VOLUME 20. NUMBER 64
SEWARD, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1925
PRICE TEN CENTS
I
BILL SHANNON
TELLS GATEWAY
GRUELLING TRIP
LEFT NENANA FEBRUARY 27TH IN
DENSE FOG, WITH PACKAGE
OF ANTITOXIN
MERCURY 62° BELOW
Three Dogs Dead with Frozen Lungs
and Others Liable to Die—Cold
So Intense Is Stupefying
: -
i ?
Willard J. Shannon, better known
to Alaskans as just “Bill,” arrived in
*' Seward on yesterday’s freight on his
Outside with the remnant of his team
of famous huskies. Mr. Shannon was
the man who took the package of
antitoxin on the first relay from Ne
nana to Nome, delivering it over at
Tolovana after one of the most gruel
ing trips ever recorded in the annals
of Alaska dogmushing.
Lean, lanky and frost-scarred, “Bill"
* Shannon represents the type of Alas
kan rapidly vanishing from the last j
frontier. Although but 34 years of
age, Mr. Shannon has put in many j
years on the Yukon, first as a soldier
in the Q. M. Corps, stationed at Fortj
Gibbons, where he was sent in 1914, j
and later as prospector, dog inusher
and explorer. Mr. Shannon was Out- i
side during the world war, stationed
at some post in the States, but as soon
as his discharge was received he re
,!
J
turned to the North, determined to
wrest a fortune from the frozen
ground. Today he and his plucky wife
are on their way to the States to re
main.
He may take an offer made by a
moving picture concern, or he may
go back to the green-clad hills of the
Adirondacks, where he was born, and
where Alaska is little known.
Mr. Shannon is a son of Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Shannon, of Constable.
New York. He lived there until 15
years ago, when he joined the army
and was detailed to Fort Gibbons,
acting Quartermaster sergeant. Four
teenth Infantry. He was stationed at
the confluence of the Tanana and
Yukon rivers, at Fort Gibbon, a deso
late spot which God forgot shortly
after it was made. While in the States
Mr. Shannon was married at Vancou
ver, Wash., and following his dis
charge from the army, he and his
plucky wife started for the Northland
where they have remained ever since.
Mr. Shannon had a team of 11 dogs,
which he had raised from pups. The
strain is one-quarter wolf, the balance
Mackenzie river liuskie. Today he
has eight, three of which are incapac
itated from work and may never re
cover. “Blackie,” his famous leader,
came back undamaged and with no
thought of having competed in an epic
of the North, one which sagas of old
would have sung mid clanging shields
of Viking hordes, had the race with
Death occurred several hundred years
ago instead of the present commercial
age.
On the morning of February 27,
“Bill” Shannon was approached at
Nenana by Postoffice Inspector Wet
zel. who told him he would like to
have him take a package to Tolovana
the next day. The mercury at this
time was around 40 below, with indi
cations of colder weather. Mr. Shan
non inquired the nature of the trip,'
and was told that an epidemic of diph
theria had struck Nome, and no medi
cine was to be obtained there; that it
tp. was desired to send serums through
by dog team as rapidly as possible if
human life was to be saved. Mr.
V t . Shannon said, “If that is the case, I
had better start today, and not wait.”
f At 9 p. m. that night he left for Camp
bell’s roadhouse, 32 miles away. The
trail was bad, the night was dark, and
the cold was most intense, piercing
thru the thickest fur garments, am’
with a steady relentl- less sapping
the vitality of man and oeast. As he
progressed down the river the cold in
creased and a hevy, clammy fog hung
over the river, making the cold doub
ly intense. When he arrived at the
roadhouse at 3 o’clock that morning
the mercury registered 62 below, and
his dogs were bleeding at the lungs.
Shannon himself, was fairly stupefied
with the cold and realized that he was
fast freezing to death. So cold was
he that when he got inside the road
house he could not eat, but took cup
after cup of strong, steaming hot
black coffee. His cheeks were frosted
and deep creases burned in his skin
by the frost. At the start the pre
cious package of serum was wrapped
in fnr robes. He had been warn
to keep it from freezing, so took it
the roadhouse and hung it from the
rafters in the warm air.
