The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-01
FOUND GOLD.
IN ALASKA
Hero of Nome Comes
Here.
HAD A PER|l0US TRIP
Former Superintendent Of Educa.
ton Writ is on Transport
Conemaush.

aboard the United States Army trans
port Conemaugh. now in thus port, there
- man who has but a short time ago
Gone through some most interesting ex-
.'Iences in Alaska. He Is l.. L. Writ.
IA y quartermaster's clerk on the trans
;cit and who was only "A short time ago
superintendent of education at Cape
Nome.
For two years Writ was I'm Alaska with
has family, attending TO educational mat
ters. On January 6th of this year, wish
hg To go to Washington on business reia-
I'VE to the estabC shment of a new mail
route TO Nome, ana other matters of I'M
pOrtance. Writ left his family at Nome
AID Travelled "a distance OF 1.z50 miles 10
Kodiak by means OF dog sledges. snow
shoes and a skin canoe; thence by steam
q 10 Seattle ana 50 TO Washington.
The long journey from Nome TO Kodiak
was fraught with every danger. hardship
ana discomfort that the bitter cold North
has to offer. Binding snowstorms, bitter
wInds, cold and hunger, anxiety and lone
iinCss are terms which give but a poor
sea OF the actual sufferings enc endures
travelling overland In Alaska in mid-win-
ter.
Writ was accompanied on his periIous
Journey BY Captain Worth. commander
Of the steamer Meteor of the Alaska Ex-
pioration Company. They started with
rlenty OF provisions and nine sledge dogs.
" hen they reached the Shelikoff Strait
IhCy had but one dog left. The others had
been frozen to death or had died through
1ver-exertion and scanty food.
f II had not been for the friendly In
Clans along the trail. WRIT and Worth
would have succumbed to the trying condi-
tons. IL was, they were practically
saved from death on several occasions by
the timely help of the Indians. whose viii
ages were scattered along the route.
Where II was possible, the sledge was
| -~ssvel on snow-shoes. and sometimes the
two lonely men made as much as sixty
| I've miles day In this way.
When they got to Shelikoff Strait the
5ledge and last remaining dog had to be
abandoned and the Journey to Kodiak fin
ished in a skin canoe.
Not only was this part of the journey
She most dangerous and risky but IL was
characterized by an event that was not in
| rhe least anticipated. In the first place
| a large skin canoe was obtained from the
Indians and two Indians engaged to pad
| lie IL over the one hundred miles OF wa
| ter between the mainland and Kodiak.
1 The canoe was a queer mixture Of frail
t. and strength. 1t was constructed o.
Hight willow and covered over with skin
II was twenty-four feet I'm length. twenty
Il Two inches in width and eighteen niche.
lGccp. Nothing could be carried except thu
scantiest provisions including n limited
supply OF water. The top of the cano'
was tightly covered over with skins ant
the members of the party lived for sil
Gays with their heads and shoulder
licking out through the skin-deck, pad
ding amidst heavy seas, fierce winds an
! = ntinuous storms. 1t was a miracle tina
The frail craft was not destroyed. but tn
Inexperienced Indians guided II safel
Itnrough the storm-tossed waters to IL
Toe stination. What surprised and startle
> Re men in the boat more than anything
csc was a day or two before Kodial
y IA reached, the sudden spouting of
huge whale in dangerously close proxim
lty to the boat To say that they wer
startled is expressing their feelings mild
liy. They at that moment never expecte
: 20 again see the land. The monster dis
. lappeared. however. almost as suddenly a
ne had shown himself, coming to the sur
Il &C again few minutes later and spout
ling about a mile away from the boat.
" was the middle of April when Wir
re tched Seattle, going from Kodiak o
1.-THE steamer St. Paul He went to Wash
iirGton and reported to the Government
,oncerning the Katmai trail route
mail route. This route Is shorter by a.
most a thousand miles than the Yuko
route The Government has decided I
,dopt this line of travel for the mail. an
mail will be sent over the line this wiz
tier.
In July Writ went again to Nome an
settled up his business there and the
(, brought his family home to Oakland
= California.
~ Writ owns several very valuable mimi
n cll inns at Nome and has leased them fC
several years. He now has a contra
with the Government for one year in II
3 transport service. Several handsan
8 cash offers were made him for his CLAIM
70 While he was I'm Nome but he refused
b sell.
n Writ speaks OF Nome as "A good countl
q although absolutely without local T
sources. Lumber vhens he left Nom
WIS selling at $3.50 per thousand feet, co
1T SIPS per ton, and sledge dogs at 81
IL each.
- The climate of these Hawaiian Islam
y - slightly warmer than that OF the Non
country, saws Writ. He wonders how
viii be IN the Philippines. Writ has le
'trs OF Introduction to many well-knov
PEOPLE in this city and is greatly fas'
dated with Honolulu.