rELLS OF JOURNEY MADE
EY SNOWMOBILE FROM PT.
EARROW TO FOGGY ISLAND
Signal Corps Bulletin, issued
offices of the Washington
■•! .Military Cable and Telegraph
System at Seattle, Wash., speaks as
fo o\v3 of a trip made by Staff Ser
g . Stanley R. Morgan from Point
Burr w i) Foggy Lsland and return:
With Bulletin No. 3 of March 31,
19 2, a full report of a journey made
by Sergeant Stanley R. Morgan,
Signal Corps, operator in charge at
Point Barrow, as made by him on
December 8, 1931, was attached. On
October 20, 1932, Sergeant Morgan
was given a 14-day furlough for a
.somewhat similar trip made by him
and Mr. Trimble, Government school
teacher at Point Barrow.
It is not practicable to quote the
full narrative, but the following ex
tracts from Sergeant Morgan’s re
port of December lb, 1932, relative to
the development of motorized trans
portation for us ein the Arctic are of
interest:
■“Purchasing a model .A Ford chas
ms and attachments manufactured by
the Snowmobile Corporation for snow
travel, with ideas of our own incor
porated therein, we have constructed
a unit that so far meets all require
ments for traveling either on ice, over
tundra .or snow The most rigid of
tests to which we subjected this car
have left nothing to be desired. Our
methods of heating of engine, insula
tion of xar, and other ideas have all
proven successful, and today we feel
we have accomplished that which we
.set. out to do.
“We ialso feel we have introduced
a method of transportation that will
eventually play its part in advancing
or opening up this part of Alaska, so
long neglected. Today, with the ex
ception .of the Mission work and the
work of the Bureau of Education, this
part of Alaska is no further devel
oped than some fifty years ago when
the white man first c&me. The few
i
white men scattered throughout the '
I country, primarily interested in trad
ing for fur, have done more to retard
progress than toward advancement,
and it is natural, I suppose, in a busi
ness sense for them to do so. Conse
quently we have a condition existing
j today that almost demands relief,
j The Eskimo, no waccustomed to the
white man’s food, can no longer exist
on his old diet of game and fish, and
as their fur catches grow less and
less each year, limiting their pur
' chasing power to what might be
termed the bare necessities of life,
much suffering is seen.
“The next condition of importance
is the alarming decrease of fuel.
Driftwood, once so abundant along
the beach, is now so scarce one is in
deed fortunate to secure a few weeks’
supply during our short summer sea
son. Limited as the Eskimo now are
in their methods of transportation, it
is impossible to seek out new sources
of fuel supply. Under such condi
tions one cannot expect much pro
gress, and, of course, little is made:
“With the above in view and taking
into consideration the vast unex
plored territory within a compara
tively short distanr Point Barrow,
which we know, \:.ri us ways,
I must contain not ; fuel in abund
ance, but fur a :.d no doubt
| valuable minera.s, which, if it could
just be opened up, would perhaps
solve many problems and develop this
part of Alaska as other parts are
no wbeing developed.
“I have partially perfected a com
bination recording mileage indicator,
mounted in the car and showing
! exact direction for each move the car
makes. An earth inductor type com
pass is used. Unit also includes a
radio direction finder for taking bear
ings from some fixed point. These
nstruments will eventually be com
bined into a portable light-weight
unit. It will then be possible to actu
rately chart terrain surrounding
Point Barrow.
“The present plans call for. a party
I
-v^
ANNOUNCEMENT
o
o
• j
f
Your Generous Patronage has enabled . usj
to reduce Commissions on Fur Sales I
to 3 Per Cent
Quicker and Better Results
Continuous Sales, with
an Active Market
Send Tour Catches Early
ass?
Alaska-Chicage
>lnr Exchange
36ST Central Ave., Highland Park, III.
_I—■U. » ■ ■■ - ■■ ■ r
„f two, a native and myself. By lim
-n gthe paity to two, will save con
siderable weight and cut expenses
considerably.
The journey made by Staff Ser
geant Morgan during his furlough
was from Point Barrow to Foggy
Island and return.. The expedition
came near proving disastrous because
of breaking through ice and damage
by fire to the car.
“The wife and child of Sergeant
Morgan, Signal Corps, recently came
by airplane from Point Barrow to
Fairbanks and thence to Seattle by
rail and steamer... Mrs. Morgan, was
in the office on February lfi, and some
valuable information concerning local
conditions with respect to the pro
posed military reservation and the
erection of portable houses at Point
Barrow was obtained.► It has been
recommended to the Chief Signal Of
ficer of the Army that a military \
reservation be set aside at Point Bar
row for the SignaJ Corps radio sta
tion. If this .reservation is set aside,
it is proposed to purchase a portable
house in Seattle and ship it to Point
Barrow for erection by. the operator
in charge, assisted by Eskimo labor.
“Accuracy First” seems to be. the
slogan of the Signal Corps, the effi
ciency of which is shown by the fact,
that there were aeyenty operators on
the system who are credited with not
having made an error ..transmitting
messages from August 1, 1932, to
January 31, 1933. Corporal. Ellison
L. Barber,, stationed at Seattle, heads
the list with having sent 7,407 mes
sages, received 7,511, with. 1 745,900
words.
