SIGNALCORPS
ARE HEROES
OF TRAIL
Among the unsung heroes of the
Northland whose deeds have never
been mentioned in song or story, are
the members of the Signal Corps,—
the boys in khaki who look after the
vast artery of communication reach
ing from Valdez to the interior, and
t hence of the farthest confines of the
Territory, ending above Nome in the
great white wastes of the sub-Arctic.
These men have performed feats of
endurance and heroism which outri
val those of the Canadian Northwest
Mounted Police, and which aro un
believable if the facts did not substan
tiate their deeds.
The Northwest Mounted Police
keep a record of the achievements of
the men of the Canadian constabu
lary; the Signal Corps has none. The
Mounted Police are men subjected tc
a rigorous test for gravery and en
durance; the men of the Signal Corps
are equally as brave, but are recruits
from all walks of life: from Maine
New York, Texas, Missouri, Nebras
ka. and various other states in the
t'nion, not especially picked for cour
age. strength or endurance, but find
ing their way into the service through
an abundance of red corpuscles
which permeate the blood of every
genuine American lad, be he city
raised or from the hinterlands of Ken
tuckv.
The great Pacific-Alaska cable, the
only artery of quick communication
between the states and the Territory
first reaches the coast at Valdez aftei
leaving Seattle. Here the message?
are transferred from the cable code
into Morse by a corps of operators
under the direction of the war de
partnient, which has charge of the
cable and telegraph lines in the Ter
ritory. These men work eight hour
shifts. 2-1 hours a day, speeding thr
happenings of the world to the far
places of the Northland. They arc
liable to be transferred at any time
to some remote station on the trail
or to other stations on the line. From
Valdez the copper wires stretch
through almost impenetrable forests
through tundra and morass, ovet
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beautiful priarles to the interior town
of Fairbanks, where it is contlnuec
down the Tanana river to Fort Gib
lions, down the Ynukon to St. Michac
and trom that place to Nome.
The cable and telegraph system be
tween Valdez and Fairbanks is it
charge of ('apt. Max H. Faust, a com
purnthely young man, who by sheet
industry amiability has worked hit
way up from private to the rank ol
captain, (’apt. Faust was formerly
master signal electrician, a job of con
siderable importance when one eon
riders the vast quantity of delicate
machinery installed in the head office
in this city.
As sergeant, second lieutenant
, fi-st lieutenant and then to the eov
eted rank of captain, he made Ills
slow and laborious way, mastering
each detail and studying unceasingly
for examination for the rank above.
( apt Faust has seventeen stations
under his Immediate supversion
where an operator and infantryman
are stationed to watch the wires, and
in case of a breakdown to make im
mediate repairs that the service may
be interrupted as little as possililo.
Tiles.- stations are outlined from
the quartermaster department at Yal
dez. tind their equipment comprises
every necessary essential from a
dog harnes to hams. Vast quantities
of supplies are stored in those sta
tic ns, and at several places dog teams
are kept for swift dashes to the 3ceno
of trouble. A number of Ford auto
trucks perform the same service In
the summer. The latest innovation is
the work of Capt. Faust, who has
saved the government many thou
sands of dollars by prevailing upon
the department to instal machines to
take the place of horses, feed being
almost prohibitive, costing from $150
to $200 per ton, and the vast amount
of equipment necessary with horses
being eliminated. A complete clee
rlcal generating system driven by a
large gas onglne has also been In
stalled. making the line Independent
of breakdowns by the local plant.
The telegraph stations are the most
lonely spots In the world In winter.
The mercury at many places drops
from 50 to 86 degrees below zero,
and fierce gales blow almost inces
santly. To these stations, In wlntor
or In summer the Signal Corps men
arc sent, many of them being forced
to walk hundreds of miles In all kinds
of weather to reach their posts. Some
of the stations are situated In small
hamlets, and these are the coveted
position*. Others may be at the top
of a lonely mountain, as is the case
with the station at the Summit, about
30 miles north of Valdez, on the Fair
banks trail. Many operators and sol
diers stationed at this place have be
come crazed with loneliness and the
monotony of their surroundings, and
have either committed suicide, or
non taken out to recover their facul
ties in places more habituble.
The Summit Is nearly two thou
sand feet in the air, and the station
is maintained for the relief of mush
ers who may bo caught in the sudden
storms vh!"h sweep down from the
north, bringing blinding clouds of j
sr.ow, and fairly rocking flip huge j
bowlders on the mountain top in their j
fury. Tiie occupants of the small
telegraph station arc often compelled
‘o remain In tholr cabin for works at
a time, forcing their fires to keep
| from freezing, and with no other
| communication with their comrades
than the slender wires half hurled In
the huge snowdrifts. In sutner this is
a scene of great loveliness, but opera
tor:-, are not needed there in the sum
mer. It is the grim winter season
v.fth its low temperatures and fierce
gales that tax the nerve and energy
of tiie men of the Signal Corps.
