The following article Is drawn from
an Interview published In the Alaska
Times of Cordova
Cupl. Louis L. Lane, v\ ho fouud
Vllhjalmar Stefansson in the Arctic,
left on the steamer City of Puebla for
states where he will purchase another
boat and outfit and start north again j
in the spring.
Captain Lane found the tfteai Arctic
.explorer on a gumlspit off Cape Kellel
on the lllh day of August, three nays
after Stefansson had telurned from ins
winter’s sled trip to the uoi tli. 1 he
Polar Bear was weathering a storm at
the time. A northeaster had sprung
up, the ice das tunning dangerously
lust, and Captain Lane had been forc
ed to put into life skelter offered by
the cape. A long suudspil, 8 or 10
miles in length, extends out into the
ocean here. The skipper hud just drop
ped his anchor. Away off in the dis
tance lie sad u small speck coming to
ward the vessel. He put uul in a
small boat to meet it. That spuek was
llie greatest Arctic explorer that ever
. drew tlie breath of life Vilhjuhnar
Stefansson. lie hud just returned from j
a long winter's sled trip into unknown |
north. Of lott and Hour he had plenty, I
hut ihat was all hu did have except
the meal his gun could get for him.
Words cannot describe the feeling of the
two uten as they clasped hands in thul
iee bound country. Stefansson had
been lost, of that tho world was satis- !
tied. The veteran whaler and trader,!
Ca.pt. L. L. Lane, »us determined to}
search for him, for lie delievod that'
Stefansson was alive. And it is Cap
tain Lane who found him, it is Capt.
L. L Lane who sold him the Polar Beni
and the best outfit that the veteran
explorer ever had to continue his
* search fori and in the unknown Arctic. ^
Sells fhe Boat.
Captain Lane sold the Polar Heal l |
Stefansson. In exchange for it he
was given the Xorth Star and a enshj
consideration. But tlio Xorth Star wal
nut where it was supposed to be, ano
Captain Lane feared that if he went
to where the boat was Stefanssui.
would miss him. Therefore ho waited
for the explore, figuring that it was
better to be stuck in the Arctic thar
to inconvenience and possibly spoil
Stefansson'H plans. He later got the
Gladiator, a smaller craft, but a strong
northwesterly gale sprung up and la
was forced to put back to Herschel
island. The gale lasted for days and
the veteran whaler missed making the;
trip to Nome, where bis wife awaitr. j
him by just 48 hours.
Ste’ansson’s Equipment.
"Stefansson had the best outfit l
ever had; and I think lie has the best
men he ever had." Asked whether m
not he took the crew of the Tolar Bear
with him when he bought the boat
the Captain said:
"All but two White men and six
Indians went with Stefansson. One
engineer and one sailor did not sign
with tho explorer, and are winterin',
around Herschel island.
Left for North.
"When did Stefansson leave on his,
trip to the north?"
"On September 3 he sailed for tho
north end of Banks land. He expects
to do a lot of exploring to tho north
east and northwest this winter. He
0
was going to north end of Banks land
when he sailed with the Polar Bear
Stefansson has requested tho Canadian
government to allow him one more
year after this winter in which to
continue his explorations. Ho has
found a new land which he thinks Is
quite a large continent, and which lias
some big mountain ranges on It. And
he believes that there arc other lands
to be discovered."
Refute Stories.
The only time that Captain Lane
showed any signs of feeling except
when he was stating how glad ho was
to see his friend, the veteran explorer,
was when he mentioned the story
that was first to come out in the
Seward Gateway, discrediting Stafans
son’s story, in tlio first place, he
branded most of the statements as un
worthy of consideration and down
right untruths.
"The statement that anyone who
knows anything ubout tho coasts up
ground Herschel island could have
known that Stefansson could have
let it be known long ago that ho was
alive Is foolish. Vllhjalmar Stefans
son was not near Herschel island. No
man has even gotten to a point of com
muiiict. tlon with the outer world from
Lho spot wher Stefunssun was. It
would necessitate a long, hard, expen
sive sled trip, and would mean the
vaerifice of ton much grub to mal e
the trip.
"I have be hi the Arctic for
.nuny y ears, and 1 have never heard a
■•ingle man deny that there are blonde
Eskimos there. They all claim, every
.nan who has been there, that there
.vas a small percentage of the Eski
.nas, some with very blonde hair and
ight blue eyes, in Lliat part of the
country.
"The article says that men, whal
ers who have been where Stefausson
was, say there were no fair-haired
Eskimos there. \\ ueie ihu biouue
Eskimos live there are no vv haies, and
.here are uo whaling grounds within
EJU miles ol the place. in all my
experience l liav e only seen one w hal
er who tins been in that part of the
Arctic.
