Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-03-22

roaring craSnlnS ana banging all at
once, and woe to the man that is
unfortunate enough to be before or
in one of these large ones. On the
evening of October 24th | was
caught in small one and before |
could extricate my boat out of the
ice was carried two and one-half
miles below where / had camped
the night before, and another time
was caught three miles above a
very large one, and when it broke
below it was like the bottom of a
bucket falling out that was full Of
water, and it made me scratch for
dear life to get to shore before l
got caught in the ice, and | was 60
ing down with the current so rapid
ly that when l struck ground |
went head over heels backwards in
to a foot of ice cold water. | didn't
mind the water for l was already
wet from head to foot, but got a
hard bump on the forehead which
dazed me for minute. In ten
minutes | was high and dry-my
boat was-and forty yards from
water. | went into camp right
there for the night. Well to make
long story short, for eleven days
it was up hill business, and wet,
hard aud dangerous work. was
mere afraid of losing my outfit. |
could easily Jump onto cake of
ice and continue jumping till | got
to shore. The only danger | ran
was in getting over the jams. L
: camped out, even though it was
from 20 degrees to AZ degrees be-
low zero. When / went into camp
for the night the first thing to do,
and right quick too, was to kindle
fire before | chilled, for being wet
every night when | went to camp,
and being over heat from hard ex-
citable work, one would soon chill
in extremely cold weather. The
next thing after the fire is good and
glazing is to take off my wet clothes
and put on dry ones. Oh! Those
cold air baths, | never will forget
them, and in the morning l would
change back to the wet ones, which
| hung over night on a pole in the
heat and smoke to dry; usually got
"a better smoke on them than dry.
For bed | would first cut some
spruce limbs and lay them on the
snow just long and wide enough
for one, and four or five inches
deep, then l cut spruce twigs-
Alaska feathers-and spread them
on the limbs to the depth of four or
five inches, and then spread my
blankets. Then | would lean my
twelve-foot push pole against a tree,
leaning it lengthwise right over my
bed, then threw my tent over the
pole and spread it full length of the
bed, letting it hang down on either
side and then tucked the canvass
under the bed all around but the
end next to the tree, then bank up
all around with snow. My home
complete.
Eleven days l had of this when
on the morning of Oct. 2sth the
river was frozen and she looked very
lame indeed. l was just 165 miles
from Fairbanks and IS miles to go
yet / tore my boat to pieces to
make it convenient to haul on the
sled. Well, here l set up tent for
the first time on the trip and set up
my camp stove and moved my out
fit into the tent and it seemed good
too. Then | commenced to move
my outfit on up river, and on
November 18th hauled my last load,
just month from Fairbanks. At
any other time when the ice was not
running 1 could have made the
same distance, 200 miles, in ten
days easily. / was only six days
coming down and used skyes and
snowshoes all the way. 1t would be
almost impossible to travel without
them, for the snow would be to my
hips all the way. I do not know as
you know what skyes are. They
are made of light strong wood.
They are eight feet long. four inches
wide and one-fourth of an inch
thick and turn up at the toe about
four inches. A strap is Topped
across the top "amid ship" to put
your foot in. You go scufhng over
the surface Of the snow and you
must guide yourself with pole.
And it's quitea trick to be a good
skye runner Skyes are no good to
climb steep hills, so l used snow
shoes for that. Though the trip
both ways was very fatiguing and
full Of hardship and exposure, l
enjoyed it both ways immensely.
l can't say how I will enjoy it going
back.
i I have nice came up there.
will send you sketch of it as it
would look with the timber off.
The trail that winds its way from
the river up back of the house and
on over the mountains is trail
made by moose and caribou and
other wild animals, and is used only
in summer by them to go to water
l used it in winter not only to go tc
water but to hunt moose for my
fresh meat. I have a good supply
} up there, too. Did you ever build
a log cabin out in weather averag-
ing from 30 degrees to 46 degrees
below zero? If you haven't just
try it. I'll never try it again.
! built one 12xl4 feet, s feet to caves
clinked up with moss, all around
E Cut poles and laid them tight to-
) gether on both sides Of roof-gablt
| roof-and put moss all over roo
r six inches deep, and then foul