, 1923-02-22
A. 7. WHITEHEAD WRITES
Of TRAVELS in ALASKA
LOCAL GEOlOGIST TELLS OF THE, GREAT WEALTH
IN The NORTHLAND. HAS spent MANY YEARS
IN Stewards lCEBOX" AS PR0SPECTOR

the time is growing short and l must
hasten my conclusion of this talk
with an experience which happened
to me during the winter of 1913
and 1914.
In August 49, sIo lows reached
Nome hat a new gold camp had
been discovered on the Shushana
river. a tributary of the headwaters
of the Tanana River. The new gold
excitement was located south Of the
Yukon, and the news which came
over the wires was that another
Klondike had been struck. Stamped
ing to some e gold strike Is like
hectic fever hard to discover on the
patient at first but easy to cure;
after a few a in the gold camps
1t is easy to discover but hard to
cure. decided to go. left Nome
on an ocean steamer for st. Michaels
a point where passengers are trans
ferred to one of the large Yukon
River boats. Nine hundred miles
up the Yukon River the Tanana
River empties into the Yukon. Two
hundred and fifty miles up the Tan
n River is the mining camp Fair
banks where for many years the
production OF gold amounted to from
nine to ten millions annually. I out
fitted at Fairbanks with a years
supplies, and about the middle of
September left Fairbanks on a small
! river steamer known as the white
Seal" She was loaded down with
freight and made fast to her bows
was a barge with eighty tons of sup
plies. Thirty miners composed the
passenger list. From Fairbanks to
the mouth Of the shushana River is
a distance of four hundred miles.
On the fifth day the wood which
we had taken for fuel at Fairbanks
WAS exhausted. The Captain .aked
the miners 10 cut wood anu eve.y
day for thirty days WI cut eight
cords OF wood to keep the old tub
bucking her way upstream. We had
made " hundred and fifty miles
toward u mecca whom one morning
we awoke to find that the engines
had stopped and Captain sproul
broke the sad news to US that he
compelled to run into q slough and
there he intended to remain for the
winter. Both sides Of the River
frozen and the remaining marrow
channel Of open water was too swift
for the white Seal" to buck.
In unloading our supplies. l broke
through the ice carrying a case of
condensed milk: II went to the bot
tom of the river but scrambled
out with nothing more serious hap
pentnG to mo than . ducking. II
an Alaskan II anything no Il . philos-
opher: he's got to be. the vicissitudes
Of his life, the hardships Of the
country. the riGors Of the climate
and last but not least the mosquitoes
all tend. no matter what may be
his lot. to the expression. ITS Just
the way like IT," The ducking
in zero weather was just the way
1 liked II hut the loss of the case.
and the only milk In the outfit.
spelled TO us no milk all winter.
At this point ! formed a partner
ship with n man whom I had known
In Nome by the name OF Walter
Fisher. We pitched our tent. tim
bered II four feet high aud made our
selves as comfortable as fox in
his hole. Walter reminded me ono
morning that the coffee was bitter
without milk. He said: what do
you say n we get that case OF miik?'
"Hunky with me-. old boy. II we
can get IT," I replied. We wen over
to tho steamboat. borrowed two boat
hooks. dashed them together and
fishcd until VIC located tho case in
twelve feet Of water. We tried
many c%ontrivnnccs to get the milk
but failure was the only reward OF
three days work. Walter said one
morning Il have a bright idea"
Well. the idca Was bright. II was
~giistening and I was to be tho glis-
tcncc. The plan was to lot mo down
In tho twelve feet OF water. got tho
case OF milk In such 4 position that
I could place n tIm~bcr-hitch over II
and from then OF milk for our cof-
fec. Presto! Just 40 easy. any
thing but" This. Ia how tho Feat
was performed: We got two inch
pianks from tho steamer. laid them
across the Ice. leaving . hole large
enough to admit my body. ri9ged mp
a ~windinss ovcr the hole and made
everything ready for tho stove
prodic. only coidcd. We built . big
bu nfirc and At two O'Clock. the warm
cat part OF tho day. wAs lowered
10 tho bottom with rocks attached
10 my feet 30 that would not lose
any time In sinking. Walter Fisher
was ono Of the strongest men In
Alaskn and my implicit faith In him
could no bc shaken for I had soon
him. ON a wager Of thousand
ounces OF gold, move . sled ovcr .
veii.bcaten trail loaded With . thou
sand mounds Of grub. We had . 81
OF eienais conveyed by the Number
Of Jerks on an i~adepeodsnt rope.
Hack time I was hotsted up Waltee
Voujd siap-attck ne. cover ne Win