﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  547 
  

  

  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  never 
  before 
  seen 
  

   an 
  airplane. 
  Many 
  were 
  the 
  questions 
  

   put 
  to 
  us 
  concerning 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  aircraft 
  in 
  

   transporting 
  freight 
  and 
  passengers 
  into 
  

   this 
  difficult 
  country. 
  

  

  In 
  replying 
  to 
  these 
  questions 
  it 
  oc- 
  

   curred 
  to 
  me 
  that, 
  before 
  airplanes 
  could 
  

   be 
  judged 
  entirely 
  fitted 
  for 
  work 
  in 
  these 
  

   chill 
  skies, 
  experiments 
  should 
  be 
  carried 
  

   out 
  to 
  determine 
  how 
  aeronautical 
  engines 
  

   would 
  function 
  at 
  the 
  extremely 
  low 
  tem- 
  

   peratures 
  experienced 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter 
  months. 
  

  

  ONE 
  OF 
  THE 
  MOST 
  FORBIDDING 
  ROUTES 
  

   EVER 
  TRAVERSED 
  BY 
  AIRPLANE 
  

  

  And, 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  to 
  discover 
  on 
  the 
  mor- 
  

   row, 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  White 
  Horse 
  

   and 
  Carmacks, 
  on 
  the 
  route 
  to 
  Dawson, 
  is 
  

   as 
  rugged 
  and 
  forbidding 
  as 
  any 
  ever 
  

   traversed 
  by 
  airplane. 
  The 
  entire 
  country 
  

   is 
  bare 
  rock, 
  formerly 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  

   glacier, 
  which 
  has 
  receded 
  and 
  left 
  the 
  

   topography 
  ribbed 
  and 
  gashed 
  in 
  its 
  

   passing. 
  Landing 
  an 
  airplane 
  anywhere 
  

   in 
  this 
  region 
  would 
  be 
  practically 
  im- 
  

   possible. 
  

  

  From 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  7,000 
  feet, 
  this 
  

   country 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  dug 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  

   gigantic 
  plow, 
  the 
  furrows 
  running 
  north 
  

   and 
  south. 
  

  

  From 
  Carmacks 
  to 
  Selkirk 
  the 
  country 
  

   became 
  less 
  rough, 
  until 
  finally, 
  at 
  the 
  

   Yukon 
  Crossing, 
  just 
  above 
  Five 
  Finger 
  

   Rapids, 
  the 
  river 
  valley 
  broadened 
  out 
  

   and 
  occasional 
  sites 
  for 
  landing 
  fields 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  

  

  From 
  Selkirk 
  to 
  Stewart 
  one 
  follows 
  

   above 
  the 
  White 
  Horse 
  Trail 
  to 
  the 
  

   Stewart 
  River, 
  and 
  above 
  this 
  river 
  to 
  

   the 
  Yukon. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  trip 
  I 
  made 
  alone 
  on 
  the 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  August 
  18. 
  Two 
  of 
  the 
  machines 
  

   flew 
  away 
  from 
  White 
  Horse 
  at 
  5 
  o'clock 
  

   on 
  the 
  preceding 
  evening. 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  Crumrine, 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  

   third 
  man 
  to 
  start, 
  blew 
  a 
  tire 
  and 
  was 
  

   forced 
  to 
  stop 
  and 
  make 
  repairs. 
  I 
  waited 
  

   with 
  him 
  to 
  make 
  repairs. 
  Again 
  we 
  pre- 
  

   pared 
  to 
  take 
  oft, 
  and 
  this 
  time 
  I 
  was 
  first 
  

   up. 
  While 
  I 
  was 
  circling 
  about, 
  watching 
  

   Crumrine 
  taxi 
  down 
  the 
  course, 
  I 
  saw 
  his 
  

   tire 
  burst 
  again. 
  Again 
  he 
  stopped 
  before 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  ground. 
  I 
  went 
  on 
  without 
  

   him, 
  and 
  thus 
  it 
  was 
  that 
  I, 
  and 
  later 
  

   Crumrine, 
  too, 
  flew 
  alone 
  over 
  this 
  deso- 
  

   late 
  stretch. 
  

