El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-09-02

@ORT YUKON. ALASKA. Sept p
I am on the Yukon river steam
= ing slowly through the wilds Of
Alaska where neighbors live 100 miles
apart and the nearest postoffice is
400 miles away. This mighty stream
has its source a thousand miles south
east OF where I am writing 1t rises
in the headwaters of the Lewes and
the Pelly, within a short walk of the
Pacific ocean, and it flows from here
perhaps 1900 miles more before ii pours
out over the wide flats of the tundra
into Bering sea In this region the
stream is enormous II Is from ten
TO 20 miles wide, and the channel
winds sluggishly in and out among
islands Of all shapes and sizes Some
are circular. some oval and some are
perfect crescents of vegetation and
sand The waters are like glass, put
ty-colOred during the daytime. and
with all the hues Of the rainbow as the
sun rises and sets.
Through the Yukon Flats.
The land is low and built up by the
silt of the river We are now in what
is known as the Yukon flats, an area
almost as large as the state Of South
Carolina. lying between the two ranges
OF mountains which border our terri
tory at the north and the south The
passes
course of 200 miles. and that in a net
work. of waterways some of which are
sloughs. some great island lakes. and
others are ox-bows made by the
islands.
The winnings of the river among
the islands make me think of the ANA
zon near its mouth The tropical
vegetation is. of course. far more
luxuriant- The Amazon trees are 81
gantic; some are as big around as a
hogshead. and are bound together with
lianas The trees here range in thick
ness from that of the wrist OF a baby
70 UNDERGROUND nail key; they
would hardly be twigs on the Amazon
Most Of them are less than thirty 1eet
high. and they have bushes under
them. The open places are covered
with great fields of pink flowers
River Melt lice, Builds Earth.
Everywhere you look You see the
Yukon at its work of earth buIidlnS-
Its waters are melting the prehistoric
ice that begins two or three feet under
the moss and muck covering; and great
blankets of earth, studded with trees,
fall down into the river Sandbars rise
in q season. and islands are created
with the floods of one spring. other
islands are swept away. There are no
rocks anywhere. The bed Of the river
is silt. and the silt goes down to great
depths. There are so many channels
among the islands that a man without
q compass and sailing directions would
surely get lost Indeed. in the early
DAYS the cheechakOs. or tenderfeet,
coming here to get gold, were
facetiously warned 10 beware of the
Yukon flats, as they might wander into
channels that would lead them into the
Arctic ocean instead Of the main course
of the river
The channels are really uncharted
and practically unsurveyed, and the
steamers have difficulty in making 4!
their way. In the trip preceding the one /
] am making. the Alaska. supposed TO I
be the best ship on the river. struck I
newly made sandbar below Circle City, 4
and ii was five days before she was
again on her way
Our steamer has spars at the side !
which can be dropped into the sand
in such a way that the engine can /
Dry itself off when so grounded. The /
Alaska was similarly equipped. but the l
spars- broke and hence the delay. In 1
her case the governor OF the territory 1
was aboard and he narrowly escaped I
missing the steamer at st. Michael. !
which would have delayed him a month /
in getting back to his home at Juneau, 4
the capital
Appears On Roof Of the World.
I wish I could give you some moving /
pictures of the scenery Of the Yukon. !
Here in the flats we seem TO be on the !
roof of the world The river stretches 2
on and on as though ii would drop (
into space, and the low wooded banks I
seems fences over which, If one /
climbed. he would fall into nothingness. /
Standing on the bridge of the steamer, 1
YOU can almost look over the trees !
The earth is flat, and the mighty river I
runs on and on through these great I
islands. covered with trees and luXuri |
ant grass and spotted with great beds !
OF wild flowers
Residents Are Scarce and Far Apart. 1
The river is wonderfully quiet You 1
may sail a hundred or more miles with |
out seeing a town or any sign of habi-