TELLS OF ASCENT TO PEAK
OF TAKOTNA MOUNTAIN
When I first heard about Takotna
Mountain, some five or six years ago,
I developed a longing to some day be
able to climb it. Shortly after com
ing to Takotna this summer, I went
into training for the climb by trying
out all the lesser hills in the vicinity.'
I was determined to make an ex
haustive study of that particular
mountain. Well, I am not sure even
now that the. subject was exhausted
and I don’t suppose the mountain
was, but I was. However, I consider
the effort well worth while and took
several pictures which I hope will be
good.
My uncle, Henry C. Wallick, our
dbg Mutt and I started, on the trip at
9i30 Tuesday morning. We traveled
several miles to the base of the in
cline through feather-bed moss air
most knee deep and crossed one
stream on a beaver dam. The beaver
didn’t like it—neither did we, very
much.
We got to the top of Interrogation
Point hill about noon. Here we
stopped to build a. fire and cremate a
few of the millions of mosquitoes
who insisted upon escorting us on the
way. Mr. Wallick fried bacon wnile
L changed from my shoe packs to a
pair of high leather hobnailed boots
for climbing. And Mutt tried to as
sist in both operations.
From here we went through a long
stretch of timber before we came to
the next ascent. From the town the
next step looks like alternating light
and dark green furrows. We found
the dark were, dense 'growths of
alders, while the light green strips
were streaks of polytrichum juni
perifolium and sphaeria fusca,
through which we walked almost
knee deep. After, much toil and many
grunts on my part, we finally arrived
at the pass of old Thermopylae..
Here we found a huge and beauti
fully hollowed rock, which was an
ideal place to stew some more too
friendly mosquitoes. We suited the
action to the thoug.-t and rested,
which 1 needed hy this time, during
the stewing process. I had never
realized before that such humble lit
tie fellows could be such wonderful
mountain climbers.
Then from, the pass we climbed up
aver the high ridge of huge rocks and
boulders to the. topmost peak, having
selected the back side for this climb
so that we could view the scenery on.
the far side.. Reaching, the top, Mr.
Wallick built another smudge of such
material as could he found, while I
took pictures.
Takotna river looked exactly, like
the tracks left by some small boy on
ice skates,. trying to do' some fancy
stunts. In some places it actually
formed a circle inside a larger, circle.
The hills in all directions looked, like
a thick growth of mushroons. And
tlie town was so tiny that it was im
possible to find it in the view inder,
therefore I aimed at the a-rplane
field, trusting to luck that the town
might be distinguishable.
High up among these rocks,
wherever it was possible for a little
sediment to. lodge, there wen various
types of. flora. t.o he found, T’olypo
dium vulgare, panicum miiiaceum,
eornus canadensis and polyp <• us um
bellatus were to he seen here and
there, while cladania, looking .ike old
fashioned tatting, was everywhere.
We left the peak a little after 6
o’clock and descended on the. front
side, Etching the village gradually.,
come to view. We reached Interro
gation Point hill a little before 9,
where we had left our pack. We again ;
buift a fire, this time as mi:. h.to cook |
a hot meal as for the hei.efit of the
ever-present, mosquitoes.
The least said ahout th'j staggering
journey for the rest of the ("stance the
better, but we. can- safely say that all!
three members of. the p:v.-ty reached f
the boat on his own pedit! extremities.!
Arriving at the boat at ! 2:30 a. m.,1
the' howls and yelps of O’Halloran’s
dogs on the opposite shore was a.
pleasant sound. As I said' above, it
was an altogether exhaustive as well
as profitable study.
MABEL NIGH RANUM.
BUREAU MINES STATION
BUSY YEAR AT COLLEGE
Paul Hopkins, associate analytical
chemist of the United States Bureau
of Mines Station at the Alaska Col
lege, has submitted his annual report
of work done under the co-operative
agreement between the Bureau of
Mines and the Alaska Agricultural
College and School of Mines for the
fiscal year 1928-1929.
Custom analyses made. 742
Official assays and analyses . 33
Duplicates and miscellaneous. 195
Identification tests . 324
In performing the above work the
following determinations were made:;
Aluminum, 2; antimony, 4; arsenic,
3; coal, 5; cobalt, 2; chronium, 2; j
copper, 26; iron, 2; lead, 21; mag-1
nesium, 2; mercury, 2; molybdenum,)
T; nickel, 1; platinum, 20; water, 8;
zinc, 6; gold and silfer, 885; rejuiring,
1110 fusions or scorifications and 911;
cupellations..
This co-operative arranbement has
now been operative for a period of
five years and is rendering a maxi
mbum service at a minimum cost.
Mineral determinations are made
without charge, and for the ordinary
assay the cost is only one dollar.
To take care of a rush of work
brought in on the 2d of July Mr.)
Hopkins ran the furnaces on the 3rd
and 4th and made 159 gold assays.;
Returns on samples for assay re-j
ceived by incoming mail on Tuesday
nights are mailed out on Friday
mornings. This is a service which
those interested in mining in the Ter
ritory can hardly afford to overlook.
AMONG THE MISSING. .
A letter addressed to the “Mayor
of Takotna reads as follows:
“Would you kindly give some in
formation, if same is availahle, of the
whereabouts of a man named Anton
Peter Galvniek, who is supposed to j
have been a miner in your district,
and to. have some valuable property
in the vicinity, of your town.”
Anyone, knowing anything of the
whereabouts of Mr. Galvniek should
forward information of same to J. V.
Desaulniers, Latvian ConsulMontreal,
Canada.
