The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-25
GEOLOGIST HANCOCK FINDS
RARE FOSSILS IN ALASKA.
Survey Of Twelve Hundred Miles of Yukon Valley Made
Almost Entirely a Peterborough Canoc-Rocs Specimens
Brought Home VIII Reveal Age of the Territory

Naw I.lB. oct. IA geological survey
0I The r-a aGI odd miles OF the Yukon
River Valley a.la-eI iu Americas pos
sessions iu Alaska wIs concluded recently
I 10y Doctor Charles Arthur Holick. and hc
I .- now busy arranging ami classifying a
collection ~ botanical specimens oh
---iarL 90 odd times during The trip fur the
[ Sgw York Botanical Garden.
| Doctor llaIa.E s. curator OF fossil botany
I .u the garden. and is q member OF the
/ STAFF ut the United States Geological sur
y.v.
/ Collecting plant specimens for the gar
] den was ,a.E incidental Co the main pUr-
I Hu-. uf tine eNT.E.. .Ul. UaD collection 8f
fossils aud data concerning Il' ull4uus. al
...h La.F W.T" found, tor the United
states Government. the ultimate purpose
being Co determine On. -eu.uLi.al age OF
I ta. rocks and yIg.g sequence. points which
ut1ry.
An lmmerse number OF such fossils we're
collected. and several large cases OF thsm
.r-e Forwarded Co Washington as oppor-
.Lu-ig offered during JLu TRIP.
Aitau- the journey was broken hy frc-
3erat ua.". .E sail and steamer. the work
ut actual survey and collection H. "A tale
~ life .u tents and travel by canoe.
Doctor H.iIgk vas assisted Boa his field
Wu.k uF SitlnE FI.-e Of the United States
1IulH H-lUal survey ana the party inc udel
a guide and cook lu the person Of JUuu
E'u,trU. du a.I-agulEi handy man who
aauEl 90 MS duties the general sgpeTin-
ivHltlcr OF OUTFIT and couvcuieHcez.
THREE ~ PARTY.
EoyaE.ug was done in a Peterborough
canoe 80 feet l1aE and about feet
breadth " beam.
II proved a cummcndab!c craft. capabIe.
aiIl.gAty. of carrying all that could pos
It's record included three men. two tents
"ttA l-i complement OF camping utcu-
Sis. AuNgu camp stove. sleeping bags
elu,hin- iu waterproof sacks. mast and
sail ten days provisions, and So pOun4s
Doctor HouIck estimates the weight at
thirty huulr.uw isht or muTs. but admits
tHal tht limit % uFeTiuad.nS hal prob
ably been reached. and acknowledges a
istiiTG yt great relief when the nearest
aatEpln- point was reached and the canoe
!i-ui"utl OF us so pounds Of valuable bal
last .u lle shape ot fossil Vegetation.
IRE dwelling tent Is worthy Of desCTip-
ti"n for the benefit Of luasure-seckiug
CaWptgs-oIt iu wIds less remote than
Alaska.
IL was m0sIui-0-pro0t. O. quick way OF
saying thIt it was proof against invasion
by any kind yf small pests that abound
and waterways
IL was made v1 uy canvas flooring
ssW'1 tightly t1 the side strips. Nruti.d-
uuu was secured By eight small windows.
ai carefully covered with stout mosquito
proof netting
sides admitted an abundance OF cool air.
while JEg hot a.r escaped from four like
WlEuI"s along the peak. Entrance was
had through "a small side opening drawn
urEtiy together after entry with a draw
string
Crawling through the small low opzn-
luE would not commend itself To feminine /
campers. but once inside the kuOwlelg-
jE-t an creeping sbUw."I tious and winEyI /
pests were excluded miEht reconcile them I
lu tna uuErIctfuI mode Of entry.
This f- az nh Q
know how unpleasant even the cheerful /
cricket may be as teuJ-f-llOw. or hOw I
utterly s.tgr-gr-iroyln- Is the constant /
cruuuIrE of clumsy Erisshoppers, which I
will insist upon trying 10 crawl up the !
inside ~ the tent flaps although leEiOns I
% their predecessors have proved That /
their limit Dr strength . reached I'm about ]
two feet uf such climbing.
LAKE FROZEN ~ JUNE
II was about the miil @ Of June when i
the explorers reached Whit" Horse, but /
Lake Lablr-a was stiu frozen over. Canoe /
and equipment was secured NJ Dawson !
aud raiirUJlsI Co Furty-Milc Creek. whore /
the trip down the Yukon IN the canoe /
and the actual work ot the expedition was .
bfEuu on June Dc.
CHA Greek. one or the first stopping
places. proved interesting "a containing
the only coal mine now being operated In
the Territory. although half dozen coal
fields have been discovered and have been
m. t1rsza cal Is an of a bltumiuous
character. and marks an era Wuch more
recent than taH sIrtuUiierU US age. II &
a product 20 the cr.tICeCus or tertiary
one 0T the questions which a study Of the
fossil vegetation collected IS expected to
answer definitely.
Ur. HaTick believes that these coal de-
uu-lfS are destined Co ylIy Tu important |
part boo the future development % AlcssI
and that Ht no. very distant day they will
natural ra-uErsFr uf ths territory.
The stay ~ g.ir Creek was short and |
June Is found Che explorers n E1Ele City.
" wh,rr John EslttrH was added 10 the
WORKING force of the canoe. Eentfru is
veteran OF tine civil War. and has been
mon. or less us - wandered ever since
Tie was s.il seeking hi7 fortune iu l'eS
and was 900 tla advance guard 0f the klOu-
diEgrs who invaded Alaska IN search Of
Ir ne found any gold ether than. that
rgIl Co him FOR iutsllire0t work. h. is
~" 70 on that sub .ecf. a. on most others.
with the silence bora uf much travel iu
slid lands. Igt hn reviewed the land with
.E. trained eye "f WuOlSul1u ard none
now know Do better than he. He Wa AIR.
iir'tsu' tu is' explorers until he asked
why don't you call me Johnc I'll
lE H.r 'H~s us gu.ek and 10 don't take !
r-m therrgfra-. ana th. ayykwar,iresz ~
..-r I-H vns soon forgotten in n real
.-igrl-HiD. and The little company parted /
With sincere rsErgt and went theIr several |
ways no the completion % the work
STRETCH OF ELATLANDS
Between Circle and ElmuIrJ the Yukon I
I0=S through "a luuE stretch Of H7t!auI=
uil twenty miles broad ana without geo. /
Hgiral Interest silt. wru and swamp
yilE UttI. islands OF r'iEht'y higher AMI
'r.gr ground were the main features OF
Ea locality.
Tho canoe and its contents we're bundled
board the Rock Island " and the v1y- |
gers enjoyed a sail without furnishing q
DO motive power. ,
The Rock ISLAND is tyulcaI of sundry
ioats which uIy on the Yukon and rs q
-iNUtIrirE. 81
Il o. q Iirht-drauEht steamer (for the
.laEkl rivers are shallow as a whole aud y
cry shallow at many points,. and Is pro- c
eIIed by big paddle-whetl at the stern I
k n small edition n the MiSsiSsiuui / 2
ackcts whose captains used 20 beast | I
hat their particular beat was the qyiesr ! I
Z the river by virtue q being able 10 nun ! 1
lstcr than anything else anoat wherever b
heavy dew had fallen.