Iditarod pioneer., 1914-04-11

river gong dnNhNi'alh NHI' "" S'' p' low 1t.
 This made it necessary to put Bates, NtIliS and Harmon oli at a natlVe village several miles below Marshall CllN. We latl no further trouble in reaching 7rltIclll'hl called Hamilton, near kOlllk, where we were told we had best stay Tor the winter; that we would never get through to BerlnE sea, and that the old acoW would not last uyr minute, if we got through. We Wcr" tnld tO wait for q complete freeze up ana get dog teams and go back up the rl}"r. rIckmg up some nll Hdu Ir3im tnT ay % Irh"0. n,,. last lap tu RrrIug sea. About daylight we sighted Point Bomanoll, and few minutes later. on rounding d bend in the stream, we as onc could see. There lay the river steamer Herman. of the \. C. Co.,. high on sand bar, with passengers who had lrfl Fairbanks and Iditar"d three Wr"r( nhrad of uS They had been on the bar i've days when we showed up. The Her man lay about 300 yards inside the ice, anu 1 want tp say nc steamer ever lookeu better to Ills. We had got to our last half Inaf of bread. About all We had Was canned fruit and beans.
 In anticipation of just such situation, we had before leaving ldltdrod built rp d false front in the old scOW 10 stop water from washing over the bow. and had rON- cred the rr,ut end of the ScoW with sheet ir"n. We had also put in srt "l hog chains to prevent the ship from huCkling. We were not sure the old tab would make much of an ice CruSuer, but decided to try it. | have failed to state lltt our En"u ship had no reverse gear To itS engine. We coGid beat them all in a straIgntaWay run. but nc backing up. on leaving idllirud We had piled lot of rOrdWoud aboard. We had several stick, left &t this stage of the game, and two oId axes. we had lost or broken our two landing poles m getting of sand bars long before 1hl> We llgurpd if our equipment would stand long enough lO get lO tUr Herman we would east IutS with them and desert the ~hln. I'll" en- zine was started and made q bun for the ice. driving her half the length on the ice. Then we gol busy With 'he aE"S and cord and broke 1t down with CnrdWpod, after which we would push the ScoW back clear Ur the channel and drive into 1t agan. \ couple of hours of this labor brought Us opposite the Herman, whose crew and pdsSrugprS were watching cur funny look ing craft working along through the ice.
 The captain came Uui and wanted to knew where Ill the world we cam" from JuI where we nRurCd on gong. The an >Wrr was, "St. Michael rr Dusl' He said we were "huStcd" already Dnt told Hs tHc steamer kIoNIlkn WaS around in" bend, in the ice. about two miles away, and asked Ills to try and get tp her and bring ,.3h and @ oi for , fuG .iN Thy @ "erg h.m %Ns @ 4f 1o m ran -gG" Er5a '4@ Ho'h1 t" 6ok sr DG&" &@ o I man. and had fuel and grub ror a t"r days trip, but "Wm@ lo tides and currents I"ay- ing several open places in the ice forma tDn they had moi been abl" to "onnrrt with each ether over the ice. Both of these boats lav there with crews doing nothing ut ali 10 get out If trouble.
 Uu" gasoline suppIy was getting low un account of heavy work Durkn@ ice. be secured from the He"mau II was up tu u- tO get tp the kIr rndikr. After several hours hard work "" broke h channel [" the hIonIikr. and, "n delivering thr Her mans message, were told by the captain of tnr ktuudlk" that he had nJ food or fuel tu gvr thr Herman. His boat being d heavy rrrlgAt"", and a0oat could work her way out From where she lay. but she could get Io nearer thn Herman un account of i.W water and thick i"r. Olr good cap la;u offered Jo go back and lighter the pas ~engrrS, crew and baggage, about twenty l.li>, and S25n,onp Dn dust for cash r'0- ~drralI.u. hr tu take u- 10 ~f. NirNirI. glHny H~ q couple uf hours to strip the rngnr and tent from our >HIp, We to leave
 Fer some reason he refused to oDigate hlmSrf rr hl- company, saying that h" had q small Iauu"u that h" could do the W k with himself, that We had opened q channel and cleared the way. or pout- mc out th" fact that his boat could not force Its WAY through the channel which WaS ruII of broken ice, and that II was Freezing hard and thr small launch could not possibly uo the york; he ga}r Us the Hl%hbaIl and told u~ t0 prrcerd on cur way. H." said that he WouId not give Us any gasoline nCr food; that he had no Incense to carry pa>>rngrr> and would have no room when he g.t those from the Herman. We had fNrN' gallons of oil and had got down 10 2 tt't of boiled nurSrNc- that We cuud get np help from Captain R.. and lt beng q ease ur either irrrz" to death on the river or muSh over inc lee and mnmtalns, I25 miles. With no food and clothing for such rip. We de- rtd1d tO mak" for BcTinG ~ra ani take a rhaurr on getting through
 A we passed tha tlon6jkr. Captain B. had his launch put in the NaI'". This boat was about eighteen feet iau- and three feet w.t." We watched his ciHet cuGut"r. first u'-r"r and carpenter get into her and make fo" tl" iIr"u1n.
 After making. olr way oa. for about ? m!r We i.>t both ruidr"~ of our good ship lh" broken irr r.mu- nn under the s""W and ripping Inc raslGm@, loose, and bI lh were gone. some dI~lHuce ah,Jt We could See uu" of tn" open p'trc~ in the lr" long enough to turn the s"oW. Max l9g Tor ihat. w. fn1lIE got ii turned, It being big job. The pIot h.USr being higher than the tent. caH@lj thn wind and SWun" her in every direction but the right one. Apnui SEQ o'clock we @pt back to m" hIundlke and meant tO board IS a~ ship Mfrckrd prup", and by force if necessary. Here Providence took hand. Before we could make any demands, Captain B. said: 'UrNlirlIirn. ! am aS glad io see y0u IS you are thIs boat. Pointing up the cnan- mel "" had made earlier in the day. he asked If We could make out q dark spot on the !rr. That ia my launch frozen in with eight ladies and my OnirorS If y0u
 
 | will take Eon t0 Nt. Michael and give vou time tO strip yOur SrOW"
 bUriug tue aftcmon the hGlder of the Herman passengers had gotten ashore. walked down the river bank and over the lee to the open water. and mad been ferried across 10 the kIOndikc. There were still me tl@ht ladies on the launch and seven 1 la''irH and four or five mCn besides the crew on the Herman. and the heavy bag gage and gold.
 Nn were not long in rcScung the launch ana lnr haIf- frozen women. We then Sug- seSted going back for the balance of the passengers. baggage and gold, which we tDuId nave handled in two trips. and rather .iian nave the captain ObIigatc himself of ltfcd to settle for this service with Nr. Llpl, lhe manager at st. Michael The cap iHn was no man in an emergency and if dgNeioped later that he was only an under 0llcer. Win" had been picked to take Ibc ihloldlke out because the regular crew had Deen laid oiI He again refused saving that that ,nI1G he had had been gone four days, and after him; that he was expecting such a boat all day. And sure enough about 10 ?. m we saw steamer turn in al Point h9m4non, which proved to be the Louise. q llgh1 built passenger boat. She steamed m and anchored out about fifteen miles rom where We lay in the ice
 The captain ordered Us to strip our boat II we were going to St. Michael RipDing OH the tent, we sawed the driving ,haff h.A