yukon and
Rampant At each of these towns the
Government has established a post
Office.
On the second route from Tanana to
St. Michael, the following postoffices
are passed: Kozukuk, Anvik and ST.
Michael.
The Government has a special post
Office agent in Alaska to supervise the
carrying of mails, because of the unre-
liability of the contractor. Superintend-
ent Clum of the mail depredations di-
vision, says this officer has to engage
special carriers to take the mail. There
are two months in the year, however,
he says, when. it is impossible to deliver
mail. One is during the early fall,
when the ice is forming on the rivers
and lakes. and the other is in the
spring, when the ice is breaking up.
Until a railroad is built these difficult
ties cannot be overcome.
Superintendent Clum has Just re-
ceived a report from the postmaster at
Juneau, showing the amount of mail
carried overland to the mining regions.
1t must be remembered. he says. that
the Government does not contract to
carry all classes of mail to the miners.
ONLY letters will be carried. 1t was
thought better to limit the mail to this
class. because friends would send news
papers and all manner of things
through the mail, paying first-class
postage to insure their receipt. Now.
no matter what IL IS the Government
will take nothing but letters.
1t is interesting to note the number
of pieces carried bv the contractor dur
ing the winter months. AS soon as the
ice had formed November 81 the first
trip carried 6207 letters The trip of
November 10 had 1862 letters. The con-
tractor failed to make the December
trip. and a special carrier was sent by
the department with 1927 letters.
The December % trip took 1865 let
ters. and when January came around
the contractor failed again. and the
Government sent a special carrier with
1851 letters. The Government represen-
tatiye in the Klondike is w. F. Wilcox.
In the last annual reoort of the Sec
retary of the Interior it is stated that
the reindeer sent by the Government
from Lapland for the succor of the
miners had been turned over to the
postoffice authorities aid We're being
used for the carrying of mails. This
Superintendent. Clum says is mistake.
Not one of the reindeer sent has been
used. There was nothin~ to feed the
animals with, and some Of them liter
ally starved to death. When the herd
last was reported but IA remained. and
they were in the vicinity of Hutshi
Lo-