The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-04-08
INTERESTING LETTER
Guy Cordiner Writes Of Life and Scene
In Far-North.

Guy Cordiner Writes Of Life and scenes
In Far.North
Hereunder is published a letter from
Guy Cordiner which will prove of in
terest to the, people Of Princeton and
vicinity who have relatives and
friends in the Copper river district of
Alaska:
Editor Princeton Union: So many
people think of Alaska as one big pile
OF ice that no doubt they would be
surprised to find green fir and spruce
trees as we'll as running water at any
season in this frozen country In fact
[ think that the winter in Alaska this
year has been milder than in the
states.
The worst place on the Valdez-Fair-
banks trail is at the summit, or the
place where it crosses the top of the
mountain range. Starting at Wort
mans the trail climbs the mountains
ten miles to the top, winding around
like scenic railway on narrow places
where a slip of a foot would send you
flying down the precipice. At other
places it goes through canyons scarce
~ wide enough for the sleds to ira
verse, and at each turn the trail seems
to run to an abrupt end against the
solid rock.
One of the sights of the trail is the
Valdez-Fairbanks stage, which con-
sists of a very fine, strong bobsled
about six feet wide and four-horse
team. These sleds run to and from
the mountains on each side, but going
over the mountains they have to use
the double enders on account of the
width of the trail. It is a picturesque
sight to see the big sled, with it's driv-
er cracking his long whip over his
four horses, swinging up and down
over the hills and the horses at a full
trot most of the time.
The snow is only foot deep at our
present camping place, which is about
seventy-two miles from Valdez. We
are having the finest kind of weather,
as the sun shines nearly every day
and the temperature changes from
twenty degrees below zero in the
morning to forty above in the after
noon. The weather on the summit is
the most unreliable-a turn around a
corner is apt to bring you either into
a bowling blizzard or warm sunshine.
At times the wind blows so hard that
a person can't face it.
Most of the workers on the trail
have sore noses from their experience
on the summit, but our boys we're ex-
ceedingly lucky and few of them got
nipped. One fellow, however, named
Hugh Mcclellan, had his nose frozen
nearly every day. Perhaps it was be-
cause the end of it stuck out so far
from his countenance that it became
white SO often. I noticed it was white
one day and told him that his nose
was frozen. He merely replied, "Let
'er freeze, I've frozen it off three
inches and it's too long yet
Our tents have board floors and
stoves in them, so we are quite COM
Portable in our movable homes. The
horses also have their tents, so that
they, too, are quite comfortable.
The hauls between camps are from
ten to fifteen miles and the camps are
moved every five or six days, accord
ing to the time required in moving the
supplies.
Don't imagine that many of the
Princeton people ever saw any of the
Alaska sleds, or double enders as thew
are called. These double enders con
sist of two sleds about eight feet long,
twenty-six inches wide and ten inches
high, coupled together with big chains
the same as any bobsled. The runners
are about three inches wide and they
turn up at each end. They are braced
at every foot with iron braces to with
stand the great strain of the chuck
holes and the sliding and tipping of
the trail. There is way of lacing a
load on these sleds with ropes SO that
they can be tipped over, shook and
bumped but the load stays on through
it all.
We are short distance from the ST.
wash Indians, who have village on
the Copper river. Father Belham. or
Bellum, is the big chief, and from
some one he has obtained an American
flag which he raises every time crew
goes by his village. He runs ferry
in the summer time, and valuable
thing to know is that you can get
across for either dollar, the regu-
lar fare, or two dollars and half. If
you are tenderfoot, or chee-chalk-
er, it may cost you two and a half.
However, if you look wise and saw to
the big chief, ''Mebbe so you big man
like Roosevelt or some other fellow