The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-15
THROUGH UNKNOWN LANDS
Lieutenant HerrOn's Report on His
Alaskan Explorations.
A story of Great Obstacles Sur
mounted by IndomitnbIe Pluck
Important Discoveries by the Party
a New Route From Cook Inlet.

a New Route From Cook Inlet.
The very interesting and valuable report
of First Lieut.. Joseph s. Heron. Eighth
United States Cavalry. who, with ms
small command was reported to be lost
in the vicinity of the Mckinley Range
Alaska. in the fall and winter of 1893 is
IN tyne and is abop. to be pubhshed by
the War Department. A portion OF the
territory traversed by Lieutenant herro"
and his men was never before presseu W
the feet of white men, and the hafratiHe
of that officer represents the herolc elioi' .
of a small party in unknown iesiU"'
oy,irst almost insurmountab,e obstacles,
deserted by guides, caught in the tons
of winters ice and snow, and deprived of
transnortation and hampered by scarcity
Of food, 1t was only in the early spring
~ 1890 that intelligence reached the War
Department that the gallant band had
finally arrived in safety at Port Gibbon.
The report includes sketch of route OF
the Portage Bay detachment, May, 1879;
a map of route explorations from COOK
Inlet to the Yukon via the Kuskokwim
country: sketches of the Mckinley Range
and of Simpson Pass; sketch OF dog
harness and sieds; miscellaneous matter
relating to the commercial advantages OF
the country traversed for an all-American
route; an index map of Alaska and pho-
tographs illustrating the nature OF the
country. different kinds of transportation,
and groups Of Indians met with en- route.
After engag ing in some explorations in
and about Cook Inlet during the months
of MAY and June 1893. Lieutenant Heron
and the men who were TO accompany him
into heretofore uneXplored regions, were
landed by steamboat at the head of navi-
cation Of the Keechatno hitherto I'M
known and also unexplored. From this
point began the series of overland eXplor-
atoms 70 the Yukon, the object being to
discover the most practicable route TO the
junction Of that river with the Tanana.
The detachment was comprised, in add
ton to Lieutenant Heron, Of five men.
Fifteen pack horses carried rations to Oc-
tober q. The Indians knew very little
about the country beyond the divide by
reason Of their territory and hunting,
trapping. and fishing grounds being re-
stricted by ancient tradition and customs.
Those OF them with whom the matter was
discussed refused to aid in seeking a pass
over the divide via the Yentna River,
declaring that the Yentna heads in gla-
ciers, and th-t there is no way around
them.
Two Indian guides were finally engaged,
and on July l, 1892 the expedition began
It's Journey. The first objective was to
get through the Alaskan Range, mass
of enormous peaks and glaciers about sew
enty 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 of the watershed. East of
the divide the drainage is into the Pacific
Ocean; west of it into Behring Sea. The
latter is closed by ice in winter, while the
Pacific Ocean is open. Hence, routes to
the interior must connect-with the latter.
In the latter part Of July the Indians de-
serted and went back to the coast. This
proved a severe blow to the expedition
Thereafter Lieutenant Heron Travelled by
the compass and sun. With September
came frosts that killed the grass and
leaves, and the horses were 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 gigantic
brown bear knocked down cache and ate
fifty pounds of bacon. Fortunately an In
dian crossed mis- trail and killed him
whereby members of the expedition evened
up matters with bruin by eating him in
turn.
For two months Lieutenant Heron was
compelled to remain among the Indians
before he could figure a way out to civil
zation. In the meantime he was not idle
He learned the language of the tribes in
order that he might gain all possible
knowledge of the country yet to be ex'
plored, and by so doing worked the rescue
of himself and men. In the meantime the
horses had either died natural deaths OF
had been killed and eaten. The horse
blankets carried by the party were made
into clothing, socks. and mits. Their food
when they could get it, was moose. beaver
and fish. The Indians were hospitable, but
required careful management.
The latter part of November Lieutenant
Heron, with four Indians as guides, re
sumed the exploration of the last III
miles on snow shoes, cutting and blazing
a trail and mapping the country as he
went along. Nine dogs and three sleds
hauled such baggage as remained to the
expedition. During the extremely colC
nights that ensued the men bivouacked or
the ground, digging through the snow
using their snow shoes as shovels. pilint
shelters OF spruce trees around them ant
keeping the fire going all night in orde
TO keep from being frozen to death. /
was only when they found band Of In
dfans camped at Cosehaget, on the Tana
ma, that such luxuries as bread, butter
and tea passed their lips.
ON December H. 1893 the little band Of
hardy explorers reached their OBJECTIVE
point, the junction of the Tanana an'
Yukon Rivers, after having passed nv
months, and eleven days on the trail. Tn
total number of miles Travelled was 'VOO
all on foot. They had forded icy rivers
climbed through .pertlous canyons, an'
over mountains OF ice and snow.
In his observations on the country traV
ersed, Lieutenant Heron says he SHOULD
Judge the Kuskokwim to be navigable 70
large steamboats, as far as the Echeatnu
ant for small steamboats, as far as IN
TatIathno. The general characteristics o
interior Alaskan rivers are strong cur
rents great erosions, and sedimentar!
deposits, shifting channels and rapid ris
IN spring They are frozen from abou
November ! to May j.
lieutenant Herrons observations on til
west and those Of William Morley, Jr-, o
the east. of that part of the great rang
living south of west of the CantWell or Ne
mana River heretofore called a part o
the Alaskan range, have convinced hin
of the utility OF a separate designation
The distinct break at the Nenana or Cant
well River. makes the mountains south
west a separate range, by physical con
formation, while the direction of thei
trend and their situation as the Suchitna
= I<uskokwim divide, make them separate
range by geographical location. The vles
of Mount Mckinley from the west has tn
advantage of having no Intervening noun
tains to obstruct II.
Lieutenant Heron claims to have dis
covered a second great mountain in thi
range 20.vg0 feet high, which he has name'
Mount Foraker, after the senior Ohio Sen
atOr. The Suchitna Indians call the noun
IT. 81. Ion an
big The Kuskokwims call them, 'Dinaz
ee," and the Tananas and Yukons, Din