﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  513 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  progressed, 
  the 
  terrain 
  became 
  

   rolling 
  and. 
  finally, 
  rocky. 
  Numerous 
  

   alkaline 
  lakes 
  dotted 
  the 
  landscape. 
  

  

  Crumrine 
  snapped 
  photographs 
  as 
  we 
  

   flew, 
  notes 
  were 
  taken 
  for 
  recording 
  full 
  

   description 
  of 
  all 
  details 
  that 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  

   military 
  interest, 
  and 
  a 
  careful 
  log 
  was 
  

   kept 
  of 
  each 
  incident 
  and 
  feature 
  of 
  our 
  

   journey. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  favorable 
  wind 
  all 
  the 
  way, 
  we 
  

   covered 
  the 
  290 
  miles 
  to 
  Portal 
  in 
  three 
  

   hours 
  and 
  ten 
  minutes, 
  landing 
  at 
  1 
  

   o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon. 
  

  

  Although 
  we 
  had 
  procured 
  advance 
  in- 
  

   formation 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  location 
  of 
  

   all 
  the 
  landing 
  fields 
  on 
  our 
  route, 
  we 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  small 
  de- 
  

   tails 
  that 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  disclosed 
  to 
  us. 
  

  

  LANDING 
  ON 
  A 
  CITY 
  DUMP 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  these 
  overlooked 
  details 
  caused 
  

   us 
  costly 
  delays 
  and 
  trouble. 
  At 
  the 
  Por- 
  

   tal 
  field, 
  for 
  instance, 
  which 
  we 
  found 
  

   just 
  over 
  the 
  Canadian 
  line, 
  to 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  we 
  followed 
  our 
  usual 
  

   custom 
  of 
  flying 
  low 
  over 
  the 
  field, 
  

   circling 
  it 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  while 
  we 
  

   studied 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  note 
  

   obstructions, 
  such 
  as 
  ditches, 
  fences, 
  or 
  

   stumps. 
  Lieutenant 
  Kirkpatrick 
  came 
  

   down 
  first, 
  landing 
  perfectly, 
  but 
  cutting 
  

   his 
  tires 
  badly 
  on 
  the 
  glass 
  that 
  was 
  

   strewn 
  along 
  the 
  runway. 
  The 
  town 
  had 
  

   used 
  this 
  field 
  for 
  a 
  dump 
  in 
  times 
  past! 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  Crumrine 
  and 
  I 
  landed 
  

   simultaneously, 
  without 
  mishap. 
  Lieu- 
  

   tenant 
  Nutt 
  landed 
  last, 
  rolled 
  over 
  an 
  

   inconspicuous 
  bump, 
  and 
  snapped 
  off 
  his 
  

   tail 
  skid. 
  

  

  These 
  minor 
  accidents 
  illustrate 
  the 
  na- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  repairs 
  that 
  were 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   be 
  made 
  each 
  night 
  before 
  our 
  little 
  cara- 
  

   van 
  could 
  be 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  day's 
  

   flight. 
  

  

  A 
  garage 
  at 
  Portal 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  source 
  of 
  help. 
  After 
  attempting 
  to 
  

   weld 
  a 
  vertical 
  shaft 
  without 
  success, 
  we 
  

   picked 
  up 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  a 
  Ford 
  axle 
  which 
  

   happened 
  to 
  be 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  size. 
  

   This 
  was 
  installed 
  and 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  

   satisfactory 
  brace. 
  

  

  All 
  our 
  repairs 
  were 
  completed 
  by 
  8 
  

   o'clock 
  that 
  evening, 
  and 
  everything 
  was 
  

   in 
  readiness 
  for 
  our 
  hop-off 
  into 
  Canada 
  

   the 
  next 
  morning. 
  The 
  country 
  people 
  

   for 
  50 
  miles 
  around 
  had 
  assembled 
  to 
  wit- 
  

   ness 
  our 
  arrival 
  and 
  to 
  help 
  us 
  in 
  our 
  

  

  work. 
  They 
  were 
  very 
  cordial 
  and 
  we 
  

   learned 
  from 
  them 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  na- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  over 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  

   to 
  fly 
  on 
  the 
  morrow. 
  

