It was done and with a glance at it the Major placed it on top of his hand. The opener bet off with the size of the pot, which had grown to be a husky one, and the play came up to the Major without a raise. Without again looking at his hand, the Major, estimating the size of the pot, said, "Well! you people don't think as much of your hands as you did a while ago. That is a big pot, I have a good hand, so I will call on percentage," and he counted out the chips and turned over his cards. As the Major's cards were exposed there was a dead silence in the room, and then bedlam broke loose; the players sprang to their feet and leaned over the table, to see if their eyes had played them false; but no, for there before them lay the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of hearts-the Major had filled, and had called on a Royal Flush. "My God!" gasped the Major, "to wait all my life for one of those damned things and then not know it when I see it; I thought that ten was a nine." One of the youngsters picked up the hand and tacked it to the wall, with this motto, "Few are chosen, but fewer called-with a hand like this." I A Drill Contest A handsome silver cup has been offered as a trophy to the best-drilled company of the 20th Infantry at a contest to be held during the latter part of the month. The award will be based upon excellence in close-order drill which will count on a basis of 45 per cent; extended-order drill and combat formations with a value of 30 per cent; and the Manual of Arms with 25 per cent. Each company is to carry out its own schedule before the judges and the award will be made on its performance in all three classes of training. The competition is keen throughout the regiment, and the company that wins out will know that it has been through a contest. 4 Col. Wilds P. Richardson, U. S. Army, Retired A This article has been prepared for the purpose of recording briefly the great service of the Army in Alaska, and to give our readers some first-hand information concerning our great Northern Empire. Colonel Richardson has spent the best years of his life in our Northern Empire and to him the credit for much of the development of the country must be accorded.-EDITOR. LASKA was purchased from Russia in 1867 for the sum of $7,200,000. The Territory has a total area of nearly 590,000 square miles and extends in latitude N. from approximately 51° to 71° and in longitude 130° W. to 172° E. from Greenwich, with a total shoreline, including the islands, estimated at more than 25,000 miles. Although considered generally as a province of the north its extension westward in degrees from the United States proper is more than three times as great as that to the north. The western islands of the Aleutian chain lie within the Eastern Hemisphere, only a few hundred miles from the coast of Asia. The sun may be said to rise in the west and set in the east in Alaska, as its first rays of any calendar day fall upon the western end of the Aleutians and its last rays upon the east. This wide extended area, under the influence of mountain ranges, warm ocean currents of the North Pacific flowing through numerous channels between the islands and along the shores of southwestern and southeastern Alaska, and of the ice packs of the Polar Seas on the north, has many varieties of climate. The coastal belt as far west as Cook Inlet is comparatively mild but with a heavy precipitation of snow in winter and usually considerable rainfall in summer. This belt, including the islands, is for the most part well timbered with spruce, hemlock, birch and yellow cedar, and in the small protected valleys all the hardier crops can be grown and produce an abundant yield. Beyond Cook Inlet on the Alaska Peninsula and on the Aleutian Islands but little timber is found. Throughout the interior or central part of Alaska, the precipitation of snow and rain is much less, and, while very low temperatures occur at times. in winter the summers are usually fine with ten or twelve weeks of good growing weather for crops. In the northern and northwestern sections of Alaska the climate is more rigorous. This region is practically barren of vegetation except the Arctic moss and, aside from its mineral deposits, will be valuable chiefly as pasturing ground for reindeer. Alaska was occupied by troops of the Army immediately following the purchase in 1867, and for ten years thereafter. These troops consisted of batteries of the 2d and 4th Regiments. of Artillery and companies of the 21st Infantry, but detailed data are not readily available as to the organizations or periods of service. The posts of Wrangel, Sitka and Kodiak were occupied. Among the officers who served in Alaska in the early days were F. C. Ainsworth, afterwards the Adjutant General, and Chas. F. Humphrey, afterwards Quartermaster General of the Army. All troops were withdrawn from Alaska in the summer of 1877 to