An- inquiry has been received re
questing information concerning the
whereabouts of John Doyle. He was
last, heard from about two years ago,.
at which time he was in Katalla.
Please send any information of Mr.
Doyle to the Governor's office, Ju
neau.
BOXING WEIGHTS IN ALASKA.
At a. recent meeting of the Terri-]
torial Boxing Commission the follow-,
ing weights and classes were adopted.!
as official for the Territory:
Flyweight, 112 pounds..
Bantamweight, 118 pounds.
Featherweight, 126 pounds.
Welterweight, 147 pounds.
Middleweight, 160 pounds.
Light heavyweight, 175,pounds.
Heavyweight, all over 175 pounds.
All boxers engaging in contests in
Alaska must be licensed. Licenses
may now be obtained , by application
to Karl A. Dragc, the -secretary of
the commission, at Ketchikan.
REQUEST FOR ALASKA AIR
MAIL SERVICE VETOED
In the opinion of the postal depart
ment inauguration of regular air. mail
service between Seattle and--South
eastern Alaska: is . not warranted.
W riting to the-Ketchikan Commer
cial Club, W. Irving' Glover, second!
assistant postmaster general, said' in
part:
“Because of the comparatively
small population that would be served
and the limited amount of postal
business transacted in Southeastern
Alaska, it is considered that the de-'
partment would not be warranted in'
incurring the expense that would be
involved for. a regular air mail serv
ice oil the route requested. However,,
if at any time it becomes practicable
to improve your service, I shall be
pleased to have the matter given
every possible consideration.”
The Ketchikan Club, will seek to se-j
cure a special service whereby mail j
would be carried on all. trips of com
mercial planes.
I
FOUL PLAY FEARED WHE N
LONE TRAPPER DISAPPEARS
WRANGELL. — Recent arrivals
rom TeJegraph creek reported that
Oscar Anderson, trailer- at McDames f
creek, brought the news to Telegraph
creek that Angus McDonald, trapper]
of the Liard section, has disappeared,
Foul play is suggested, as McDon
ald’s effects, including all his furs.j
are missing from his cabin.
McDonald was reputed to be worth
$15,000 from the sale of mining:
claims. He went from Atlin a num
ber of years ago across country from
Tesli nLake to the Liard district and
built a cabin in the woods 150 miles
back from Liard Post.
For the past eight or ten years he
has appeared once a year at Liard
Post, turning in his furs for a year’s
supplies and ammunition.
TWIN BRIDES OF TWINS
BOTH ASK DIVORCES
LOS ANGELES.—Mesdames Luc"
and Louise Young, twins, achieved
their twin spouses, Eary and Byrl, at
a double wedding two months ago.
Today both applied for divorces.
The petitions read like carbon
copies except that Louise accused
Byrl of likening her to “a. Fiji
islander because of the way she wore
her hair.” He also did not like the
\vay she fried eggs.
The twin brides said their duplex,
honeymoon was lovely until the twin
husbands took the mto live with their
parents. Twin families did not go
" V-A* uuugi U1IC X UUi •
xuc twin wives 1
want the divorces tried on the siime
day.
A Queer Turn.
Emil Ludwig, the German biogra
pher, said to a New York reporter
during his American visit:
“In all my biographies I condemn
war. Some people extol war. They j
say i hardens a nation and turns its
people into l"-rod*s. Well, the igno
ramus who says war turns people
into heroes is worse than the city]
girl,
girl.
“A city girl visited the country one j
June day. She came to a pond whose i
shallows were full of1 tadpoles—thou- ;
sands of little black tadpoles flopping
about in an inch of ihuddy water.
“ ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘look at the tad- i
poles! And to think that some day !
every one of the horrid, wriggling
little things will be a beautiful but
terfly!’ ”
An optimistic way to look at the
new smaller currency is to realize
that it provides less harboring space
for germs.—Detroit Free Press.
TABLE OF DISTANCES BE
TWEEN NENANA AND FLAT 1
Nenana . 00
Tayern Roadhouse . 17 Vh
Knight’s Roadhouse . 28 %
Nineteen-Mile Roadhouse ...
Diamond Roadhouse.
Roosevelt ...
Lake Minchumina.
Trappers’ Cabin ...
Lone Star Roadhouse .
Telida Roadhouse..
Slow Fork Roadhouse.
East Fork Roadhouse .
Berry's Landing Roadhouse
Big River Roadhouse..
McGrath .....
Takotna ...
Bill Goss’ Roadhouse .
Ophir__
McCafferty .
Brown Creek shelter cabin .
Fritr shelter cabin .
First Chance shelter cabin
Schermeyer R. H.
Iditarod...
Flat .....
89
116
132
160 !
169%;'
.) 206
... 227% i
... 241
... 263
.. 280
.. 291
... 300
... 306
_ 318
.. 333
.. 346
.. 360
... 376
384
Bonanzza sheler cabin, 12 miles
from Flat.
Crooked Creek shelter cabin, 19
miles from Bonanaa.
——M——I—— — fiiilMMWMMWM———
Babeesch Moosehide Mitts and Boots
Furs Bought and Sold Clothing
All Kinds of Nice Fresh Groceries and Fruits
Canned Goods of All Kinds Beds and Bedding
A. R. Eldridge - McGrath
TAKQTNA ROADHOUSE
Best of Meals and Rooms
Where Everything Is Homelike and
Where You Are Cordially Welcomed
GOOD DOG HOUSES BATHS
Ivar Chilstrom - Prop.
I
Rough and Dressed Lum
ber of All Kinds
IIMKO LUMBER CO.
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