The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-04
POST OFFICE
N FAR NORTH
One Established Which Re-
ceives Mail Once a Year.
NEWS OF ARCTIC CIRCLE
Description of a Theatre in the
Town of Nome.
NEWS OF ARCTIC CIRCLE

New York. Jan 3 The New York
Herald says:
Here's a postofice located further north
than an yother in existence at present
and maintained by the United States gov
eminent If you look at your geography
and find Alaska, you viii see Point Bar
row, away up at the top of that ice
bound peninsula and, according 10 the
scale on which your map is drawn, any
where from inch 10 perhaps foot
from the mystery enshrouded North Pole.
II is at Point Barrow where a postmaster
and his handsome wife have trouble only
once year in receiving and distribut-
ing mail matter or preparing il for ship
ment 10 other and distant parts of the
universe.
1t VIII be seen that there is ample time
tor you TO write any letter you haze in
mind and discharge any obligation with
your correspondent up there, because the
rext mail is due TO arrive in and from
Point Barrow next August.
Notwithstanding the temperature up
there may be anywhere from 20 to 80 de-
that sentimental letters still burn with
love, even after they have been brought
TO the postofice over fields Of ice and
have traversed hundreds Of miles over ice
bound country.
Postoffice Inspector John P. Clym es-
tsbiished the postoftice at Point Harrow
year ago last summer. He selected as
POSTMASTER DR.. H. Richmond Marsh who.
with Mrs. Marsh. has charge Of the Pres
byterian Mission House at Point Barrow.
DR. Marsh accepted the responsibility
with al the Formally Of a postmaster
within twenty miles of New York and
furnished bond for 500, his bondsmen
being friends in Nome.
When Dr. Marsh had qualified he was
given the revenue cutter eBar which is
able to reach Point Barrow only once
. year on account of the ice That is
either in the latter part of July or Aug
ust- The nearest postofhce TO Point Bar
row is six hundred miles away. at Kotz-
ebue
When the mail is placed on the Bear it
f. in an ordinary mail pouch that is care
fully locked and remains so until it is
opened with key in DR.. Marshs posses
sion
There is no crown of summer girls"
around the postofice waiting impatientIy
for the mail TO be sorted Not much;
Tut there may be few traders in the
neighborhood with summer weight fur
garments who listlessly await Postmaster
Marsh's stamping Of thirty or forty let
tiers
The country a present has in it several
exploring parties who are working their
way down the Colville River. but that is
hundreds OF miles distant, and perhaps
mail is sent 10 them by means of rein
deer that are starting for that section.
Postmaster Marsh is not destined tc
grow wealthy on the remuneration receiv-
ed from the Postoffice department. The
Point Be- rrow Office ranks as fourth
class" and all the Postmaster receives
is his percentage on the number Of pos
tage stamps cancelled by him and mailed
at Point Barrow
II is estimated taht DR.. Marsh Just gets
enough from the department. to pay for
his own and Mrs. Marsh's letter postage
and even at that they must not carry
or too much correspondence or the gov
eminent and their own ends won't meet
It's difficult 70 segregate or draw a
line OF dema rkation between DR.. Marsh
as postmaster. missionary and keeper Of
herd Of one hundred and fifty reindeer -
Postoffice Inspector CIum said yesterday.
He is all three AZ enc and the same
time. Dr. Marsh has been up there at
least six years. and is very popular
When I go up 10 Alaska TO establish
offices | start with a full equipment for
several offices. so that they can COM
nence operations forthwith. IL would take
a year or two TO send their bonds on 10
Washington and have them approved. and
so have blank bonds and approve them
ct once. The Office at Point Barrow is
the furthest north OF any in existence.
and the mail there and hack * only once
q year
Il established an oflee this year AT Cape
Prince OF Wales. where made Miss
Susie r. Bernardo the postmistress The
mail goes there more Frequently than 10
other postofices in that vicinity that [
have Just established. Because OF its iso-
lated position. that at Point Barrow is
more interesting I think than any Of the
thousands of others scattered all over the
country
Not far from Point Barrow-on the man
hut over topography OF ice. sea ard
the toughest Of country. are the furrhest
north theatre and church. the latter doing
duty as a lighthouse as well. showing a
constant beacon through a night six
months in durat ton. The Roman Catholic
Church at Nome shares its distinction
with only one other house OF worship
IN the United States Territory. church
spire at Charleston having fer years been
maintained a government lighthouse.
Perhaps a lot OF people would be sur
rrised II they knew al that WAS going on
up in the twilight % TIE Arctic circle L
IS strange beautiful country six month.
Of night and six mouths or dry. with
gold dust 10 sight the traveller to his
ICON In the wayside inn ami aurora bore
aliases and polar bears to break the mo-
rotony Of The scenery
NJ. w H Cutler representing New
York and MASSACHUSETTS, capitalists in the
DEVELOPMENT OF sn old rirne trading en-
terprise. gives interesting facts about the
new American Civilization -silat has bios
sosried almost IN sight 81 tn North Pole
He gives A picturesque account of the
rev town az Nome sni KS suburbs, where
they play pianos shoot whales and wal
ruses and pick Up nuggets and so 70 the
theatre for recreation
AR Cutter recently brought down 4
mart OF the cast of the Nome Stan
tsard Theatre-the Misses Wilma. Edith
snd Edns-beauties for any land. nat
actresses alone. bat singers who made 4
hit during their six months OF evening