After giving his dog four hours’
rest. Shannon left at 7 o’clock for Tol
ovana, 2S miles below Campbell,’s,
arriving there at 11:15, with his dogs
in apparently fair condition but tired.
At Tolovana he turned the serum
over to Edgar Kalland. and rested his
dogs that day and all night, setting
out on his return trip in 50 below
weather. The trip back was made
very slowly in order to save his dogs,
but nevertheless three of them died.
An autopsy showed that they had
frozen their lungs badly, the cells be
ing blackened and shriveled, with con
siderable sloughing and suppuration.
Mr. Shannon has been doctoring
the animals by burning tar in the car
on the way over, and by giving them
an emulsion of codliver oil. He be
lieves the remainder of the team may
be saved.
Mr. Shannon had his dogs examined
today before leaving on the Alaska,
as a precaution against their having
any contagious disease.
Mr. Shannon has a number of cop
per claims in the Kantishna, Mount
McKinley district, where he has pros
pected the past six years.
No greater story of courage, of hu
man endurance, of achievement has
come out of any country. No greater
story of men and dogs has ever been
written. The man who carried the
message to Garcia was not one, two,
three beside the men who carried the
foe of “black death” across 700 miles
of snow and ice in biting cold. Alaska
knows what they have done, and it
honors the names of Shannon, Kalland
Green. Seppala, Kasson, Folger and
Nicolai.
Shannon merely said. “We had bet
ter "Start right away, then,” and made
sixty miles in G2 below weather to
help save women and children he had
never seen and did not know existed.
This is sublime bravery, heroic
sacrifice!
Mrs. Shannon will arrive on to
day’s train, taking the Alaska for the
States. They will visit their old home
in New York before making any en
gagements elsewhere.
INTERIOR DEPT.
THROWS OPEN
ALASKA LANDS
WASHINGTON, D. C.. Mar. 7.—
The Department of Interior announced
the release of 1,568,640 acres of land
which has been under consideration
as a site for Glacier Bay, Alaska. Na
tional Monument. The lands will be
opened for homestead entry for ninety
days, commencing April 30. The area
includes nearly 20,000 acres of Straw
berry peninsula, which was surveyed
for potential agricultural value. The
remained is unserveyed. The an
nouncement is made in connection
with the selection of 1820 square miles
slsewhere in the Territory for a mon
ument.
LONDON Mar. 6.—A job has been
found at last for the former German
floating dock which has been berth
ed in the Mersey since being deliver
ed under the p~°ce treaty. The Ad
niralty has decided to send it to
Malta for service in docking the cap
tal ships of the Mediterranean fleet.
ANOTHER FLIGHT
PLANNED WAY
ALASKA 1925
SAN FRANCISCO, Mar. 7—Haakon
Hammer arrived here yesterday on the
steamship Tenyo Maru from Japan.
He announced that he is making plans
for a test flight from London to Tokio
via Alaska, in search of a commercial
aviation route. He said the 5,000
miles could be covered in 50 hours
with but two stops for fuel. Hammer
declared he had obtained the co-oper
ation of the Japanese government in
the enterprise, and denied that he was
connected with Aaold Amundsen in
any way. He declared that Amund
sen’s plans to fly over the North Pole
failed on account of opposition of the
Isalian government.
, Hammer said the longest hop from
London to Tokio would be from Spitz
bergen to Alaska, 1800 miles, which
“is only half the distance flown by
Kelly and Macready on a nonstop,
coast to coast flight.” He said condi
tions along the proposed route were
ideal for flying between May and Sep
tember, and that such route would be
valuable to the country from a strat
egic standpoint. He concluded: “The
flight will be made thi3 year if ar
rangements can be completed.”
KEEP APPROPRIATIONS DOWN
WASHINGTON, Mar. (j.—A check
up on annual appropriation bills as
signed by the President shows that
Congress has kept within the budget
bureau estimates in providing funds
to meet the government expenses for
next fiscal year.
