Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-28
HARDY OIL PROSPECTORs
AWAIT DASH TO FIELDS
brave Men Seeking Fortunes In
New Eldoratlo l'evcrishly Pre-
pnrfng for NOrthwprd Plnn,,c.

FORT McMURRAY tyia I,anon.
toni, March 27.-.Thousn ~ ,r,,o
nv" seeking fortunes In tho new
oil Eidorado in the Fort Norman Dis.
'rict. along the arctic circle. arc
ieVerishiy preparing for their north.
ward DASH
Banked ut the end OF the stool troi,
are huge accumulations of luggage
ana freight belonging to the new
orced of prospectors. next OF kin Of
the old Eoidscekcrs OF twer,y--od,
years ago.
In twenty-four-hour shifts. some
ht'y teams are hurrying this freirh.
over the twenty miles from The rail
end to this place. where await them
the fleets OF busy little river s,.rn
whcclcrs.
Aboard these hardy little boats that
churn their way up the rand rivers
and reefy lakes In their hazardous
arctic hunt for oil. thcsn men. with
their freight. begin merry racc =.
soon as the ice goes out
Mild Winter rortcnds Enrry opcn,pr.
miider than usual winter gives
hiht or an early opening. Hence tho
f"vcrishncss with which the pros.
fec,ors are wrangling FOR precedence
ana an carly getaway
The route via Fort McNur,,v
though few miles shorter tn
fabulous flow OF oil about Fort Nor
man. II is more hazardous than the
peace river route. But the bulk of
the men hurrylug north for oil arc
willing TO take tho extra risk for
the sake OF the earlier chance to-
drive the stakes.
The men who 20 ny smoky Town
or Peace River Landing may 20 I'm
greater safety ana with less discom-
fort. but those that survive tho other
tr!p viii be there and have their
claims surveyed when the Peace
River delegations arrive.
v" Terror for Iinr,ly Men.
SO. for these hardy men who have
hooked their passage more than n
year ahead. long since swapping tho
capacity "f all tho river steamers. IN"
LAX" Athabasca have no tcrrors
az the 500 tons OF fr"lgh, piled up
here and at the rail end maybe -
h"If or two-,hirds will reach the
more peaceful waters ~ Slave River
In the las, lap Of the Journey.
Those 500 tons are siili TO be
moved. From the supplies that will |
sustain the prospectors In their mad
scramble to the heavy machinery for
drilling and saw-miiling this freight
Includes almost everything imvain-
able. Among the piles that one /
would call pcrisihlc are pianos and |
music. boxes. gum drops and hard
tack.
Besides great crates or milling |
hardware are the few cascs Of "cnli-
Goes" the only hint that few hardy |
women will trek with their men.
ON the right-of of the Alberta
and Great Waterways Railroad the |
volume OF f. hit is growing as each |
train arrives. The one hundred in
habitants Of For, McAIurrav are prac. |
tically all engagrd In assisting the |
movement.
The Hudscn's Bay Company. the |
Northern Trading Company. the AL |
berta and Arctic Transportation Com |
nany' and the Imperial oil Company |
nave their teams moving their |
freight, while every team that can |
he employed Is on TIC job.
The bulk Of this tonnage must be |
moved down TO the landing on the
Athabasca for transportation down |
10 the Arctic Circle before warm |
weather softcns tn. Ice road on the
Musk"G River. Otherwise the trans
portntion will he held up until the
river dries out.