Douglas Island news., 1919-05-02
ALASKAN MUSTER
 ON LONG TRIP
Story of Trips m Arctic by Fur Traders Who Spent
 Season There


 Tho following interview with ! Cant. Alex. Allan. who recently paHs- cd through Juneau on a boat bound for thc south. is taken from the So. attlc Times ot April 22.
 Confirming the news that noth. ing has been heard of thc schooner Teddy Bear and her master Capt Joe Bernard. for moro than a year Capt. Alexander Allan. old-timo ! Arctic trader. arrived In Seattle from tho Far North yesterday, hay ! ing walked out from the polar shores ! Go Fairbanks. Alaska.
 Capt Bernard" hc said today, set out i'm 1916 Co mako Che North west Passage. travelling from west Ito east. Nothing has been heard of him for more than a year. but that causes no alarm in thc Arctic. Ho was at Tree River, seventy-nvc miles east of Copper Mine River when he was last reported.
 "Unlcss misfortune has bcfallcn him. he is continuing his eastward fight through the Northwest Passage Co Hudson Bay and thence Co the At Iautic. If an goes well. ! expect that Joe win arrive on thc Atlantic next October. thus duplicating Amund- sons great feat of several years ago. Amundscn. however. sailed from east Co west. ! was shipmatc with Joe in the Arctic back In 1909 and l have every confidence n his ability Go sail into thc Atlantic"
 Two Parties on Trip
 Capt Harold Noicc. youthful Arc tic trader and navigator of Seattle. plans Co make the Northwest Pas sage on foot. travelling by dog team. SO that Che present year may wit- ness Che arrival of two parties on tho Atlantic side of Che Arctic.
 "At Fort McPherson ! had a visit with old Man Firth, Che Hudson's Bay Compauy's factor there. He has had charge Of that post for forty-dvc years. and while close to 70 years old. he is as active and alert, both menally aud physically, as ever. He is a wonderful old man, with a mem ory for face sand facts that is simply amazing. All thc old-timc Seattle traders win be glad to hear that be is in perfect health"
 Captain Allan Is the only man who has ever made Che round trip overland between th Arctic and ciy- Hization In one season. He did it in Che winter season of 1917-1S and is repeating this year.
 Leaving Shinglc Point hfty-hve miles east of Hcrschcl Island. on March q. Capt. Allan "mushed" his dog team inland Co the old Crow River thus blazing a new trail from Che coast to the interior. The old Crow runs into thc Porcupine River forty miles above the boundary line between Canada and Alaska. Cap tain Allan followed this route to thc Porcupiuc and descended to old Fort Yukon, arriving there March 19. having walked 500 miles i'm slightly less than sixteen days. From Fort Yukon he mushcd Co Cir cle and thence to Fairbanks. As a passenger on thc long overland journey he had Leo Wittenberg, Arctic trader. From Fairbanks the two men iourueycd by stage and rail to Cordova, where they boarded a ship for Seattle
 Poor Fur Season
 "The past season in the Arctic" reports Capt. Allan, "has been mark ed by small fur catches. Fur bear ing animals have been scarce, prob ably due to Che lack of food Rab- bits again are appearing in the Mackenzie country Two years ago they were plentiful. Last year they were not Co be found This year they have appeared in limited mum bers and next year they will prob ably appear in great numbers"
 Captain Allan will head back for the Arctic in another two weeks. He brought out a consignment of furs. wittcuburg win also go back. He is tho man who nursed stefans- son. the Arctic explorer, at Herschcll Island. when the latter was m with typhoid fever Wittenberg formerly owned the schooner Challenge but sold her several years ago to Ste fansson. The explorer later sold | her to Captain Noice, who in turn sold her last fall. Wittenborg now owns tho schooner Sea Wolf. lying at Juneau. and will go back into the Arctic on that vessel when navi- gatlon opens.
 Registered for War
 Captain Allan deserted the Arctic