  

  A 
  SURPASSINGLY 
  BEAUTIFUL 
  VIEW 
  OF 
  

   SASKATCHEWAN 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  readers 
  of 
  The 
  Geographic 
  will 
  

   turn 
  to 
  their 
  maps 
  of 
  Saskatchewan, 
  they 
  

   will 
  find 
  portrayed 
  a 
  wide, 
  smooth 
  coun- 
  

   try, 
  fairly 
  dotted 
  with 
  small 
  towns 
  and 
  

   villages. 
  If 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  with 
  us 
  on 
  the 
  

   morning 
  of 
  July 
  26, 
  5,000 
  feet 
  aloft, 
  fly- 
  

   ing 
  through 
  a 
  sky 
  of 
  surpassing 
  loveli- 
  

   ness, 
  the 
  air 
  so 
  clear 
  that 
  it 
  tingled, 
  the 
  

   flat 
  farms 
  spread 
  out 
  beneath 
  them 
  with 
  

   extraordinary 
  distinctness 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   eye 
  could 
  reach, 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  believed 
  

   readily 
  enough 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  

   district 
  was 
  spread 
  before 
  their 
  eyes. 
  

  

  The 
  atmosphere 
  is 
  so 
  astonishingly 
  

   clear 
  and 
  the 
  view 
  so 
  extensive 
  that 
  it 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  confusing 
  to 
  follow 
  a 
  set 
  course, 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  beautiful 
  sameness 
  of 
  the 
  

   scenery. 
  

  

  The 
  Canadian 
  Pacific 
  Railroad 
  ran 
  be- 
  

   neath 
  us. 
  Tyvan, 
  40 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Regina, 
  

   we 
  hit 
  squarely, 
  flying 
  by 
  compass, 
  check- 
  

   ing 
  up 
  our 
  course 
  by 
  the 
  railroad. 
  

  

  Every 
  village 
  along 
  the 
  railroad 
  had 
  its 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  huge 
  grain 
  elevators. 
  The 
  

   whole 
  fertile 
  area 
  beneath 
  our 
  wings 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  rich 
  in 
  wheat-fields. 
  The 
  terrain 
  

   as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Last 
  Mountain 
  Lake 
  was 
  

   perfectly 
  flat. 
  In 
  this 
  view 
  from 
  the 
  air, 
  

   one 
  is 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  vastness 
  and 
  

   richness 
  of 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  Last 
  Mountain 
  Lake 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  body 
  

   of 
  water 
  extending 
  northeast 
  from 
  the 
  

   Regina 
  vicinity 
  almost 
  to 
  Watress, 
  70 
  

   miles 
  away, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  over 
  three- 
  

   fourths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide 
  at 
  any 
  part. 
  We 
  

   were 
  still 
  40 
  miles 
  away 
  from 
  Regina 
  

   when 
  we 
  saw 
  it 
  distinctly 
  outlined 
  ahead. 
  

  

  LANDSCAPE 
  A 
  GIGANTIC 
  CHECKERBOARD 
  

  

  A 
  sense 
  of 
  unreality 
  is 
  felt 
  as 
  the 
  avi- 
  

   ator 
  sits, 
  seemingly 
  motionless, 
  in 
  the 
  

   cockpit 
  of 
  his 
  machine 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  

   gigantic 
  checker-board 
  of 
  crisscross 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  lines 
  which 
  cut 
  up 
  this 
  Art 
  landscape 
  

   and 
  disappear 
  away 
  into 
  t 
  1 
  = 
  horizon, 
  

   where 
  they 
  blend. 
  As 
  we 
  proceeded 
  we 
  

   noticed 
  thousands 
  of 
  acres 
  o 
  this 
  land 
  

   which 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  cultivated. 
  Houses 
  

   and 
  ranches 
  were 
  few 
  and 
  far 
  between. 
  

  

  Saskatoon 
  and 
  its 
  river 
  came 
  into 
  view 
  

  

  