The Kusko times., 1926-04-24

weather proved even more cloudy than on the previous day. so a course
 was decided on which would take the
 ship by way of the river valleys and
 through the mountain passes. A com
 pass course was followed, the Alaskan
 passing up the Anaktoyuk and down the John river.
 A village was sighted on the Koyu-
 kuk river which, from the maps, ap-
 peared to be Arctic City, and in ac- cordance it was decided to head al course for Fairbanks. In order toI verify the course, the Captain decided
 to circle the town. A note was dropped asking the people to spell off
 the name of the town in the snow. With remarkable perception" said
 Captain Wilkins, two persons imme- diately rushed to the river and
 stamped out the word 'ALATNA.' The position having been verified, the ship was turned toward Fairbanks. After passing through the range a high eaSterly wind was met, which
 retarded flight about thirty miles an
 hour, thus bringing the actual flight
 time up to seven hours on the return.
 On the. first tripy states Captain
 Wilkins, after crossing the low, flat coastal country, very similar in ap-
 pearance to the ice plain, 1t was al most impossible to discern the de- markation between land and ice 1 Young sea ice was fiat and smooth Knowing that they were east of Bar
 row, they flew in northerly directions 1 for one and a quarter hours, nntA.
 they had reached .73 degrees latitude 156 degrees longitude, and then turned back in search of Point Bar row. Again they passed the coastal line without recognizing. it. After few minutes flight inland the tundra was recognized and the ship turned
 on westerly course; which was fol- lowed until the coastal border of | rough ice was seen, Captain Wilkins then. knowing that Point Barrow lay i to the northwest. Turning. they saw l the houses of Point Barrow within.ten, minutes.
 An Eskimo. saw the plane cross over Barrow sandspit and return two and one-halfi hours later over the same place. This proved u. positive ! check - Navigation was out only five l miles in BOO miles of flight
 l For 60 miles after eaving the main
 land the ship traversed young ice,
 which then was broken1 at intervals
 by bands of rough ice and small leads of unbroken surface. No land was . sighted at an altitude of 1000 feet. l When the landing was made at Pt.
 Barro wthe wind was sweeping the la goon at a velocity of 30 to 35 miles @an hour, carrying drifting snow waist high. The Eskimos had been expect ,Nf Alas nearly February. Under the direction | of Charlie Brewer; pioneer trader l there, and Earl Hammond, advance ] agent of the expedition. who came in i from Nome, they had cleared the la goon of drift snow after each windy ! day. ;.
 J. Some of the, younger Eskimo, who -had been educated,t at the mission l school, knew something of an air 1 plane, but many of the older natives l had no realization of. what flying
 machine would look like. Two of. the
 women tainted, suffering from hemor- lrhages of the eyes, nose and mouth. 1 In their excitement none. of them
 would come near, the plane, fearing that it was some evil object.
 l ! The high wind continued for three
 days, covering the lagoon with soft
 drifted snow The fourth day broke
 war mand foggy, with the thermom-
 eter at 20 degrees above zero. It was
 was impossible to make start, and
 on the next day an attempt was made
 to take off over the deep snow, but
 the machine failed to develop the re-
 quired speed and an accident was mar 1 rowly. averted. After three. attempts ], the Eskimos were equipped with all available implements and set. to. work , in clearing a runway. from which the ] machine took of well.
 ! On the return trip plotting, as op-
 posed to navigation, was decided on. ! This was foun to be successful until