The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-02-09
TIE HAsKIN LETTER
A New Alaskan Waterway
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

III ~ by RE
Last spring Captain Il. R. Luken.
Of the Coast and Geoditic Survey was
dispatched upon the steamer Yukon
with a party OF sixteen men, to 10.
cate and chart, II possible, a navigablt
channel through the mouth OF the
kuskokwim river in Alaska. Recent
y the secretary OF commerce an.
nounced that the channel had been
found. And between those two Official
statements there is a story.
Alaska Is one OF the biggest 1nde.
yeloped possibilities in the world, and
the Kuskokwim river Is fair sample
~ It. A stream the size of the Pc.
tomac. and itself a valuable fishery
i reaches five hundred miles into an
almost unexplored interior, rich. in
mineral deposits; and yet II was moi
even visited by representatives. OF the
United States government until 1898
At that time Spur and Post OF the
Geological Survey went a short dis
lance ,tp the river, and made repor,
upon it.
From this information, it was
known that the Kuskokwim was a
navigate river, which might be OF
great importance commercially; and
1t was also known that its mouth was
blocked by a great submerged delta.
which cffcctually locked the great
river to all but the smallest boats
The task OF Captain Lukens and his
party was to discover a channel
through the submerged mudflats Of
this delta, and make a map and sail
ing directions for the benefit of future
commerce.
They found the Kuskokwim to be a
stream nine miles wide at its mouth,
'taperlng to three-quarters of mile
ia short distance inland, and flowing
as smoothly as mill race. On either
side Of It, lay the great tundra, or
semi-arctic. prairie, carpeted with
grass, reaching to snow-capped moun-
tain ranges just visible in the clear
est weather. Not a tree, rock, or a
human structure broke the monotony
OF this great plain. Literally millions
Of wild fowl, which breed in that lati-
tude, were seen upon the river, and
herds Of reindeer, some Of them NUM-
bering thousand members, ranged
over the prairie.
The steamer Yukon of the Coast and
Geoditic Survey is a vessel OF hum
.dred horsepower about seventy-five
feet long. The plan of procedure was
for this little craft to feel way into
the river. soundings being taken as
she proceeded, while by process OF
triangulation. using distant peaks as
the fixed points. the channel was To-
Gated for mapping purposes.
1t was quickly discovered that most
OF those who. had tried to navigate
the river had made the mistake of at
tempting the feat at high tide, in the
hope the water would be deep enough
to float them over the submerged
flats. Instead, they invariably went
aground. The investigators found
that there was q tortuous, but per
fectly navigable channel, which could
be followed at low tide by using as
landmarks the mudfats, which are
then visible above the water.
Again and again the little Yukon
went aground, and laboriously backed
of for another attempt. Repeatedly
she seemed to have entered a perfect
cul-de-sac, from which there was no
escape. but always narrow cut"
was found, through which she escaped
into new channel.
Slow but certain progress was made
in this way for several days, and then
a new and unexpected difficulty was
encountered. The wide mouth of the
Kuskokwim. with the open tundra on
either side, Is no more sheltered than
the open sea. A southeast storm
sprang up, and buffeted the Yukon
like floating chip for six days. To
run aground under such circumstan-
ces would have been fatal. There was
nothing to do but drop anchor on the
SPOT. and wait until the storm sub
sided. Several times the violence OF
the gale caused the little boat to
drag anchor but fortunately she
kept her position in tho channel until
1t was over.
A little way up the stream, the
party found the remains OF Rus
sian vessel. which, they afterward
learned, had been caught in similar
storm at the mouth Of the Kuskowim,
and driven aground There was moth
ing left Of her but rotting hull and
one mast. Captain Lukens strongly
warns against the use Of the mouth
of the Kuskolawims as har;bor.
In addition to this storm, the party
were greatly hampered in all OF their
work by the foggy weather, for clear
weather is necessary to photographic
observations. Dnring the month OF
July, they had just one and one-half
days OF weather clear enough so that
they could see the mountains, while in
August there were only four such
days.
The party left the United States
early in May, and by the middle Of
August. they had charted practic-
able channel through the mouth of
the river. Upon their return. the
weather was so thick that they had 10
navigate by soundings alone-that is,
by literally feeling their way along
the bottom-but they made the trip
without mishap, using their own OBJ
selvations as a guide,
Having thus comnleted their sur
vey of the mouth OF the Kuskokwim.
the party proceeded up the stream
seventy-five miles to the principal
settlement Of that part OF Alaska.
This Is Bethel, a settlement OF Nor
avian missionaries, sent out by the
Moravians OF Pennsylvania to convert