The Chitina leader., 1910-09-24

 past dinner time and steady down pour of rain, is not what hungry bunch of passengers would call a pleasant prospect in these modern times, yet it is remarkable and anus ing to note the spirit of good fellow ship and optimism which prevails among travellers in Alaska, when it is realized that what can'tabe cured must be endured
 On Monday of last week during the heavy rain storm, the train was delayed several hours by few small slides in Abercrombie canyon. Ma jor Richardson, Deputy Marshal Goshaw, Engineer Fred Butterworth, O. E. Bennett, Charles Gaby, Jim my MacCormac, James Kimball, Fred Hartigan and few other passengers were trying to look cheerful about two hours after hungry time, |" when MT. Hartigan suggested that 8 few eatables might be obtained at Camp 52, some distance back of the train. It was up to him to go, af- ter making that awful break, as it wasn't safe for him to remain in the car, and he returned with a few bis cults, can of Holsters, one salmon and jar of preserves. A large jack knife was produced and everyone took turns at a mouthful of the forage.
 The spirits of the party arose to effervescing after the replenishing of the inner man," and all agreed that the Rocky Cliff Banquet" as Major Richardson call ed it, should go on record, and the many sparkling suggestions as to the menu, most of which were in the vernaeular as well as the geological and prehistoric phrases, appear in the following extract" published thousands of years hence in the ''fly- ing age," upon which our imagina- tlOn mas QTaWn.
 New York, July 1st, 12137 A. D. Information has been received here by the head of the museum of this city, that a remarkable discovery has just been made in the richest and fairest land of all our government ssessions-Alaska. While exca- vations were being made for an aux Hilary aeroplane station, at the re- nowned copper belt winter resort, the workmen ran across the steel box in which the unciyilized natives, as far back as 1910, kept their rec ords and yaluables. On opening the box, several letters in a perfect state of preservation were found. It seems preposterous, of course, but even in those barbarous days, social func- tions must have been known, and dinners served on railroad trains, which. according to our professors of ancient history, were at one time used in transportation. Unlike our guaranteed air and germ proof din- ing planes of today, the meals were then evidently served outside, where All the germs and baccili of dread disease were able to endanger the food. This ancient race of people also lived on what was caught in the streams, which seems incred- ible to us in these days of the guar anteed germ-proof, anti-fat, non corruptible pure foods now in use.
 We reproduce a copy of this won- derful letter which will no doubt prove of interest to all our enlight- ened people, as we'll as our profes- sors of dead languages and students of ancient lore:
 Chitina, Sept. 20, 1910. Dear Old Sourdough Bill:
 There sure was somethin' doin' on our run up the Copper last week. It was on the regular, which pulled out behind the governors special thta carried all the moguls, with His Nibs," and, believe me, it was rainin' some that day. When we got to the big bridge the con told us we'd have to wait for the special, which had to pass us at the glacier station on it's return to Cordova, as it had bumped into little slide up the canyon, and couldn't wait to go on through. Well, We pulls out af- ter the main squeeze" had passed and were "hittin' the pike" o. K. when the 'hog head" sticks his ''block" out the window and locates a slide. Down goes his ''mitt' on the juice lever" and throws the air on, which took so mighty sudden, we was all throwed off our "pins."
 On prospecting around we "cop- ped" lead, which assays 5 miles from town with no cache or grub stake in sight Well wa smoked mn