Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-05-02
in THE WILDS OF ALASKA
An All-American Route Discov-
cred by Lieutenant Heron.
FIVE MONTHS TRAVEL IN SNOW.

dition Was Caught In the Tolls of
Another Great UNITS Besides
Mount Mckinley, 10000 Feet High.
The report of Lieutenant Joseph s.
Heron, Eighth cavalry, who, with his
small command, was reported to be lost
in the vicinity of the Mckinley range,
Alaska, in the fall and winter Of 1899,
is about to be published by the war de
partment, writes the Washington cor
respondent of the New York Sur. a
portion of the territory traversed by
Lieutenant Heron and his men was
never before pressed by the feet of
white men, and the narrative of that
officer represents the heroic efforts of a
small party in unknown regions against
almost insurmountable obstacles, de-
serted by guides, caught in the tolls of
winters ice and snow and deprived of
transportation and hampered by scar
city of food. 1t was only in the early
spring of 1900 that intelligence reached
the wal department that the gallant
band had arrived in safety at Port
Gibson.
After engaging in some explorations
in and about Cook inlet during the
months of May and June, 1899, Lieu
tenant Heron and the men who were
to accompany him into heretofore IN
explored regions were landed by steam
boat at the head of navigation of the
Keechatno. From this point began the
series Of overland explorations to the
Yukon, the object being to discover
the most practicable route to the juno
ton of hat river with the Tanana.
The detachment was composed, in adj
dition to Lieutenant Heron, of five
men. Fifteen pack horses carried ra-
tons to Oct. 81. Considerable trouble
was encountered in getting Indian
guides. Two Indian guides were final
ly engaged, and on July 1, 1899, the ex-
petition began it's journey.
The first objective was to get through
the Alaskan range, a mass of enor-
nous peaks and glaciers about 10 miles
wide, extending across Alaska and con-
stituting the chief barrier to the inte-
rior. The expedition consumed the en-
tire month in exploring these noun
tains. Moose and bear were OCCASION
ally encountered, which gave the expe-
dition fresh meat. On July % the crest
of the divide was crossed, and the eX-
petition started down the other side.
East of the divide the drainage is into
the Pacific ocean west of it into the
Boring sea. The latter is closed by ice
in winter, while the Pacific ocean is
open.
In the latter part Of July the Indians
1ncorfnd on6 wont hoaL to tho a0oSt
This proved a severe blow to the expe-
dition. Thereafter Lieutenant Heron
travelled by the compass and sun. With
September came frosts that killed the
grass and leaves, and the horses We're
fed on flour. A great deal of food was
subsequently lost during the month by
accidents Of one kind or another from
which men and horses suffered. One
night a big brown bear knocked down
a cache and ate so pounds of bacon.
Fortunately an Indian crossed the
bears trail and killed it, and members
of the expedition evened up matters by
eating bruin in turn.
For two months Lieutenant Heron
was compelled to remain among the
Indians before he could figure a way
out to civilization. In the meantime
he was not idle. He learned the lam
guage Of the tribe he was among in or
der that he might gain all possible
knowledge of the country yet to be ex-
plored and by so doing worked the res
cue of himself n men. In the mean
time the horses had either died natural
deaths or had been killed and eaten.
The horse blankets carried by the par
ty were made into clothing, socks and
mitts. Their food, when they could get
it, was moose, beaver and fish. The In
dians were h~ospitable, but required
careful management.
In h latter part of November Lieu
tenant Heron, with four Indians as
guides, resumed the exploration of the
last III miles on s~nowshoes, cutting
and blazing a trail and mapping the
country as he went along. Nine dogs
and three sleds hauled such impedi-
menta as remained to the expedition.
During the extremely cold nights that
ensued the men bivouacked on the
ground. digging through the snow, us
ing their snowshoes as shoveIs, piling
shelters Of spruce trees around them
and keeping the fire going all night to
keep from being frozen to death. 1t
was only when they found a band of
Indians camped at Coshaget, on the
Tanana, that such luxuries as bread,
butter and tea passed their lips.
At 3:3 on Dec. IL, 1899, the little
band of hardy explorers reached their
objective point, the junction of the Ia
mana and Yukon rivers, after having
passed 5 months and II days on the
trail. The total number of miles trav-
eled was 1000, all on foot
In his observations on the country
traversed Lieutenant Heron says he
should judge the Kuskokwim to be
n~avigable for large steamboats, as far