The daily morning Alaskan. (Skagway, Alaska) 1899-1904, 1900-05-17
Mushers Crawl Long Dis
tances on Thin Ice.
MAN BREAKS THROUGH
Fisherman Drops Into Atlin Lake
and Is Rescued With the Aid of q
Trained and Faithful Dog-Exper-
fences of Late Arrivals.

J. W. Stansfeld, pioneer musher, and
Frank Govne. of the acknowledgements
+ Log Cabln-AtIin flyer line. have arrived
from Atlin after exceedingly perilous ex-
periences on the trail. Govne got out two
DAYS ahead of Stansfield. but both men
encountered peril after peril that would
furnish thrilling chapters in volume of
frontier life. They came over the Fantail
trail and are probably the last men to get
out this season.
StansfeId left Atln last Friday at 3
o'clock in the morning, and was until a.
m. SUNDAY making Log Cabin. He had a
team of six dogs and brought with him
one passenger, Capt. Boutwell,, master of
the little steamer Lorelei, recently taken
from SkagWay to Bennett. Mr.. STAINS
field in relating his experiences saws:
"When vet on AtIn lake we happened
along just in time to rescue fisherman
from drowning. He had started out on
the ice little this side Of Atin, and had
broken through in soft place. He was
frightened and lost his presence of mind,
or he might have gotten out alone. How
ever, we came up just in time and imme-
diatev planned scheme bv which we
rescued the unfortunate fellow.
"Unhitching nv leader of the dog team
attached long rope to him, and bv gee
ing and having managed to make him
encircle the hole in the ice through which
the fisherman had dropped. By the dog
encreling the hole the middle of the rope
was carried to within reach of the fisher
man, and he seized It and held fast and in
that way we were enabled to drag him
out Getting on the soft edge he re-
manned on his hands and knees and in that
condition crawled for a long distance to
where the ice was strong. We took the
poor fellow to camp not far away and left
him there to dry out, and resumed our
journey. We did not learn the name of
the man He was engaged in fishing in
the Atlntoo river.
1.-THE remainder of our journey was
largely struggle over bad portages, on
treachereus ice and through slushv SHOWS
and at one time we were on breaking and
floating ice. The last five miles of the
journey we found the old trail too difficult
to travel and simply turned aside.
"Charles H. Dewitt, the Skagwav con-
tractor, was met struggling along under a
big head OF steam, and having the greatest
difficulty in making progress. He had lost
the dogs with which he started out, and
let him have one of M dogs with which
to complete the journey. We met him at
the ferrv at Hugh's, and it was somewhat
|; ughable to contemplate his case. He
bemoaned the fact that he had ever under
taken to take a box of oranges to Atln.
His scrapers were Catered along the trail.
Everyone else, 1t seems, has gotten his
supplies off the trail"
Goyne was two and half days coming
from Atlin to Log Cabin. He says:
81 was more than ten hours making
eleven miles on the Teepee portage. In
many places it was simply case of wa>
lowing through snow, and in others Of
crawling over thin ice.
SIN making Munson's portage crawled
full mile on nv hands and knees, fear
ing that should stand up nv weight
would carry me through the flimsv ice.
ut is barely possible the mail men will
get out by using skees or snow shoes, but
travel trail from Atlin to the outside
world is practically closed for the season, u
Stansheld expects to leave soon for the
Big Salmon country.