The Nome nugget., 1920-03-20
FRED AVER ARRIVES
 OVER WINTER TRAIL

Completing | dog team journey of twenty three days from the rail head of the government railroad a short distance north of Talketna nelr the
 manager of the Wild Goose Mining
 and Trading Company, arrived in
 Nome Monday afternoon behind his Famous racing team. after an extended Iperiod of travel in the states which in Icluded q dash across the continent to Washington and short visits in Seattle. san Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake.
 Baltimore and Philadelphia, as well las the important points along the ISoutheastcrn Alasii:t coast.
 Mr Aver departed frcm Seattle on
 the trip To Nome Jan 30th and arrived
 at Seward after an eight day voyage.
 which included stops at Juneau, Ket-
 chik;,n, Cnrdova. La Touche and other points. On reaching Seward. he met
 Dan Crowley who departed from | ->oiL' Sh"Ft'N before Christmas With
 they Aver racing team enroute to the States. Dan had brought the tei,t through to Anchorage. leaving it there to await MT Ayers arrival Nlr Aver says Crowley brought the team thru in good shape. despite the difficulties encountered at the start of his journey to the coast, and the animals were in
 good condition.
 bowling blizzard Was in progress
 when MT Aver arrived at Seward Snow fell during the gale. al the rate Iof il foot an hour and hlockaded the railroad from Seward to Anchorage for the first time this winter. On leaving for Anchorage the train WAS stalled short distance from Seward land returned to that point. On the following day the train Was again sent ,out with q rotary blow to clear the Way, The snow was so deep. how ever, that q day and night of travel ing found the train only 52 miles from its starting point. On the succeed ing day progress was delayed by sev- !eral snowslides and Anchorage was not reached until the following day. MT Aver says he was greatly surpris- ed to learn that the trains had been as he was under the impression there was little travel during the winter sea son. He was told however, that traf- fife was good. the statement being fully sustained by the fact that tho train he was on was crowded, not Il seat being vacant. raHic was un- usually heavy just then, owing to Il stampede from Seward and Anchorae., ito the Cold Bay oil regions. which had just been opened by the passage of the oil land leasing bill. Traffic was good at all times. he was told and trains were running regularly be- tween Seward. Anchorage and Matan- uska and to the end of steel II miles beyond Talketna, in the Susitna val ley. As a result of the rush to the oil district, traffic from Anchorage to the rail head had been temporarily abandoned and was not resumed until
 10 days after his arrival at Anchorage On arriving at the rail head. Mr Aye,- encountered Billy Spencer. d former
 Nomeite, who is foreman in charge of q crew aged in transporting rails and other material to points beyond the rail head over the snow. in readi- ness for early construction work in the spring. Spencer's crew employed 90 head of stock in this work. After
 spending q day or two with Spencer Mir Aver set out for Nenana by way of Broad Pass and reached the Nenana rail head which is being pushed south
 ward to meet the southern rail head. Six days were required to make the trip as travelling was severe. with deep snow all the way Mir Aver
 states that he snowshoed from steel to steel. Eleven feet of snow covered
 the country right up to Nenana. !''c Brad Piss section ne discrihcs ..
 as in no Wy preciptious. Rather 1; is Il :ollins country, althoug .n places Iit g creased hv deep guic 's which Will necessitate at least on, very high
 restle for the railroad.
 After travelling over deep snow to tContinued on page sixl