  

  Flying 
  low 
  over 
  the 
  river's 
  course 
  from 
  

   Stewart 
  to 
  Dawson, 
  I 
  arrived 
  over 
  that 
  

   historic 
  little 
  city 
  almost 
  without 
  being- 
  

   seen. 
  Crumrine 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   overtake 
  us 
  until 
  he 
  could 
  procure 
  a 
  new 
  

   tire 
  from 
  Wrangell, 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  several 
  

   days; 
  so 
  I 
  thought; 
  but 
  shortly 
  after 
  my 
  

   arrival 
  Crumrine 
  roared 
  in 
  and 
  landed 
  

   grandly 
  on 
  one 
  good 
  wheel 
  and 
  one 
  im- 
  

   provised 
  wheel 
  of 
  rope. 
  He 
  had 
  simply 
  

   wound 
  a 
  rope 
  around 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  his 
  wheel 
  

   and 
  placed 
  the 
  casing 
  over 
  that 
  (see 
  page 
  

   544)- 
  

  

  ARRIVING 
  IN 
  DAWSON 
  

  

  Space 
  forbids 
  recounting 
  the 
  courtesies 
  

   and 
  entertainment 
  extended 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  Dawson. 
  Everything 
  possible 
  

   was 
  done 
  for 
  our 
  comfort 
  and 
  pleasure. 
  

  

  Dawson 
  now 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  remnant 
  of 
  its 
  

   former 
  splendor. 
  In 
  its 
  days 
  of 
  glory 
  its 
  

   population 
  numbered 
  40,000. 
  Now 
  it 
  has 
  

   shrunk 
  to 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  2,000, 
  including 
  

   whites 
  and 
  natives. 
  

  

  After 
  dinner 
  we 
  were 
  taken 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  

   Klondike 
  River, 
  where 
  we 
  viewed 
  the 
  

   operations 
  of 
  the 
  huge 
  placer 
  dredges. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  Klondike 
  Yalley 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  

   worked 
  by 
  dredges 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  pay- 
  

   ing 
  at 
  approximately 
  35 
  cents 
  per 
  yard. 
  

  

  Caribou 
  and 
  moose 
  furnish 
  the 
  majority 
  

   of 
  the 
  meat 
  for 
  this 
  community. 
  Great 
  

   hunting 
  parties 
  are 
  formed 
  during 
  August 
  

   and 
  September, 
  which 
  are 
  counted 
  upon 
  

   to 
  provide 
  meat 
  enough 
  to 
  last 
  over 
  the 
  

   winter 
  months. 
  

  

  Ice-boxes 
  are 
  unnecessary 
  in 
  Dawson. 
  

   Six 
  feet 
  below 
  ground, 
  cellars 
  are 
  built 
  

   which 
  preserve 
  an 
  ideal 
  temperature 
  for 
  

   cold 
  storage. 
  

  

  We 
  were 
  requested 
  to 
  keep 
  a 
  lookout 
  

   for 
  a 
  herd 
  of 
  caribou 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   the 
  neighborhood. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  dis- 
  

   appointment 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  special 
  expedition 
  to 
  locate 
  this 
  

   herd 
  for 
  our 
  newly 
  made 
  friends. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  morning, 
  August 
  19, 
  we 
  were 
  

   off 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  hour 
  for 
  Fairbanks. 
  Here 
  

   spares 
  and 
  supplies 
  were 
  awaiting 
  us. 
  

   But 
  our 
  machines 
  had 
  stood 
  up 
  wonder- 
  

   fully 
  so 
  far, 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  

   new 
  wheel 
  for 
  Lieutenant 
  Crumerine 
  and 
  

   one 
  or 
  two 
  other 
  minor 
  parts, 
  we 
  were 
  in 
  

   need 
  of 
  nothing. 
  

  

  GREAT 
  EXCITEMENT 
  AT 
  FAIRBANKS 
  

  

  Great 
  was 
  the 
  excitement 
  at 
  Fairbanks 
  

   when 
  we 
  arrived. 
  We 
  had 
  become 
  so 
  ac- 
  

  

  