The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-24
Foymey Birmingham ResideDt
 WYItes From 7he Ber1Ng Seq


 in solid, POO miles from land, with un- broken ice in every direction just as far as we could see with strong glasses and quite a snow storm was prevailing. Can you imagine such a place for camping? We knew not how long we would have to remain. It flight be week or month mo one could tell for the same steam ship Ohio was fast in the ice 42 days in 1908. It was hard to believe that we were on sea instead of land For the ice was all covered with deep snow with only now and then a water hole in sight as though az spring. In places the ice was piled up high like mountains where it had been tossed by wind and wave We had to remain there eight days. And yet to me the days passed away quick Iy, for there was something doing all the time. We had some great games of bridge. Baseball on the ice came in as quite a novelty and we had some fine games. Two other steamers were frozen in about two miles away and bunch of us made visits to them over the ice. It was cer- lstainly like real camping.
 And though a thrilling experience, full of danger every moment of the time. it was fascinating and l shall ever remain glad that l was one of the 'Ohios' pas sengers on her last great trip. We saw ! sights that the tourists as a whole never see or dream of. Before striking the ice we saw many large whales spouting water in true picture book style. And while passing through and fast in the ice we saw lots of seals and walrus lying about in the snow or tumbling in the water. I wish you could have seen some Of those beautiful sunsets out over all that snow and ice It was a picture no artist can point. Yet it was thrilling experience, full of fascination, and regret was mingled with gladness when one day about noon an openig appeared ahead and down in the engineroom we heard about noon an opening appeared ahead She was already badly leaking and every life in danger, so for the next IS hours the Ohio bucked and battled with Ice as never before. At last we broke through to free water, for the ice had broken up along the shore and drifted out to sea. Then we heard the signal down in the engineroom full speed And, oh my, bow we did yell when we heard that little bell. The next thing of interest was themirage; as we hurried to Nome that morn ing (June 18), time after time I would have bet anything that l could see land. houses and everything of Nome and the mountains round about. Yet I was so often fooled that I did not believe it when we really got in sight of Nome. If you have read The Spoilers you have heard enough of Nome, so l pass 1t up.
 June 19 about noon, we arrived in St. Michaels where we found the snow and ice rapidly disappearing and the weeds and grass rapidly appearing. Within six weeks the grass and weeds were three feet high and wild flowers blooming everywhere. A little later wild berries were ripe and plenty of them everywhere and lasted till the snow covered them up I wish you could have seen the wild flow 1 CTS. The daisies were the most beautiful I have. ever seen. They looked like wax they were so white and rich. And why should they not grow rapidly and to per 1 lection, for the sun, during the short summer shines practically all the time It seemed strange at first to go to sleep while the sun was shining, but I soon found out that I could not stay awake all the time. You see I am long way l up north During the latter part of | June I did stay up all night one night 1 just to say that I had seen the sun shine l all night. I can now say that l have seen 40 continuous hours of sunshine l From a. m. on a Tuesday till 10 D. m on Wednesday, and went to sleep with the sun still looking around for the re- maining snow. So you see this, instead ol Norway, is the land of the midnight sun It is warmer here in summer than you l may think. The temperature goes as high l as 70 sometimes And the mosquitoes are thicker and larger than one can imagine and in the interior of Alaska they arc 1 worse still.
 "The summer was the most pleasant