The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-07
LONG JOURNEY
WITH DOG TEAMS
Trip Takes Nineteen Days, and,
While En- Route, He is Cut Off
From the World.

Lynn Smith, brother Of A. L.
!, Smith, Of the Second National bank
5 is just ending a five hundred mile
journey across the lower part of the
peninsula of Alaska His sole com
panion on the long trip was the mail
carrier who takes the mail from Ram
part, Alaska, about a thousand miles
from the mouth of the Yukon, to Wal
dez, a sea port on the southern coast
of Alaska. The trip was made with
dog teams and nineteen DAYS were re-
quired to travel the distance.
The trip, especially at this season
of the year, when the ice is breaking
up, is very hazardous, and, since moth
ing has been heard since the start,
it is not known whether Lynn has
survived or not.
The mail route runs directly south
from Rampant to Valdez, a distance
of several hundred miles, as the crow
flies, but the mere mention of the dis
tance conveys no adequate idea of the
perils of the trip, although it is con
sidered but a pleasure trip up there.
Cold, hunger and exposure have had
to be faced and there is always the
danger of the dogs dying or getting
killed. The only articles carried by
the intrepid young prospector and the
mail carrier were food for the dogs,
most important article, and a few
personal effects. The bundle carried
was made as small as possible in or
der to give the men chance to ride
part of the way Is they became ex-
hausted or If they met with any mis-
hap. ssMM
Lynn purchased three strong dogs
for 1920, and expected to pick up
two more, thus getting a fine team.
1t was expected that a moose or two
would be encountered along the route, |
and the travellers have been on the !
lookout for one, but, as yet, their ex-
pectations have not been realized
Owing to the absolute lack of tele-
graph, telephone, or of any other /
means of communication with the out
side world along the route, travellers
undertaking this journey are cut off
from everything while on the way,
as no news Of them is obtainabIe
after they enter the trail at Rampant
until they emerge at Valdez, from
whence the distance to Seattle is not
great
Lynn Smith has been with the
North American Transportation com
pany for several years. Each sea-
son he has made short prospecting
trip TO the gold fields. always with
good results, and many interesting let
ters have been received from him.
Through the courtesy of Mr. A. L.
Smith, brother, the Palladium is al
lowed to publish the last letter from
Alaska to relatives here. This letter,
which reads as follows, was written
just before starting on the long 500
mile tramp to Valdez: j
Dear Folks at Home: / leave Ram
part March I'd for Fairbanks and 6
VALDEZ. ] will be at Fairbanks about e
March 10th as I intend to stop at the /
hot springs three days and aim to 9
catch the mail carrier leaving there Il
about the 18th. From there # sbould n
take about nineteen days to Valdez. v
if we have good luck. Then If de- I
pends on how soon / will be able to f
catch mail steamer to Seattle how /,
soon will be at home. l am going r.
to have fine dog team, and, with il
only dog food and my personal eff f,
fects, viii 60 light, in order TO ride a
part Of the way. am only able to h
stay SIX weeks at home. You need f
not expect to hear from me after 7 Q
cave until reach Seattle, from cl
"nere l will wire You. The weather n