The Alaska daily empire., 1919-04-16
AN EXPERIENCE IN FAR NORTH
 IS DESCRIBED
William A. Thomas Writes the Governor About Some of Hardships Of Travel
 in Alaska.

| Alaska, under date or Jan. 18th, 1919. gives an interesting account of his trip. He says:
 Ut seems but yesterday that Vir ginia and I reached Point Hope, ye; many months since we were with Mrs. Riggs and you in Nome. The journey up was slow and discourag ing so that it seemed to consume even more time than it actually did. We were two months on our way, arriving home on the first of De cember. You might be interested in hearing how it was possible to re- quire two months in making such a trip so I shall sketch it in few words"
 Storms so delayed the Arctic that at the end of the sixth day out of Nome we had but reached Deer ing. The night off Cape Prince Of Wales was a night of horror. Had large sea followed the one that swept completely over us in the mid room and stopping the motor, we could not have withstood it and would inevitably been swamped. The weather had been cold and wet with soft snow; the decks were piled with freight, so that the cabin, with out heat, was the only refuge for the passengers. My sister was i'll in bed suffering with sore throat and evil cough, as were several of our fellow sufferers. Even the stur. dy Hart Humber was laid low. have never been troubled by any sort of illness in sea travel but l found that it required an effort to expel t, the fumes of gasoline and inhale the equally nauseous fumes of the galley in order to attempt food that was served Our hamper turned out to be more of a necessity than a lux, ury.
 At Deering, word met me that | the season was shutting in so early that already the small boats had been hauled out at Kotzebue. l would however, have gone on to take 9 chance of persuading my man to re launch his boat and take us up, but l Virginia's condition made it neces sary to disembark at Deering. An other night on that boat would have made her seriously i'll girl. There was nothing to be done but to pile off, rent a cabin and get along as best we could until the trails allow ed of dog travel. There is no mis sion work at Deering so my time was not altogether wasted. Late in October I walked to Candle and held an enthusiastic service there. Going through Candle on the way up the coast (we left Deering with twenty-four dogs and two sleds or
 the first of November) we stopped tc
 rest the dogs and have service. Tn
 the course of events I hoped to be in Point Hope in eight days. Our
 jinx was still with us however and few hours after the service, Alfred Kepner was taken i'll and the doctor
 being summoned, pronounced the all
 ment Spanish Influenza. MT. Kep ner is connected with the Robinson
 
 guests of Mir Robinson we were uuarantined. For two weeks we were not permitted to leave Candle. took advantage of the delay and un derewent a slight operation at the hands of Dr. Heimlich in the Candle hospital. When discharged I re auested leave to make my start North. The local board of health were loath to grant it but on my pointing out the need of my being at my post in case tho epidemic spread. they acceded to my wish. II (Note-There was no flu at Can dle. but they liked MT. Thomas and ! put one over on him.
 Leaving Candle we were eight days travelling before we reached home. Twice we were unable to face the terrific wind which contin ually fought us from the North. The temperature stayed around twenty below. Our dogs were, for the most part. speed dogs from Candle and were poorly coated to meet the up coast winds. We had to go over Cape Thompson as the ice was out and this cost us another day. was never happier to reach home in my life and we ran until II o'clock al night to avoid making another camp "The time here has passed rapidly We are very busy making up foi lost time. The school is larger than ever and my sister sometimes has
 45 pupils in attendance. She enjoys teaching these interesting youngsters very much and once declared that
 she would run away and hide about the time the Bear" departs next August. believe, however, she vii about that time be quite willing to start for civilization and her little Steinway"
 I Tn conclusion the writer declares that he often thinks of the Cover
 nor and Mrs Riggs and has not for gotten his promise to secure ther ios to be sent to the Governor, and later perhaps to be given to an Al a bear rug when the opportunity Of e. .auc ha fo pn1laokS-- ...-