Seward daily gateway., 1923-07-28

time to make more than one round trip and then get as far up the river as possible on the second trip, and freeze in wherever she met the ice, and go into winter quarters.
 The fall and winter of 1910, when the big Georgetown stampede was on, MT. Joachim realizinfi starvation was staring some 1000 miners and others in the face, unless he took desper- ate chance, and after the shore ice had formed, made a dash for Bethel, trip of over 500 miles for supplies; hastily loading some 300 tons of freight on the Quickstep and leaving all the barges started up river bucking mush ice all the way. After the boat left the mercury steadily dropped lower and lower, until no miner in camp dared even hope the Quickstep would return that winter, and with every chance that the staunch little vessel would go to the bottom bucking the heavy ice floes. With the fall of the mercury the ice floes grew larger and larger until many were over half the width of the then open channel, and their grinding against the shore ice on their way down river could be heard for miles.
 All hope of the return of the Quick step was gone and the camp faced starvation. Indians stationed on the tops of the highest mountains report ed no sign of the vessel. Many per sons had been living for six weeks on a straight fish diet, and no one would sell an ounce of the scanty supply of provisions in stock; except one man, who had a few Chinese matches which he retailed one block to man, at 50 cents a throw, and to ask a man for light produced the same effect as calling a red-headed man liar. The sun went down upon a town of half starved miners. The stars "o'er head danced hell and toe," and the mercury fell as rapidly as the hopes of the inhabitants of the panic stricken camp. At 200 o'clock in the morning the new camp was astounded by hearing a long, wailing blast from the Quickstep's whistle. Before the boat could come alongside the shore, the ice was lined with every soul in the new camp, cheering and striving to take a line or help unload cargo
 It was nearly 40 degrees below zero Two firemen were stoking the boilers, the boat was loaded to the guards with cargo, and her bow and sides were covered with many tons of ice, and it was seen to save the cargo and prevent the boat from sinking it must be landed at once. Every minute lost might yet spell starvation and it was from any source of supplies by two mountain ranges and several hun dred miles of travel.
 Every miner in the camp lent a willing hand, and travelling at a trot the cargo was first landed just inside the shore ice. Never has there been a stranger sight in the Northland than during the early hours of that bleak November morning, under the twinkling stars, and the ''inky smoke streaming down the sky"
 Soon the cry was raised that all cargo was safe ashore; the icy lines were let go. The Quickstep settled back, drifted a little in the mush ice which had gathered about the boat. Steam was applied to the cylinders, but the wheel refused to turn over. It was frozen in the ice, and then the Quickstep went into winter quarters, in the middle of the Kuskokwim river, her mission accomplished.
 The camp had grub!-
 The glow of dawn frightened the eastern sky and a strange hush filled the air, as if "The great High Sheriff of the Universe had cried, silence" The ice had stopped running; Old Boreas had taken command.
 Wearily pulling the jingler for the engineer to abandon his engines, MT. Joaquin closed the pilot house door, after three days and nights of con- stant lodging around the ever in- creasing ice floes any one of which if it had been met squarely would have caused disaster to the boat and cargo
 To MT. JoaQuin's grit and daring goes the credit for one of the bravest deeds of the North, and the saving of hundreds of lives.
 Turning in he slept 36 hours, while the camp feasted and rejoiced over it's narrow escape from starvation.
 MT. Joaquin states that the high est water ever recorded accompanied the breakup on the Kuskokwim River, when it reached a point six inches higher than ever before known. As a result of the high water, Editor A. X. Grant, editor of the Kuskokwim Times, removed his printing plant
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