The Nome nugget., 1902-06-21
E.COke hiIi RelatesExperienes
 of Last Winter.
ROUTE IS FEASIBLE
But the Trans Alaska Company Was in No Way Prepared to Carry Out Their Hail Contract Easy Grades
 For Railroads $Ioo,ooo.

| and Hanna bay IS feaSlble," said F..
 Coke Hill to the NUGGET the other day, | notwithstanding the fact that last ! winter it proved a failure. That was
 not the fault of the route, however. l The trouble arose over the unprep pared ness of the Trans Alaska Company to
 carry out their contract. A few road
 houses were built. but not enough to
 facilitate the forwarding of mails. Be sides the route selected for the trail
 was not the best"
 Mr. Hill made a trip during the winter to Iliamna bay and return. Hardships of almost every kind were experienced, and the party in which was Norman R. Smith, the Trans Alaska Company's engineer, were re- duced to horse meat diet. The party party left the lower Yukon October 3l. last year, and crossed the portage to the Kuskokwim, where roadhouse was established; men were left on the Kuskokwim to build another; the main
 party followed up the Anyuk river to
 nearly its head, crossed a low divide to Tilman lake, and tanned two mountains on either side of the lake. Robeau and Orloff, respectively, after two Russian priests of those names. The Tikchik
 river heads in Tlman lake, and Hill and Smith went down the river to rNilyohitr lnb ornrso1 tho Ia lyn fn tS outlet. and thence down to Nushagak.
 At this point Smith expected to find supplies, but there were none there, and the party proceeded down the
 Nushagak to Kowak village. The river opened on December l6 and they were compelled to wait there 10 days. The weather at this time was 30 below, and they pushed on to Il,amna lake, reaching that place on January l. While going up the lake on January 4, the party were caught in terrific blizzard, Webster Brown, an engineer. being badly frozen about the feet and hands. For three days we didn't have anything to eat" said Mir. Hill,
 .then a horse died and we ate the horse"
 When the storm abated the journey to Iliamna bay was resumed, and the first mail for Nome was found at the town of Iliamna.
 The return journey was begun on January Is, with horses. A different trail was followed this time, that known as the Kongollion, which leaves Lake Clark near the northeast end and runs through rough mountain country to the head of the Malchatna river, then over several low divides 10 the Kon- gollion river and from thence the party went down the Kongollion l50 miles to the Kusk okwim, Is miles be- loS Sleepmute trading station.
 The ice began to run freely in the Kuskok vim on April 26, and the party remained at Sleepmute until May :, when boat was secured and the party went down the river to the Trans Alaska road house; halt of nine days was again made, when the journey was resumed to the portage between the Kuskokwim and the Yukon, and thence down the Yukon to St. Michael, which place was reached on June H..
 On the trip on the Kongollion trail Mir Hill rescued Sprague and Carlson, the Trans-Alaska mail carriers, making a trip of 50 miles and return to procure food for the starving men.
 "As route for railroad," said Mir. Hill, "there is no better anywhere; the grades are all easy and the road could be built cheaply. Mails cannot be moved over the trail with horses, or successfully at all until trail is put through the timber, which can be done at moderate outlay"
 The Trans-Alaska Company has road houses at the mouth of the Malchatna, at the mouth of the Newhaling, near lliamna lake, and at the end of the lake; on the Anyuk river, 30 miles from the KuskOkwiu,: another on the KuskG- kwiin, one-half way between the latter river and the Yukon, one on the Yukon
 below Holy Gross, one at Anvik, another half way between Anvik and Holy Cross and two on the Anvik river. The Trans-Alaskan Co.,, rival of the Trans-Alaska, surveyed line 8 dis tance of six miles from Iliamra, and very good work was done.
 According to Mir. Hill the Trans Alaska Co. has expended slO0,000 on | Aho