The Minneapolis journal., 1901-04-15
HEROES OF THE ICE
Lieutenant Herron's Exploring Trip
Was Full of Hardships.
PENETRATES AN UNKNOWN LAND
He Thinks He Has Found an Amerf-
can Route to the Center
of Alaska.


--SRS- w " DC lOSt III luc flCLully "a NJ
Kinley range, Alaska, in the fall and win
ter OF 1899, is about to be published by
the war department. A portion of the ter
rltory traversed by Lieutenant Heron and
his men was never before pressed by the
feet OF white men, and the narrative oil
that officer represents the heroic efforts
or small party in unknown regions
against almost unsurmountable obstacles
deserted by guides, caught in the tolls OF
winters ice and snow and deprived OF
transportation and hampered by scarcity
Of food. 1t was only in the early spring
Of 1890 that intelligence reached the war
department that the gallant band had ar
rived in safety at Port Gfbbon.
After engaging in some explorations in
and about Cook Inlet during May and
June, 1899, Lieutenant Heron and his men
were landed by steamboat at the head OF
navigation at the Keechatno, hitherto un-
explored. From this point began the series
of overland explorations to the Yukon, the
object being TO discover the most practi-
cable route to the junction of that river
with the Tanana
The detachment was composed, in addi7
tion to Lieutenant Heron, of five men.
| Fifteen pack horses carried rations to
Oct. 81 The Indians knew very little
about the country beyond the divide, as
their hunting, trapping and fishing
tion and customs. Those of them with
whom the matter was discussed refused
to aid in seeking a pass over the divide
via the Yentana river, declaring that the
Yentana headed in glaciers and that there
was no way around them
In the Mountains
Two Indian guides were finally engaged
and on July 1, 1899, the expedition began
its journey. The first objective was to get
through the Alaskan range, a mass OF
enormous peaks and glaciers about seven
ty miles wide, extending across Alaska
and constituting the chief barrier to the
interior The expedition consumed the en-
tire month in exploring these mountains.
Moose and bear were occasionally encoun-
tered, which gave the expedition fresh
meat. July % the crest of the divide was
crossed and the expedition started down
the other side. East Of the divide the
drainage is into the Pacific ocean; west OF
it into the Bering sea. The latter is
closed by ice in winter, while the Pacific
ocean is open.
Guides Desert.
In the latter part Of July the Indians
deserted and went back to the coast This
proved a severe blow to the expedition.
Thereafter Lieutenant Heron Travelled
by the compass and the sun. With Sep
tember came frosts, which killed the grass
and leaves, and the horses were fed on
-four. A great deal of food was subse-
quently lost by accidents One night a
big brown bear knocked down a cache and
ate fifty pounds of bacon. Fortunately an
Indian crossed the trail and killed the
! bear and members of the expedition
evened up matters by eating bruin.
For two months Lieutenant Heron was
compelled to remain among the Indians
before he could figure a way out to civ
iliZatiOn. In the meantime he was not
idle. He learned the language of the tribe
that he might gain ali possible knowledge
of the country yet to be explored, and by
so doing worked the rescue OF himself and
men. In the meantime the horses had
either died or had been killed and eaten.
The horse blankets were made into cloth
ing, socks and mitts. Their food, when
they could get it, was moose, beaver and
fish. The Indians were hospitable but
required careful management.
On Snow Shoes.
In the latter part of November Lieuten-
ant Heron, with four Indians as guides.
| resumed the exploration of the last III
miles on snow shoes, cutting and blasting
! trail and mapping the country. Nine
dogs and three sledges hauled such inn
plements as remained. During the ex-
| tremely cold nights the men bivouacked
on the ground, digging through the snow,
using their snow shoes as shovels, 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 band of Indians camped
at Coschaget on the Tanana that such
luxuries as bread, butter and tea passed
| their lips.
At $3.50 on Dec. II, 1899, the little band
of explorers reached their objective point,
the junction of the Tanana and Yukon
rivers, after having passed five months
and eleven days on the trail. The total
number Of miles travelled was 1000, all on
foot. They had forded icy rivers, climbed
| through perilous canons and over noun
tains of ice and snow
All American Route.
The primary object of Lieutenant Her
ron's expedition was to find an available
all American route into the center of
| Alaska from the open harbor of Cook S
| inlet and he is firmly convinced that he
has found it. If true, and no one has
proof to the contrary, he has performed a
service to his country, and especially to
| the future commercial interests Of Alas
ka. He claims for his route the following
advantages: First, it pierces the center
| of Alaska; and, second, it touches navi-
gable points and winter trails on the most
! important river systems or Alaska
| Suchitna, Kuskokwin, Tanana and Yukon
and as consequence taps the country
J drained by them, the most resourceful
and promising of Alaska and which con-
meets with Nome. The objections to the
| Canadian route are that it is on foreign
| territory and that after traversing SOC
miles of it's length one has only arrived at
the border of Alaska.
| The broad valleys Of the Keechatno
/ Tateno and Echeatmu and the wide and
| low Simpson pass constitute an easy gate
| way through the range. Three hundred
and forty miles of this route were practi-
| cally tested by taking a pack train over
! it. The remainder was traversed on snow
shoes, and was found to be rolling, with
a low divide and of easy grade between
KuskokWim and Cosna.
Spruce Timber.
| According to Lieutenant Heron, there
| is an abundance of spruce timber along
the route for bridges buildings and fuel
| For winter travel there are no warm
chinook or Japanese winds to soften the
| trails. Kustatan has, he says, one of the
| best harbors in Alaska. and is situated in
! coal region. He says that the CONNER
cial Importance of Nome is tempting cap
| ital toward investment there, and it il
reported that feasible railroad route has
been discovered between Nome and
| Nulato.