’’THE ARMY IN ALASKA”
(By Gol«Wilds P«Richardson,U*S*Amy, -Ret •
Reprinted from ’’Infantry Journal”Ilay, 1923)
” The ensuing v/inter was employed in patrolling the river,
preserving order in the mining towns,which required some vigorous meas
ures on one or two occasions,and in extending relief and medical aide
Officers and men lived in 3og cabins,some rented or bought, and others
constructed by the ccnmendv At Circle,a community of one thousand to
fifteen hundred peopl3 at this time,a fairly satisfactory building was
found for a hospital,and here the two contract surgeons with the com
mand, Drs.Schlageter and Partridge,performed a number of amputations of
frozen fingers and feet,and treated successfully several serious cases
of gunshot wound and other injuries, In November the temperature sud
denly dropped to 55 degrees below zero,and many persons with no prev
ious experience in Alaskan weather conditions,and misled by the contin
ued mild weather, were caught on the trail unprepared* Lt*McManus,hearing
of such a party of three or four,about 15 miles iown theriver,took a
dog team and went down and brought then in# By this atft he doubtless
saved one or more -lives,as they were all unprovided ^/ith proper cloth
ing, and already badly frostbitten*
I»t.Bell performed notable service during the winter at
the town of Rampart,where,by common consent,he virtually became arbiter
of all disputes and disagreements# Likewise,in the spring of 1899,Lt#
Spalding prevented,at Nome,where he had been sent from St.Michael by
Capt.’Talker,what threatened to become a most serious disorder and up
heaval of the community by dispersing a gathering of men who proposed
to hullify the existing records of the camp,and throw the mining ground
open to relocation. The Nome field had been discovered late the previous
summer.
During the sunmer of 1890 expeditions were sent under
Captains Abercrombie and Glen to Prince William Sound and to Cook Inlet,
respectively.to explore routes from the coast to the Interior,or Yukon
Basin, Lt.Lowe, of the Abercrombie party,crossed to the Upper Tanana Riv
er, and from there, into tie "40 Mile Country,and down that stream to the
Yukon, Lt,Joseph C.Castner,(now Brigadier General),of the sane party,
striking for Circle City,was less fortunate,losing most of his outfit
on the Tanana, and finally making his ’my down that river with great
hardship,and almost destitute of food. At the mouth of the river he pro
cured supplies,and after the ice formed in the Yukon he proceeded by dog
team up that river to the Outside, stopping f*or .a few days with the de
tachment at Circle. He was cheerful over hus hard experience,but trained
down to racing form and with a most enviable appetite. He took a few
hours off at night for sleep.
Both these expeditions under Glen and Abercrombie contin
ued their explorations the following year, Lt?Joseph Herron, Cavalry,of
Glen’s party, starting from Co xk Inlet in 3899, searched out the pass
known as ’’Rainy Pass'f, explored a hitherto unknown region to the south
ward, and westward of lit •McKinley, and arrived at the mouth of the Tanana
River about the close of navigation. Here he remained until the open
water of the following season.
• ' In the summer of 1899 the Yukon, or Interior, was made a
military district, and Ray, then major,netvrned in command,with 3 compan
ies of the 7th Infantry,relieving the troops already stationed there.
The captain of one of these companies was the present Chief of Infantry,
Major General Charles S,Farnsworth,"
(To be continued next week).