OVERLAND PROM CAPE NOME
Captain J,So Worth and Rev.L.L.Wirt recently arrived here after a mid win
ter trip from Cape Nome by way of the Katmai trail, on their way to "the States*'
The Captain went to the Yukon in ?97, and last summer ran the steamer "Mar
tha V/ilkes" for the Alaska Exploration Company. He is on his way to San Fran
cisco to take up a new steamer the company is building for him. R'ev Wirt is
general missionary in Alaska for the Congregational denomination, and we hope
to print something concerning his work at another time,
given the following account of the trip out.
January 8./?4>0ur party consisted of Rev, L„ L»
Another party, Messrs* Morgan and Fredricks
had a few days the start of us. We started with a team of nine dogs, worth
at current prices one hundred dollars each. Soon after starting we encoun
tered a heavy snow storm with high wind which made hard travelling. One of
our dogs was taken sick the first day and we had to leave him at one of the
stations. We followed along the coast on the ice where the sea was frozen,
stopping among other places at the Swedish missions at Golovin Bay and Unalak
lik, and arrived at St.Michaels in eleven days. I had sprained my ankle and
Mr, Wirt was suffering with rheumatism so we stopped at St,Michaels from Fri
Gav until Wednesday.
Captain Worth has kindly
"We started from Nome at noon
Wirt, E *Erickson, and mys eIf <
a
" mring anooner team oi seven aogs to accompany us to Andr-jafsky for $10Q«
we loft St.Michaels and followed the canal and coast to the mouth of the Yu
kon ? and then went up the river to Andreafsky, arriving in seven days. Much
of the way was through deep snow with no trail.
"Up to this time we had been able to take bread cut into slices and fro
zen ? beans cooked almost soft, canned meats, etc. , which were quickly pre
pared for use on the trail* but here it was necessary for us to take a sup
ply of flour and other food that could be cooked on the road. This required
more dogs which we wxych able to hire for $-1.00 each a day. Our next .step
of importance was the Moravian mission at Bethel on the Kuskokv/im river where
we spent Sunday, hr, Wirt preached here much to the joy of the missionaries.
"At Bethel we bought some dogs for $5.00 each* traded for others, and Mr.
Wirt hired a team.. Our trail now followed the river to its mouth where we
caught up with Morgan and Fredricks. Going to the East we passed GoodNews
Bay, Togiak,and reached the Moravian mission of* the Hushagak. At Nushagak
we traded off all our dogs but one, Mr. Wirt secured another team, and we
started for Katrnai by way of Koggiung. Just before we reached the end of the
trip we met two parties starting for Nome over the same trail, and learned
we had missed the mail boat two days. At Katmaf Mr. Wirt and]hired bidarkas
and went to Afognak where we chartered a sloop and cams to Kodiak. We reached
here two months and one day from the time we started*
me b'ioop re curnea go is.ax.mai i or cne ros e oi i,ne party, ana we trim*
others will be there too* We will remain for the mail boat*
wDuring our whole trip we failed to reach a village only four nights. The
Indians were always friendly, and at the missions we were more than welcome.
We bought plenty of ptarmigan and. rabbits to supply us with meat, and dog
feed-frozen fish- was plentiful. Fuel was scarce and twice we paid *1• to
have an Indian take a stick from his fish cache. This trail is all right in
winter 9 but I think steamers could carry mail north from Hutch Harbor at least
left Home a steamer
I think we will have
as far as cape Vancouver at any time. Up to the time we
could have run within ten miles of Nome without danger.
winter mail by that route in rime. .
”Thousands of people will go to Nome this spring, but the whole country
is staked and few of them will make anything unless they work as laborers
instead of prospecting.**
At the age of nineteen Captain' Worth was master of
Sea."- the youngest whaling captain -known in the fleet.
Provideno e 9 Mass.
a whaler in Bering
He is a native of