The Commissioner's Son.
The story that the son ol ilie L ni
.eh .stales ' 1 •mmissioner al l'eiler had
made uie statement that lie had prom
ised that he would no! knock the out
■it is foolish. 1 dun’i believe tnut be
cause a man is the son of a i uited
.states commissioner lie is any better
jr any worse than anyoouy else, out
.ms man made the trip in tile Karluk
rom Numeto Point Barrow, and then
-iuu the snip beta use in was aiiaid
.o take chances in tile we with it. He
•lid not have the sand to go through
even in tile sleam heated boat.
The Karluk.
' 1 ue statement to lie effect tiiat
dtefansson should ha.e known that
.ne Karluk could not tie Irozen in
jolid at tiie point where Stic was stuck
jii ilie jutli f iseptembei is ion ish. i
was stuck at the same tune, ana was
stuck for the winter. sSiefansson was
n shallow water and he did not think
Lhat tiie ice would move again where
.no Kailua was. The ice run changes
•very year, you cannot follow any set
nurse or make any deiinite plans in
.he Arctic ocean."
Captain Bartlett
Captain Bane then spoke of the was
that Captain Bartlett handled the Kar
luk. "Captain Bartlett may ho an ex
perienced navigator in the eastern ice
floes, there the water is deep and the
ice heavy, but things are different here.
Tin* water is shallow and the Ice
heavy. Captain Bartlett was warned
to stay toward the shore but ho. start
ed to drift with the floe. It is a won
der he did what ho did. The Karluk
is one of the three boats I know of that
ever drifted around Toint Barrow in
an lee floe without being crushed.
Best Proof.
"Every prospector, whaler, trader,
trapper, Royal Northwest Mounted
policeman and native in that north
ern country have nothing but words
of praise for Stofansson. He mado
the longest sled trip ever made in the
world on ocean ice, and got his food
by his own gun and neither his men
nor his dogs missed a meal. lie is
the greatest hunter I ever heard of
mil will live where the natives will
starve Why two tnippers who have
Deep in the Arctic for years made the
last trip with him. and one o! them
■ail to quit. He is now on tlie Arctic
oast Hading and trapping. 'it was
" strenuous fur me, was what tie told
ue. That is tlie best kind of proof
Imt stefansson is on the square. He
-* Hie greatest man in that country
that ilie world lias ever known.”
Made Fast Trip.
* uptain lame made a very fast and
i> irly nip. He lefl Herschel
• Iini on tile itUUi of September. The
-j in 11'-s to tlie mainland he made In
p 11 boat. lie W..S accompanied
i Hie trip by two prospectors who
a.oi been in ibe Arctic for years. They
no duwn tin uui crow and the
• oicupme livers, Hiring dugs until
ip-. . • tciiecl Circle, from there he
„m. leases to bung them over to
nauimka, and Horn there Ue came
1 i Una 10 au auto. lie is going Ul
ii. to {sen uie wneie tie will get u.n
.i.ici on i nu a new outtiL.
in. ii. he m.no from Herschel
i a t coord one not it tor time
I,,., i- i the eariniess of uie soasou.
A vireat Man.
i lime in : ., lot ol men in Uie
■ ii c, uUi totc-iaiio.-• ■ is wltnout deuin
in gi. aiost u..ii t nave ever met. He
ue t„i.||. w iic-fe most men would
u a >Uui i tor traveling. He
■.no important otsedveries and
..ci . mat lie will make utueis mis
win. i And ins belief is shared by
man who knows the cum.
a. , Knows Stefanssun.
What He Left.
CapLain Lane sa.J tirul tile I'ulai '
.1 -ai uau tot oourd about Ilia tuns
.cues and luei i. item tie turned
o . ovet to si.ci.il .oil, i hat is an
. ,. uig enough i last tlie puny for
w o . r.aa w.t it ci ia.tort aim for three
..eats if necessary, Cif course. the.
vvottid run short of some knicknacks,
such as butter, but they have a damt.
outfit,” said the captain.
,. ring to the boat, < 'aptaln Lane
said that file 1 olar Lear had proba
bly bucked more tough ice titan an;
i.out of Iter size, or, in tact, any othet
size, that had been in the Arctic. He
hail her for live years, When he turn
i,| a, r wa r to Stefnnsnon she did not
lral. rn,i The boat had been pump
ed o inn twice this season in her
, id hold, and each time only about
tw> barrels of water was pumped
it, nd this sot through a broken
hawser plate, which could not bo
mended by cement.
Captain states that the boat is so
11'iistrib ted that she can stand frees*
ii - in without damage. Stefansson
I v. a.; well pleased with tlie boat and
UeUl' d vew. much over the outfit.