OFFICIALS GET RAISE AND
WORKMEN RAISE A ROW
DESDEN, Mar. 6.—Dissatisfied by
their low wages and highly enraged
because the railway administration
voted huge increases for the highest
officials, railway employes in parts
of Saxony have laid down their tools
and now there is great congestion.
TUG CAMIA SUNK, MANILA
MANILA, Mar. 6.—The tug Camia j
was sunk today after a collision with
the Naval tug Genegie off Sangley *
Point, near Caviet. No one was in
jured.
LORD CURZON ILL
LONDON, Mar. 7.—Lord Curzon col
lapsed while dressing for dinner last \
night. Physicians said his condition
was not serious but insisted upon his
keeping to his bed.
NEW WIRELESS STATION
GENEVA, Mar. 7.—The French in
tend to erect on Mt. Salive, near here
a wireless station so powerful it can
communicate with ships all over the
world.
ENGLAND TAKES LAST GAME
SYDNEY, Australia, Mar. 6.—Once
more an English cricket eleven has
toured Australia and met defeat by
307 runs. England lost her game
today, the last test match, to Aus
tralia, in a glorious finish compared
with previous tetanic struggles. Aus
tralia won the first three matches.
England won the fourth.
BULGARIAN DEPUTY KILLED
SOFIA, Mar. 7.—Communist Deputy
Haral, and Deputy Soganoff were as
sassinated today, supposedly out of re
venge for the killing of Bulgarian
Minister Mileff. Soganoff is the third
deputy to be murdered the past six
weeks. A Macedonian youth was ar
rested for the killings.
3,000 BRITISH FAMILIES
WILL COME TO B. C.
OTTAWA, Mar. 6.—Canada throws
her gates wide open to Britishers,
the present year will exceed any im
migration since the war. It is esti
mated that some 3000 British fami
lies are coming to settle in British
Columbia.
LAVOYE, WYOMING WIPED
OFF MAP BY COURT RULING
CHEYENNE, Wyo., ' Mar. 7—The
town of Lavoye was literally wiped off
the map today with its 1500 resident,
who were deprived of their homes by
the ruling of Federal Judge Kennedy,
who ordered the entire village and its
population moved in order to make
way for oil wells. The judge decreed
that the Ohio Oil Company which
leaved the land whereon the town is
located from the government for oil
development, is entitled to possession
within sixty days. Lavoye is a mod
ern boom mining town established in
1920 by the discovery of oil.
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS QUEBEC
QUEBEC, Mar. 6.— Earthquake
shocks have been felt at intervals
since last Saturday night at Baie St.
Paul, and the disturbances have up
set the nerves of the residents badly.
Houses were shaken but no serious
damage done.
AMUNDSEN OUT OF FUEL
NOME, Mar. 7.—Captain Amund
sen’s exploration ship, Maude, which
left Seattle to drift with the currents
across the North Pole, is short of
fuel and will be refueled by a ship
sent by the Russian Soviet govern
ment.
CLAIMED RELATIONSHIP
WITH 29 PRESIDENTS U. S.
BOSTON, Mar. 7.—David Edmund
Barbour. 84, who claimed to be a rela
tive of every president of the United
States, except Bunchanan. died here
today at the age of 84 years.
CANADA AND WEST INDIES
CONFER TO INCREASE TRADE
OTTAWA, Mar. 6.—Canada and
the West Indies are to hold a con
ference in May to advance the in
crease of their trade relations.
PHILIPPINE SECT
MAKES ATTACK
ON CONSTABLES
MANILA, P. I., Mar. 7.—Thirty Col
orums, who participated in attacks on
constabulary, near San Jose. Neuva
Cija province, were arrested and will
be charged with sedition. Twenty
constables have been ordered to round
up the fanatics in central southern
Luzon, where the Colorums and other
religious sects are supposed to exist,
and are ordered to keep a close sur
veillance to prevent further outbreaks.
The President Adams crashed into
a pier here Avhile docking, crushing
the landing stage, breaking down the
rails. Hundreds of spectators on the
pier escape injury.
