The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-02-28
WELCOMED BY
THE PRESIDENT
Eli Smith. the Alaskan Mail Carrier
and His Team Of Dogs in Washinton.

from his 5000 mile transcontinen-
tai jaunt, Eli Smith, Alaskan mail
carrier, with his team ofseven Es-
kimo dogs, drove into the Enclosure
surrounding the Viii tie House
grounds yesterday afternoon and
was informally and democrat cally
greeted by President Roosevelt,
Archie, Quentin, and several Ex-
ecutive Office attaches.
Thus the sturdy son of the frozen
North ended with a Presidential
handshake his much-heralded
journey, begun in faraway Nome
more than year ago.
As if by magic the news of the
arrival of the traveller, whose
unique journey has led him acros.
the American continent, traversed
the White House and into the ad-
joining State, War and Navy De-
partment building In the twink
ling of an eye officials, clerks and
host of curious uchins and passing
pedestrians were craning their
necks to witness the unusual sight
of an Eskimo dog team being driv
on up the driveway to the portico
of the White House.
AS the mail carrier called out
whoa" to his dogs, he was i'm
mediately surrounded by crowd,
intent on knowing the details of
his trip and plying him with mis-
cellaneous questions. Little
Quentin, the White house baby,
clambered onto the low, sled.like
cart, which has served as Smith S
conveyance, and encircled the
driveway, while Archie grasped
mail carriers horny hand in a
friendly, boyish greeting. In this
attitude both the White House
boys were snapped.by several anna
teur photographers.
At the Presidents suggestion,
Smith withdrew his team to the
rear of the White House, away
from the gaze of the curious, and
a few minutes later the two, one
the Nations Executive, and the
other, roughly-clad and storm toss
ed, met for an interview in the
Presidents private Office.
Smith presented to the President
letter Of introduction from an
official at Nome and in return the
President wrote a brief note certi
flying Smiths arrival at the Capt.
tai. After a brief conversation
in which Secretary Loeb and At
torney General Bonaparte Joined,
they adjourned to the rear of the
White House, where Smith put
his dogs through their PAGES.
The President laughed heartily
at the exhibition, and all present,
particularly the boys, Archie and
Quentin seemed to enjoy the sight.
Leaving the White House
grounds by the east gate, the team
trotted briskly by the south front
of the Treasury, much to the en-
joyment of the clerks who crowded
to the windows, up Fifteen street
and along F street to Eleventh,
where Smiths Whoa" brought
the team to stop.
AS the strange outfit moved
along the crowded thoroughfare,
the expert mail, carrier, by a Choir
US of "Whoasl" guiding it in and
out between teams and cars, all
business seemed to stop for the
moment. Customers and clerks
ran to the curbs, waving a friend
ly greeting to the travel-stained
stranger and his dog companions,
and even the sphinx like motor
men, absorbed in watching the odd
team, forgot to clang their ear
splitting gongs.
Smith is typical son of the
plains. Standing about FIVE feet
eight inches in height, his I'M
usual breadth of shoulders marks
him as a man Of unusual strength.
Though his long journey was for
the most part over and through a
country rough of fatigue and con-
tact with cold and storm seeming