There were. 15 stations . credited
with not having made an error,
among them those of Ruby, flat and
Takotna.
Nulato station sent 6,975 messages,
received 6,990, with a total of 698,250
words, without an error.
Sergeant William N.i Grow^eru at
Ruby, sent 876 messages, received
663, a total of 80,5Q0 words. i,
Operator French, at Flat,.pent 90<i
messages, received 704, a, total., of
80,50,0 words.
Corporal John. P.,.Jayjorv of. Tar
kotna Station, sent J182 messages,- re
ceived 1,181, .a.total of 108JL50 words,
THE M.UKLUK TRAIL
, _ (Continued, from Page 1.)
dared to he. in full .force, and. .effect,
in Alaska.
v The Delegate also, introduced a bill
to permit the.Indians of .Southeastern
Alaska to .sue .the United-States in
the Court, of ..Claims for;lands, and
other property and. rights taken from
the mby .the United States without
compensation.
i. Congressman Sirovich, of New
York, introduced a resolution in the
House of Representatives for the ap
pointment of a committee of the
House, to consst of seven members,
to conduct a sinvestigation and study
of all matters relating to the econ
omic and social conditions of the In
dians of Alaska. The committee, un
der the terms of the resolution, is to
report to the House at the regular
session of the present Congress.
Senator Borah’s bill for the sus
pension of annual assessment work
on unpatented mining claims in the
United States and Alaska has been
reintroduced by him. The bill was
reported out of committee favorably.
The committee (Senate, o nmines and
mining) recommended, however, that
the bill be so amended as to exclude
from its operations claim owners who
paid an income ta xduring the year
1932, and also to require the filing
of a notice of desire to hold the
claims, which shall also state that
the claimant was entitled to exemp
tion from the payment of a Federal
income tax for the taxable year 1932.
With the active assistance of labor
organizations and of the National
Federation of Government Employes,
ami their Washington represents
: va^». the Delegate made a deter
mined, .effort to efempt from the op
. rations of the Economy Act Federal
empiqibgs in Alaska. While the Dele
gate was unable to secure a general '
amendment of the bill, with the help
of .Senators DJI of Washington and
LaFoliette of Wisconsin, he was able
to exempt employes in Alaska from
the provision, regarding, annual leave.
The Delegate submitted a brief on
the cost of living in Alaska to the
President in the hope of securing the
exception of those on duty in Alaska
with reference to pay cuts .
Governor Troy called on Congress
man Kemp, chairman of the House |
committee on Territories, and had I
an extended interview with him re
grading Alaskan matters. The chair- j
ma nexpressed himself, as being in
sympaefty with the people of the Ter
ritory.
National Committeeman Connors
is temporarily away from the. Capital
visitng with relatives in New York
and Arlington,.Mass. He expects to;
return to the city within a few days.
Bob Bartlett, Secretary .’.to the
Delegate, arrived in Washington this
morning and assumed his duties.
DALLAS.—A piece rtff tapjile ; that
lodged in his windpipe caused the
death here today of - Gordon -Boy
Crosby, one-year-old aonr of Mr. and
Mrs. Roy H. Crosby* .of Dallas.
NOTICE pP yPEFElTUgF
To t Steve Bailey, his heirs, executors,
assigns and: successors in interest;
You ..are hereby notified that I,
Frank J. Gu$key. the undersigned,
have been,appointe4.admini.stratcr of
the estate of. John: Griffin, deceased.
. And you, and each of yau jere here
by further notified that the said John
Griffin, deceased, through power of
attorney from you- (Steve Bailey),
dr.ted -the.i6i8) day «f November, ex
pended fur annual labor and improve
ments the sum of one hunched dollars
for each of the years 1923, 1924, 1926,
;1926, *1937,21928^ 1929, 1930 and 1931
upon , the following described .placer
miningj’fjaim, to-wit: No. 4 Abepa
Discovery qn Ganes creek,. a triha
tary of\t'*e> Innoko river, in -the Ia
noko Reodtdiftg Precinct.
That all. of said work and improve
ments were required by law .and wer*)
put upon said claim in compl-anc
therewith ia order toi Jhold the same
for each .said year and thereafter, all
of said work having been performed
by the-aforesaid on bn Griffin.
And , if .within ninety (90) days
after the publication of this rmoticc
you, and -each of ..yon, do not con
tribute to the above-mentioned John
Griffin Estate your prorertiou of
said. expenditures for each claim for
each said, years, your interest iin said
claim wilt,become the .property of the
said John Griffin Estate, according to
the provisions of . Section .£334 Re
vised Statutes of the United States,
’ FRANK. 3. GUBKEI,
Administrator of Estate of
John Griffin, deceased.
Dated T&kotna, Alaskk Deo. 24.,
1932.
First pub-,Jan. 14
»
i ii_. - i - - -
Blacksmith, Ma&uae
and all kiH&s*)tL j
/SheetiMfit&l vW ork V
ll
“PROSPECTING BOILERS <
AND DRILL8 BUILT
•TO ORDER 'i
•8TOVEB
WLE.WOWEIE |
. ..
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