take part in the Nez Perce campaign. Thereafter for 20 years, or until after the discovery of gold in the Klondyke (Canadian Yukon), we had no troops in the Territory. During these 20 During these 20 years Alaska made little progress. The Territory had a collector of customs, later a governor, a naval vessel and a force of marines at Sitka. The Reve nue Cutter Service patrolled the Bering Sea, looking after the fur seal of the Pribilofs, and the natives of the Aleution Islands and along the coast. During this period, however, several notable expeditions were made into the Territory. Lieutenant P. Henry Ray, 8th Infantry, conducted an expedition. which spent two years, 1881-3, at Point Barrow, making observations upon the Aurora Borealis and other phenomena of the north. Lieutenant Frederick Schwarta descended the Yukon River in 1883, and Lieutenant Abercrombie in 1884 made an unsuccessful attempt to explore the interior by way of the Copper River. In 1885, Second Lieutenant (now Major General) H. T. Allen ascended the Copper in the late winter, crossed to the Tanana, which he descended by skin boats constructed by himself, to the Yukon, crossed on foot to the Koyukuk, which he explored up to within the Arctic Circle, thence back down the Koyukuk and the Yukon to St. Michael. No journey of exploration through the Territory, mostly through an absolutely unknown region at that time, has ever been more successfully conducted or resulted in more interesting and valuable information concerning the Territory. THE KLONDYKE GOLD RUSH In the summer of 1897, the 8th Infantry was stationed at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming. I had just returned to the regiment, after a tour of duty as tactical officer at West Point, filled with enthusiasm for all things military. On the night of July 31, a "hop" was in progress at the post. While I was dressing for this festive event Captain P. Henry Ray, the same who had gone to Point Barrow in 1881, came to my quarters and informed me that he had received telegraphic instructions from Washing ton to proceed to Alaska, and asked me if I desired to accompany him. Upon my reply in the affirmative he told me to go to the hop in fulfillment of an engagement already made, and he would make some inquiries as to train schedules. Later in the evening he came to the hop room and informed me it would be necessary for us to leave Cheyenne early the following morning in order to have time at Portland and Seattle to get the necessary equipment together for sailing on August 5. Good-byes were said on the spot, and most of the night was spent in making preparations to leave. This incident is related as characteristic of the old service in the West and because it completely changed the current of my own life from anything I could have anticipated and was the beginning of 20 years of service in Alaska, with brief intervals between different duties. In Seattle there was much bustle and excitement over the news of the great placer gold discovery of the Klondyke. The news was spreading rapidly throughout the States and to distant. countries. The richness of the deposit Transport of the Northland. These Huskies Carry the U. S. Mails Throughout the Long Winter buried deep under the permanent frost, its remoteness and difficulty of access appealed strongly to the imagination. and there ensued a rush of miners, prospectors, professional and business men, speculators and adventurers from all parts of the world. In some respects this "rush" was even more dramatic than that following the California discovery nearly 50 years before. Before leaving Seattle Captain Ray received instructions from the War Department to proceed to Circle City on the Yukon and from there investigate and report upon the facts concerning the reported discovery, the movement of people and need-and location if needed-of troops in the Territory. We sailed on the evening of August part on improvised bunks between decks, but all were happy to be on board and on the way to the new gold fields. The Cleveland dropped anchor in the Bay of St. Michael on the morning of August 18. Here we were delayed for 11 days awaiting the sailing of the river steamer John J. Healy, finally getting away on the evening of the 29th for the mouth of the Yukon. Before leaving St. Michael Captain Ray sent back to the War Department a recommendation for a detachment of troops to be sent to St. Michael to preserve order during the winter, as it seemed likely that a considerable number of people would be stranded there for the winter, unable to get up the river. 5 on the steamer Cleveland. This ship, dation Lieut. Col. George M. Randall, In response to this recommen an old freighter, with suitable accommodations for about 20 passengers had 170 on board, sleeping for the most of the 8th Infantry, with Lieutenants E. S. Walker and Edwin Bell and 25 enlisted men of the same regiment were |