﻿552 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  © 
  Lomen 
  Brothers 
  

  

  HOMEWARD 
  BOUND 
  FROM 
  NOME 
  

  

  Captain 
  Howard 
  T. 
  Douglas, 
  who 
  had 
  

   personally 
  made 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  arrange- 
  

   ments 
  for 
  our 
  landings 
  ahead 
  of 
  us, 
  was 
  

   awaiting 
  us 
  when 
  we 
  landed 
  at 
  Ruby. 
  

   He 
  informed 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  Indians 
  had 
  been 
  

   gathering 
  for 
  days 
  to 
  greet 
  us. 
  In 
  fact, 
  

   so 
  great 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  demand 
  on 
  the 
  Ruby 
  

   larder 
  and 
  so 
  universally 
  had 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   been 
  abandoned 
  by 
  these 
  Indians 
  that 
  our 
  

   expedition 
  threatened 
  to 
  bring 
  a 
  famine 
  to 
  

   the 
  community. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  week 
  before 
  our 
  arrival 
  all 
  the 
  

   mining 
  camps 
  and 
  fishermen's 
  nets 
  had 
  

   been 
  abandoned. 
  When 
  we 
  came 
  in 
  sight 
  

   squaws 
  dropped 
  their 
  papooses 
  and 
  raced 
  

   the 
  men 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  see 
  us 
  land. 
  

  

  Captain 
  Douglas 
  had 
  cleared 
  a 
  small 
  

   island 
  some 
  six 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  town, 
  and 
  

   here 
  we 
  landed 
  without 
  accident, 
  after 
  a 
  

   flight 
  of 
  two 
  and 
  three-quarters 
  hours 
  

   from 
  Fairbanks. 
  One 
  more 
  such 
  flight 
  

   would 
  bring 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  our 
  journey. 
  

  

  This 
  last 
  short 
  hop 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  

   afternoon 
  of 
  August 
  24, 
  when 
  we 
  settled 
  

   down 
  near 
  Nome, 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  parade 
  

   ground 
  of 
  Fort 
  Davis, 
  situated 
  between 
  

   the 
  Nome 
  River 
  and 
  Bering 
  Sea. 
  

  

  We 
  had 
  down 
  just 
  53 
  hours 
  and 
  30 
  

  

  minutes 
  from 
  New 
  York, 
  covering 
  4,500 
  

   miles, 
  without 
  mishap 
  or 
  any 
  breakage 
  of 
  

   serious 
  character. 
  The 
  air 
  route 
  had 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  a 
  passage 
  over 
  country 
  impassable 
  

   by 
  any 
  other 
  means. 
  

  

  After 
  we 
  had 
  delivered 
  our 
  mail 
  to 
  the 
  

   delighted 
  recipients 
  and 
  had 
  put 
  up 
  our 
  

   airplanes 
  for 
  the 
  night, 
  we 
  were 
  carried 
  

   into 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Nome 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  

   great 
  procession. 
  We 
  were 
  banqueted 
  by 
  

   the 
  American 
  Legion 
  members, 
  then 
  at- 
  

   tended 
  a 
  reception 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  Arctic 
  

   Brotherhood, 
  where 
  we 
  were 
  presented 
  

   with 
  a 
  loving 
  cup 
  and 
  with 
  many 
  other 
  

   beautiful 
  gifts. 
  

  

  One 
  more 
  short 
  flight 
  of 
  150 
  miles 
  

   would 
  have 
  taken 
  us 
  to 
  +he 
  continent 
  of 
  

   Asia, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  program. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  rest 
  we 
  retraced 
  our 
  

   course, 
  bearing 
  with 
  us 
  photographs 
  and 
  

   maps 
  of 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  government. 
  On 
  

   October 
  20 
  we 
  landed 
  safely 
  on 
  Mitchel 
  

   Field, 
  New 
  York, 
  completing 
  the 
  round 
  

   trip 
  of 
  9,000 
  miles 
  in 
  just 
  112 
  hours 
  of 
  

   flying, 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  airplanes, 
  the 
  same 
  

   motors, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  spark-plugs. 
  

  

  Some 
  day 
  this 
  trip 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  over- 
  

   night 
  — 
  who 
  knows? 
  

  

  