The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-08-10
| THE CONQUEST
| OF The ARCTIC
Address by Dr.. Vert at Hamilton
chautauqua on the Silence and
Cold Of Far OF
Alaska.
BAND FILLED PROGRAM
Automobiles Were Parked About the ,
Grounds at Hamilton on Sum
day by the Hun
dreds.
BAND FILLED PROGRAM

The appearance about the chau
tauqua ground in Hamilton on Sun
day would make one believe that
everybody in Hancock county was
there and that every man had an auto
| mobile. For more than a block In
every direction from the main en-
trance were lines OF automobiles,
which brought the crowd that filled
the tent to overlooking. The sermon
OF the morning was by DR. Edwin w
Lanhan on THE Supreme Christ
The thought was that Christ is the
central figure in solving the story OF
revelation. the enigma of history and
gives assurance of immortality.
The Williams jubilee singers, who
had been announced for q musical
prelude for the afternoon, and for a
full concert in the evening, did not ar
rive, owing to failure TO make railroad
connections. The Hamilton band was
substituted and gave a very accept.
able prelude in the evening. They
played a program of popular music
and were greeted with enthusiastic ap-
plause.
Dr.. Loyal Lincoln Vert lectured in
the afternoon on the Conquest OF the
Arctic. The lecturer told the story Of
the life of the miners in the gold dis
trtcts OF Alaska and of the journey he
made alone with eight dogs, and an
occasional guide, in mid-winter, to the
Pacific sea board to get relief for
the miners. who were undergoing q
fever epidemic, and who needed med
zeal attention and food. The story
began with Once upon time gold
child In that audience who took his
eyes from the speaker until he had in
his story gotten the dogs safely over
the last spur of the mountain. 1t was
a dramatic narration and the hero OF
the story was not Vert, the missionary
and superintendent of education for
the government, but his dog "Whisk-
ers,' the leader Of the pack. When
gold was discovered in that land
ure house. and which men a genera
ton ago called Stewards folly a call
was made from Alaska for soldiers to
keep peace and to help the men from
playing havoc with themselves during
the months OF darkness when they
must OF necessity be idle. The gov
eminent couldn't send soldiers and
SO the missionaries were brought in
to use. In understanding Alaska there
are four things you must keep always
in mind, the cold, the darkness, the
loneliness and the silence. Do you
remember how sickly and white a
potatoe sprout looks in the spring In
the cellar? Well, that's the way mems
souls and minds get in Alaska during
the SIX months OF darkness. In our
camp were three thousand men. Dur
Ing the season OF light they worked
sometimes eighteen hours of the TWEEN
ty-four. in washing the gold they
worked in shifts Of three, when they
were so tired they had to give up
they would divide the gold in three
parts, sometimes one share is ten dol
lars, sometimes it's five hundred, and
it's the hope Of the five hundred that
makes them work until they drop.
They wear two suits OF fur. one with
the fur next the body. the other with
the fur outside and the air space De-
tween the two suits acts on the same
principle as a thurmos bottle and
keeps in the animal heat. Dressed in
this way they go out In the dark sea-
son to prospect, If they fail to return,
we take the Red Cross sled and go out
to find them. Some times We find
them frozen. The hardest task / had
was to blast out grave and bury
them. Then go to their shack, hunt !
among the possessions for the letters
from home and write back to the |
mans mother or wife to tell them that |
he had taken the long journey and
would not come back to them