Trails must be broken to other ;
sif .ions, the daily reports made, lines I
repaired, trees removed from the :
vicinity of the wires, and the careless ,
traveled looked after. Many times i
tie- men are roused from their warm
hods to dash out into a storm of wind
and snow to rescue some man who \
in.s been reported as leaving the
rc; dhouse either side of their station,
and who has failed to show up in a
icasonablo length of time. Many days
ire spent in the bitter cold and deep
slows pulling the wire together anil
patching them up so tiie liny spark
can carry the message of good cheer
to the outpost of civilization. Wood
must he looked after, supplies check
ed over, meals cooked for the musher
v lio lias no money to put up at the
roadhouses, for the boys never turn a
traveler away from their doo,. Thes,,
Hiiitions are models of cleanliness and
are inspected yearly by the captain in
charge, and supplies and material
t'hpplfpfl nvnr
Hundreds of live s have been saved
by the occupants of these tiny sta
tions. the record extending back for
years. How many will never be
known, as the unfortunate musher is
not prone to talk of his mishaps, and
'the Signal Corps boys take it as a
matter of course and all in the day's
work. Some of the deeds performed
would entitle the participants to a
medal for bravery if they were rs
ported; others are so nervy as to beg
gar description. It has been but a few
years back since one of tin- Signal
Corps men. stationed on the Yukon,
plunged into the icy waters of the
r'ver. and swimming a long distance,
re cued two prospectors and their
or. I tit. Tho men were all but uncon
scions when taken from the water,
and the tight between the rescuer and
the treacherous current was a hard
one. He did not think the incident
worthy of more than passing com- j
nient. It remained for the men res
ired to tell of the remarkable deed.
In th(. spring of 1908 or 1909 the
Delta district between Valdez and
Fairbanks was swept by one of the
worst blizzards in the history of the
country, the mercury for 17 days
standing at 54 below, and the gale be
ing so severe that the deep snows
were hurled through the air in blind
ing masses that a strong man could
hardly stand up against.
A party of prospectors and miners
on their way from Valdez to Pair
banks were caught in the storm.
A hen the gale broke they attempted
in reach a roadhouse in the vicinity,
but the wind and cold became so in
i tense they sought shelter in the lee of
j some timber, where the horses were
J abandoned and the party crawled un
j iler a windfall, well wrapped in their
robes.
Among the party wore a man nam
ed Harry Warren, well known In this
city; a man named King, his wife,
j and another woman by the name of
"Diamond-Tooth Gertie,” also known
from Dawson to Dyca. The women
w'ere wraped In all the available
coverings and the party dug far into
tile snow in an effort to find warmth
find uholf or
All that day and night tho members
of the party shivered in their scanty
sholtor. On the morning of tho sec
ond day, the wind abating somewhat
in Its force, Warren, who was a pow
erful and experlneced mustier, set out
in an attempt to find the roadhouse,
which ho knew could not be ovor a
mile or so away. He searched for
hours without avail, and as he de
spaired of ever finding it and was
about to return to his party, he smell
ed smoke and going up heard a
voice far down In the snowdrifts,
chanting one of the popular songs of
the day.
A closer search revealed about a
foot of stovepipe sticking out of the
snow, ami Warren called and yelled
and beat upon it in an effort to attract i
the attention of the occupants, ills .
cries were finally heard, and talking
up through the stovepipe the men in- j
side directed him to dig down a few
yards to one side, which he did, en
tering the building through the sec
ond story window
The inmates took hint down to
the living rooms and he was quickly
thawed out In front of a roaring fire.
After partaking of hot simp and a sub
stantial meal Warren explained the
predicament of his party, and in com
pany with the soldier, a powerful
young fellow, sot out to rescue his —
i omruuea.
After an hour's struggle they reach
ed the haven of refuge and digging $
in to the shelter, found King and sev
eral of the men frozen to death, and
a number of others barely living. A
number of the men had followed War
ren in an effort to find the roadhouse,
and becoming confused in the storm
never to be seen again. The bodies of
11 travelers were picked up along the :
trail when the summer suns thawed
the drifts the next year.
Taking one of the unconscious men j
upon his back the soldier directed!
Warren to stand at a point half way ,
between the timber and the station,
where he could remain as a guide for
the rescuer upon his return. The sol
dier made seven trips between the!
station and the shelter, saving all the j
survivors, including the two women, |
who later returned to Valdez.
Several of the men were brought to
Valdez later for medical attention,
some of whom were so badly frosted
they died. Others were badly crip
pel for life. The stock and outfits
were lost. —
These are but a few of the deeds
performed by the boys in khaki who f
guard the farthest north line of com
munication over the snowy wastes.
These nre but a sample of hundreds
no less daring thut have been per- j?4
formed each year at many points In
the vast wilderness of the Inland em
pire.
Could some writer of renown In
duce these men to tell of their many
adventures he could compile a record
which would win him undying fame.
The men of the Northwest Mounted ■
Police are a fine body of men, and f
their many brare deeds are not to he !
made light of, but they are played up p
in song and story on every occasion, g
The deeds of the Signal Corps boys P
are scarcely ever heard of, and have |
never been the theme of our writers I
of adventure.—Valdes Minre.
-«
Your eyes fitted. Compound and |
stigmatlc lenses replaced. See Os- Jj
borne. S
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Advertise in the Dally Times.
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fgi
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MR. V. J. SWANBERG is at the Windsor Hotel, Room 9, and will be glad to
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