Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1899-08-05
AN ALASKAN ADVENTURE.

For some time garry IN tue PfrHV"t
year. the belief prevailed at Washing
ton that Lieut. Joseph I. Cashier. OF
the Fourth United States Infantry. WAS
a member o, military exploring ex-
petition In Alaska. had persisted OF
cold and starvation.
With two private soldiers OF the
Fourteenth Infantry. Blieh and Me-
Gregor by name, Mir Cashier left the
commander OF the main expedition.
Capt. Glenn. near the ranana river. in
the summer OF 1888, in an attempt TO
follow up the volkmar river To the
headwaters OF Birch creek. and follow
that stream down 10 Circle city, He
found that the maps indicating tho
possibility OF such a trip we're griey-
ously wrong.
He lost his mules In rafting them
across the Tanana or within short
tlne after this passage but the threa
men went on afo0, They travelled one
hundred miles over a country which
was all mountains or marshes Thes
pressed on farther and farther. theli
provisions rapidly giving Out' nd their
clothes being torn from thvir backs
by thorns. On Sept IS they found
they had provisions FOR one day only.
and then they attempted 70 nnd their
way back.
Cashier climbed a lOtty hill, and saw
only range after range OF snoN-eapp~d
mountains The next morning tho
three breakfasted OF their last scrap
OF bacon For several days. Mr.,
Cashier says. "our ratiOns had run -
low that the privilege Of licking the
frying pan WAS one which We almost
fought for That afternoon managed
TO shoot two small ducks We al.
them. bones and all.
Next day We heard the hoWis OF an
old she-woit across the canon. Looking
up. We saw her standing Ia frout o, two
half-grown cubs She was bowling 10
call the attention OF laird. which va.
out OF sight down the canoa. bot Witch
presently came into view sithlH sasy
range.
One OF the men arcd and mlss>d
He bred iye times 5efUre he allied u.
and each time the cub came closer GA,
OF sheer curiosity. tlll n fell dead ntty
yards from the slayer Il had nsver
seen human being before. We eos
the skin on that wolf Ia double quick
time. and found the assh fsliclDua-
They hoped to 1--we on little birds .iil
they could get back 10 the eareAs. OF
the last mule they had killed Thsy
built a ratt, tearing up their as,
blankets for lashlns lines and launched
out on tho rapid nouutaia torren,
called the volkmar.
They shot rapids after rapids. get.
ting soaked 70 the skin. Presently ,hs
raft was sucked under log Jam. the
three men chung 20 the logs Tor their
lives. and their raft ana everything
on Il vas swept away Thslg guns and
ammunition and thslr shoes wers gone
They could shoot no more game.
barsfooted and vet. they kept on
their way. leaving tracks Of blood on
the snow. which bad nov. toward "a.
end Of September. begun TO fail ny
and By they reached the carcass. az
their lost mule. but wolves and carbon
birds had picked it, bones clean.
There we're few berries here a1s
there. and on these the travellers lived
for the next ak days Here and
there" says Lieut.. Cashier. "A Gran.
bsrry-bush would be found. and around
u we would gather for breakfast. tn.
red sssd-po-is on the rose bushes ~.rs
and believe they saves our
lives. for they we're almost all ~. eoaIs
Ind to cat. They had been bitten by
The frost and had a sre~. ta.,e-~t
least. ~ II seemed TO our samsshed
stomachs."
At the end Of the sixth DAY when
their fe>t we're 40 sore tina, every .s.p
was torture. and when they were ready
10 lie down and die. they heard the
sound Of an axe. Seeking II. they
'ound a party OF Indians. who received
hem Hospitality and fed them on
noose-me~t In few days they had
covered strength suficisn, 20 cnabl.
hem TO start out again.
Eventually they rcached-in Noysm-
'er-the military pos, at Rampant, and
hey started with dog-seAn on a
hirtsen-hundred-mlle Journey to shAx. !