The Cordova daily times., 1921-06-18


 out with the pack train down the Copper river We had hoped to make or 8 miles a day, but the na- ture of the country soon convinced us that hard work would be required to average 3 or 4. There was no continuous trail, though at times short portions of Indian trails were found in the river flats or occasional ly on the edge of the overlooking bluffs, but even here considerable cutting was required to get the pack train through. Adherence to the bluff was prevented by the steep sided canyons cut far back into the plateau, while the frequent termina- tion of the river flats, where the stream was undercutting the bluff, compelled climb of 500 to 600 feet to the bluffs again In the flats, often traversel by sloughs, were en- countered mire and quicksands, from which the animals were ex- tricated only with much difficulty and labor. The same is true of deposits met with in some of the canyons. TWO or more men were kept in advance to explore and find out a possible route and cut trail accord ingly. At one point the train phe- nomenally worked it's way up 600-foot bluff, which under less pressure would have been considered impossible. Two of the animals, be- coming overbalanced, rolled down nearly 100 feet, but fortunately were rescued without serious injury.
 The second chief of the Stiphan Cor Stick) natives gave some val uable assistance as guide but could not be persuaded to go far from his village, nor were his ideas of the trail required by pack train of much true value.
 When the Tonsina was reached, on the evening of September 9, this stream, which had been reported as only creek and easily fordable at any point, was found to be bank full and about as large as the Klu- tena and fully as swift After reconnoitering the stream as far as or 8 miles above it's mouth, it was decided to swim the horses and cross with our outfits on a raft, as there was no boat at hand Tim Der was felled for the purpose, and the logs were tightly lashed together by ropes, under the direction of our cook, Bjornstad, who was an experj- enced seaman. The raft as finished on the 14th was about 12 feet wide by 20 feet long and equipped with pair of strong rowlocks and a sweep lock for the rudder. Having sWum our horses across, at noon on the l4th the raft, With our outfits and all on board, was pushed out into the stream, but was soon aground on sand bar at less than 1 one-third of the way across. By fordlng and swimming one of the best mules, heroic efforts were now made by Hallet to carry one end of the rope from the raft to the op- posite shore, but after three trials this was given up and the raft was pushed off the bar into the swift ! current, whose velocity was about l2 or 15 miles an hour. Though our best men were at the oars and sweep, the selected landing on the l opposite shore could not be made. The raft, seized by the current, soon became manageable and was car ried downstream under some long overhanging trees, known as "sweep- CTS" by Alaskan boatment. Here two of the men, experimenting danger, Jumped from the raft, seizing the | overhanging trees, by means of which they hoped to gain the north shore. ln this one of them, Gardner, was successful, but the other, Archer. who, unfortunately, could not swim, failed and was drowned.
 (To ha cOntinuad1