The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-01-26
AN ALASKAN ADVENTURE.

AN ALASKAN ADVENTURE.
Three Members of an Exploring Ex.
petition Fight Hunger and Cold.
For some time, early in the present
year. the belief prevailed at Washing
ton that Lieutenant Joseph P. Cashier,
of the Fourth United States Infantry.
who was member of military ex-
plorlng expedition in Alaska, had per
ished of cold and starvation.
With two private soldiers Of the
Fourteenth Infantry, Bitch and Nc
Gregor by name. Mr.. Castner left the
commander of the main expedition,
Captain Glenn. near the Tanana River,
in the summer of 1898, in an attempt to
follow up the Volkmar River to the
headwaters of Birch Greek, and follow
that stream down to Circle City. He
found that the maps indicating the pos
sibility of such trip We're grievously
wrong.
He lost his mules in rafting them
across the Tanana, or within short
time after their passage, but the three
men went on afoot. They travelled 100
miles over II country which WAS all
mountains or marshes. They pressed
on farther and farther, their provisions
rapidly giving out and their clothes be-
ing torn from their backs by thorns,
On Sept. Is they found they had pro-
visions for one day only, and then they
attempted to find their way back.
Cashier climbed a lofty hill, and saw
only range after range of snow-capped
mountains. The next morning the
three breakfasted Off their last scrap Of
bacon. For several days." Mr.. Cast
ner says, "our rations had run so low
that the privilege Of licking the frying
pan was one which we almost fought
for. That afternoon l managed to shoot
two small ducks. We ate them, bones
and all.
Next day we heard the bowls of an
old she-wolf across the canyon. Look
ing up, we saw her standing in front
Of two-half- grown cubs. She was howl
ing to call the attention of third,
which was out Of sight down the can
yOn, but which presently came into
view within easy range.
Zone of the men fred and missed.
He fired FIVE times before he killed 1t,
and each time the cub came closer out
of sheer curiosity, till it fell dead fifty
yards from the slayer. 1t had never
seen human being before. We got
the skin off that wolf in double-quick
time, and found the flesh delicious"
They, hoped to live on little birds
till they could get back to the carcass
Of the last lpule they had killed. They
built raft. tearing up their last blan-
kets for lashing lines, and launched out
on the rapid mountain torrent called
the Volkmar.
They shot rapids after rapids, getting
soaked to the skin. Presently the raft
was sucked under a log-jam; the three
men chung to the logs for their lives,
and their raft and everything on 1t was
swept away. Their guns and ammuni-
ton and their shoes were gone. They
could shoot no more game.
Barefooted and wet, they kept on
their way. leaving tracks Of blood on
the snow, which had now, toward the
end of September begun to fall. BY
and by they reached the carcass of
their last mule, but wolves and carbon
birds had picked its bones clean.
There We're few berries here and
there, and on these the travellers lived
for the next six days. Here and
there says Lieutenant Cashier, "a
cranberry bush would be found, and
around it we would gather for break
fast. The red seed-pods on the rose
bushes were plentiful, and l believe
they saved our lives. for they were al
most all we could find to eat. They
lad been bitten by the frost and had a
sweet taste-at least, so it seemed to
our famished stomachs.''
At the end Of the sixth day, when
their feet were SO sore that every step
was torture, and when they were ready
TO lie down and die, they heard the
sound of an ak. Seeking it, they found
u party of Indians, who received them
Hospitality and fed them on moose
meat. In few days they had recov-
cred strength sufficient to enable them
to start out again
Eventually they reached-in Novem-
berthe military post at Rampant, and
then started with a dog-team on a
l,3O0-mile journey to Skagway. They
arrived there Feb. "a, 1899.
The Inventor of Lucifer Matches.
A monument will be erected to