The Alaska daily empire., 1922-11-18
RACE WITH Death
over ICY TRAIL
WON BY PRIESTS
Father Monroe Writes to
Bishop Crimont Of Fight
for Life Of Father Jets.


which are now in Alaska, the country
is still vast frontier with long dan
gerous trails where dog team is the
only means OF travel and the intense
hards'hips can only be overcome b.,
men who have learned how to exisl
close to nature.
This fact is proved by the follow
ing letter received by Bishop j. R
Crimont, from Father Monroe, s. j..
ief Nenana, in which he tells of re
cent sufferings and hardships under
gone by true pioneers of the North
in a race with death for the Life OF
Father Jette of Tanana, from that
place to Nenana. No time could he
spared, the letter states, as surgi
cal operation was the only possible
means of saving the Fathers life and
had the PARTY taking him to Nenana
been one day longer on the trail
their "trip would have been in vain.
Bishop Crimort has received
telegram from Father Eline of
Fairbanks, stating that Father Jette
had been moved from Nenana to St
Joseph's Hospital at Fairbanks and
is recovering slowly.
The letter from Father Monroe
describing the trip from Tanana to
Tanana to Nenana follows
Nenana, Ais, Nov. 6, 1922.
RI Rev J. r. Crimont, S. j., Juneau,
Alaska.
My Rev and Dear Bishop: p c.
l was tempted these last days to use
the wires to correspond with you, but
my news were bad and l could not
abandon tine hope that in waiting a
little longer I could perhaps spare
you our own anxieties. l have not
been disappointed; our dear Father
Jettte has been in great danger these
last two weeks. but since yesterday
he seems little better and we hope
before a week or 10 days and there
to rebuild him up.
On the 23rd of October news came
to us at Fairbanks that the Father
was very Ill. A. Vachon was calling
for a doctor and telling us in the
same telegram that roads were i'm
passafble. The ice was running thick
in the river. Only one doctor at
Fairbanks and one at Nenana and
many patients in both places. Both
doctors read the symptoms sent by
"A. vachon and diagnosed a strangu-
lated Hernia, but while de la Vergne
had no hope to save the Father, Dr.
Romig insisted in bringing him up
at once
1t is not an easy matter to go on a
tense pains, but such a journey on
Our trails of Alaska in winter looks
very much like murder, and to make
everything more difficult, we had
hardly any snow at all and the
weather was SO mild that the lakes
were hardly frozen. 1t seemed at
first that such journey was out
CT the question, but every day the
condition of the Father was getting
more critical; then there was little
snow fall and on he afternoon Of
Thursday, the 26, A. Vachon and his
party succeeded to cross the Yukon
through the running ice. This wa:
SO thick that all their efforts were
balbfled for several hours and 1t was
Tate when Nhey started on their long
journey. Mr.. Vachon had secured a
large number of dogs with a good
driver and Father Jette was made as
comfortable as possible in the cir
cumStances in a large and very good
basket sled With $50 little snow the
"trip was bound to be long and very
itiresome for the poor Father.
/ had left Fairbanks myself on the
Wednesday and was supposed to
travel with the horses of the mail but
after losing much time with them
gave them UP and walked. Saturday
evening. the 28th. met the party
of Father Jette near Hot Springs,
half way between Nenana and Ia
mana. The Father was some way
better than I could expect from a
man suffering from strangulated
hernia for "a week; on the other hand
the sharp pains were giving place to
a kind OF numbness that was telling
me THAT the real danger had started,
gangrene. doubled for time
whether the Father could go any
further; himself realized his condi-
tion; SO administered extreme unc-
ton.
Sunday morning the Father looked
q little brighter and we lett for Toto
vana, only Is miles, but many wet
places and sloughs and lakes hardly
frozen. had broken through three
times the day before and had reached
the roadhouse with heavy boots OF
dee. Mr.. Vachon wished to see Father
Jette through and remained with MS.
He was most attentive to the Father
and he remained all the time near
the sled OF the Father. My legs
could not compare with his SO on that
Sunday morning let him go ahead
with Father Jette and few men who
had Joined the party. cautioned
them about the bad places, advising
them to turn the lakes rather than
TO take chances so ] was surprised
to find them after two hours ahead