GOVERNMENTS WANT PEACE
BUENOS AIRES, Mar. 6.—The La
nocions correspondent on the fron
tier says that peace negotiations are
being made with progress between
the Posadas inter-government and
representatives of the Brazilian reb
els.
SANTIAGO, Mar. 7.—Information
given out by the ex-premier was to
the effect ihat perfect tranquility is
now being maintained everywhere.
The government has announced its
determination to keep it so until the
return from Europe of Alexander.
CANADA AND UNITED STATES
GET TOGETHER ON BOOZE
QUESTION HARBORING BORDER
OTTAWA, Mar. 6.—The House of
Commons approved the treaty be
tween Canada and the United States
for the suppression of smuggling
liquor along the International bor
der.
KRASSIN RETURNS TO PARIS
BERLIN, Mar. 7.—Krassin return
sd to Paris from Moscow yesterday.
GEOLOGICAL MEN
WILL PRESS WORK
IN NOATAK REGION
PLANS FORMULATED TO MAP OIL
RESERVES IN REGION OF
COLVILLE RIVER
DISTRICT UNEXPLORED
Dog Teams Awaiting Party at Fort
Gibbon, Where Headquarters
Were Established
Among the arrivals coming in on
the steamship Alaska last night was
Gerald Fitzgerald, topographic en
gineer working under the Department
of the Interior. He arrived direct
from Washington, D. C., where plans
were formulated the past winter for
their summer's mapping in the Arc
tic regions.
In company with Mr. Fitzgerald
in charge of the party is Fay Dalzene,
of Nome and Alaska sweepstakes
fame, who will work with the party
during the coming season’s work.
In an interview with a representa
tive of The Gateway, Mr. Fitzgerald
told of his trip into the Arctic last
year under the leadership of Dr. P. S.
j Smith, noted geologist, mapping the
I country in the vicinity of the Colville
j river above the Arctic Circle, mapping
the entire headwaters of the hereto
fore unexplored Colville and Chipp
Rivers, coming out at Point Barrow.
About 20,000 square miles of unex
plored country was mapped by last
year’s expedition under Dr. Smith. It
is intended, according to Mr. Fitzger
aid to go direct from here to Ft. Gib
bon, headquarters. They will hare
two dog teams stationed there, which
will be used on their long journey
| down the Yukon. Another member of
| the party from last year’s cruise is
Walter Blankenship, who has winter
ed at Fort Gibbon and taking care of
the dogs and outfit.
Upon their arrival in Fort Gibbon,
they will draw up a definite route
which will bring them to Kotzebue, on
Kotzebue Sound. They intend follow
ing the old mail trail down the Yu
kon and cross on the lower river and
journey north to their destination.
Their outfits will be secured at Kot
zebue. Dog teams, canoes and any
other means of travel will be used by
these explorers in reaching the field.
From Kotzebue the party will work
up to Xoatak river to a point about
200 miles. From there they will at
tempt to carry the work north and
along the western edge of the Naval
petroleum reserve No. 4. making a
topographic and geological reconnais
sance of the unexplored southwestern
corner of the reserve, later making
their way out in September by way of
the Mead river to Deese inlet and
Point Barrow, or down the Noatak to
Kotzebue.
This is Mr. Fitzgerald’s third year
on the Arctic coast and Naval petro
leum reserve No. 4.
Dr. W. R. Smith has also had sev
eral years’ work in Alaska in oil re
connaissance.
vv hen asked by a reporter what
comment ensued over appointment of
George A. Parks for governor of Al
aska, he said that they were most fa
vorable. He said the appointment fell
upon Mr. Parks like a meteor from
heaven he not having the slightest
knowledge of the plans which were
carefully directed to his appointment.
“Everyone seems in accord with Pres
ident Coolidge over the chosing of Mr.
Parks to lead Alaska’s destinies,” add
ed Mr. Fitzgerald.
On leaving Washington, Mr. Fitz
gerald said that Mr. Parks was pre
paring to leave for his home in Colo
rado where he will visit for a short
time with his parents before coming to
Alaska.
While in town he is making his
home at the Van Gilder and expects
to leave on Monday’s train for the In
terior.