﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  519 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  U. 
  S. 
  Air 
  Service 
  

   THE 
  CANYON 
  OE 
  THE 
  ATHABASKA 
  RIVER 
  

  

  The 
  straight 
  white 
  line 
  cuttin< 
  

  

  diagonally 
  across 
  the 
  picture 
  is 
  the 
  road-bed 
  of 
  a 
  trans- 
  

   continental 
  railway. 
  

  

  were 
  reported. 
  We 
  decided 
  to 
  wait 
  until 
  

   the 
  morrow. 
  

  

  On 
  August 
  i 
  we 
  were 
  away 
  at 
  9 
  137 
  in 
  

   the 
  morning. 
  The 
  wind 
  blew 
  fairly 
  

   strong 
  from 
  the 
  northwest 
  and 
  the 
  day 
  

   was 
  bright 
  and 
  clear. 
  As 
  we 
  flew 
  over 
  

   the 
  Pembina 
  River 
  country 
  I 
  regarded 
  

   the 
  forbidding 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  ground 
  be- 
  

   low 
  that 
  yesterday 
  had 
  been 
  hidden 
  by 
  

   the 
  fog. 
  The 
  terrain 
  was 
  rough 
  and 
  

   rocky. 
  Rivers 
  and 
  streams 
  flowed 
  through 
  

   deep 
  gorges 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  

   thickly 
  wooded. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left, 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

   streams, 
  the 
  entire 
  country 
  had 
  been 
  

  

  devastated 
  by 
  forest 
  fires. 
  Millions 
  and 
  

   millions 
  of 
  jack-pine 
  and 
  fir 
  had 
  been 
  

   burned 
  flat 
  or 
  left 
  with 
  ugly 
  short 
  stumps 
  

   sticking 
  up 
  to 
  mar 
  the 
  desolate 
  landscape. 
  

   The 
  employment 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  airplane 
  

   squadrons 
  in 
  patrolling 
  the 
  forests 
  would 
  

   have 
  prevented 
  the 
  waste 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  

   timber. 
  From 
  our 
  perch, 
  2,000 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  we 
  could 
  see 
  every 
  point 
  of 
  

   ground 
  for 
  30 
  miles 
  around. 
  

  

  The 
  tiniest 
  column 
  of 
  smoke 
  appearing 
  

   in 
  all 
  that 
  region 
  would 
  be 
  instantly 
  noted 
  

   by 
  an 
  observer 
  from 
  the 
  air, 
  and 
  if 
  he 
  

   could 
  not 
  extinguish 
  the 
  fire 
  himself, 
  he 
  

   could 
  note 
  its 
  exact 
  location 
  and 
  could 
  

  

  