Evening star., 1932-12-18

PT W OOUt0 LtOaIS, IuU.
will be forgotten at this merry season in this
Northwestern Territory Of the United States
THE longest and farthest North Of all our
postal routes Is the one from Kotzebue to
Point Barrow, Alaska-650 miles long 1t ex-
tends wilderness Of snow far into the
Arctic Circle to the very edge of civilization.
But 1t bears out the motto of the United
States Post Once Department that. Where
American citizens 60, the mails 60"
At this season Of the year this route is COW
cred by dog teams hauling sleds. The dog
mail usually starts the Winter about
November /. When he leaves Point Barrow
the carrier is expected to reach kotzebue the
lower end of the 650-mile trek by the end Of
the month. The Northbound mail is usually
expected by Christmas day at the latest. In
fact, regular has been the first upcoming
mails arrival that 1t has always been referred
to as the Christmas mail" The folks at Point
Barrow are accMtomed to associate the ap-
pearance Of Santa Claus with the arrival Of
the mail carrier. This Is not a strange asso-
clation particularly when one is reminded that,
instead of using dogs, the carrier occasionally
drives team Of reindeer. If, for any reason,
the dog team with its mail fails to arrive for
Christmas day. then the Eskimos remark, with
shake of their heads "Onowaypuk Chg wind).
or opko tigechuk (traI very bad).'
Located In q very remote section of Alaska
Is st. T1mothys Mission 1t, too will be re-
membered by one Of these dog teams at Christ
mas. This mission was founded many years
ago. 1t has for its object the Christanizing of
the Indians. their education along practical
lines and care for their physical welfare. Un-
stinted praise and credit must be given both
Catholic and Protestant missionaries who have
abandoned their relatives and friends in the
States and have taken up their abode IN
Alaska Hardships Of every description have
been suffered by these noble souls, the
most severe perhaps being the loneliness
they must undergo in this bleak and
desolate land. The great stretch of frozen in
terror. the bitter cold weather and the long
season of darkness, with the monotony rarely
broken by the sight Of q strange face or .
visit from the mail carrier once a month cause
more than one Of these missionaries to lose
their reason and a few others to take their
own lives.
Is it any wonder then that these unrecog-
nized heroes look for the arrival of the Christ
mas mail each year In order to afford them q
slight degree Of pleasure and cheer to break
the monotony Of their everyday drudgery and
toll for the spiritual and physical welfare Of
their fellow-men.
Out in Idaho on the Rocky Bar-Atlanta star
route the service Is performed in Winter by
carriers travelling On snow Shoes packing so
pounds Of mail. This load is somewhat In.
creased during the Christmas season. Not In.
frequently, carriers on this route haze been
caught in snowslides and swept to instant
death. The route from Ellison Bay to Detroit
Harbor, Wisconsin, and from Sandusky Ohio
to nearby islands must be operated over the
ice at Christmas time. At these points the
craft employed to deliver the mails to these
points on Lake Erie is combination mailboat,
rowboat. ice yacht and sled.
In far away Oregon the carrier who sup
plies the mail On the Newport-Otter Rock route
faces many difficulties and untold hardships in
his effort to handle the Christmas greetings en-
trusted to his care. Frequently. he takes his
life in his hands In order that his patrons may
be supplied by Christmas day. The carrier h
compelled to travel down the beach at low tide.
II, for some reason, the incoming tide catches
him before he completes his trip, he must
either abandon his team and the mail and
climb the rocks or be dashed to pieces against
them.
These are but . few Illustrations showing
the hazards and fisa8 which the faithful car.
riers Of Uncle Sans mails undergo in order
that they may be kept moving and IN oRdef
that the Christmas greetings may be delivesed
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