The Alaska citizen., 1917-10-01
CHEECHACOING
 IN INTERIOR

 Railroad Record by MT. Chas L. Ma son, secretary to Chairman Edes who was a member of the party of officials on their recent trip to the interior is Illuminating as regards the present difficulties of travel from coast points to Fairbanks and vi cinity. The letter is published in these columns with the hope that it may prove of general interest to our readers:
 Fairbanks, Alaska, August 21. 1917.
 Interpreting the Indian word rather freely and using it's verb form pro duce5 word description of my re cent trip, for l was a tenderGooter, solt, downy, and cushiony.
 Leaving Anchorage on August 13, We reached Cordova before autumn MT Corser of the C. R. X N w railroad had his private car awaiting us and we were whisked away for Miles Glacier. After listening to it's awrsome thunder for half hour We piled into Ford car trained to run on a railroad track and bowled away for Chitina
 Chairman Edes' party is well bal anced. There is l.. X l. Manager Christensen who acts as spokesman and orator, MT. Fogelstrom is ballast and the undersigned is luggage boy. Now, there is a joke connected with that last item, but l never was much good at telling jokes-on myself, With a driver we filled every crack and creYice of the railroading Ford l
 At Chltina Robbie Sheldons Fords made fine connection; in fact, they | had been waiting for us week. It was 5:3O, but we tore off fifty miles to Copper Center, where the Tender 1 foot from Anchorage entered with i fear and trepdation his first road | house. The sumptuous supper served table de hote looked like anything | but war time, and we were all ready for the straw, which is accurate for | some ot the hunks. Four fifty" the proprietor said next morning and when l replied that each traveller was paying for himself, he went on to explain that he was quoting to me my individual bill. Well, to 1 live thus isolated deserves some re- ward.
 We were up with the sun and on that day passed Gulkana, Sourdough, Meiers and to PaXson S7 miles, Der ries to right of us, boulders to left of us, chug holes in front of us, onward we rambled And the morn | ing and evening were the second day" | Then came the treaCherous chang l ing glacier streams, put we made for them at o'clock in the morn ing and passed the most difficult be 1 fore they had time to swell to any great extent with the days sun upon them We were really surfeited with | scenery. Here a dashing stream, now strip of dense woodland; ever drawing nearer the SnOW-capped range As We advanced the recep | ton committees became larger and more insistent, and we finally put init, Donnellys Dome, and the road | house at Richardson's with it's in Viting white sheets, signs of dawn | ing civilization. Distance for the day 115 miles.
 Only 70 miles lay between us and | Fairbanks, and Robbie Sheldon wired | that we would arrive at noon. As ! i the whistle blew for twelve o'clock | We pulled into the towns main street. l Simply Seldom Service, as Robbie 1 mis-pronounces it. Distance travelled | from Chitina 319 miles, over roads | more or less indifferent as to quality | (the best the Road Commission can | do perhaps with the funds available) | in actual running time of 30 hours. | The only trouble with a Ford" says Sheldon, lis that you cant put nothin' on her and you can't go mo- where"
 Well, we are here at Fairbanks | now getting the rattle out of our bones and ready for the serious ! business of railroad building.
 Hastily yours,
 CHAS. A. MASON,