The Nome nugget., 1921-03-12
AIR ARCONAuTS TELL OF FLIGHT
 EXPERIENCES

Washington. Dec. 4-Winging at terrific speed over white whales and long -hAired seals. presented with gold nuggets and dogs that were half wolves. seeing black bears. herds of caribou and moose-this Is the tale brought to Washington by some mod ern argonauts of .he air.
 .'Of course. I've seen all those things, too. after a big welch- rarebit," :" you say
 But this actually happened.
 Absurd? Well. let the story tell it. self. Here it is:
 The army bplmen who made the S.000-mile trip to Alaska and return. like their kinsmen of the -feathered tribe. seemed to take flight once the enthusiastic welcome accorded them on their return to Washington was over. One ofrhem was captured, however. and made to tell the story.
 I ihiS ihut7i put oi tlH' chl ward journey to Nome was over the uncharted regions of the far north. and is graphically described by Lieu tenant Clifford c. Mutt one of the birdmen who made the sensational flight. The only available maps of the wild country over which the bird oil Lieutenant Mutt describes the trip thru Alaska as follows:
 JUMPED OVER" MOUNTAINS
 "To rach Wfangell we had to jump over the Coast Range mountains: It leas. that is what We thought we had to do from our maps. which showed the trend of d river or of a mountain system. and depicted everything else as prefectly smooth, level country, Tn roint of fact, the region has never been explored or surveyed. Fortunately. we had a clear day for our take-off When we began to ascend for our hop over the mountains We found that the mountains rose. too, and higher -han We had. Instead of being 5000 and 1000 feet, as shown on our maps. when we reached q height of 1000 feet we found We needed 5000 more to get over the top, and when We tried to skirt the range we found it wasn't really q range at all with valley on the other side. hut just close packed mountain peaks filled with snow and ice between. These glaciers looked Nike level seas of dark green water. LANDED ON AN ISLAND
 "At Wrangell the only landing field lavail,bie was on q little island in the Stickine river. which. at high tide. wasn't an isklnd at all. We landed in at,out six inches of water. which had grown to foot before we took off. From wrlngell we went by way of chilleoot pass and Skagway to White horse. This is the region made sc fa- mons in the early days of tnc gold fljscov, Formerly it to- about three months to make the trip: in win- ter, travel was by dog sleds: in sum- mer on foot or by pack train. The once famous mines of this region are now inactive. Their surface viens have been stripped. and high grade mining in this country is too expensive be- cause of inadequate transportation fla ciTities.
 from WThitehorse to Dawson We flew over the route patrolled by the CAnatbia mounted police. The trail runs in almost an air line that shows up practically all of the way. with neat little roadhouses: dotted at in terwals of 40 or 50 miles apart. The police, in full regalia-brlght red jackets and blue tro1sers-are snappy looking fellows, well disciplined and giving wonderful service to the coun- ltry. They were of tremendous assist ance to uk wherever we encountered them. We crossed Lake La Barge, well known to readers of Services poems which breathe the very soul and spirit of this far northern region This lake is at once the basin of the White river and the source Of the Yukon, unless, indeed. 1t be one and the same river with different names in different localities.
 "Crumerine had blown out tire at II 1xnt,i os,~trs.o n,uf ffl1inr his ca4ine with rope packed tightly. he wrapped the outside with rope. taking of with ,,s 4n In ,sesson and landing safely de-