Back Again.
Captain Lane knows when he can
got just tlie boat he wants to make his
annual trip to tlie Arctic and says
o ii if he cannot get It lie will have
time to build before lie has to start
ncaiiF for tlie north.
Calling Cards at the Nugget Ofllee.
ft
RUBY—Tho report published rocCnt
ly that two pans taken from No. throo
above, Long creek, weighed $102 was
verified by Frank Johnson while in
town the first of last month.
Mr. Johnson said that ho is working
in tho best ground ho has over worked
in, in Alaska for the past eleven years.
It will averago about $1,000 per day
with three mon working.
No. 3 Above is the richest claim up
tho creek that is being workod. Mr.
Johnson bought tho ground for $10,000
from George Shepard last year. It has
proved so satisfactory that he volun
tarily made tho final payment the other
day, although the same was long under
due.
Before starting for tho outsido this
week Mr. ohepard said the ground is
sure to yield its present owner a lot
of money, and addod that ho would bo
glad for tho sum to reach a million.—
Record-Citizen.
Calling cards printed at Nugget office.
NOTICE.
Now when tho United States mails
we unable to bring magazines and
other reading matter, is tho most op
portune time to keep posted on what is
happening throughout tho world, by
subscribing for the Nugget and have
It delivered to your home every evening.
I +
t BOARD of TRADE i
+ i
| Restdiirap.f |
| and t
I LUNCH COUNTER |
I riodini & ,'liio. Prop, f
!■ I"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXTXXXXXTXX XX*
jj BOSTON E
H STtAW LAlNDKY 6
3 E
M Phone Mam bS J
g _ s
3 3
M Have your laundry done up at JJ
JJ the up-to-date laundry. R->u.j ■ H
JJ dry worK our epocialty. Give u» H
^ }i
M a trial and be convinced. ^
JJ
m Pi’cmpt Delivery JJ
f.XXTTX XXT^XXTTXTITT! X i T f T «
IKor health J>
and Recreation >
Visit the ;>
BOWLING ALLEY jj
Ladies patronage !;
Especially Solicited jj
OTTO BINDER, Drop. \\
-kss rn'^^xssixsxB
| CARLETON & COMPANY |
t !
J General hardware & j
; MINING SUPPLIES ;
' 310 t-ront St. Hhone Haiti I I
r v . e * s. H'iLTLiczzi-t
■ - • • ■ ■ a
Water i
i
•' *r
X
;; For prompt service I
J; Phone White do I
z
▼
II Wm. Pangmanf
» A
tnniint
Nome jj
i| COFFEE HOUSE;!
AND BAKERY j;
Recommend it* olaan and whola S
(| some bread and paltry af all <|
I |1 kinds. 4 >
/ We cater to family trade , |
Older. far entortainmeru. J,
■ | promptly filled. < J
i viAA/WM\VWWVWvWv\r.
——— . <11111 ,-a;,'I!1 1
WWSVWWWWVWVWW VSA
I Save Money by If
Purchasing your \l
goods at J;
F, J. KRICEK STORE l|
Wittenberg j
Manager J
Our Big Sale N >
always on
Chas. W. Peed I
Machinist tt Blacksmith } (
" ■ - - t
• i
0«x>ltne buyinea. hoists •
Hollers, Pine «nd Pl|>e
I'lttlng* j
j No. 5 Front St. j
• -e «• . i » t »"« •-* > |
I cltafra :
j EVERYTHING \
\ STRICTLY |
j FIRST-CLASS ;
nmttTnwtmsn »«g;
I The |
LOBBY
Wettergren<Sfc Bergren ;!
Proprietors jl
■ ■ — ■ —- 1 ■. ' . -
WVWYAWAVWWYA'SWA/VV
I The j!
Angeles ;j
A. O. OLIVER ij
PROP. ;i
Phone Main 44 !;
LI* »■*■»_***. ■**»!*
| Horseshoe
\ Ga* Hall * Alban Hartman, j
Rrapnatora
\ KHONE MAIN 112
I LEWIS HUNTER RYE AND \
ATHERTON BOURBON
0tract fram Bonrfad Warahauaa
! RAINIER DRAUGHT BEER !
Finaat Brand* *f Wlaa*. Llquar*
and Cigar*.
I
Don’t Fall Down
On your promise to keep your
friends informed about what is
going on around Nome this winter
You will not have any of the
trouble of cutting, pasting and the
mailing of the same;
; (
So let the Nugget do your
letter writing by mailing the
newspaper direct from this office
every day.
| We Will Do it For You
Weekly Nugget 50c per month Daily $2.00
I _ i