Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-22
TRAVELLING TN ALASKA
LETTER FROM A WASHINGTON
WOMAN GONE THERE TO LIVE.

| Mr. II. H. La Zelle Of 401 street north
| east has just received q letter from his
| daughter-in-law, Mrs. H. A. La Zelle, In
| which she recounts some of the experiences
| encountered by herself and husband and
| two-year-old child on a trip to Cinema,
| Alaska Mrs. La Zelle kept diary of the
| trip and In the letter received by her father
! in-law she gives extracts from her notes
that are of interest to people in Washing
ton. She states:
I'VE have been kept pretty busy since
we arrived preparing for cold weather, and
our first real cold spell Is just over, or at
least he hope so. The temperature on
December l was zero Since then 1t has
ranged as low as So. At this am. the
thermometer read 20: at II am. &c. and
this evening, 1S-all below zero, of course.
SO we look for warmer weather.
I'VE should have arrived at Cinema Octo-
Der 1, but did not get here until the 14th.
There was crowd of passengers and
among them eleven babies and, being con-
fined so long In cramped rooms. lily heated.
every one was cross. On September 70 we
reached Eagle. Customs house officers
searched baggage at 30 pm. We left there
at H. 30 am. on the next day. When we
| reached Circle snow was falling rapidly and
we had to tie up at 4:30 am. We left at
$50 and ran aground on a sand bar. On the
I'D the steamer Hannah came to help, and
both steamers ran out of oil. which is the
fuel used On the oath the tank steamer
Herman came and supplied them. We
We're forty+flve miles from Fort Yukon.
On September 25, at am, the Hannah left
and took a barge we had in tow across
to the shore. 1t had 100 head OF cattle
and pigs aboard and they were turned
loose to feed At II 80 of the 27th the steam
er Seattle came and we were put aboard
her on the 18th and taken to the Herman
about midnight We reached Fort Yukon
On the 18th at 1890 am, which is eight
miles past the arctic circle. and is the most
northern point on Yukon river. great
many Indians live there. 1t is a missionary
station.
Fireman and Engineer Fight.
I'VE reached Rampant on the evening Of
September 80, where we tied up for the
night The sand bars make unsafe trav-
cling. We were to make an early start
but the engineer and fireman got to fight
ing, so We had no steam and did not get
off until am October /, at pm, we
reached Fort Gibbon The weather was
pleasant and there was no snow. We took
walk up town. The barracks hospital
ana ofhcers and mems quarters cover
more space than the remainder of the
town. We We're transferred to the steam
er Rock Island. The river was low, there
being sand bars everywhere, so we were
eleven days getting to Cinema. We should
not have been over four ordinarily.
we have had to work hard but are
fixed pleasantly in our cabin. We have
four dogs and they are a fine team-far
ahead of horses for travelling There Is a
dog train goes out to Fairbanks every
morning at 1880, returning at pm. 1t
makes one dream of the outside when we
hear them.
1T was no fault of the officers of the
steamers that we were belated. They were
all very nice to all of u.s. They endured
great hardships. Cinema has a population
OF LOCO, has one newspaper and bank
and is destined to grow. Fort Yukon is
where the Yukon touches the circle and
then turns southwest. The river Is ten
miles wide at this point and the aurora
borealis is visible. Fairbanks is a large
mining camp twelve miles from Cinema
(Which is the port of entry, and Cinema
will finally displace Fairbanks we think
although it is now only the supply point
and is incorporated. Our prospects are
bright"