Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-18
MAIL COMES HIGH.
Fen Dollars to Send a Letter from
 Cooks Inlet to Nome.
aas to Re Carried 1,SOO Miles and Must Be Written on Oi1-SkiA
 Paper-Dimcu1tieso of tho ROutes

"Through snow and ice, 1900 miles, Is the trip of an Alaskan mail carrier"
 w V. Sullivan, son of former Sena- tor Sullivan of Mississippi, made this statement, recently, reports the St. Louis Republic. MT. Sullivan had just returned from two years cruise m Alaskan waters on board the United States revenue cutter Rush. ~
 "This trip" he continued, "is from Cooks Inlet to Nome, and'by the route traveled is ], 800 miles
 "The last boat leaves Nome about November 5, and it carries down a mighty precious scarso-gold dust, dis outraged miners, escaping wives, the soubre ettes who come up in the spring, marry the successful prosPectors and then desert when the winter shuts up the town from the rest of the world, and the last mail sack Uncle Sam brings through the Alteutian islands for six months.
 s'Then, while you people down here n the big cities are squabbling for one- cenb local postage, the men up in Nome are getting ready to pay the heaviest postal rate in the world. By the 18th Df December they've got the Christmas nunger for heme news, and New Years say they'a give side of bacon for a sight of familiar handwriting on an envelope. Bacon is still about 50 cents slice in the eating houses.
 "But just about the first of January the midwinter Alaskan mail starts north from Seattle. It is carried up by the owner and operator of the en- terprise, who runs private mail ser vice not recognized or promoted by the United States government. He col- lectx letters from Seattle to Cooks Inlet, making the trip on any vessel chat is seheduled to stop at Sitka, Douglas Island, Juneau and all the points of any importance along the coast.
 "Only letters are carried and these must be written on onion-skin paper, for bulk is the chief consideration, and, besides, the rate is so much penny weight.
 When Cooks Inlet is reached the letters are packed in tin boxes made to conform to the carriers body and fit into the lining of hiscoat. The car rier's costume, from the fur cap to the Mozinski boots, is exactly like that of the Eseuimaux, and thu principal items in his outfit are matches, gun and ann munition.
 From Cooks Inlet to Nome the trail runs 1,s00 miles and touches no mans hut CT dugout. The carrier can make 40 miles a day on sn newshoes. He has studied the country so thoroughly that he knsws wheR he shoots a bird and cooks it for diHner Tuesday, over fire of scrubby brush, where, 50 miles ahead he can find more game and fuel for the cooking of Wednes- day's supper. After supper he crawls into a fur sleeping bag, dropping off into cozy snowbank for snooze through the darkest hours of the loHg night.
 "The greatest obstacles are the tor rents that flow too rapidly to freeze. The crossings are at the narrowest places and the carrier strips, makes bundle of his clothes, throws it across or carries it on his head, and, wading and swimming, reaches the opposite shore and scrambles into his furs.
 ''In his tin pockets he carries for tune, for the thinnest letter taken on the route costs the sender $1o. Us- ually but one trip is made each winter, but last season he broke the record by making two rounds. doing this by using dogs and sled part way. His winters work netted him over $2, 900, to be blown in on the gay cities of Nome and Seattle
 CTATuTNC TuE RARv