Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-20
YACHT PRISCILLA
Continued from page 1

Continued from page
After the storm had subsidized to some
extent. Captain Miller and his men man man
aged to get to their vessel, ana making
such repairs rs were possipie ,ne'e,
brought her here for overhalilnR thnt
would enable them to continue she''
journey to the Gulf OF Mexico. she feaeh-
ed here about week ago, and Is now uI'uer
going repairs at the foot OF Seventh street.
WORST HURRICANE TIE EVER SAW.
Captain Miller, who is So years old, ana
who in his time has seen many storms on
Tho water. said that the hurricane ot the
frst ocek in February WAS the worst nc
hai .,.ar s,on. the wind reaching velocity
ns q, r,;les nm hour ut times. When he was
fo,.od 10 leave the Yacht during the storm,
and sa,v the wind beating her against the
iron piers. he never expected that she
would survive the experience ana ttiat nc
would be able TO take her to her destina-
ton. But il seems that the i'riscilla qua
more damage to the piers than was done to
her
ventures enough for half dozen ordinary
men He was born in Milwaukee, went ont
IN 'o7 with the gold rush to Alaska, and
was with the stampeders mt Nome, IN the
ILIondike and nj Skagway. Whale hunter,
fur trader. pioneer in the uncharted Ice
wastes that keep the frontiers OF northern
c;,.;I;gation He has traded sugar and
bacon and -four and calico for royal 81
berian sablcs. He has caught the valuable
bol,,qa whale-thc white whale--in its far
northern habitat, and has piece OF the
tonned hide from one OF these whales that
makes the best leather TO be found IN the
world. He has met Steiansson at ms mead
Quarters in the far north, ana spent
months among the famous Blonde
Tskimos" which that explorer found IN hls
wanderings.
ARCTIC ADVENTURES.
He has gone pioneering for the Hudsons
pa,, CouDauv, onening up new trading
noefs where Indians brought IN precious
skins of white and gray fox, and in that
,,r,-;oe vraa for wears outside the pale of
civilization. He wns one OF the founders
nf the Arctic Brotherhood and now wears
on tho lanel of his coat one OF the buttons,
tbc sarne that are worn by Rex Beach,
Stcfansson, and one OF which Jack l.ondon
wore. and which Theodore Roosevelt was
also entitled To wear. Capt. Miller Is q
friend of Rex Beach. and also numbered
Jack London among hls friends: some Oh
the stories so we'll told by Rex beacn are !
founded on incidents IN the lie OF capt |
Miller. with whom the well-known writer /
would talk for hours at time, never turing |
Of hearing of his experiences.
The wears IN the Arctic were years OF |
many adventures for Captain Miller. |
Some OF the most interesting were while |
he was in the service of the Hudson Bay |
Coupanv. Its agents live and do business /
hundreds of miles beyond the limits OF /
civilization. Captain Miller started out /
in 1914 to open UP new territory ana /
establish new trading posts. HIS work took |
him as far north as Herschel Island, Bailey !
Island aud the Copper Mine River coun- |
try. IL WAS in the Copper Mine River /
country, formerly Stefanssons head (
quarters, that the "blonde Esklmos were /
Capt. Miller's ship was the Fort Nc
Pherson, a strong, light boat, capable OF
standing much pounding and crushing by
the ice.
The Mcpherson carried traders sup
plies and the first glimmerlngs OF civllisa-
ton for the Eskimos and Indians OF that
northern country. The hudson nay
Company deals on q strict basis OF trace
with the natives, selling them anything
they want in exchange for their iurs eN-
cept intoxicating liquors.
we Ebt IS ihi PAaN N'
wear" said Capt. Miller Point Barrow
Is American territory We were making
for Herschei Island, which belongs 10
Great Britain, but the Port Mclherson
got wedged in the ice and there We stuck
for D days. 1t was too late in the season
in that latitude for us 30 get around the
ice barrier st Point Barrow. The ice
there is the worst of any place n Alaska;
We wintered st Teller. Alaska, and stored
our stuff for an early start next year.
HAD TO BLAST ICE.
eve started again in 1915, using con
siderable dynamite TO get through Point
Barrow. That wear we opened station 81
Tierschel Island ar another at Bailey
Island. We wirtert ! back at Richards
Island. Stefansson wa3 200 miles away, at
liverpool Bay. In June, 1916, we pene-
Irsted the Mackenzie river rs lar as ked
River Crossing at Fort MCPHERSON. We
then to Herschel Island, took
pew load of stores, and opened a station at
Copper Mine river, where Stefansson had
Sintered wear before. On this trip we
we're frozen in seven days. and IL looked as
{ VIC would be crushed. The boat tilted 20
IN angle of 45 degrees, but we got out with
he use of dynamite We finally found the
iod house where Stefansson ann, Dr
Anderson had lived, and / knew we were
leading right.