Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-01-20

welcome to their festivties-gave us the town, in
fact
1.-The principal meat supply Of this region is its
wild game, chiefly the moose and the caribou.
We We're there at the season Of the caribou runs
as they are called. 1t seems that, as autumn APP
prOaches, the caribou begin their annual migra-
ton run The herds bunch together under a
leader, apparently, and to the number of 2OO,OOO
to 100000, begin their run that stops at nothing
that never turns aside, and that leads nobody
knows where The method of hunting is quite
simple. The huntsnan selects a spot that is as
near to the trail he dares to get, takes his
stand, and picks off his game as it passes the
run. AS it is purely pot-hunting-the game being
killed for food-the biggest and latest bucks are
usually the killed by the gunner. Nature
has provided ample cold storage so the meat is
easily kept
1.-THE fight to Fairbanks, the northernmost point
reached, was over the most desoate region of the
entire course. For miles there was no sign of
trail, not even an Indian trail Then, suddenly we
picked up a trail that appeared here and there
along the route, quite clear and Well-detined. We
afterwards learned that Gen. William Mitchell Of
the air service, had led expedition into this
country and cut this trail 20 years ago in making
a survey for the purpose of establishing tele-
graph line to connect with a cable to Siberia
which project was later abandoned.
largest town west of Alberta, and the whole
town, reinforced by the mining camps of the vi
entity, was out to meet us. The route to Ruby
was over low hills and swamps. There are no
maps of the country, because there has been no
survey. 1t has been impossible to make one. In
winter the country is covered with and ice,
and the only means of travel is on skis. In sum-
mer it is tundra, and travel is impossible.
AT Ruby we landed on a sand-bar which con-
tIrr 1,isrlt ti1r1n
and proved better for our purpose than the land
ing field first selected by Captain Douglas.
1--WE made the hop to Nome skirtng the Boring
sea with weather conditions changing every hour;
keeping in touch by wire with the wireless at
Nome, as soon we got a flash reporting the
weather clear, we jumped in our boats and
hopped off. We flew at altitude of 1000
feet zg-zagging way to avoid transforms
When we saw fairly clear spot ahead we steered
for it, but for the most part it was just steady
pushing through black clouds
AT Goovin bay, we saw a herd of reindeer
and in Boring we spotted number Of white
whales and long-haired seals.
"Our only actual hunting on the trip was to
bag a hundred or more ducks and to kill black
hear We might have killed caribou, moose,
mountain goats and sheep but there was no rea-
son for it, as we had no means of carrying the
game.
eat Fairbanks and Nome we were gwen many
souvenirs, in the way of gold nuggets, and
Each one of us was presented with reindeer
hide parka such as the Eskimo wear Most in
terestng however, of the gifts our Alaskan
dogs Ny two were given me by Ben Derrick Of
Ruby, who has carried the mail in that part of
the world for years. The dogs are cross be-
tween the gray wolf and the Alaskan husky.
Captain Streets dogs were presented to him
by Sepalla one of the Lapanders who came to
Alaska with the reindeer which the government
imported from Siberia about twenty-five years ago,
and have multiplied and become so numerous in
Alaska"
Captain Douglas, to whom is due the credit Of
making all preliminary arrangements for the
flight confined his remarks to expressions of APP
probation for the cooperation and courtesy
tended throughout his journey, and that Of the
expedition, by the Canadian government by the
signal corps and weather bureaus Of both coun-
tries, by municipalities and individual citizens
from one end of the route to the other.
wherever I went" Captain Douglas said, 81
got acquainted with everybody. know them
they are my friends At Dawson the entire party
were made honorary members of both the Yukon
Pioneers and the Alaskan Pioneers, and at White
horse the same distinction was conferred upon us
by the 'Squaw Mans Union"