The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-12-10
NEW ERA OPENS
IN HISTORY OF
OURNORTHLAND

Little wonder that the town made
holiday; that Mayor Grant welcomed
the f1iers; that Gov. Riggs and the
mayor of Juneau and others sent tele-
grams. Little wonder the fiers were
Toasted and feted. The occasion war
ranted it. Here were eight men who
had Travelled across the continent to
Sergief island where, in the days of
the Cassiar gold stampede, hundreds
of argonauts had camped waiting for
Stikine river; where hundreds, too, had
taken breath in that breathless and
historic Klondike rush, when many had
persisted.
The story of Alaska would have been
another story had aviation been a
working proposition in 1897; the his
tory of Alaska will be different his
tory dating from August IA, 1920. The
flight to Alaska has a much wider sig
nificance than a mere spectacular one.
The war department, through its air
service, has not lent itself to the
showman's game. Excessive speed or
sensational performances have not
been covered notably in the London
Australia flight. In the New York
Nome tour, at no time was there q
jump of more than 800 miles nor an
altitude higher than 10000 feet. At the
same time it must be borne in mind
that the flight was not without hazard.
There are pleasanter places to be
stranded with wrecked airplane than
the Canadian Rockies or the uncharted
wilds of Alaska. A flight in almost
any other direction on United States
territory offers more friendly harbors
and happier landing fields.
Significance of the Fight.
But, back of it all, the Alaskan
fight had deep significance. 1t was
undertaken by the war department for
three-fOld purpose and with the cor
dial cooperation of the Candiana gov
eminent, and the aid Of the weather
bureaus of both countries. The 6rst
great purpose in view is the photo
graphing and preliminary surveying
for the opening Of q route to Alaska.
The second is the establishing of a
relay mail and commercial air route
which will cut the time from Alaska
to the states from weeks to days. The
third is the mapping of some $500
square miles Of UNEMPLOYED country
about the flats of the upper Yukon
rivera three days task for the four
flying photographers, but a labor of
three years and many men for a
ground surveying party.
With these three purposes in view,
therefore, it needs no prophetic vision
to see what changes are to be wrought
in Alaska's future by the coming of
the four airplanes to Alaskan soil on
August IA last. Little wonder, as we
have said, that their advent was hailed
with rejoicing by the far distant and
far-seeing Alaskans who had hazarded
their lives and their fortunes uphold
ing the upbuilding of Alaska's future
According to the "Wrangell Senti-
nel," which gave its whole front page
% August 10 to story of the arrival
Of the airmen, Capt. Street, who had
bought at Edmonton waterproof
coat with a fur collar and lined with
unclipped lamb skin, and, at Wrangell,
a pair of loggers' rubber packs and a
pair of socks, that would weigh as
much as an ordinary pair of shoes. Is
reported to have said: "When 1 was
flying over the continuous chain of
glaciers and snow fields between here
and HaZelton, little dreamed that on
reaching Wrangell it would be my
privilege to feast on homegrown ber-
ries and cream. The luxuriant growth
of vegetables and the beautiful flow
ers here are great surprise to me-"
incidents of the Flight.
In its story of this dramatic moment
in Alaska's history, the Sentinel notes
the following interesting item. In the
flight from Hazelton to Wrangell the
aviators flew over much virgin coun-
try, which, on account of its inacces-
sibility. had never been beheld by hu-
man eye. Much of the time after
leaving Saskatoon, the fliers had to
rely for bearings upon their compasses.
thus proving their ability as aerial
nav!sAtors. The greater part of the
flying since leaving New York was