The Nome daily nugget. (Nome, Alaska) 1906-1918, 1911-03-01

Tishou, Feb. "a. 1911.
col. Van Nleet:
Dear Sir: l will try and explain to
YOU the terrible happenings Of our trip
from Sinrock to Tishou as best | can.
We left Sinrock about $50 a M.
Sol. apparently in the best of spirits,
Il slight southeast wind was blowing
but was warm. Solly stopped at a
cabin five miles from Sinrock to get "A
drink. seemed to be very thirsty, | told
him not to eat snow as il would make
him weak. We got to the 12-mile
cabin about 10 or 1890 stalking trail
all along and still the wind was not
bad, there the telephone line leaves the
beach and cuts across country and it
was there, at about 11:3O that We
struck the storm. The wind had chang
ed TO the northeast and was of course
in Our faces. The dogs kept losing the
line and would not stay in the trail
! told Solly that we must not lose the
line and that | was afraid To trust the
dogs SO he started out ahead Of them
lie walked ahead for a little way and
finally came back To the sled and said:
Lii We have gone around i'm a com
plete circle and have lost the telephone
line" But still he did not seem dis
heartened and said:
We'll, Lii, let's have something to
eat" So | helped him get some choco-
late out of the sled bag and in So doing
the wind picked up and carried away
several things out of the bag, then his
hands got cold and he asked me To get
him a pair Of mittens out of the bag
which / did. then lac started out i'm
front Of the dogs again, asking me first
which way he should go and thought
then il was strange he did not know.
but | explained To- him the direction
the wind should be and where the sun
should be and he started ont. he called
back:
Am / going all right Liz" / said.
NO Sol haw little" and he had not
gone far when We struck the tele-
phone line again which thanked Cod
for as / knew then we were not lost
even though We were in a bowling bliz-
zard, we could not see from one pole
10 another Well when he struck the
line which must have been about l. 30
he came back to the sled and said: Lii
| feel like you did last night at the road
house, feel faint. have cramps I'm my
stomach. Well told him to STAY on
the back OF the sled and I would go
out ahead Of the dogs for a while. he
did not want me To. but / insisted.
tied rope TO the two leaders and then
tied the rope around my waist and
crept along from one pole TO another.
walking backwards most of the time
and watching the line over my head as
! could not see the next pole ahead.
Failing down So many times I soon
became exhausted and finally united
the rope and went back To the sled and
asked him IL he would go ahead for
while, so he did. the dogs seemed per-
fectly helpless and the ice would cake
over their eyes and we were continual
~ keeping them cleared. Solly started
out but just staggered back and forth
and could not seem To keep to the line.
tie sat down in front of the leaders and
| went up TO him and asked him what
he was eating. as he had something I'm
his mouth and he said he was chewing
the Ice OFF Pete's eyes. thought that
vas funny as the ice was very easily
brushed off. Then he got up and tried
10 mush the dogs but they wandered
away from the line and l told him to
stop them and / would go ahead.
Well from then on kept ahead of
the dogs and Sol stayed on the sled.
following at the dogs and trying 10
Keep them going. kept so close To the
telephone poles the sled would often
ran into the pole and when / would
lock back 10 see what the trouble was
Sol would be citing on the sled not
conscious the sled had stopped. would
call to him Ia start the sled and / no.
tieed he would answer me in a peculiar
way. Well. we trudged on i'm this way
until we reached the beach again which
was about o'clock. We struck some
sand dunes and the line followed over
the top Of them, but / did not leave il
and the sled kept tipping over and
Solly seemed TO be unable to right IL
again and the minute the sled stopped
the dogs would lie down and curl up
In mass. l would call back To Sol 10
push on the sled and start the dogs
and when he would get of the sled he
would stagger back and fall down just
like a drunken man Than Y x,-o,.Ia 80,