RETURN OF A PARTY OF RUSSIANAMERICAN TELEGRAPH EXPLORERS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 446, 13 December 1866, Page 3

RETURN OF A PARTY OF RUSSIANAMERICAN TELEGRAPH EXPLORERS.

(From the Alta California.) Majob F. L. Pope, a young man of much merit, has lately returned to this oity after an adventurous exploring expedition in the service of the Russian'American Telegraph Accompanied by Mr Blenkiasoa, of Victoria, two Indians and four dogs, he left New Westminster near the month of Fraser river, on the Ist of May 1865, and in October he reached Lake Tatla, the head nf Fraser river, after a journey of 800 miles. Here he spent about four months, the winter being too severe for travelling. It was his duty to travel in a north-west direction and find the Stickeen river, over a country through which no white man had ever passed. The country was covered with a deep light snow; they had no means of transporting their food, blankets and tools, save their dogs and themselves; their stock of provisions was small; there was no game, and it was doubtful whether they would find any Indians who could feed them, of would be disposed to do so. What other obstacles might obstruct their way could be surmised but not known. On the 29th of February, 1866, they left their camp, following the course of a valley in which Lake Tatla lay. The men were provided with snow shoes, aqd the dogs were hitched to a sledge on which was laden 425 pounds of provisions and other baggage. Soon after starting they reached the Skeena river, which empties into the ocean about lat. 54°, and they travelled up its valley, which lay in their course. About lat. 57°, where they first saw it, it breaks through the mountain ridge west of the valley, and they knew from its size and position that it must be the Skeena. They arrived at the head of the river on the 23rd of March. Here one of the dogs was killed, because he was too weak to go any further. The other dogs were very weak, and the snow had been so soft that the party could not go more than three or four miles a day. Unless they could make better time than that they would be in great danger of perishing. They determined to push on, however, and in a few furlongs after leaving the Skeena the snow became harder, and better for travelling, and they found they were on a stream running north-west. They followed this down for fifty miles, when about lat. 58°, it suddenly turned to the west. They knew that it must be a tributary of the Stickeen, so they followed it down and satisfied themselves that it was the main river. In May they reached its mouth, where they found rim Hudson’s Bay Company’s steamer Otter, which carried them to Victoria, whence Major Pope came to this city. His land journey took him a distance of 1200 miles, and occupied a year, during the greater part of which time he was far from any human habitation.

He found a valley of three miles wide, bounded, the east side by high mountains, extending north-westward from Lake Tatla to the bend of the Stickeen river, and the divides between the Fraser and the Skeena and between the Skeena and the Stickeen are so low that the traveller would scarcely notice them if the waters did not flow in different directions. This valley is open, and favorable for the construction of a telegraph line, with enough timber for poles. The country, however, presents few attractions for the residence of the men who would have charge of the line. Pope’s Valley, as we name it, is about_ 200 miles from the coast and parallel with it. The telegraph line is now finished to Rotcher de Bouller on the Skeena river about 50 miles west of Pope’s Valley; and it is doubtful, or was at the last accounts, whether the line should thence follow up the Skeena to Pope’s Valley, or strike directly north-west to Buck’s Bar, on the Stickeen river. Something will probably depend upon the report of the Exploring Party which ascended the Kwicbpak, and were to meet Major Pope on the Stickeen, but have not as yet been heard from. The distance of Rocher de Bouller from the mouth of Fraser river, by the telegraphic line, is about 700 miles, so the work has already made much progress. At Buck’s Bar, on the Stickeen 510 miles from the Ocean, there are six white miners, who have been there for years, and are doin<* well,, They say that the gold mines are rich and extensive, and that there are valuable lodes of silver and copper ores in the vicinity, Major Pope saw one lump of native copper nearly as large as a quart bowl.