Douglas Island news., 1915-02-17
Soldier Tells About the North

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 from a soldier, who arrived there last summer, having made the trip by way of St. Michael. His description of the trip will be especially interesting to those who have ever travelled on the lower river
 The letter in part is as follows:
 "Anent the trip from Seattle to Fort Gibbon, let us say that the first leg, i.e. l Seattle to St. Michael, was a long, tedious complication of how not to run steamboat. The Victoria, on which we took passage, was named after the late lamented Queen of Bog- land, having been built in the same year in which she was boru; also having been a dead one about the same length of time. For her navigators I can say they were wonders. They could spy trough of the sea twenty miles away and SO manipulate the ship that by the time it would strike us we would be broadside, thus necessitating a header to port or starboard according 10 which side one happened to be on when she struck, Several passengers made spiral Rlides across her, to the amusement of those of us who happened to be anchor ed firmly to samething substantial, but to the disadvantage of the performer. The wonder of it all was that more were not injured. Finally, after ten dave, we steamed slowly into Nome harbor. Did we unload? We did not. 1 We put in the rest of that day and the night following in cruising around Boring sea for fear we might drag our anchors up the side of Mt. Mckinley. The next day was the same, also the next night. But after a while our Irish captain decided to go ashore him self, 80 they put off the passengers and other impedimenta aud we sailed, after years and years of waiting, for St. Michael. From a distance of ten miles at sea, St. Michael is beautiful little haven. The buildings are painted white, and it seems that from every gable a flag is flying. l said from ten miles at sea. After one has disem parked, at the long tailor made dock, and wound his devious way up through the homespun buildings up to the crest of the hill, one is prone to change his mind. The sainted Mike must have been a whale of a prevaricator, for about all there is at St. Michael is wind-wind and dogs. There were times during our five days stay at Mikes when we couldn't hear the wind on account of the dogs, also when we couldn't hear the dogs on account of the wind; but never when one or both was not with ue. At St. Michael dis covered the frst peculiarity of the native dog. discovered that the finer house you build for them the more time they spend on the roof, bowling. Since l have been here, where have been more or less with the dogs, as it were, l have learned many tricks of which Jack London is entirely ignorant. 1 I have seen several dogs hitched up and started out on short jaunts about the town, either for exercises or the more utilitarian purposes of drawing water and wood, and l have become firmly convinced that, after many years of patient eudeavor, the dog musher of Alaska has arrived at point where one word from him will make the native dog do just as he d-d pleases; the dog l mean. In passing will say that these dogs are the first and only ani- mals that have ever seen which can climb an iron telegraph pole succcss- fully. So, after l have been married aud have children, and my children have children, can take them on my knees and tell them that in Alaska l have seen dogs that have the simian monkey out-monkeyed. Then, as mode of transportation Of course, we all know there is no other mode in this country after winter sets in, unless you walk; and 1 have studied this part of the dog problem exhaustively and have become firmly convinced that prefer to take my trips entirely dogless. If I start on a trip without dogs, l must walk; fwith dogs, must run, with oc- occasional stops 10 disentangle them f.om the underbrush; also an oc-