Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-07-07
aHiseellanenms 8eaaing.
UP IN THE FROZEN NORTH.
Soldiers Build Quarters In
the Snow.
WHERE DAYS ARE SIX MONTHS LONG

JuC Oho"s
WHERE DAYS ARE SIX MONTHS LONG
Grand and Beautiful Scenery In the
Mountains and Along Shore-Plen'
ty of Hard Work to Keep One
Busy-Lieutenant Allison Tells OF
His Surroundings In Alaska.
Correspondence Of the Yorkville Enquirer.
PORT VALDEZ, Alaska, June 15.-
i have not forgotten that promised
The ENQUIRER letter when 1 was
ordered out of the United States, and
I would have written it some time ago
but for the press of business since
landed here.
On the 10th of April I left Colum'
bus Barracks, Ohio, for Seattle, Wash
ington, pursuant to Especial Orders
No. A, Headquarters Department OF
the Lakes" dated April 13, 1900.
I had delightful and pleasant trip
out west over the Pennsylvania, Bur.
lington and Great Northern railroads,
arriving at Seattle, Washington, about
half past 9 o'clock p. M, on the goth
of April. On the 21st I reported to
General Randall, commanding the de-
partment of Alaska, for duty, as direc.
ted, and my first order was to proceed
to the wharf and superintend the load
ing of the United States transport
"Rosecrans," a transport I hope shall
never see again. I succeeded in get.
ting the supplies for Port Valdez, or at
least what was remaining, loaded
aboard the transport by the afternoon
of April 2Srd, at which time my com.
pany-Company G., Seventh infantry
arrived under the command of Cap
tain Jas. B. Jackson, Kentuckian,
and one of the finest officers in the
service.
We-Captain Jackson, Lieutenant
G. w. Otwell, battalion adjutant,
Seventh infantry DR.. Arwine, acting
assistant surgeon, company G, Seventh
United States infantry; So civilian en-
ployes and myself-steamed out the
next morning at about half past 4
o'clock, and was all right until about
10 o'clock, at which time we left Pud-
get Sound and rolled into the Pacific,
so named, have always been told, on
account of its peaceful waters" If
so, then I want to brain Balboa. l
believe he named it. He was the
erandest liar this world has ever pro-
duced, for during the entire voyage at
sea I could hardly tell if we were on
our heads or feet. I mean the crew.
I had no trouble in telling what I was
on, for I don't think I got off my
back until we reached Prince William 9
sound, about rs miles from Port Val
dez. Then I really enjoyed the ride
up the narrow sound, about 40 miles
wide, and fringed with mountains on
either side 5000 feet high; but you
NAV Just excuse me from the sea. l
often prayed that the transport would
never come up again when she would
make lunge and the waves from the
ocean would 60 entirely
over the deck; and I fully believe my
prayer would have been answered If
She had not been one of the best small
transports in the service. She is $50
feet long and fine boat, bought by
the government from the North Pacific
Whaling company for $150,000.
We steamed into Port Valdez, Sun
day morning, April 20, about half past
10 O'Clock, fired bomb to attract the
attention of Captain w. r. Abercrom-
bic, Second U. S. infantry, command.
ing the Copper River Exploring Expe-
dition, who has been, for the last two
years, at Valdez, small mining town
four miles across the bay. We found
the captain was in the interior, which
fact we learned from an engineer SOL
dier who came abroad the transport and
showed US the site selected for the post
by the chief engineer officer of the de.
partment. In the afternoon, the COM
manding officer, the captain of the
transport, the superintendent of con-
struction and myself all went ashore
to look for a place to land the supplies
for the post. We found seven feet of
snow, and although the weather was
comparatively warm, there was thick
crust on top of the snow which had
formed during the long and cold win
ter.
On the morning of April 30th, we
commenced to land and pile on top of
the snow the supplies for the post, and
succeeded in rafting over one-and.a-
half million feet of lumber and sup
plies in portion, on shore by the
afternoon of May 9Th. When you
consider all of the stuff had to be raj.
ted, there being no wharf here, by a
company of 100 soldiers and IS civil
ian employees, and in so short time,
you can form some idea of the idle
moments we spent. The snow melted
quite rapidly, so when we started to
raise the first building on May 18th,
we had to move only four feet of snow
to get to the surface so we could con.
struct foundation.
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