The Alaska daily empire., 1915-12-20
MOUNTED POLICE
 READY FOR LONG
 MCPHERSON MUSH
(DawsOn News. ]

DAWSON, Y. T., Dec. 1S.-The Roy al Northwest Mounted Police expe- dltion, which is to start from Dawson for McPherson and Herschel Island between Christmas and New Years, will follow the general course which has been taken during the police pa- trols on similar expeditions the Inst several seasons. namely, along the Yu- Son river from Dawson to the Twelve mile. up the Twelvemile. across the Ogilvie range and the Rocky noun tains via Seely pass thence down the Wind river. and the Peel river to the Mackenzie valley to Fort McPherson.
 For the first time a general sketch of tho route win be taken. something on the style of topographic may, and photographic survey will also be made with a camera which Corporal Ward. who Is to have charge of the party, will carry with him. The trail also will be blazed and marked more thoroughly than ever. SO as 10 be more easily traced in tho future by any strangers who may have occasion to follow the route. This will give the course more of the character Of an established and recognized route or highway through the sub-Arctic wilderness from Dawson to the farth- er-most outposts of civilization on this continent.
 On this trip Corporal Ward will be accompanied by Constables II. Old man. T. Kvale and H. Atchison. The famous Indian guide, John Martin, will be trail breaker. Ward was over the route last season, when Seargent Clay and party mushed to McPherson, and returned later, and proved Q splendid musher Word halls from northern central Canada, and spent years in the Athabasca country, where he had much experience on the win ter trails.
 The party this year looks forward to a successful mush, but there al- ways is plenty of hardship connected with the expedition. Last year the Indians packed the trail exceptionally we'll late in the season, and Billy Flaw kins of police, who came back late. made the record return run over the well packed route in seventeen days.
 Ward and party will take the mall from Dawson to McPherson, where they will meet the other police expe. d,tion from Herschel Island with mail from the post and the whalers of that region. The two parties will exchange mail at McPherson. and then each will hit the back trail for their respective posts. Ward and party should get back to Dawson some time in March. They will bring late advices from Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the noted Ca nadian explorer and discoverer who was located in the Arctic several weeks ago by Captain Lane.
 The exact date of the departure of the Ward party VII depend on the arrival of the mail from the mounted police headquarters at Regina. Mall from San Francisco for whalers and from Ottawa for the government, and letters for the Hudson's Bay company and other traders, and epistles for the missionaries of McPherson and vicin- ity, also are expected here for Che party by the time the outfit gets away.
 The dog teams for the expedition are being gotten together and will be hardened in hauling the supplies from Dawson to the Twelvemile pow. CT house on the Twelvemile river Five thousand pounds of supplies are to be taken there. and the work is beginning ct once with Corporal Ward in charge.
 A quantity of supplies which Is to be of emergency character has been distributed at points along the center of the route by John Martin. He did the hauling early this winter as soor